SO ALL THE TROUBLE STARTED WITH BISHOP GENE?

Well, no. Blame the present troubles in the Anglican Communion on the ordination of the first openly gay and partnered bishop in the Anglican Communion, if you will, but you will be wrong. And pay close attention to the word "openly", for Bishop Gene is not the first partnered gay bishop.

The Episcopal Church has been in the naughty chair, or as we say here in the US, in time-out, at least since 1998, when Pete Broadbent wrote from an evangelical perspective in praise of Gareth Bennett's Preface to the 1988 edition of Crockford's Clerical Directory. I could not find the text of Bennett's Preface to the 1988 edition online.

Broadbent states:

Catholic Anglicans are far more preoccupied than Evangelicals with the vagaries of certain parts of the Anglican Communion. New Directions frequently carries news of the latest Spong-related horror story from the Episcopal Church in the USA, with the implicit assumption that what happens in that church today is bound to infiltrate these shores sooner or later.
....

Bennett devoted three pages of his preface to ECUSA, and concluded that the Lambeth Conference of 1988 [convened by Archbishop of Canterbury Robert Runcie] would decide to resolve the American Anglican "crisis" by doing nothing. In this he was proved correct. There is, of course, an alternative course of action for those who believe that Spong and others like him are beyond the pale. It would run contrary to catholic principle, but it would be consistent with the practice of the New Testament Church. To dissociate the rest of the Anglican Communion from ECUSA until it deals with the various cuckoos in its nest would be a powerful statement that the Anglican Communion is more interested in Trinitarian orthodoxy than societally-driven liberal whim. ECUSA is anyway over-represented at Lambeth, and exerts an influence way beyond its global significance.

Evangelical Anglicans, with their more pragmatic ecclesiology, are not in any event as concerned with the unity of worldwide Anglicanism as are Catholic Anglicans. Many of us would prefer to be Presbyterian or Baptist when sojourning in the USA. Bennett's questions about the coherence of the Anglican Communion are, for many of us, part of a bigger issue which puts a premium on Christian orthodoxy above denominational preference. This has particular implications for the UK Christian scene, and to this I will return.

Since 1998 and even before, it seems that the Episcopal Church in the US has been a problem for Evangelicals, as well as Anglo-Catholics, in the Church of England. So. The "Spong-related horror stories" started it all - the "infamous" Bishop Jack Spong?

Well, no, not really. The trouble started from the beginning of the history of the Church of England, when it declared itself free of the authority of the Church of Rome. Anglicans have always been a contentious lot who managed to live together in tension for over 500 years.

Evangelicals and Anglo-Catholics and, indeed, all of us of any persuasion of Anglicanism, need to read our church history, which, in early days, was written in blood. And we need to learn from history not to repeat the mistakes of the past.

Huge thanks to Poppy Tupper at The George Carey Fan Club for his post titled "A long campaign of hate and exclusion" and for the links. Poppy advised me, "Have a gin and sit down before you read them!!" I was still drinking my tea when I began to read, but, once I started, I wish I'd sloshed a bit of gin into my tea.

A link to further commentary on the Preface in 1997 from Geoffrey Rowell, Bishop of Basingstoke.

I grieve that the Preface affair culminated in the tragic suicide of Gareth Bennett.

Image from Wikipedia.

CHURCH MOUSE 'SPLAINS IT ALL AND ADVISES

If any of you in the Episcopal Church are confused about the societies popping up here and there and everywhere in the mother church, the Church of England (although some might say that the mother church is the Scottish Episcopal Church), read Church Mouse.

Rowan tells us that the Anglican Communion is doing just fine. Yet Mouse is somewhat concerned.

And aren't we all!

Of the many societies and alphabet soup of groups, Church Mouse says:

What a dreadful mess. Factions within the church are not happy just being factions, they intend to build bigger walls around themselves so they are not contaminated by others from within their own church. And they have the nerve to say this is being done in the interest of mission. Please try explaining all this to someone of Generation Y for whom Christianity is "a distant cultural memory" and then tell me that these groupings help mission.

And might we not apply the words to the alphabet soup mix of groups in the US? The breakaways? Those who stay, but who are ever at the ready to flee, with bags packed and one foot in and one foot out? And all for the sake of mission?

Mouse says further:

Mouse has a word of advice to those looking to establish walls around their factions. Stop. Stop now. Please.

Ah, but who will heed Mouse's advice?

Thanks to Cathy for the link.

BECKY SAID IT WAS TIME - GOOD-BYE SWEET GIRL

From Roger:

Becky was put down late this morning. She regained her appetite somewhat yesterday, eating 3/4 lb of raw hamburger meat late morning and about 1/2 lb of sliced "Tavern" ham last night. She spent a good night and was eager to go the the Doggie Park this morning, but weakened fast once we got there and after a time stood by the gate, wanting to leave. By the time we were home, she was quite shaky on her feet and was misjudging distances and locations, walking into things, so I called the vet's to see if there was an opening this morning, which there was, and I took her in right in. She seemed ready to go, though it was four or five minutes before the anaesthetic sent her to sleep, so there was still some strength left.

Pray for Becky and Roger.

O Lord our God, we come before You this day in sadness. Becky, who brought Roger so much joy in life, has now died. Her happy times in Roger’s embrace have come to an end. He misses Becky already.

Help him, O God, to remember the good times with Becky. Remind him to rejoice in the happy times she brought to his home. Let him be thankful for the good life he was blessed to give to her.

We are grateful to You, God, for creating Becky, for entrusting her to Roger's care, and for sustaining her in his love for a measure of time. We understand that all that lives must die. We knew that this day would come. And yet, O God, Roger would have wanted one more day of play, one more evening of love with Becky.

O God, as he has taken care of Becky in life, we ask that You watch over her in death. You entrusted Becky to Roger's care; now, we give her back to You. May Becky find a happy new home in Your loving embrace.

As we remember Becky, may we love each other more dearly. May we care for all Your creatures, for every living thing, as Roger protected the blessed life of Becky. May her memory bless our lives with love and caring forever. Amen.

By Rabbi Barry H. Block.

(Slightly edited)

IMAGE OF THE DAY - ANGLICAN COVENANT

The Anglican Covenant as a turkey (a bad play)

With proper foresight, the producers would realize that the play should never get as far as rehearsals, much less ever be staged.

H/T to Bishop Alan, who inspired the image.

BABY PORCUPINE - RELATIONSHIPS

Have you ever seen a baby porcupine?

Fable of the porcupine

It was the coldest winter ever and many animals died because of the cold.

Some porcupines, realizing the gravity of the situation, decided to group together to share warmth.

This way they were better covered and protected ; however - the quills of each one wounded their closest companions.

After a while they decided to distance themselves one from the other and soon after they began to die, alone and frozen.

So they had to make a choice: either accept the quills of their companions or disappear from the Earth.

Wisely, they decided to go back to being together.

They learned to accept the little wounds that were caused by these close relationships, in order to benefit from what their companions offered.

It was this way that they were able to survive and thrive.

Moral of the story:

The best relationships are not ones that bring together perfect beings, but are instead ones where individuals learn to live with the imperfections of others and can still accept the gifts they have to offer.

Thanks to Doug.

UPDATE CORRECTION: According to HelloAdorable, the pictures above are baby hedgehogs and not porcupines. Further, according to HelloAdorable:

You'll be happy to know that their spines are not barbed and do not come off in self-defense like porcupines.

Oh dear! What to do about my post?

I couldn't bear to remove the pictures of the adorable baby hedgehogs, but below is a picture of a baby porcupine, which is also cute, but not, I think, as adorable as the baby hedgehogs.



Thanks to Susan S.

IT GET'S BETTER

Jonathan Smith

Song is "There Will be a Way" by Bad Religion from their album New America.

DAVID@MONTREAL'S MILD (?) RANT

Our sweet friend David@Montreal posted what I can only describe as a mild (?) rant at his website, LGTB Vocation, in response to the article in the Mangalorean on the Archbishop of Canterbury's visit to India, which states:

Bangalore, October 21: As Dr Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury and the head of the worldwide Anglican Communion entered the confines of the Bishop Cotton Boys’ School in the City on Thursday evening, hundreds of faithful Christians greeted him with prayers that reverberated throughout the atmosphere.

And later, when a programme in his honour commenced with a prayer and was punctuated by greetings from heads of various Christian Dioceses of Karnataka for over two hours, the Archbishop remained patiently attentive.

The audience were more than awed by his persona. Every time, his name was read out, it evoked a huge round of applause. Predictably, he received the most passionate ovation when he was called to address the gathering. Although he spoke briefly, the Archbishop of Canterbury sought to delve on a crucial aspect of our civilisation - human rights.

He emphasised that human rights should be seen in the context of human dignity. The Archbishop said the values of unity must be upheld for peaceful co-existence.

“Human dignity ought to be protected at any cost. It’s important that the critical issue of human rights is viewed in terms of its relation with the right to self-respect,” the Archbishop of Canterbury, who leads the third largest group of Christians in the world, said.

Viva il Papa! Whoops, my mistake! He's the head of the first largest group of Christians in the world.

Anyway, our Sweet friend David@Montreal posts the following on his blog:

Am I just imagining it- the faint whiff of post-colonial condescension to William’s making this pronouncement overseas? To say nothing of the blatant hypocrisy of this coming from this particular individual whose own actions would appear to indicate a casual or only occasional acquaintance with what human dignity entails. Coming at a time when:

he continues to tolerate the prissy waffling of traumatized misogenists within the ranks of his own Church’s clergy over the consecration of women bishops; essentially dismissing the vocations of certain sisters to serve in this capacity, discounting both their lives and faith and implicitly admitting that the C of E is not ready yet to deal with more than one half of the human race as dynamic, living human beings living valid lives of faith sealed by their baptism.

All right now, I didn't say that. David said it. You can read the rest of his mild (?) rant at his website.

And I'm not sending you over there just because David calls me "blessed Mimi, Queen of the South". Such blandishments don't influence me at all, when I link.

MORE COLLECTOR BOOKS FROM LAPIN

The Weird Rabbit does not own the books. He merely found pictures of them for us, so we can't ask him questions about the naughty contents.



Is it wrong to out one's own grandfather? What do you think?



Dancing dishes, dusters, pots, and kettles! Oh, to have such a gay kitchen!

Lapin, a suggestion: If you are considering buying the books, I believe you may be aiming above your reading level. Just a thought.

My readers: I have access to pictures of a whole treasure trove of such collector books, enough material to start a series, if you would like to see more titles.

GOOD NEWS ABOUT KATZIE

From Mark at Enough About Me:

VERY GOOD NEWS
Katzie is home.

It was a very bad bladder infection, but the vet was really worried, and she went above and beyond in providing care. They gave and intravenous antibiotic, flushed his bladder with antibiotic, and sent him home with an orally-administered antibiotic - which, apparently, tastes horrible.

He's acting like his old self much more - though the long periods away from home mean that Miutu is having difficulty adjusting.

Katzie got home yesterday in time to take care of me, as a steady diet of fear, sleeplessness, and changing temperatures has led to a crushing sinus infection. Yesterday afternoon, I was too weak to turn from my back onto my side without considerable effort.

Our prayers and our donations helped save Katzie's life. Thank you all who contributed in any way. Please continue to pray for Katzie to be restored to full health.

Now Mark needs our prayers, too.

O God, the strength of the weak and the comfort of sufferers: Mercifully accept our prayers, and grant to your servant Mark the help of your power, that his sickness may be turned into health, and our sorrow into joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Mark, when you feel better, don't forget your promise of a picture of Katzie.

"A DISHONEST COVENANT"

Paul Bagshaw's was an early voice from across the pond to speak against the Anglican Covenant. Paul blogs at Not the Same Stream.

The initial judgement was that a Covenant would be a hard sell. Therefore the decision was taken to avoid as much public debate as possible but to contain debate within the smallest possible inner circles of each Province. The rest has followed: public debate has deliberately been muted and it's hard to see how much, if any, difference it made to the shaping of the Covenant.
....

The only thing that made any difference was private opposition from Primates and their representatives. And then only in relation to the terms of the Covenant. Public and official statements that stated opposition to the Covenant were apparently ignored.

Paul's voice, along with the voices of a few others such as MadPriest, was one of only a few to be heard in England against the Covenant, and that's how it will come to pass that the Covenant will likely make easy passage through General Synod of the Church of England next month.

Although many of us in the US spoke against the Covenant early and often, perhaps we could and should have called more attention to those voices in other provinces, especially in the Church of England, who were doubtful that the Covenant was good or even simply benign. If the Covenant was rejected by the Church of England, it would be dead.

Please read Paul's entire post from which I copied my title, "A Dishonest Covanant".

Paul's article from 2007 may be found in Modern Church.

H/T to MadPriest at OCICBW for the link to Paul's post.