NACC CALLS FOR FAIR PROCESS AND HONEST DEBATE

No Anglican Covenant Coalition
Anglicans for Comprehensive Unity
noanglicancovenant.org

NEWS RELEASE
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NO ANGLICAN COVENANT COALITION CALLS FOR FAIR PROCESS AND HONEST DEBATE

LONDON —The No Anglican Covenant Coalition has criticized church officials for attempting to suppress honest discussion of the proposed Anglican Covenant.

"Instead of fostering a free and open discussion, church officials are trying to ensure that this radical document is endorsed without serious debate," according to Coalition Moderator, Dr Lesley Fellows. "Unfortunately, this is entirely consistent with what has been happening throughout the process."

The idea of an Anglican Covenant was first proposed officially in 2004 as a means of addressing divisions among the member churches of the Anglican Communion on matters ranging from human sexuality to the role of women. The current draft, which has been unilaterally designated as "final", has been referred to the Communion churches for adoption. The proposed Covenant establishes mechanisms that would have the effect of forcing member churches to conform to the demands and expectations of other churches or risk exclusion from the Communion. The draft must be either accepted without amendment or rejected entirely; no other options are allowed.

A series of decisions demonstrate a pattern of bias and manipulation designed to facilitate Covenant adoption:

November 2010 — When the Church of England debated the Anglican Covenant, official materials prepared for General Synod members made no reference to the concerns of critics or to the case against the Covenant. This was in marked contrast to what happened in 2007, when the House of Bishops agreed that an additional briefing document presenting opposing arguments should be circulated to all General Synod members in advance of the debate.

November 2010 — When Modern Church and Inclusive Church placed advertisements critical of the proposed Covenant in the church press, and when the No Anglican Covenant Coalition was launched, Covenant sceptics were criticized by senior church officials for going public and "campaigning" instead of remaining silent.

December 2010 — When the draft Covenant was formally referred to English dioceses, the referral document provided a random list of quotations from the last General Synod debate, with pro
‐ and anti‐Covenant remarks mixed up together, followed by a purely pro‐Covenant presentation.

January 2011 — A request by Covenant opponents to the Business Committee of General Synod to circulate material setting out the case against the Covenant was rejected.

February 2011 — The Anglican Communion Office issued an official study guide and list of questions and answers for international use that neither provide a balanced look at the issues nor fairly represent the views of those critical of the Covenant.
"In the history of General Synod, we know of no instance where such an important matter (designated as Article 8) has been referred to diocesan synods without the case for both sides being clearly set out," according to Jonathan Clatworthy, General Secretary of Modern Church and a member of the No Anglican Covenant Coalition. "Both sides were represented regarding the most recent plans for unity with the Methodists. That was the case at every stage of the debate over the ordination of women as priests, and now, as bishops. The material concerning the Covenant falls far short of the ideals of justice, of the Anglican tradition. Even in the House of Commons, all sides of an issue are allowed to be heard."

The No Anglican Covenant Coalition website, noanglicancovenant.org, provides a wealth of resources for those seeking to understand the proposed Anglican Covenant. Material specifically designed for use by Church of England dioceses is also available from the Modern Church Web site at modernchurch.org.uk/resources/mc/cofe.

"Diocesan synods in the Church of England deserve to hear all sides of the debate," said Dr Fellows. "We are not afraid of an open, fair, and honest debate. If the supporters of the Covenant had a stronger case, perhaps they wouldn’t be either."


Revd Dr Lesley Fellows (England) +44 184 4239 268

Revd Canon Hugh Magee (Scotland) +44 133 4470 446

Dr Lionel Deimel (USA) +1 412 512 9087

Revd Malcolm French (Canada) +1 306 550 2277

Revd Lawrence Kimberley (New Zealand) +64 3 981 7384

THE TEA PARTY (REPUBLICAN) AGENDA

From Frank Rich at the New York Times:

That’s not to say there is no fiscal mission in the right’s agenda, both nationally and locally — only that the mission has nothing to do with deficit reduction. The real goal is to reward the G.O.P.’s wealthiest patrons by crippling what remains of organized labor, by wrecking the government agencies charged with regulating and policing corporations, and, as always, by rewarding the wealthiest with more tax breaks. The bankrupt moral equation codified in the Bush era — that tax cuts tilted to the highest bracket were a higher priority even than paying for two wars — is now a given. The once-bedrock American values of shared sacrifice and equal economic opportunity have been overrun.

Please read the entire splendid opinion piece.

UPDATE: Another excellent opinion column which includes the stories of working people who are struggling and some who have hit rock bottom by Bob Herbert also in the New York Times. Read their stories. Herbert says:

It would be a mistake to think that this fight is solely about the right of public employees to collectively bargain. As important as that issue is, it’s just one skirmish in what’s shaping up as a long, bitter campaign to keep ordinary workers, whether union members or not, from being completely overwhelmed by the forces of unrestrained greed in this society.

The predators at the top, billionaires and millionaires, are pitting ordinary workers against one another. So we’re left with the bizarre situation of unionized workers with a pension being resented by nonunion workers without one. The swells are in the background, having a good laugh.

I asked Lynda Hiller if she felt generally optimistic or pessimistic. She was quiet for a moment, then said: “I don’t think things are going to get any better. I think we’re going to hit rock bottom. The big shots are in charge, and they just don’t give a darn about the little person.”

"...they just don't give a darn about the little person," understates the attitude of the predators. They are contemptuous of the little people.

PLEASE PRAY FOR DOUG (COUNTERLIGHT)

Tomorrow I go in for a kidney biopsy. It's strictly out-patient, so I will be spending the next 2 days at home recovering. "Frightened" is too strong a word (open heart surgery is frightening and this isn't even in the same ball park), but I am a little anxious about it, both the procedure and the results. The doctor is very optimistic that whatever ails my kidneys can be cured easily with medication.

My poor little organs have worked round the clock without a break for 53 years. Small wonder that they might get a little cranky.

I'll see y'all in a couple of days.

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

Doug blogs at Counterlight's Peculiars.

SARA MILES - "JESUS FREAK"

In her first book, Take This Bread, Sara tells of her conversion experience. One day, out of curiosity, she walked into St. Gregory of Nyssa Episcopal Church in San Francisco just before a Eucharistic service began. Sara, unreligious and unbaptized, walked forward with the others in the congregation to take communion. Of what happened, she says:

I still can't explain my first communion. It made no sense. I was in tears and physically unbalanced. I felt as if I had just stepped off a curb or been knocked over, painlessly, from behind. The disconnect between what I thought was happening - eating a piece of bread, what I heard someone else say was happening - the piece of bread was the "body" of "Christ," a patently untrue or at best metaphorical statement; and what I knew was happening - God, named "Christ" or "Jesus" was real, and in my mouth - utterly short-circuited my ability to do anything but cry.
....

Yet that impossible word, "Jesus," lodged in me like a crumb. I said it over and over to myself, as if repetition would help me understand. I had no idea what it meant; I didn't know what to do with it. But it was realer than any thought of mine, or even any subjective emotion: It was as real as the actual taste of the bread and the wine. And the word was indisputably in my body now, as if I'd swallowed a radioactive pellet that would outlive my own flesh.

Sara's conversion upon receiving communion and her continuing desire to live her life as a follower of Jesus made perfect sense to me, because the Eucharist is life-giving and life-sustaining for me. Not only that, her story pretty much convinced me that we'd take the better part by having no restrictions on who can receive communion. After all, it is Our Lord's body and blood, not ours, and what right have we to withhold Jesus' body and blood from anyone?

Sara now runs the Friday Food Pantry at St. Gregory's, which feeds hundreds of people each week. Her new book, Jesus Freak, continues her story. The subtitle of the book is "Feeding, Healing, and Raising the Dead".

Early in the book Sara says:

What does it mean to be a Jesus freak? Or, more to the point, what would it mean to live as if you - and everyone around you - were Jesus, and filled with his power? To just take his teachings literally, go out the front door of your home, and act on them?

It's actually pretty straightforward, Jesus says. Heal the sick. Cast out demons. Cleanse the lepers. You give them something to eat. You have the authority to forgive sins. Raise the dead.

And then Sara tells her story of trying to follow Jesus - her story of taking Jesus' words in the Gospel seriously. She tells of feeding, healing, forgiving, and raising the dead. And her stories are surprising. Jesus sends unlikely souls to join Sara and the members of the community at St. Gregory to do the work. The people who need help are sometimes demanding, dirty, smelly, not nice, drunk, high. They come at inconvenient times, wanting the impossible, but somehow needs are met, although quite often in an untidy way.

Sometimes when I'm in church, I think, "What are we doing? Is having church this way, in this place, in this time what we are to be about as followers of Jesus?"

Most Christians know so much more about the faith than I do. They grew up in Sunday School; they know their church history and creeds by heart; some have even been to seminary and can read the Gospel in Greek. But when I tell them I met the risen Jesus in actual food, they often pull back a bit, as if I'd declared I saw the Virgin Mary on a tortilla. (Which, by the way, would make me very happy.) And when I tell them that Jesus said we can go ahead and heal the sick, that we don't have to wait for authorization from our bishops to raise the dead, they look worried.
....

I do mean it. I still can't fully explain who the Boyfriend [Jesus] is, but I see him at work everywhere, still breathing in all kinds of people: poor men, crazy women, middle-class retired couples, little kids. They're feeding, healing, forgiving, raising the dead.

Crazy, isn't it?

Maybe the way we do church is all right. I think of Sara's conversion upon taking communion. Maybe gathering together in community to celebrate the Eucharist is what feeds us for the journey after we leave church, where the greater part of the work of seeing Jesus and following Jesus takes place.

The formulas of religion may be so over familiar that many believers have a hard time acting as if this most surprising narrative is true. They may doubt themselves and not understand why Jesus trusts us to do his work. They may be sick to death of the institution, tired of propping up a dysfunctional church, and trying to coast by without caring too much. They may, like me, be anxious because there's no way to be Jesus on your own private terms: you have to jump in and do it alongside your Boyfriend's other lovers.

If my writing here seems a bit muddled, then it's because I'm feeling my way and not very sure of myself. Both of Sara's books gave me much to think about and much to pray about, and I'm still processing her ideas and words. What I hope I have done for at least a few of you is piqued your interest enough that you will want to read the books.

I posted last year on Take This Bread.

"NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT"

Shamelessly stolen from Kim at Connexions:

Anyone who jumps off a bridge in Paris is in Seine.

Dijon vu - I get the feeling that I’ve had that mustard before.

Practice safe eating - always use a condiment.

A hangover is the wrath of grapes.

Does the name Pavlov ring a bell?

Two egotists bent on revenge - it’s an I for an I.

Pay your exorcist - don’t get repossessed.

If you’ve seen one shopping centre, you’ve seen a mall.

Dirty dancing - a form of floor play.

And my favourite:

News headline about a midget fortune-teller who just escaped from prison: “Small Medium at Large”.

Read more: Connexions.
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution Share Alike

Thanks to Ann V. for the link.

BLESSINGS, IT AND BP!

Today our friends IT and her wife BP will celebrate their blessing ceremony in church. BP and IT were married in the window of opportunity when California law allowed for same-sex marriages. The law was later reversed in the infamous Proposition 8, but the marriages of the couples during the time when the law was in force are still valid.

I pray for IT and BP a lovely and joyous day.

Most gracious God, we give you thanks for your tender love in sending Jesus Christ to come among us, to be born of a human mother, and to make the way of the cross to be the way of life. By the power of the Holy Spirit, pour out the abundance of your blessing upon IT and BP. Defend them from every enemy. Lead them into peace. Let their love for each other be a seal upon their hearts, a mantle about their shoulders, and a crown upon their foreheads.

Bless them in their work and in their companionship; in their sleeping and in their waking; in their joys and in their sorrows; in their life and in their death. Finally, in your mercy, bring them to that table where your saints feast forever in your heavenly home; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever.

The prayer is taken from the blessing ceremony of Susan Russell and Louise Brooks on February 18, 2006. I hope Louise and Susan don't mind my borrowing.

The banner at the head of the post is the work of my good friend Paul the BB, who blogs at Byzigenous Buddhapalian.

WHY I RARELY VISIT FACEBOOK

Lately, I've thought quite a bit about why I don't visit Facebook often. Many folks with whom I'd like to be in closer touch are there, so why not me? The plain answer is that I don't like the site. When I remember, I visit from time to time to see if major happenings are going on in the lives of people with whom I'd like to keep in touch. More often than not, I expect that I miss major events, because I venture to Facebook all too seldom. I'd actually be off the site were it not the easiest way to keep in touch with certain members of my family.

The reasons that people like Facebook are rather easy to understand. It's a one-stop online location to see what's going on the the lives of Facebook friends. I've thought about why I don't like Facebook, and my best explanation is a metaphor. Visiting Facebook gives me similar feelings to a suggestion for a meet-up in the food court of a shopping mall. I don't like shopping malls, and I like eating in the food court in a shopping mall even less. The place is too busy. There are too many choices, too much noise. The whole atmosphere is just too much. It's the same with Facebook, without the audible noise.

Now the food court in a shopping mall is my metaphor, and I expect that few, if any, will take hold of my metaphor and make it their own. When I walk into a shopping mall, my first impulse is to turn around and walk out. When I click over to Facebook, my first impulse is to click away.

ROUND-UP OF RESPONSES TO THE DEMONSTRATIONS IN WISCONSIN

From Scout at First Draft, who is in the capitol in Madison, WI:

Life here

I'd like to give you some idea of what it is like here in the Capitol. It really is an incredible thing going on here. I remember last Thursday, when we thought there would be a Senate vote, people were packed in the Rotunda and in the Gallery outside the Senate. I was tweeting when someone tweeted it is so hot and water would be nice. Well it didn't take long and the water did appear.

That seemed to be the beginning of how this thing has been happening. When there is a need, it is met. Just a few days ago when pizza came in from Ian's it was put on a bench on the first floor of the rotunda. Now just a few days later a whole area has developed on the second floor to take care of people's needs. It is a no photo area so sorry I have no pics.

At one end of the hall begins the food. Before you do anything though you are told to use hand sanitizer provided in big bottles. There is bread and bagels and candy to name few items. There is water and coffee and soda. You move further down and there will be pizza or pasta or whatever has come in from one of Madison's fine and supportive establishments, paid for by you great people of the country and world. At the end of the hall is a First Aid/Nurses Station. In the middle of the hall is another hall running perpendicular which is a closed off hallway called the Family Space where parents and children can go.

Read the rest of Scout's post and see her pictures, one of which is posted above.

From the Episcopal Diocese of Milwaukee, Bishop Steven Miller's commentary on the demonstrations in Madison:

This past week we have also seen democracy at work in Wisconsin as thousands gathered in Madison in response to the Governor’s Budget Bill. Regardless of our individual positions on the bill before the Legislature and what steps are necessary to build a stronger and better Wisconsin, I believe we can all agree that our baptismal vow to “respect the dignity of every human being” is not served by a majority simply pushing through legislation because they have the votes necessary to do so. As Christians, it is our duty and call to make sure that everyone has a place at the table and every voice has the opportunity to be heard. Respecting the dignity of every human being requires taking the time to have honest and faithful conversation that respects the rights and freedoms of all.

We also are called to speak on behalf of the sick, the poor, the elderly, orphans, widows, and all those who live in the margins of our society. Matthew in his Gospel reminds us that in serving these we are serving the Lord Jesus himself. It would be a sin to balance our state budget on the backs of those who have the least.

From The Huffington Post:

The U.S. Catholic bishops on Thursday (Feb. 24) threw their moral weight behind the pro-union protesters in Wisconsin, saying the rights of workers do not abate in difficult economic times.

"The debates over worker representation and collective bargaining are not simply matters of ideology or power," said Bishop Stephen Blaire of Stockton, Calif., chairman of the U.S. bishops' committee on domestic justice, "but involve principles of justice, participation and how workers can have a voice in the workplace and economy."

Thanks to Lapin for the link to the HP article.

ABOUT RIGHT

OBAMA SPELLS IT OUT

Click on the image for the larger view.

OMG! I can't believe that I'm linking to MadPriest two days in a row. He's already so full of himself and puffed up with pride as to be nearly insufferable, and this sort of encouragement will only egg him on. But what can I do? He put my thoughts into the balloons.

PRAY FOR THE PEOPLE IN CHRISTCHURCH, NEW ZEALAND (2)

From 3News NZ:

Before any bodies can be brought out, the cathedral must first be stabilised.

Sight-seers were known to have been in the steeple when it collapsed, crashing into an area where there were more tourists.

The victims remain trapped under piles of rubble right up to the windows.
“It's a very delicate task, because the building is quite unsafe, and we can't put these guys into a dangerous situation. I think they are going to be removing another part of the tower and they may have to take down part of the west wall if not altogether,” says Dean Peter Beck.

Bricks and mortar were still falling when 3 News arrived minutes after the quake, while dazed survivors comforted each other, Beck realised his cathedral had become a tomb.

He believes all the victims were tourists. Staff and volunteers have all been accounted for.

“I haven't cried yet but I think I'm on the verge of it it's just the enormity of the whole thing mate,” says Dean Beck.

From Christ Church Cathedral website:

A PRAYER IN TIME OF NEED

Lord, at times such as this,
when we realize that the ground beneath our feet
is not as solid as we had imagined,
we plead for your mercy.

As the things we have built crumble about us,
we know too well how small we truly are
on this ever-changing, ever-moving,
fragile planet we call home.
Yet you have promised never to forget us.
Do not forget us now.

Today, so many people are afraid.
They still wait in fear of the next tremor.
They remember the cries of the injured amid the rubble.
They roam the streets in shock at what they see.
And they fill the dusty air with cries of grief
and the names of missing dead.

Comfort them, Lord, in this disaster.
Be their rock when the earth refuses to stand still,
and shelter them under your wings
when homes no longer exist.

Embrace in your arms those who died so suddenly this week.
Console the hearts of those who mourn,
and ease the pain of bodies on the brink of death.

Pierce, too, our hearts with compassion,
we who watch from afar,
find only misery upon misery.

Move us to act swiftly this day,
to give generously every day,
to work for justice always,
To pray unceasingly for those without hope.

And once the shaking has ceased,
the images of destruction have stopped filling the news,
and our thoughts return to life’s daily rumblings,
let us not forget that we are all your children
and they, our brothers and sisters.
We are all the work of your hands.

For though the mountains leave their place
and the hills be tossed to the ground,
your love shall never leave us,
and your promise of peace will never be shaken.

Our help is in the name of the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
Blessed be the name of the Lord,
now and forever. Amen.

H/T to Brian R at Noble Wolf and Nicholas Knisely at The Lead.