ANGLICAN COVENANT - NOT A BIBLICAL IDEA

A Covenant for the Anglican Communion

Not a Biblical idea

Remind yourself of all the ways in which the word “Covenant” is used in the Bible. The dominant idea, seen from Noah and Abraham through to Jesus is of a God initiated plan to bring sinful human beings back into relationship with him. The prophets, speaking in God’s name, refer to “my covenant”.

Then think about the prophetic commentary on the content of those covenants, including the extensive legal commentaries or penal provisions, which indicates how easily human beings revert to the letter of the law, rather than honouring its spirit – and apply that law to others, rather than applying it to themselves. We say that we are saved by grace, not by law, and yet it is so easy to act as if the opposite is true. What did Jesus say about such things?

I am reminded of Tony Hancock’s reworking of the film “Twelve angry men” – “Does Magna Carta mean nothing to you? Did she die in vain?” Is this document with which we are faced worthy of being put alongside the New Covenant in Christ’s blood, of which we remind ourselves at every eucharist?

If legislation or formal documentation had been sufficient to restore relationships, our Biblical narrative would be very different, and have a different trajectory. In fact our salvation in Jesus points us in a wholly different direction, and reminds us that we cannot legislate for good relationships, only to mediate the arguments which happen in bad ones.

Because the direction of this “covenant” does not match the Biblical plan for restoring relationships, it will not work, and in fact will draw us away from the true Biblical path which we need to follow if we are to follow Jesus.

Mark Bennet
22 October 2011

Amen! Mark makes an excellent case against the covenant from an evangelical view. I have nothing to add to Mark's wise words.

Mark Bennet is a priest in the Church of England, an open evangelical, and member of Fulcrum.

ALWAYS ASK, NEVER ASSUME

His request approved, the CNN News photographer quickly used a cell phone to call the local airport to charter a flight.

He was told a twin-engine plane would be waiting for him at the airport.

Arriving at the airfield, he spotted a plane warming up outside a hanger.

He jumped in with his bag, slammed the door shut, and shouted, 'Let's go'.

The pilot taxied out, swung the plane into the wind and took off. Once in the air, the photographer instructed the pilot, 'Fly over the valley and make low passes so I can take pictures of the fires on the hillsides.'

'Why?' asked the pilot.

'Because I'm a photographer for CNN', he responded, 'and I need to getsome close up shots.'

The pilot was strangely silent for a moment, ....finally he stammered,

'So...., what you're telling me,.... is........ You're NOT my flight instructor?'

"Life is short. Drink the good wine first."

Don't blame me. Blame Doug.

WHO'S THE CLEVERER?

An article in the Telegraph on the Occupy the London Stock Exchange protestors who are camped out on the grounds of the West front of St Paul's Cathedral headlines their story 'A sullied cathedral'. Now at first you may think that the cathedral is sullied by the unwelcoming stance of the staff of the cathedral and the decision to close off the church to all worshipers and visitors, except if you are at all familiar with the newspaper, you'd know better. The writer is shocked...shocked:

So far, there has been a deafening silence from the Anglican hierarchy. Isn’t it time we learnt what the Bishop of London, or even the Archbishop of Canterbury, have to say about this squalid occupation? In a free society, people have a right to demonstrate. They do not have a right to wreak havoc on one of the capital’s most sacred spaces.

Just look at the picture of the squalid rabble in their masks, and costumes, and ramshackle tents. Who would want them hanging around sullying London's most sacred space? Besides St Paul's is losing about £20,000 a day, and if the occupation continues until Christmas, the cathedral stands to lose over a million pounds.

On the other hand

Alison, a Facebook friend, says:

Am not clever enough to join in this debate. All I know is that I walked past St Paul's yesterday and wondered what the hell the Dean & Chapter are making such a ridiculous fuss about. I won't be returning to St Paul's in a hurry (if they open again, that is...). I think their decision to close is making them look more and more stupid (and suspect) by the day...

It's only my humble opinion, of course, but Alison's words seems far cleverer than the the words of the writer in the Telegraph. It's quite sad that St Paul's Cathedral is no longer 'a house of prayer', but it seems to me that the cathedral would stand to lose a lot less money if they'd reopen to worshipers and visitors once again, if not for lofty reasons, in their own self interest.

UPDATE: Richard Chartres, Bishop of London, weighs in on the protests:

A statement by the Bishop of London on the protest outside St Paul's Cathedral.

"This demonstration has undoubtedly raised a number of very important questions. The St Paul's Institute has itself focused on the issue of executive pay and I am involved in ongoing discussions with City leaders about improving shareholder influence on excessive remuneration.

"Nevertheless, the time has come for the protestors to leave, before the camp's presence threatens to eclipse entirely the issues that it was set up to address. The Dean and the Chapter, who are responsible for St Paul's, have already made it clear that the protest should come to an end and I fully support that view." (My emphasis)

Bishop Chartres has only the protestors interests at heart. It's not the money or the messy encampment that troubles him.

It strikes me that the issue of the injustice inherent in huge wage disparities is an issue worth pursuing whether the protestors are present at St Paul's or not. Will the St Paul Institute discontinue the discussion of the injustice, if the protesters don't leave? Lame, truly lame.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE RESOLUTION - 'UNABLE TO ADOPT THE COVENANT'

From Episcopal News Service:

The Episcopal Church's Executive Council will submit a resolution to General Convention next year that would have it state that the church is "unable to adopt the Anglican Covenant in its present form."

The resolution also promises that the church will "recommit itself to dialogue with the several provinces when adopting innovations which may be seen as threatening the unity of the communion" and commits to "continued participation in the wider councils of the Anglican Communion" and dialogue "with our brothers and sisters in other provinces to deepen understanding and to insure the continued integrity of the Anglican Communion."

The 77th meeting of General Convention July 5-12, 2012 will decide whether to pass, amend and pass, or reject the resolution. Convention is "the only body that can act on behalf of the whole church in this matter," Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori said during a post-meeting press conference.

The unanimous decision to submit the resolution to convention came Oct. 24, on the last day of council's four-day meeting here.

A covenant task force, composed of six council members, based its recommendation to council in a report that is available in English here and Spanish here.

Excellent. There's more, much more at ENS, including a link to the text of the resolution.

The task force says:

The church's unity is "best expressed in our efforts to a church that fully welcomes those who have not always been welcomed," the report said.

"This understanding of who we are as a church does not allow the Executive Council to support any covenant that might jeopardize this vocation," the task force members said in the report.

"The covenant consistently ignores the importance of the role of the laity and their full expression of ministry in all spheres of the life of the church," the report said.

Amen! A church that extends full welcome to all, and an acknowledgement that the laity are not chopped liver.

EARTHQUAKE DISASTER IN TURKEY

From the Christian Science Monitor:

More than 100 people were confirmed killed and hundreds more feared dead Sunday when a powerful earthquake hit southeast Turkey, flattening buildings and leaving survivors crying for help from under the rubble.

As a cold night fell, survivors and emergency workers battled to pull hundreds of people believed to be buried under debris in the city of Van and town of Ercis, where a student dormitory collapsed.

Residents in Van joined in a frantic search, using hands and shovels and working under floodlights and flashlights, hearing voices of people buried alive calling from under mounds of broken concrete in pitch darkness and freezing temperatures.

Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, who traveled by helicopter to the area to see firsthand the scale of Turkey's worst earthquake in a decade, told a nationally televised news conference at least 138 people had been killed -- 93 in Van city center and 45 in Ercis. The toll was expected to rise.

The situation is dire in so many ways. Pray for the people in the area of the earthquake.

ST PAUL'S CATHEDRAL AGAINST THE PROTESTORS

From the Guardian:

Officials from St Paul's Cathedral and the wider City district are considering legal action to force protesters to remove a camp set up outside the church more than a week ago, following an impasse between the two sides.

The cathedral has been shut since Friday afternoon after its dean, the Right Reverend Graeme Knowles, said the presence of more than 200 tents and marquees beside the building's western edge was an unacceptable fire, and health and safety risk. Both he and the cathedral's canon chancellor, Giles Fraser, have publicly urged the activists to leave. It is the first time the cathedral has been closed since the second world war, and church officials say it is costing St Paul's around £20,000 a day in lost visitor revenues.

From the website of St Paul's Cathedral:

The Revd Canon Dr Giles Fraser, Chancellor of St Paul’s Cathedral, issued the following statement today (Saturday 22 October 2011)

"I remain firmly supportive of the right of people peacefully to protest. But given the strong advice that we have received that the camp is making the cathedral and its occupants unsafe then this right has to be balanced against other rights and responsibilities too. The Christian gospel is profoundly committed to the needs of the poor and the dispossessed. Financial justice is a gospel imperative. Those who are claiming the decision to close the cathedral has been made for commercial reasons are talking complete nonsense."

What are the health and safety risks? Why won't the authorities at St Paul's say?

Also from the Guardian:

An impasse between St Paul's Cathedral and the protest camp that has spent eight days at its walls remains deadlocked, with activists saying they will not consider church officials' request for them to move elsewhere until they receive a fuller explanation as to why this is necessary.
....

Some would-be worshippers were caught out. "We didn't know, so we're very disappointed," said a woman from a visiting American family forced to revise their plans for the day. But most tourists remained largely positive about the Occupy the London Stock Exchange camp, a protest against the perceived excesses of the global financial system.

"I suppose you could say we're part of the 99% as well," said Levin Brunner, an IT consultant from Munich, using the term coined by activists for the bulk of people who do not enjoy stellar salaries and annual bonuses. "We have similar protests in Germany, so we knew this was taking place and we have a lot of sympathy for it. It's very interesting for tourists to see, anyway."
....

The Occupy the London Stock Exchange movement says it has spoken to both the fire service and local health and safety officials and has been told there are no safety issues.

Why have the staff at the cathedral stopped talking to the representatives of the protestors? Leaving so many questions unanswered equals a PR disaster. It's not the protestors keeping worshipers and visitors out of the cathedral.

H/T to Simon Sarmiento at Thinking Anglicans.

UPDATE: When I was in London in July, I attempted to attend a service at St Paul's, and three sides, including the churchyard, were blocked off by barricades or locked gates due to street construction. I understood the front facing the street being blocked off, but why the side, back, and churchyard blocked or locked off? I could see the staff entering and walking around, so the areas were not dangerous.

By the time I found my way around to the one door which was open, the service was nearly over. There were no signs on the barricades directing people to the open door to the cathedral, which made the church seem not at all visitor-friendly or worshiper-friendly the Sunday I was there.

A NEW PRESIDENT AT NASHOTAH HOUSE SEMINARY

From the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinal:

There is a certain rhythm to life at Nashotah House Theological Seminary that has remained unchanged over the last century or so.
....

But much is new on the grounds of this Episcopal seminary on the shores of Upper Nashotah Lake that has prepared students in the church's Anglo-Catholic tradition for nearly 170 years. Enrollment is up, driven in part by a distance-learning program that draws students from around the world. The school has christened a new $1.6 million building, its first in 20 years.

And, this week, Nashotah House will install a new dean and president, the Right Rev. Edward Salmon. A retired South Carolina bishop, Salmon will have to balance the school's traditional mission against shifting economic and technological forces, and lead it at a time of great division within the Anglican Communion.

"Our vision is to continue to do, impressively and strongly, what we've done for 170 years," said Salmon, a longtime Nashotah House trustee, who will be installed during a convocation Friday - where former Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey is scheduled to speak.
....

Salmon has already reached out to mend the relationship with Episcopal Diocese of Milwaukee Bishop Steven Miller, a relationship that had been strained during [the Rev. Robert] Munday's tenure.

And observers say the new dean wants to avoid having the seminary, which has both Episcopal and ACNA students, as well as bishops on its board, being labeled in one camp or another.
....

It has also struggled at times to adapt with the changing church while remaining true to its traditional leanings. Once a difficult place for female seminarians, women interviewed for this story said that is no longer an issue.

"There are people here who do not believe in women's ordination, but it's not a point of contention," said Jill Stellman, who hopes to lead an Episcopal parish. "I never feel ostracized."

That the new president will mend fences with the local bishop of the Episcopal Church and that women are no longer ostracized at the seminary are surely good things. The blend of Episcopal seminarians and ACNA seminarians must present challenges, but I offer Bishop Salmon and Nashotah House my prayers and good wishes.

Thanks to Ann V. for the link.

GOD WILL PROVIDE

After Leslie brought home her fiancé to meet her parents, her father invited the young man into his study to find out more about him.

"What are your plans?" he asked Joseph.

"I'm a scholar of the Torah," Joseph replied.

"Well, that's admirable," Leslie's father replied. "But what will you do to provide a nice house for my daughter?"

"I will study, and God will surely provide for us," Joseph explained.

"And how will you buy her a nice engagement ring?"

"I will study hard, and God will provide for us."

"And children?" asked the father. "How will you support children?"

"Don't worry, sir, God will provide," replied the fiancé.

The conversation continued in much the same fashion.

After Joseph and Leslie had left, her mother asked her father what he found out.

The father answered, "Well, he has no job and no plans, but the good news is that he thinks I'm God."

Cheers,

Paul (A.)

STORY OF THE DAY - CABLE TV

Some days it's not worth the effort to
pull myself together, she said, so I'm
glad I get cable

Tee-hee.

From StoryPeople.

MORE 'BRIDESHEAD REVISITED'

For those of you who have not seen the series, I realize that my posts on Brideshead will interest you little or not at all. The thing is that I'm feeling a bit stale about blogging, and if I feel stale, then my writing is likely to be stale. Watching the entire series is something of a retreat from blogging until I no longer feel stale. At least, that is my hope. In a way, my immersion in the series is a retreat from the world, too, which I suppose is what a retreat is all about. And it's hardly as though there isn't enough to write about and enough to do in the world.

I'm particularly sad that the staff of St Paul's Cathedral in London at first welcomed the Occupy London protestors but are now asking them to move along. As Doug at Counterlight's Peculiars says:

The canons of St. Paul's Cathedral in London decided to close the cathedral indefinitely for the first time since World War II. During the height of the Blitz, the cathedral closed for only 4 days. They cite all kinds of safety concerns for visitors as well as for the protesters. I cannot help but think that this is a melodramatic over-reaction. Camped out protesters are hardly German incendiary bombs raining down out of the sky.

Anyway, I digress. I watched the next-to-last episode of Brideshead, in which Bridey, the elder son of the family, is finally engaged to be married to a devout Roman Catholic widow with three children. Bridey cannot bring his fiancée to visit the castle, which is now occupied by his sister Julia and her husband Rex. Julia is 'living in sin' not only because she is married to a divorced man, but she is also having an affair with Charles Ryder, Sebastian's old friend, who is also married. Yes, it's a bit of a tangled situation, but what a pompous stuffed shirt Bridey is.

Poor Julia. She's wretched when Bridey tells her. The video above shows just how wretched. For all their straying from the fold, Julia and Sebastian are haunted by their religion in a way that, to me, does not at all square with the Gospel. Past sins drag them down to the point that neither sees the way to redemption and a new beginning.

As much as I love the series and think it a masterpiece, Waugh's skewed view of what it means to be a Christian permeates both the series and his novel on which the series is based. Waugh's beliefs seems very familiar to me, because I was taught the same way as I grew up attending Roman Catholic schools for 16 years of my life. Not until my 30s, did I began to throw off the strictures and the guilt, which resulted from not following the rules. Even today, guilt is somewhat of a habit, although I don't suffer from it nearly as much as I once did. Thanks be to God.

Now on to the final episode, in which Lord Marchmain returns to England and Brideshead with his mistress Cara because World War II is fast approaching. (I started to say, 'The storm clouds of WW II were gathering,' but thought better of using the words, as they would surely be evidence of cliché and staleness.) Marchmain returns in poor health, and the final episode includes the scenes surrounding his last illness and death. The video below shows the heathen Charles and the family discussing the necessity of having a priest give the last sacrament to the dying Lord Marchmain.