The Voices of Reason
If you read nothing else about the current crisis in the Anglican Communion over human sexuality, read these two documents: 1) The Statement of Anglican Women gathered together at the United Nations Commission on Women; and 2) Archbishop Barry Morgan's lecture given this past Saturday at St. Fin Barre's Cathedral, Cork.
The Anglican Women have reminded us what holds us in Communion beyond all our differences: our baptism. It really is that simple. Sometimes we must be reminded that it is mostly men making much of the current mess in the Anglican Communion (yours truly included.) But then we love to make simple things difficult and complicated, don't we?
So the Archbishop of Wales makes things a bit more complicated by tying together the cross-cultural and hermeneutic bases of the current conflict, as well as dissembling 1998 Lambeth Resolution I.10 without resorting to polemic. But what results is a great deal of needed clarity in an example of the best piece of succinct Anglican theology I've read in a while. Jim Naughton puts it this way: "He makes the case for the Episcopal Church better than we have made it ourselves." Would that he might have been in Tanzania.
Or, as I discussed over lunch today with a friend, perhaps it was good that he wasn't. It helped him retain much-needed perspective.
Are things out of proportion right now? Absolutely. But hope remains, argues women of the Communion and the Archbishop of Wales, and that is where we all need to look. . .and live. For hope is where Christ is to be found.
(A big thank you to Jane for reminding me of the Anglican Women's statement, which led to this much updated post!)
The Anglican Women have reminded us what holds us in Communion beyond all our differences: our baptism. It really is that simple. Sometimes we must be reminded that it is mostly men making much of the current mess in the Anglican Communion (yours truly included.) But then we love to make simple things difficult and complicated, don't we?
So the Archbishop of Wales makes things a bit more complicated by tying together the cross-cultural and hermeneutic bases of the current conflict, as well as dissembling 1998 Lambeth Resolution I.10 without resorting to polemic. But what results is a great deal of needed clarity in an example of the best piece of succinct Anglican theology I've read in a while. Jim Naughton puts it this way: "He makes the case for the Episcopal Church better than we have made it ourselves." Would that he might have been in Tanzania.
Or, as I discussed over lunch today with a friend, perhaps it was good that he wasn't. It helped him retain much-needed perspective.
Are things out of proportion right now? Absolutely. But hope remains, argues women of the Communion and the Archbishop of Wales, and that is where we all need to look. . .and live. For hope is where Christ is to be found.
(A big thank you to Jane for reminding me of the Anglican Women's statement, which led to this much updated post!)
5 comments:
Him and ++Ndugane represent the type of Anglicanism I fell in love with. This is helpful to hear a Primate say what others have been saying about Lambeth I.10.
And speaking of the voice of reason... Sorry to post twice in one day (I posted a comment in the item above this one a bit earlier), but have you and your guests here seen the statement from the Anglican women gathered these last few days in NYC? I have links at my blog http://actsofhope.blogspot.com/ or you can go to ENS and poke around.
Jane,
Many thanks again for the reminder. I have updated the post significantly as a result.
Jenny Te Paa has my vote for ABC!
(whaddya mean we don't get to elect the ABC? Why not?)
You're welcome, Richard!
And thanks for the kind acknowledgment.
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