Wednesday, May 24, 2006

And now, a word from Pittsburgh

The Progressive Episcopalians of Pittsburgh have just published their commentary on pending General Convention resolutions pertaining to ECUSA's response to the Windsor Report. From their website:

"Lively discussion [n.b. I think they call that an understatement.] can be expected at Columbus about what the church should be trying to accomplish in its response to the Anglican Communion and about what measures, whether embodied in the resolutions proposed by the Special Committee or not, are needed for the purpose.

According to the introduction to [this] report, it is not a voter’s guide intended to tell General Convention participants how to vote. Instead, it provides commentary on each resolution, suggesting considerations that should be a part of the discussion in Columbus. “The resolutions can be subtle,” explained author [Lionel] Deimel. “We thought we could help the whole church by providing commentary on them. The annotations should be useful even for those who do not share our point of view.”

Here's an excerpt:

The church’s proper response to events that followed General Convention 2003 needs to be considered in the context of those events and of longstanding movements in the Episcopal Church and Anglican Com-munion. Deputies should familiarize themselves with that history, which is documented and explicated elsewhere. Above all, the following questions must be kept in mind as resolutions are considered:

1. What problem are we solving?
2. How is any proposed resolution supposed to contribute to a solution?
3. What are the likely (and possibly even unlikely) negative consequences of any proposed reso-lution?

Discussion should be conducted in a spirit of generosity, of course, and with a bigger question always in mind: What is the Holy Spirit calling us to do at this time and place to further the mission of the Church?

“What Should General Convention 2006 Do?” is available here in PDF form. It may be reproduced freely if accompanied by its copyright statement.

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