With thanks to Louie Crew via his blog: "Current Natter":
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I can think of no instrument of DISunity in the Communion more vexatious than the primates themselves.
* They arrogate to themselves authority they do not have.
* They promise to listen but rarely do.
* Several of them cannot humble themselves to receive Communion with the other primates: they trust in their own superior righteousness rather than in God's manifold and great mercies.
* Many fly around the world invading other jurisdictions to perform episcopal acts while folks in their own jurisdiction face incredible poverty, pervasive violations of human rights, war, pestilence, and all manner of other conditions needing their attention.
* They have exchanged their moral authority for a mess of political porridge.
Clearly some of the primates know nothing about genuine repentance in the demands they make on The Episcopal Church. Even if they are right in their judgment of TEC, they are going about calling us to repentance in a most ineffective way.
Jesus loves sinners into repentance; he does not shame us. While we were still sinners, he died for us. Even at the first table, he served Communion to those who he knew would betray him. St. Francis embraced the leper; he did not jump back or point his finger as many of the primates have done to those whom they consider moral lepers. The primates never met as group until a few years ago. We would have far more unity in mission and bonds of affection in the Communion if the primates would stay in their own jurisdiction.
2 comments:
This is not an accurate assessment of the conservative primates. They are one of the four instruments of unity. Lambeth and the Archbishop of Canterbury have spoken unequivocally about the matter. They are reinforcing their position and representing their churches well, as they should.
It is unjustified to suppose that they are somehow ignoring the needs of their own people. That has no basis whatsoever in fact. To the contrary, by establishing missions in what they see as a conclusively apostate region, American Anglicans can now aid them in their social missions. And, of course, they do.
Regarding politics, well, both sides are playing politics to the hilt. It is plainly disingenuous to call them out for approaching a political body in a political way.
Regarding the effectiveness of the primates' response, they have been the utmost in patient. Not only has TEC multiple times broken Lambeth 1.10, it disregarded the Archbishop's entreaties in 2003 and 2006, and failed to comply with Windsor. They are giving TEC one further chance.
r-and-r,
In your line of argumentation, you are only displaying the SAME ERRORS as have the (majority of the) Primates.
Not only has TEC multiple times broken Lambeth 1.10
TEC has not "broken Lambeth". No one has. Lambeth was (and therefore, IS) NOT an institution capable of being broken---because is doesn't bind (or hold). Lambeth is advisory, ONLY!
it disregarded the Archbishop's entreaties in 2003 and 2006
I don't even know whether you meant to say "Archbishop's" or "Archbishops'": either way, it simply doesn't hold. The ABC made no special "entreaty" upon TEC in '03 (much less '06). The Primates (only some of whom are "archbishops") have no special standing in our polity, whose "entreaty" (if that's how one wants to characterize the meeting of Fall '03) we need obey. [the "bonds of affection" encourage us to consider it---and we did. In open, democratic process at GC '06. Our response there was what it was: no more and no less]
and failed to comply with Windsor
And again, r-and-r, YOU fail to understand that Windsor was not intended to be something "complied" with (regardless of a minority of so self-designated TEC bishops, or the historical re-write going on at . . . well, the latest PM, for one).
The Emperor has no clothes . . . and the "Instruments of Communion" are NOT binding on TEC, no matter how much revisionist blather would have it otherwise.
The only way the AC's muckety-mucks COULD be binding on TEC, would be if we in TEC were to choose to MAKE them so: with God's help, I hope we won't!
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