I was able to watch today's press conference live from New Orleans ... courtesy AnglicanTV. (Thanks, Kevin!) At the moment I am up to my alb in alligators with the I.R.S. story here at All Saints Church AND the regular stuff of parish-priest-life so am going to leave in-depth comments to others and get back to my day job.
That said, the "take away" quote of the day award goes to Archbishop Williams for "There is no ultimatum involved."
That said, the "take away" quote of the day award goes to Archbishop Williams for "There is no ultimatum involved."Despite what has been claimed there is no “ultimatum” involved. The Primates asked for a response by 30 September simply because we were aware that this was the meeting of the House likely to be formulating such a response. The ACC and Primates Joint Standing Committee will be reading and digesting what the Bishops have to say, and shall let me know their thoughts on it early next week. After this I shall be sharing what they say, along with my own assessments, with the Primates and others, inviting their advice in the next couple of weeks. I hope these days will result in a constructive and fresh way forward for all of us.
The sound you hear is the wind going out of the sails of those insisting this "was it" -- "the line in the sand" -- "the moment of decision" -- "fish or cut bait time" -- "cut the baby in half" day -- etc, etc, etc.
"It ain't necessarily so," saith the Archbishop of Canterbury.
I also appreciated the question of Integrity Communication Director John Gibson for the Archbishop:
"It ain't necessarily so," saith the Archbishop of Canterbury.
I also appreciated the question of Integrity Communication Director John Gibson for the Archbishop:
Your Grace, UK reporter Stephen Bates asked the question in his column last week "Why would any gay person wish to be a Christian?" What word of hope do you have for the gay and lesbian baptized today?
While I didn't like the Archbishop's choice of the words "lifestyle choice" I did appreciate the core of what I heard to be his message: the Good News for Gay and Lesbian Christians is the same for all Christians.
And that's all we've ever asked for.
It's the sacramental apartheid thing we're asking the church/communion to get over.
And that's all we've ever asked for.
It's the sacramental apartheid thing we're asking the church/communion to get over.
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Finally, kudos to +Charles Jenkins for making very clear that:
Finally, kudos to +Charles Jenkins for making very clear that:
"There are no throw away lives."
Something that one would think should go without saying from a minister of the Christian Gospel but something that goes a long way toward reaching across the conservative/liberal -- orthodox/progressive -- reasserter/reappraiser -- whatever-you-want-to-call-it divide.
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More later ... back to work.
More later ... back to work.
1 comment:
Susan, as a member of the Diocese of Louisiana, I urge you not to read too much into the comments of Bishop Jenkins. That he has been profoundly changed by the Katrina experience is an understatement, and his commitment to fight against poverty and racism is strong and far greater than it was before the storm and the flood. However, I am not yet convinced that he intends to extent the full measure of his words to GLBT Christians. I don't know whether he realizes the disconnect between his words and his actions if he does not. What I do know, however, is that he is a good man, an able bishop, struggling under some really difficult burdens here. He has been most candid about his own battle with PTSD post-Katrina, as well as the difficulties we all face just living here these days. I find hope in his attempts to find a few bridges in his moderate trending conservative position. I'd feel much better, however, were I to receive any response from him to my emails urging him -- with respect, I might add -- to listen to the voices of his GLBT flock here and to recognize the movement of God in our work. He does indeed "get it" with respect to the poor and those harmed by racism. I just don't think he "gets it" -- yet -- with respect to us. We will keep him in our prayers and continue to work with him so that -- maybe -- he'll "get it" one day.
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