I'm barely home -- the dogs are at least home from doggie day care and the suitcases mercifully unpacked. There's coffee now, and half-and-half in the fridge so there's hope of getting some semblence of our life back now that General Convention is behind us. There's parish ministry to focus on and my son coming home on leave from the Army before heading to Kuwait to look forward to and there's the great joy of knowing that tomorrow morning I'll be at All Saints Church where whoever you are and wherever you are on the journey of faith you are welcome. Even if your "manner of life" causes concern to the communion. Even if you're jet-lagged, bone-weary and soul-sick. Even if you can't for the life of you figure out how ANYBODY could think that what we left Columbus with was "the best we could do."
I've hear of win-win situations.
And I've heard of win-lose and even lose-lose.
But this was a lose-lose-lose-lose.
Liberals/progressives/reappraisers (choose your label) lost because they could not support a resolution that singled out a percentage of the baptized to serve as bargaining chips in the game of global Anglican politics.
Conservative/neo-orthodox/reasserters (choose your label) lost because they could not support anything that fell short of "Windsor compliant language."
LGBT people lost because once again the church that passed resolutions re-affirming their full inclusion said in B033 that that "full inclusion" is conditional -- that sacramental apartheid still prevails and a percentage of the baptized can be excluded from a percentage of the sacraments.
The moderates/people in the pews/"disenfrancised middle" (choose your label) lost because their fondest hope of talking about something ELSE disappeared the minute the resolution offering language vague-to-the-point-of-sure-to-be-debated-for-the-next-three-years passed and we lost the chance to seize the hope Katharine Jefferts Schori called us to in her sermon that very morning.
Lose-lose-lose-lose was NOT the best we could do.
4 comments:
Susan,
I have very conflicting views on GC2006, and I'm sure it will take me many months to get them straight, but I do know this:
1. I, being a part of the laity, don't care about going to a tea party at Lambeth. I care about having a christian community to worship with...even though I know how selfish that sounds.
2. I care that where ever God leads me to Graduate School there will be a place for me within TEC. I have been cushioned and spoiled at All Saints - which is what God used to heal old wounds - I now realize that All Saints is not indicitive of TEC...which is something I didn't realize, and scares me, frankly.
All Saints has provided me with a place no matter who I was or where I was: I wanted GC to provide me with a place everywhere. What I read of the transcripts of HoD, that may not be the case for a long while.
This is why I grieve.
And, it's probably selfish.
I will still seize the hope that +Katharine spoke of, though it is remains unseen to human eyes.
Catherine+
And Susan, may the time with your son be a time of joy, deepened connection and blessing. He and all the other men and women, gay and straight, who are "serving" our country will be in our continual prayers.
Catherine+
Thanks for finding time during what I'm sure was a marathon week to blog about what was happening. Between you and Father Jake, I felt like I knew what was going on.
Tonight, I finally started to get over the dazed sucker-punched feeling. And I had a little fashion inspiration. This is what I'm wearing to church next week. I hope others will consider doing the same. Patriarchy may be the "new black" in TEC, but it's still before Labor Day, and I'm wearing white. :)
Anyway...thanks again, and God bless you (and us all!)
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