InclusiveChurch issued this statement:
InclusiveChurch welcomes the news that the Archbishop of Canterbury has issued the first invitations to over 800 bishops in the Anglican Communion to attend the Lambeth Conference 2008. We believe the Anglican Communion will benefit from engagement among this diverse group of bishops. It is regrettable that a small number of bishops are not to be invited, but recognizing the painful fractures within the Communion we understand the need for generous sacrifice on all sides. We hope that in the spirit of such sacrifice the bishops who are not receiving invitations to the conference, including Gene Robinson, the Bishop of New Hampshire, might be welcome as observers.
‘We clearly have a mountain to climb, but this is a real sign of the underlying unity of the Anglican Communion’ said the Rev’d Giles Goddard, Chair of InclusiveChurch. ‘I am pleased that the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church of Canada will be able to share our experience of the ministry of lesbian and gay Christians’, said the Rev’d Scott Gunn, an American member of InclusiveChurch.
See also second statement.
Anglican Mainstream comment can be found here.
Canada’s Anglican Journal reported the news this way: Lambeth invitations exclude American gay bishop.
Episcopal News Service has First Lambeth Conference invitations sent out and Decision on Lambeth Conference invitations draws reaction.
Episcopal Café has Reactions to Lambeth invites: a round-up.
Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori wrote _aspects of this matter may change in the next 14 months, and the House of Bishops’ September meeting offers us a forum for further discussion._ As I suggested, the reply slips might be a bit late – the effective reply slips perhaps. Bonnie Anderson’s response is right too: Gene Robinson is duly elected and selected so therefore he should attend. Even Martyn Minn’s limited statement is about right, a great deal can happen and some will still be working from the September 30 deadline. However, if correct, it looks like typically Akinola is about to… Read more »
IC clearly realises that TEC’s strategy of “give us what we want now!” does not work so they want to be more reasonable….
So, it seems IC wants to go back to the old CofE liberal strategy ( something like “let’s all talk the issue to death while some carry on breaking the rules and contradicting scripture” – while being paid from other people’s money to shrink congregations all over England, of course)
Given how dourly the realignment conservative believers who post on TA view anybody who thinks or discerns (and therefore, lives and prays) differently, I cannot help wondering just why they wish to remain Anglican. Besides the custom, property, and so forth? Would not a whole range of other closed believer conservative religious communities fit their beliefs and needs more closely than traditional worldwide big tent Anglicanism? The claims that the rest of us must be wrestled into conformity for the eternal good of our own souls makes little or no real sense, except to the believers who have let themselves… Read more »
I can’t speak to the conservative believers who post on TA, drdanfee, but I’ve a pretty good idea of one thing driving the CANA folks over in N. Virginia & Colorado Springs, and that’s up-market brand-name purchasing. The associate rector of Falls Church recently stated that “two-thirds of the worshipers are Methodists, Presbyterians or Baptists”, so, hootin’ & hollerin’ to the contrary notwithstanding, a strong, deeply-felt corporate “Anglican” identity seems improbable. A strong conservative identity is a different matter – individuals named as members of one or the other Virginia church include US attorney general Alberto Gonzales, Oliver North and,… Read more »
Well, lapinbizarre, I happen to be on that ‘conservative’ side of the fence. Unfortunately, what I perceive is a classic ‘bait and switch’ by the leadership of ECUSA. I was ‘lured’ into the Episcopal church a little over 30 years ago, by a set of beliefs and understandings of Christianity that was taught to me by ECUSA. Now it seems that the ‘leadership’ has decided that those beliefs were wrong, and I have to start believing something else. After all, they certainly know more about the condition of mankind and the meanings of Jesus teachings than primitive folks like me… Read more »
drdanfee, I think you mistake us of the ‘conservative’ bent. We, unfortunately, are the ones that are trying to follow the ‘historical’ faith. The Anglican faith as delivered by the historical church. ECUSA (guess that is you) is changing the definitions. We see the issue as YOU trying to force US to abandon the beliefs of millenia because you know more than those poor ignorant Christians who came before you (guess that includes me). At this point, I guess I am no longer Episcopalian, based on the changes that have occurred in the belief structure of your church, but still… Read more »
oh dear Lapin – you really would not be pleased to see Tutu’s mansion!
TomB wrote: “The current HOB is intent on redefining basic tenets of ECUSA historical beliefs based on the assumption that they know more about what Jesus ‘meant’ in his teachings than his apostles.” The assumption is rather that the historical Church knows more about what Jesus “meant” than un-historical Calvinism does. “They certainly have the power to do so for ECUSA, but it is wrong of them (and you) to claim that those of us who believe the historical view (and some would say the biblical view) of things are trying for a ‘hostile takeover’ of the church.” Beliefs –… Read more »
TomB writes: “I think you mistake us of the ‘conservative’ bent. We, unfortunately, are the ones that are trying to follow the ‘historical’ faith. The Anglican faith as delivered by the historical church.” and “At this point, I guess I am no longer Episcopalian, based on the changes that have occurred in the belief structure of your church, but still hope that I can remain Anglican.” There is a whole comet-tail of “Anglicans” who say the same – see the rather amazing list at http://anglicansonline.org/communion/nic.html Personally, I would rather you stayed in and fought your corner, as you are perfectly… Read more »
There are times, NP, when I wonder if you were put on the face of this earth just to waste the time of folks with better things to do. Here we are yet again – NP, Desmond Tutu, “Continually Do Cry” time. Why the obsession with Tutu’s mansion, NP – other, of course, than to distract from serious issues? We’re starting to catch on to the fact that your popping up, hollering “Desmond Tutu’s Mansion”, indicates that a major nerve has been hit elsewhere, but does the expression “mean-spirited” ring any bells, NP? Or ought the archbishop to wait until… Read more »
“N’s Genius without Thought or Lecture
is hugely Turned to Architecture”
Nice, Göran.
Lapin – I am merely pointing out the inconsistency in people who would criticise what they see as “greed” in some conservatives but do not even want to aknowledge that some of their heroes have made a bit of cash over the years and live very well too. Tutu has a lovely house in a very rich suburb called (appropriately) Bishop’s Court in Cape Town. He bought this house and I am happy for him to have this comfort. Obviously, details and pics of his private house are not available on the net for security and privacy reasons etc but… Read more »
Please, no further off-topic posts on South African housing for retired clergy. This blog article is about Lambeth Conference invitations. Retired bishops don’t get invited!
Thank you, Simon!