Updated Sunday afternoon
Church Times Dr Williams makes first strike against erring provinces
Telegraph Archbishop of Canterbury imposes first sanctions on Anglican provinces over gay bishops dispute
Episcopal News Service Canterbury proposes resignation of ecumenical commission members
BBC Archbishop calls for action against rebel Anglicans
CNN Archbishop of Canterbury slaps Episcopal Church for openly gay bishops
From the blogs:
Cif belief Mark Vernon The Anglican Communion falters, again
Mark Harris Thoughts on the ABC’s Pentecost Letter.
Also, Who is on the Standing Commission on Unity Faith and Order?
Fr Jake Canterbury’s Pentecost Punishments
Tony Clavier PENTECOST LETTER
Updates
Episcopal Café What kind of Pentecost?
Wounded Bird THE ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY’S PENTECOST LETTER
Caminante Twenty-four hours later
Guess who’s not paying the next bill for the Lambeth party costs overruns as well.
Telegraph: “imposes”
ENS: “proposes”
There you have it. Americans read “ask” as a “proposal” — as in, “will you may me?” Which it must be since the ABC has no authority to “impose”.
Let us heretofore snub them forthwith according to the love joy and peace that the fruit of the Spirit would have us afflict. As if the wrath of man were really useful in fulfilling the righteousness of God, I mean, after all, none of our other coercions have worked.
“When a province “declines to accept requests or advice from the consultative organs of the communion, it is very hard to see how members of that province can be placed in positions where they are required to represent the communion as a whole,” Williams said.” This passage, that the ENS report highlighted, really displays how ORWELLIAN the ABC has become. Since when does declining the ***requests*** or ***advice*** from a ***consultative*** organ in any way constitute disobedience deserving of ANY diminishment of status in the Anglican Communion? And the Kafka-esque (to continue the literary allusions) nature of this punishment is… Read more »
Where is the Holy Spirit in this so called Pentecost letter by an angry, temper tantrum,frightened, desperate ABC ?. How can the man deny his earlier written staements about the positive value of same sex relationships under God.
The man is a prisoner of the fundamentalists, and is trapped between a rock and a hard place.
God have mercy on him, and we must all needs pray for him, and those he denies.
Fr John
I think Fr. Jake has the best idea about how TEC should respond to the contents of the ABC’s Pentecost Letter – Ignore it – until the/any practical outcome is put into effect, by notification from the Standing Committee of the ACC. After all, that is probably what the Border-crossing Provinces will do – unless they decide to boycott Lambeth and Canterbury altogether and form their own puritanical version of the Communion, in which case there may be no further problems. I agree, also, that if TEC and the A.C.of C. are invited to resile to a position of Observer… Read more »
“Since when does declining the ***requests*** or ***advice*** from a ***consultative*** organ in any way constitute disobedience deserving of ANY diminishment of status in the Anglican Communion?”
Well said, JCF. I’ve often noticed that those in favor of setting up a Curia Lite™ act and speak as if their wishes were our commands.
This Pentecost letter is sad–another lost opportunity to preach the Gospel. I prefer Peter’s sermon with the text from Joel: “I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh.”
First, as a Canadian, I fail to see what the ACoC has actually done that is not happening in Rowan’s own backyard-and he’s quite aware of it. We have not ordained “openly” gay bishops (as if lying is a virtue) and, in blessing same-sex couples, we are not doing anything that is not being openly done in England. The only difference is that we admit it. (We are not marrying gay couples, although Canadian law allows it). Secondly, what’s the point of preventing Anglicans tainted with homosexuality from meeting with ecumenical partners? If he thinks that the Romans or the… Read more »
Adam:
As long as we’re bringing up Vietnam-era sayings:
“Rowan has to destroy the Communion in order to save it”
Rowan Williams has become paralyzed by his own fears of the right wing fundamentalist prelates. He really fear all of them and this is both pathetic and sad. He really “doesn’t get any of it” or if he does he is too afraid to stand up to these Fundamentalists because he has to preserve UNITY. It isn’t working is it? If Rowan Williams sees his place in Anglican history as a uniter, he is under a delusion. He is turning people off and creating a false sense of what UNITY is really about. Perhaps Rowan should leave the stage now… Read more »
First, as a Canadian, I fail to see what the ACoC has actually done that is not happening in Rowan’s own backyard-and he’s quite aware of it. We have not ordained “openly” gay bishops (as if lying is a virtue) and, in blessing same-sex couples, we are not doing anything that is not being openly done in England. The only difference is that we admit it. Remember that no Canadian bishop has permitted this without the consent of their diocesan Synod. Secondly, what’s the point of preventing Anglicans tainted with homosexuality from meeting with ecumenical partners? If he thinks that… Read more »
As someone pointed out to me, there isn’t actually any act of the Anglican Church of Canada which fits the criteria Rowan establishes for neo-excommunication. The actions of a handful of dioceses are not the actions of the national Church. General Synod has done nothing officially that qualifies. Therefore Rowan has no means to exclude us.
But the hatemongers will demand it and Rowan will cave.
Thinking again about this Pentecost Letter; it may just be that this will give the opportunity that the Global South contingent have longed for. By opting out of the Councils of the Anglican Communion, they may feel themselves free to form a Sect of their own – based on levitical purity and primitive pseudo-theology. This would then leave the rest of the Provinces to co-exist – with differences, but also an improved understanding of the contextual integrity of one-another’s position on women and LGBT persons. This would leave each Province to pursue the essential ministry of the Gospel – the… Read more »
The timing of this is not likely to help the cause of full inclusion at Canada’s forthcoming General Synod next week. The National bureaucracy of the Canadian Church was already nervous. An elaborate “process” has been put in place for the General Synod in hopes of keeping debate on same sex issues off the floor. I have to say I do find humor in the ABC’s response, booting us off committees and such. Reminds me of Basil Fawlty giving his stalled Austin mini a “damned good thrashing”. On a more somber note, The Anglican Journal in Canada is reporting that… Read more »
I have finally ploughed through the whole Pentecost letter. I find his scolding about churches going to court quite offensive. He has continued to refuse to pay enough attention to such matters so as to understand them. I think it is poorly written, but not as opaque as a lot of his writing. Although I have been retired from university teaching for two years, sentences like this make my hand itch for a red pen: “Particular provinces will be contacted about the outworking of this in the near future.” Passive constructions obscure the agent of the verb – WHO will… Read more »
I think Williams felt he had to take some action after TEC ordained Mary Glasspool. I don’t agree with what he has done at all, but at least it is even handed in that all those who have breached the moratoria are given the same slap on the wrist. I don’t quite know what he aims to achieve. This will not appease traditionalists ( they cannot really be appeased by anything but the most drastic action which is beyond his remit and would by its nature split the Communion anyway.) It will not be popular with liberals. I honestly think… Read more »
“Man proposes, God disposes”
Perhaps in this reality is our only HOPE.
“Delegates to General Synod 2010 can expect to be “challenged to stop looking inward,” according to Archbishop Hiltz. “We’re focusing on mission,” he told the Anglican Journal.” This all sounds quite logical and good – provided the Letter from the so-called Zacheus Foundation – which offers a spurious way of ‘combatting’ the natural phenomenon of homosexuality is not allowed to divert the attention of General Synod members, either in the debate or on the fringes. This would subvert the intention of this statement of Archbishop Fred Hiltz. The anti-gay lobby must not be allowed to hawk its dubious philosophy. However,… Read more »
Why do I feel that had Archbishop Williams been at the first Pentecost in Jerusalem, he would have sent the disciples home to sober up and repent rather than joining them in joyfully declaring the Good News and baptizing 3000. The church would have remained a small but homogeneous club. Perhaps that’s what he hopes the Anglican Communion will become. That isn’t, however, the Church.