From the UK, the Church Times has US House of Bishops put their case to Dr Williams by Pat Ashworth and a leader: When all about are losing theirs:
The problem for Anglicanism is that it has never been clear whose discernment counts. This is an inevitable dilemma for a Church that attempts to be true to both its Catholic roots and Protestant experience. Anglicans value and defend individual conscience, but also maintain Catholic order (as they understand it). With this in mind, Dr Williams has a limited armory. It includes the ability to win people over by argument and personal influence. He is adept at the first and possesses the necessary charisma for the second. He should use them to convince the diverging sections of the Communion that a sincere difference of opinion exists, and that, since the time taken so far to resolve the issues has clearly not been enough, more time is needed.
If, after the US House of Bishops meeting, the conservative and liberal tendencies declare that they are seeking greater division, this will solve little. Since schism removes the challenge of working closely with critics, it invariably confirms prejudice. Dr Williams will work to keep Anglicanism together not because everyone agrees with each other, but because they don’t. Most of all, we hope he will keep his head and refuse to be manipulated into one camp or another. Giving visible support to all sides equally is a good example to set.
From Australia, the ABC radio programme The Religion Report interviewed Philip Aspinall, Archbishop of Brisbane, before he departed for New Orleans. Go here, and scroll down more than halfway,to read the full transcript of this.
Well, the words of the Primate of Australia are bound to disappoint NP and his/her Calvinist friends: “I think a number of churches in the Anglican communion are struggling with this issue. The United States, Canada, England itself, Australia, has done some preliminary work on the questions. So the discussion is going on all around the world, and I think it’s only to be expected that at some stage, future Lambeth Conferences will consider the matter again. Lambeth 110 is an important resolution that we need to give proper weight to, but it’s not the final word.” And, to further… Read more »
“He [the ABC] should use them to convince the diverging sections of the Communion that a sincere difference of opinion exists, and that, since the time taken so far to resolve the issues has clearly not been enough, more time is needed.” Time enough for what? Compromise—as TEC has done again, and again, and again? Or time to continue invading TEC’s territory, to foment schism? In these “the diverging sections of the Communion”, one side has been playing fairly (TEC & friends, to be specific), and one side (the “Vocal South” & fellow travellers—esp. their funders from North America) hasn’t.… Read more »
Jerry
I don’t know if you saw the posting a few weeks ago where one suscriber told us not to bring the whole sermon on the mount into the debate.
I nearly fell off my chair laughing.
That same poster recently queried if we thought there were influences other than Jesus in play in their church. Well, if they don’t like having Jesus quoted at them, it does lead to some ponderings, doesn’t it?
Cheryl:
No, I missed that one. Some of these people must really be Christian pretenders who have totally lost the huge Christian forest for the few carefully selected scripture-snippet trees. It’s beyond sad.