Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Sydney and the Anglican Covenant

Much has been said about whether or not our General Convention will act on the "Anglican Covenant."

Some folks are ticked that Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori has urged the General Convention not to act on the supposed Anglican Covenant. A month ago, I might have agreed with them.

But it seems to me that things have changed significantly since Lambeth, now that Sydney has voted in synod to authorize diaconal/lay presidency at the Eucharist. Now it's not just about TEC's "innovation" about having one gay male bishop, but about the very validity of the Eucharist in one of the dioceses of the Anglican Communion. To me, it seems the former represents a minor issue compared to what Sydney has authorized.

Think back to 2003. When our General Convention consented to Gene Robinson's consecration – but before he was consecrated a bishop – many voices in the Anglican Communion screamed in hysterical crisis! They demanded an Emergency Meeting of the Anglican primates, and the Archbishop of Canterbury concurred. He held that meeting – when a vote had been held, but before the action had been done. The primates warned that TEC would "tear the fabric of the Communion" if we proceeded to consecrate Gene Robinson. Presiding Bishop Griswold acknowledged that might be the result. He didn't promise to stop his action [no matter what the wingnuts say].

A whole schism has been launched from those actions by the GAFCon/FOCA/CCP/CANA/AMiA/AAC/IRD cabal.

Now the Diocese of Sydney (in Australia) has voted to let deacons and lay people preside at the Eucharist. I expected to hear the same screams and shrieks calling for another Emergency Meeting of the primates. But not a whisper has come from the primates. For the conservatives, unless you are a Donatist, the worst you could believe about Bishop Robinson is that his acts are valid, if flawed. But what Sydney proposes to do flies in the face of the entire Anglican/Catholic understanding of our sacraments. What they propose will invalidate all the sacraments they purport to exercise under this new diaconal/lay administration.

Where are the hysterical screams from the GAFCon/FOCA/ CCP/CANA/AMiA/AAC/IRD crowd for an Emergency Meeting of the Primates? It has been several days. They are still silent. What Sydney proposes is far more radical than what TEC did in its consent to Gene Robinson's consecration. If they remain silent, it will be clear that they really don't care about catholic faith and order, nor about the "faith once delivered to the saints." It will be clear that they don't care about ecclesiology or tradition. If they don't demand another Emergency Meeting of the Primates, it will abundantly clear they are only driven by homophobia, the fear of one honest gay bishop.

Let the march of the hypocrites begin. I'm already hearing it, through the silence of the primates and the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Addendum: Thanks to Caminante, who is talking about this, and from whom I "borrowed" the lovely photo.

2 Comments:

Blogger Wormwood's Doxy said...

Astounding, isn't it?

I cannot even type what I think of Rowan Williams. I honestly thought my opinion of him couldn't get any worse---but I was wrong.

10/29/2008 5:55 AM  
Blogger Lisa Fox said...

Thanks, Liz & Doxy.

I truly don't understand why the mainstream Anglican media isn't covering this. And I don't understand why those who cling to "the faith once delivered" aren't screaming bloody murder about this.

Actually, I do. They screamed at TEC because they have the queers. But they are complacent about those who "merely" undermine all we Anglicans understand about the Eucharist.

It really shows them for what they are. Hypocrites and haters. It's that simple.

10/29/2008 9:40 PM  

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