One of the consistent worries I hear about with regard to the Church of England rejecting the proposed "Anglican" Covenant is that to say "No" to this ham-fisted document would be a rejection of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams. It seems there is a desire to let this go through, so as to not hurt the man's feelings or reputation or whatever.
I think this is the wrong way to approach something which stands to deepen the divide that this document claims it wants to patch up.
The Anglican Communion, according to its own website, consists of more than 80 million Anglican/Episcopalians worldwide in 44 churches or provinces in 160 countries. The document on the table would affect all those people in all those churches in all those countries. The Archbishop of Canterbury, while the iconic figurehead of the Anglican Communion, is one man, one person, and not even the one who is the central figure of our belief and reason for being in communion in the first place, correct?
Many have also reported that the "Anglican" Covenant is the result of the actions taken in this country involving one man, Bishop Gene Robinson. If that is true, then it makes this Covenant even more egregious than I already believe that it is. Again, more than 80 million people identify as Anglican/Episcopalian. Do we need to rush into a relationship with "who's in" and "who's out" for the sake of one man... who is not Jesus Christ? This is worse odds than trying to win the Florida Lotto jackpot!
Look beyond the figure heads and see the whole picture. Remember that there would have been no "Anglican Communion" if there weren't other people and churches wanting to be connected by scripture, tradition and reason. Time to implore that last leg of the Hooker three-legged stool to this document, doncha think?
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