Here's the Poll

I encourage readers to vote in the Church Times "Question of the Week" poll on the Anglican Covenant . You are just a click away from letting your voice be heard on this issue. And also go to the No Anglican Covenant Anglicans for Unity website.

H/T to Lesley for the link to the poll

When in Doubt, Call Them Names

There have been a number of posts on more conservative blogs and a comment from a bishop in Wales about the campaign to call for an end to this proposed Anglican Covenant. Apparently, if we who oppose the so-called Covenant aren't leftists trying to undo all that is right and holy, then we are being likened to the British National Party aka English racist political thugs. All because we don't agree with a proposal that threatens to create a class system in the Anglican Communion: those who sign and those who do not sign the Covenant. And if a member does sign, it will have to run its decisions by the rest of the signatories before they can do something like... ordain a woman bishop (and God forbid she be a lesbian in a relationship!).

I don't think it is "fascist" to call attention to the flaws in the Anglican Covenant. We have legitimate concerns that the language of said so-called "covenant" will provide sticks to those who want to beat back any church or province that feels the Holy Spirit moving us in a direction of being more inclusive and allowing those new souls in the church to live fully into their baptismal vows. Such debates in the church are nothing new, even within the Church of England. And, going back to Wednesday and Richard Hooker Day, the three-legged stool on which we stand has Scripture, Tradition... and Reason. From where I sit, this needs not only more careful consideration of exactly what the words in the covenant will mean when put in the hands of a legal literalist, we also need the answer to why do we need this thing any way? If the answer is based on fear of actions taken by, oh--I dunno--The Episcopal Church, that have caused discomfort and discord, that's not a good reason. That requires more of the indaba process of deep listening that occurred at the last Lambeth Conference. And that listening process must include the one who was not allowed to attend.

Finally, I think it's time everybody put their grown-up pants on and realize that we don't and won't all agree on everything, and that's OK. Calling me and others a fascist only proves our point that we are far from ready to have a relationship.

*****
Apparently, we aren't the only ones concerned about this issue. A poll of readers of the English newspaper, The Church Times, asks the question, "Should the Church of England reject the Anglican Covenant?" As of this writing, 59% Yes, 39% No.

The Stupidest State in the USA

I'm sure others out there are wanting to nominate their own state for this particular prize, but really and truly... Florida is the stupidest state in this country. We have elected a man who stole (yes, stole!!) 1.7 billion dollars from Medicare as the CEO of Columbia/HCA to be the Governor and the leader of the fourth largest state in the union. We elected a thuggish state legislator to be our junior U.S. Senator (the fact that Marco Rubio could campaign with a straight face as some king of "outsider" is ridiculous.) And in Leon County, we tossed out a champion for the environment from our County Commission, and replaced him with a football player who had never voted in an election before this year.

Unbelievable. And yet, sadly, there it is.

God has a purpose, I know. And I am trusting in God that we are kept safe from what I see as the return of darkness to Tallahassee. All we can do is pray. And let God sort it out.

The Church's One Foundation is NOT an Anglican Covenant

The hymn starts simply:

The Church's one foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord.

Sometimes, it seems this is the one foundational fact that gets lost as those who are in positions of power within the church seem to think God needs their masonry skills to lay a new or different foundation. That, I believe, is one of the major flaws with the proposed Anglican Covenant.

In the need to control how the Holy Spirit is speaking in some parts of the Anglican Communion, this covenant threatens to place a gag on any member body that doesn't conform to certain beliefs on the role of women and human sexuality and concentrates power in a central body of bishops.

I have joined with an international team of Episcopal and Anglican bloggers to call on those in the Church of England's General Synod considering this "final draft" of the covenant to pay attention to some of the language in part IV:

(4.2.4) Where a shared mind has not been reached the matter shall be referred to the Standing Committee. The Standing Committee shall make every effort to facilitate agreement, and may take advice from such bodies as it deems appropriate to determine a view on the nature of the matter at question and those relational consequences which may result. Where appropriate, the Standing Committee shall refer the question to both the Anglican Consultative Council and the Primates’ Meeting for advice.

(4.2.5) The Standing Committee may request a Church to defer a controversial action. If a Church declines to defer such action, the Standing Committee may recommend to any Instrument of Communion relational consequences which may specify a provisional limitation of participation in, or suspension from, that Instrument until the completion of the process set out below.

(4.2.6) On the basis of advice received from the Anglican Consultative Council and the Primates’ Meeting, the Standing Committee may make a declaration that an action or decision is or would be “incompatible with the Covenant”.

Even though the Archbishop of Canterbury maintains this isn't a punitive document, I don't think you can read the above as anything put punishing and punitive. Suddenly, to be "Anglican" means to submit to a central authority, or you are out. That might work for the Pope, but we took care of the question of papal supremacy with the Reformation in England. Would the CoE really want to go backward?

Or as the Rev. Canon Alan Parry, a Canadian priest and canon law expert, notes, "The proposed Anglican Covenant would freeze Anglican theology and Anglican polity at a particular moment." Locking us inside a box is not what Anglicanism is all about!

Though with a scornful wonder men see her sore oppressed, by schisms rent asunder by heresies distressed; yet saints their watch are keeping, their cry goes up, "How long?" and soon the night of weeping shall be the morn of song.

The Archbishop and those who support the Covenant need to back down from this document. Forcing relationship will explode and those members who are currently uncomfortable with each other will only be driven further apart. Our foundation, and our future, should be in Christ, not man-made covenants.

Coming Real Soon....

Tune in tomorrow after 7:30AM for the big news breaking on Richard Hooker Day. Hint: Hooker stood for Scripture, Tradition, and Reason... something we ought to consider!

O God of truth and peace, who raised up your servant Richard Hooker in a day of bitter controversy to defend with sound reasoning and great charity the catholic and reformed religion: Grant that we may maintain that middle way, not as a compromise for the sake of peace, but as a comprehension for the sake of truth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Don't Let This Happen Again...

These are just a few images from the infamous Election 2000: the night that wouldn't end a decade ago. I must have aged a couple of years as I stood out on the sidewalk in front of the Florida Supreme Court building, awaiting rulings on whether we would keep counting ballots in Florida to determine our presidential winner. As you all remember, what the Florida court said didn't matter doodly-squat to the United States Supreme Court. They took over. They declared George W. Bush the winner. And our country is still trying to recover from the idiocy that marked his presidency.
If you think partisan politics is bad now, imagine being a reporter witnessing the end of a Warren Christopher news conference and seeing the Senate Sergeants remove the American flags flanking the podium to put in two other American flags before the appearance of James Baker.
"Tommy," some of us asked the Senate employee. "What are you doing?"
The long-suffering Senate worker looked at us, the Florida members of the media, and grumbled. "Can you believe they (Democrats and Republicans) won't stand in front of each others American flags?!"
I'm not making this up. It really was that stupid. That divisive. That childish.
There is no presidential race this time around, but I am a little concerned about this being the 10th anniversary of the 37 Days of Election Night. I am trying to figure out what Florida can do this time to make itself a laughingstock. Perhaps electing a man to be Governor who ran a company that committed the largest Medicare fraud in the nation's history ($1.7billion). That, along with electing a dimwit tea partier to the U.S. Senate could seal this state into the book of Stupid forever.
The only way to prevent this is for people to go vote, and make sure that their vote did get counted. I'm tired of Democrats in this state whining about "all is lost" because Obama really did mean, "Yes, We Can... But...." Anybody should have been able to figure that out. Again, George W. Bush, the squatter President, had eight years in office. There was no way Obama, or anyone else, was going to clean up his mess in less than two years. So quit kvetching and go vote. Or else we really will have the dynamic duo of Marco Rubio and Rick Scott as the face of Florida's election 2010. And that's scary!

For All The Saints...

For a moment, put whatever is your own political persuasion aside, and just meditate on the image of a flag-draped casket with the paschal candle burning, and know that this is the love in the lyrics of the hymn "For All The Saints". This image made me cry, not just for the Ford family, but for all who have endured the loss of someone who has served the country.

May we join with all the saints in rememberance of those who have gone before, and in appreciation of those present with us, that we each continue in our journey toward unity with God. Amen.