The Guardian has an editorial that says that if Anglican unity is to be maintained, it cannot be for its own sake. Stephen Bates says that those taking part in the conference in Jerusalem are united only by the one thing they all hate.
The people gathered on the Mount of Olives were united in voice as they sang their officially approved hymns, but on the second day of a conference which has laid bare the divisions in the Anglican communion over homosexuality, notes of discord could already be heard.
Anglicans may not have a Pope, but it did have Henry Chadwick until he died last week at 87. He is remembered as church historian, scholar, ecumenist and person of deep faith.
About seven in 10 of those surveyed said they believed that many religions can lead to eternal life and that there is more than one true interpretation of the teachings of their own religion. A majority of the members of almost every religious tradition agreed with those positions — including Southern Baptists and Catholics.
If Ruth Gledhill has it right, the leaders of GAFCON have embraced a strategy aimed at creating “change from within.” This is a significant, encouraging, and, for them, no doubt galling development because Peter Akinola, Martyn Minns and Co., had previously argued that the sins of those who support the blessing of same-sex relationships were so great that true Christians could not keep company with them.
The GAFCON leadership has a list of eight people who are not welcome to observe the proceedings under any circumstances. The ban makes sense considering the refusal of the Primates at the conference to acknowledge and condemn violence against LGBT persons.
Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe hates the British, is violently homophobic and will do anything, including political assassination to stay in power. The Anglican Church is paying the price for standing with the people of Zimbabwe.
What are people talking about these days anyway? Well, let me tell you, people are NOT talking about the Episcopal Church, the Anglican Communion, Gene Robinson or Rowan Williams. The names Jack Iker or Robert Duncan do not pass their lips. Nor does the name of Katharine Jefferts Schori. This is not necessarily a bad thing.
We have three compost heaps, and even they are not capacious enough to contain all the castoffs of our garden and our kitchen. When the leaves begin to fall, we will have to begin a new pile near the border of our small woods.