A recent nationwide study of Episcopal clergy makes one thing clear: the American General Convention is not walking apart from the opinion of its own clergy.
Giving a new meaning to Married with Children, the Church of England has introduced a family-friendly ceremony where you and your co-habitating partner can marry, and your progeny can be baptized. The fee the church charges is virtually the same as if the ceremonies were conducted on separate occasions. A spokesman for the Church said the ceremony was environmentally and socially responsible given the substantial post-ceremony savings in hiring a venue and a caterer. (No, this is not a spoof.)
In less than one week, they have received generous contributions from the Episcopal Church and Episcopalians around the country. To date, the Bishops Bike Ride has brought in $11,138 in contributions and $21, 744 in pledges towards NetsforLife® which provides insecticide-treated nets and training in 17 countries to prevent malaria.
It now seems right to offer guidance at a national level about how the Church of England’s worship might best take into account the interests of public health during the current phase of the swine flu pandemic. – +Rowan Cantuar and +Sentamu Ebor
Like so many of the rest of you, when I think of the 76th General Convention of the Episcopal Church, my mind drifts back to the 1991 NBA Finals. Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls v. Magic Johnson and the Los Angeles Lakers.
All we have are artificial attempts, human-made pieces of art, often assembled by committee, to witness to truth and grace in the world. That’s what the General Convention of the Episcopal Church was. Yes, it was set in an artificial place (a place designed to work!), it was committee after committee, it was the work of humanity. I hope and pray, nonetheless, that it has served us well.
Theology ponders the deep meaning of everyday life by seeing our lives as taking place within God’s life. There are certain moments when we just sense, almost intuitively, that what is happening is terribly significant or somehow holy—moments,