If Church of Engalnd leaders continue to discriminate against even those lesbians and gays who have made considerable sacrifices out of respect for church discipline, there will be considerable damage to its credibility as a force for love and justice in the world.
If you have been reading the Colin Slee memo on archbishops behaving badly and wondered what was redacted from the original document, we can now say that what is missing is the cover letter by Slee’s daughter (a good call, we think), and the second of two appendices. The reason for this redaction, we assume, is because it contains an email exchange between Slee and Chris Smith of Lambeth Palace, who has not given anyone permission to publish the exchange.
“Your everlasting peace, O king, and that of your kingdom, is the object we desire to promote in coming hither; we bring you, as we have already made known, tidings of never-ending joy. If you receive them, you will be blessed for ever, both here and in the Kingdom which is without end. The Creator and Redeemer of the world has opened to mankind the Kingdom of Heaven, and of citizens of the earth makes men inhabitants of a celestial city
By recognizing that God’s work in one province may be radically different from God’s work in another, this covenant honors new understandings of our lives in Christ. Most importantly, the Covenant for Communion in Mission eschews uniformity, punitive action and centralized authority in favor of our love for one another as brothers and sisters in Christ and belief that we are all called to do God’s work in the world.
It can disturb hearers with weak [faith] that, at the beginning of this reading from the gospel, the Savior promises his disciples, “If you ask anything of the Father in my name, he will give it to you.” Not only do people like us not receive many things they seem to ask of the Father in Christ’s name, but even the apostle Paul himself asked the Lord three times that the angel of Satan with which he was tormented might depart from him, and he was not able to obtain what he asked.
We determine with grateful hearts to embrace the opportunity afforded by the Steam boat. On Friday evening I made a short address to the children at family prayers, & now took leave of them, exhorting them to love one another. We packed up immediately after breakfast. Talked with Suydam about his becoming a candidate,
When the honeymoon is over and the pastor notices resistance among congregants, he or she is tempted to succumb to self-doubt, anxiety, or feelings of alienation. The most effective new pastors see this period of mutual disillusionment and congregational resistance as an opportunity for spiritual and professional growth.
Writing for the Huffington Post, Phil Cooke points out that Harold Camping did a much better job getting his message out there than most religious denominations, including ours, have done.
As needs are defined, we, the Diocese of West Missouri, will respond with all speed and will muster all available resources. Financial contributions to assist with immediate and long-term needs may be sent to the diocesan office, checks made payable to Diocese of West Missouri, with note, “Joplin Tornado Relief Fund.”.
And when the dust has settled and the jokes are over, the collateral damage of Judgment Day Gone Bust are all those folks who now have even more evidence to convince them they know enough about being a Christian not to want to be one. And who could blame them?