Archbishop Daniel Deng’s call for the resignation of Bishop Gene Robinson today surprised many of his friends and colleagues in the Episcopal Church because the Sudanese Church has extensive relationships with Episcopal dioceses and parishes, and openly gay clergy and lay people are active in these relationships.
Many of us have learned to find an internal “happy place,” as a way to cope with stress and anxiety. But how many of us have learned to find a real-life “happy place” — a three-dimensional, reality-based, imperfect-but-still-nourishing PLACE in which to find rest and refreshment?
The current state of the Anglican Communion is tenuous. Of all the issues confronted in the church’s two millennia—persecution, war and famine, the rise and fall of nations, of economies, of political systems, of churches—why should this great expression of the Christian faith be shaken to its core over issues of sexuality?
The bishop skillfully avoided the media’s attempts to get him to make a statement about the issue of homosexuality. “We’ve got different issues,” he said. “In Zimbabwe, our issues are poverty, unemployment, no medication… these are the burning issues in Zimbabwe. At the present moment, we have the problem of being oppressed by a system.”
“Gene Robinson should just go away from the Anglican world and be a normal Christian,” said Deng. He said he could not predict the future of the Communion if Robinson did not resign.
Just as I am writing, the Church of Sudan has released two statements, one on war, genocide and hopes for peace, the other asking the Episcopal and Canadian churches to refrain from ordaining additional gay clergy or approving rites for same-sex blessings; cease court actions, etc. Guess which one is engendering more interest in the press room?
Perhaps you have had the joyful opportunity of feeling God’s presence through the beauty of lovely choirs, through the glooming light that crosses stained glass windows, through various art exhibits, and even through well-chanted liturgies. All of these have something in common: they are the fruit of the human creative process, with the sole purpose of worshipping the One to whom all glory and honor should be given.
The tradition that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute is among the most extraordinary and implausible inventions ever woven out of gospel texts. The reasoning behind the tradition followed this far-fetched course: the woman who anointed Jesus in Luke (7:36-50) was ‘a sinner’;
He was diplomatic about it, but it was clearly vexing to the primate of the Southern Cone, Greg Venables, that he had neither seen nor agreed to the published response to the St Andrew’s draft Covenant, issued by GAFCON on Friday in his name and those of six African primates.