The Rev. Caro Hall, president of Integrity, has a few thoughts on Independence Day:
As you might imagine, as a British native I feel somewhat ambivalent when it comes to July 4th. Yes, independence and freedom are good, but so are the people of the British Isles! I’m not quite as ready as were our forebears to slough off king/queen and mother country to forge a new reality where all men (sic) are equal.
I think The Episcopal Church (TEC) has been in a similar state of ambivalence when it comes to the Anglican Covenant. But the recently published report of the Standing Commission on Constitution and Canons (SCCC) has changed the whole picture. We are being asked to sign on to an agreement which was basically created because some of the other former British colonies don’t like what we are doing, even though we have followed our own discernment process to the letter. Now the SCCC has declared that it is “of the view that adoption of the current draft Anglican Covenant has the potential to change the constitutional and canonical framework of TEC, particularly with respect to the autonomy of our Church, and the constitutional authority of our General Convention, bishops and dioceses.”
Ouch.