Riazat Butt of the Guardian has written a brief article about Bishop John Bryson Chane’s column on the Lambeth Conference that appeared on the Cafe earlier this week.
This Lambeth Conference could have been a positive turning point for the Anglican Communion, but instead the powers that be chose to seek a middle way that is neither “the middle” nor “the way.” It will therefore be up to bishops from around the Communion who have continuing partner and companion relationships to work toward a more holistic view of the church.
The Standing Committee of the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania has issued its opinion that Bishop Charles Bennison should be deposed for covering up the sexual abuse of his brother.
Saying that he wants to stay in The Episcopal Church and in full communion with the Archbishop of Canterbury, The Bishop of Central Florida, the Rt. Rev. John W. Howe has dropped his support of the Anglican Communion Network led by Pittsburgh Bishop Robert Duncan and thrown in his lot with the Anglican Communion Institute, (ACI) a group that wants to stay and fight for change in The Episcopal Church.
Despite the archbishop of Nigeria’s injunction against doing so, the Right Rev Cyril Okorocha, the Bishop of Owerri, will attend Lambeth next week, according to Ruth Gledhill. She writes that he will be the only Nigerian bishop in attendance out of the 100 under Akinola’s watch, although more than a dozen phoned in their regrets that they “dare not disobey their archbishop.”
The bishop of New Hampshire, said it was time for the church to decide what it was going to stand for to its gay members – whether it would be somewhere they would feel welcome or rejected. He called on the Archbishop of Canterbury to show leadership on the issue, rather than just try to manage it.
AP: An Episcopal bishop was found guilty by a church panel of covering up his brother’s assaults of a teenage girl in the 1970s. Charles
Conservative Christians say opening marriage to gay couples would undermine an immutable institution founded on divine revelation. But, theologically, support for same-sex marriage is not a dramatic break with tradition, but a recognition that the church’s understanding of marriage has changed dramatically over 2,000 years.
The age-old tomato/tomahto refrain comes to mind as GAFCON speakers assert that they are working toward a way to “sustain the highest level of communion and work well together,” not toward a schism. The reason they are dodging that, as some of the metaphors Archbishop Peter Jensen is using indicate implicitly, is that they are operating under the belief that the schism has already happened.
After the high-energy spectacle of the Pride parade about 30 revelers headed to St. Paul’s Cathedral for a more subdued but no less heartfelt celebration of Pride. Massachusetts Episcopal Bishop Thomas Shaw, fresh from marching in the parade, led worshippers in song and prayers.