Café contributor the Rev. Dr. Frederick Quinn has written a letter in response to Rowan Williams’ Pentecost Letter:
Octave of Pentecost, 2010
Dear Archbishop Williams,
Your recently published Penetecost letter is a rallying point for all Anglicans to catch the spirit of the Acts of the Apostles — wind, fire, new hope, an inclusive faith empowered now to reach to the ends of the earth. Some people, though, have trouble with parts of your letter about the four-part Covenant proposal and how folks should resign from ecumenical committees.
Why not end all the waffling? Take some bold steps. Request additional letters of resignation from the members of the Compass Rose Society and the Friends of Canterbury Cathedral, to be effective at least until the next Lambeth Conference.
And announce you will accept no more honoraria from Trinity Church Wall Street or Georgetown University, again until the next Lambeth Conference.
Another problem sandwiched into the Pentecost letter. The Covenant. It never got off the ground anywhere. What about holding a big Anglican revival/rally live from the London Coliseum and beamed by satellite to all the provinces, and the British Empire’s former colonies, dominions, and territories? Shake up some interest. Peter Akinola and Drexel Gomez could lead the crowd in singing “We are the word, we are its children.” Those two authentic voices of the Global South/ Third World, Peter Jensen of Australia and Gregory Venables of Buenos Aires could harmonize on the chorus:
There comes a time when we heed a certain call,
When the world must come together as one.
We are part of God’s great big family
And the truth you know, love is all we need.
Frederick Quinn