Primates Playing Ping-Pong
The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Primate of all England being one of his official titles, issued a note to the Communion on Pentecost. I didn't particularly like the tenor of that missive, in that he holds out for a conservative orthodoxy, using as his authority Jesus' descriptor of the Holy Spirit who would reveal all truth.
He curiously omitted the daring actions of the Holy Spirit repeatedly manifested through the Acts narrative. This was especially true when the Church needed to grow into places that were foreign and different from the Jewish existence that had been so much a part of the first apostles' experience. Peter himself had to be reminded that it is not up to human agencies to define what is acceptable to God.
Enter Katharine Jefferts Schori, the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church (United States), a primate by any other name. Today she returned ++Rowan's serve with a volley of her own (http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79425_122615_ENG_HTM.htm) noting that the Spirit seems to be healthy and vibrant in the lives of many gay and lesbian Christians.
She also notes the sinister convergence of authority that is being constructed in the response to the Windsor Report and the emerging Anglican Covenant. In its place she cites the sacrament of Baptism as holding Anglicans in a common bond of recognition, which theology I heartily support.
This week at General Synod, ++Fred our Primate will have an opportunity to return ++Rowan's lofty serve -- in Ping-Pong, you want to keep the ball low to the net -- the Archbishop of Canterbury's serve was a high bouncer, and I hope that ++Fred will take the opportunity to smash it back (using genteel language, of course) as ++Katharine has.
Today's weigh-in: 234 lbs. No Ping-Pong here.
He curiously omitted the daring actions of the Holy Spirit repeatedly manifested through the Acts narrative. This was especially true when the Church needed to grow into places that were foreign and different from the Jewish existence that had been so much a part of the first apostles' experience. Peter himself had to be reminded that it is not up to human agencies to define what is acceptable to God.
Enter Katharine Jefferts Schori, the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church (United States), a primate by any other name. Today she returned ++Rowan's serve with a volley of her own (http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79425_122615_ENG_HTM.htm) noting that the Spirit seems to be healthy and vibrant in the lives of many gay and lesbian Christians.
She also notes the sinister convergence of authority that is being constructed in the response to the Windsor Report and the emerging Anglican Covenant. In its place she cites the sacrament of Baptism as holding Anglicans in a common bond of recognition, which theology I heartily support.
This week at General Synod, ++Fred our Primate will have an opportunity to return ++Rowan's lofty serve -- in Ping-Pong, you want to keep the ball low to the net -- the Archbishop of Canterbury's serve was a high bouncer, and I hope that ++Fred will take the opportunity to smash it back (using genteel language, of course) as ++Katharine has.
Today's weigh-in: 234 lbs. No Ping-Pong here.
posted by Eminence Grise @ 19:59
1 Comments:
At 11:34 AM,
Eminence Grise said…
Well ++Fred certainly entered the game with candid and thoughtful comments about the Covenant during his address this morning. Perhaps a motion to table the receiving of the Covenant until 2013 might be in order.
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