Each Lambeth Conference has a group photo taken. This time around, as the Anglican bishops were getting into position on the bleachers, they broke out into song. More specifically, they sung that old hymn "Amazing Grace," written by that former servant of a slave trader turned Anglican priest and abolitionist John Newton. The Lambeth Daily has a slide show here with the audio. The last photo includes my own bishop (above).
As we are getting into the latter days of the conference, difficult issues are beginning to be addressed head-on. The latest news is about the Windsor Report Continuation Group. Their recommendations about where we go from here is in their observations, which can be viewed here. The transcription of the press conference is here.
The bottom line seems to be that (consistent with the statement of the last Lambeth Conference) all same-sex blessings/marriages and ordinations of non-chaste candidates must stop as well as the jurisdiction crossings by other dioceses and provinces. In other words, the Windsor recommendations must be fully complied with in order for the churches of the Anglican Ccommunion to have a future together. Many TEC bishops were reportedly not happy.
Bishop Iker has an audio interview with Sarah Hey, posted here on Stand Firm. He notes in conclusion that while the prospect for results do not appear promising, "Nonetheless, it is a good proposal. I think we ought to welcome it, and cooperate with it as much as possible."
5 comments:
But hasn't the Anglican Communion at least twice already said 'no more gay bishops and gay weddings' to the Episcopalians?
I can't predict who will win this slugfest, the few rich (mainline) white liberals or the many poor black conservatives.
As for me, I think Anglo-Catholicism's done and the Episcopalians deserve to be kicked out of the Anglican Communion, which wouldn't hurt them.
Who's the Orthodox guest in the picture?
As Bishop Iker noted in the audio interview, yes, it is the same request for moratoria that has been made previously (though perhaps with a little more insistence). You know what they say about doing the same thing and expecting different results . . .
As to the Orthodox, I'm not sure. I know there were a number of ecumenical representatives, and I believe they are a part of the group photo.
What does "Cooperate with it as much as possible" mean for the vote of the diocese of Fort Worth's vote at our November convention, if "boundary crossing" is also condemned in the proposal? Doesn't this potentially spell disaster for us in dioFW? If we don't leave TEC now, won't it take two more years later down the road for us to get out? It takes two consecutive years of votes to alter our constitution, doesn't it? If we don't approve a second reading this year, aren't we back to square one as we cross our fingers, merely hoping TEC won't continue on its present path just because Lambeth said to stop SSB's etc once again and was really, really serious about the warning this time? Even if we do vote to leave, will Southern Cone still take us post-Lambeth? I read these reports with very great fear, as I am certain that in the long run TEC will be up to its old tricks, but dioFW must act in the VERY short run--less than four months! Surely we dare not alter our course one iota for a plan that no serious observer can believe will ever get TEC to shape up even a tiny bit! And if we do vote to leave this year, how can we "cooperate" with the plan? I am far more disturbed and fearful for the future of orthodox Angicanism in north Texas today than I was a week ago. I hope we vote to leave as if Lambeth never took place.
I wouldn't be that worried, Tex. Look at it another way . . . sure, if TEC put a workable plan into effect, we'd he happy to be a part of it. The call is for basically what we are doing ourselves--a safe harbor from TEC, but under a unified oversight scheme rather than multiple provincial churches. That could be put into effect before or after November.
But let's be realistic. I would sadly say that the likelihood of this is extremely low. TEC is being given an opportunity to put something workable together to keep congregations from leaving. But it is the opportunity which has been urged on TEC over and over again in the past several years. TEC has always avoided it in the past, so why would TEC embrace it now?
Some interesting costumes, no? Are there Maronite, Orthodox, etc. Bishops in attendance as observers or are those Anglican bishops?
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