St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church

The Archbishop has written a letter. Rob, a parishioner and scientist, asked me what I thought. He'd read it as reported in the NYTimes.

So I've read it.

A few things to note. He is trying to articulate the mind of the communion. He's not really making a theological statement, nor is he trying to move things forward other than by identifying where we - as a communion - are.

A couple things: in the article below, the author comments that this is much like "offshoring." I want to point out that generally offshoring is a bad idea. For lots of reasons. I'll explore this at another time. It is a very useful metaphor for what is happening.

Second, I continue to wonder about the usefulness of bishops. In this day and age, a good bishop is essentially a good webmaster. They control the boards, moderate comments, make sure the platform is working so that those who go to the website won't be confused and get a little help when they need it.

DIVIDED FLOCK
Episcopal Church Dissidents Seek Authority Overseas Amid Rift Over Gays, Conservatives Go Global;
Bishops Made in Africa

By ANDREW HIGGINS
September 20, 2007; Page A1

To the Editor:

Re “Denying Rights in Nigeria” (editorial, March 8):

I am embarrassed to learn that an archbishop of the Anglican Communion, the Most Rev. Peter J. Akinola, is a major supporter of the odious Nigerian legislation designed to deny basic human rights to gay and lesbian people.

The Archbishop of Canterbury and Presiding Bishop properly remind us of the precarious context of African Christianity. The devastation of AIDS, and the competition of Islam and Pentecostalism, have made African Anglicanism wary of any corrupting influences upon their faith, a faith that understands scripture's taboos on homosexuality as essential to The Word of God.

Like those who have liturgical authority over me, I do not want to contribute to making international mission more difficult. I want very much to help them with their mission and attempts at reconciliation.

My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

The long awaited meeting of the Primates of the Anglican Communion has just taken place in Dar Es Salaam. This gathering brings together Primates from communities all around the world. As a consequence this meeting brings together all the complexities that mark our world and our Communion. Not surprisingly their deliberations resulted in a rather large body of material that needs to be assimilated and addressed by a number of different bodies over the coming months. These issues and concerns require and deserve the very closest attention.