Posted on 05/17/2005 4:37:01 PM PDT by sionnsar
Trying hard to save the marriage, the Anglican Diocese of New Westminster has magnanimously agreed to only sleep with its mistress in certain Vancouver hotels:
The Synod of the Diocese of New Westminster on May 14 voted to limit same sex blessings within the diocese.
Eight parishes where parish members have already voted to have their church be a place of same sex blessing can continue to hold the blessing rite, the Synod decided.
But none of the other 70 parishes in the Vancouver area diocese will be allowed to carry out the rite of blessing – at least not until the national Anglican Church of Canada takes up the issue in 2007.
The Synod had been charged with finding a way to respond to what has been labeled the “Windsor report.”
This was a report produced last October by an international Anglican group trying to find ways to keep the world-wide Anglican Communion together despite serious differences over issues related to homosexuality. It called for a moratorium on all same sex blessings.
“I believe we have taken the Anglican Communion very seriously,” said Bishop Michael Ingham, after the final vote to limit places of blessing.
Do they have dictionaries in Canada, Mikey? A moratorium means stop the last time I checked. And stop means cease what you're doing completely, not do it a little less. Mikey's impressive sometimes. I certainly couldn't say things like "I believe we have taken the Anglican Communion very seriously" and look myself in the mirror. But I'm at a disadvantage since my conscience still works.
How did New Westie reach this decision? How do you think?
The delegates had been working from a report prepared jointly by the Rev. John Oakes, rector of Holy Trinity parish in Vancouver, and the Rev. Richard Leggett, theology professor at Vancouver School of Theology.
Although most Anglicans agreed that such labels are a simplification, Oakes is “conservative” in his theology and has taught at Regent College, Vancouver. Leggett has been designated as “liberal,” and participated in formulating the rite of blessing issued in 2003.
Oakes told the Synod he personally favoured stopping all same sex blessings, and Leggett has said he personally wanted them to continue, with more parishes being allowed to apply to conduct them. However, both men said they had to shelve their personal preferences to find a solution that most Anglicans in the diocese could support.
Translation: New Westie wanted to flip off the Anglican Communion with both hands but settled for flipping it off with just one. Oakesie? If you see an actual principle out there, kill it. For his part, Mikey says he wants to Mend Fences.
“We have heard at this Synod that there are still levels of deeply felt anxiety among the parishes and people of our diocese, that will not go away. We have heard a call to reconciliation and healing. We must now put the same effort into re-building broken relationships that we put into ending the discrimination against some people in our church,” he said.
Ain't happening, Mikey, particularly since New Westie isn't all that crazy about the Windsor Report anyway.
Whether to impose a complete or partial moratorium on same sex blessings made up only a small part of the report by Oakes and Leggett, but it was the only contentious item. The delegates agreed that sections of the Windsor report suggested too much centralization of power in the office of the Archbishop of Canterbury.
They also agreed that the Windsor report was wrong to state that the diocese had made no serious attempts to consult with other churches within the Anglican Communion before authorizing blessings.
Yeah. It was in all the papers, on TV, on the Internet and everything. That's consulting. And Hutch got this bit of primatial spinelessness in.
Also attending the Synod was Archbishop Andrew Hutchison, Primate (chief bishop) of the Canadian Church. He had to leave before the final vote was taken, but praised the group for struggling “openly and honestly” with the issue.
Dear Lord, watching Anglicans can be depressing sometimes. Roman Catholic Church? If you're reading this, and I know you are, this is the reason(well, one of them) why many of us over here think that signing agreements with Anglicans is a really bad idea. If we were you, we'd put Anglican talks on hold for the next five years or so and see how things shake out. Might save you a lot of extra work.
Traditional Anglican ping, continued in memory of its founder Arlin Adams. Obviously, neither was a conservative. A conservative would talk about what the Bible says and what God wants, not what his personal preference is.
I would hold Leggett in higher regard than Oakes; at least he is honest about what he is.
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