Posted on 03/16/2006 5:36:40 PM PST by sionnsar
A comment-question on her blog gave Susan Russell the opportunity to test a short speech for General Convention. Russell is not a Deputy herself, but will be busy guiding strategy and tactics as President of Integrity. Someone will make this speech.
It is a perfect summary of the argument made by Russell and others in Nottingham, defending the ECUSA actions of GC 2003.
For a revealing look back at that event, see this item from titusonenine (I searched for the original on Integrity’s website, but couldn’t find it). Check the first comment for an important analysis of Integrity’s claims.
It may look like I’m pick, pick, picking at Susan Russell. But, she keeps saying things that need to be taken account of. After all, she is President of Integrity.
In a comment on Russell’s March 08, 2006 blog tribute to Prof. Urban T. Holmes, “hiram” asked: “Why are you so sure that same-sex relationships are acceptable to the Lord?”
Russell’s answer / GC speech follows:
“Why am I so ‘sure’?
“1] Because of my lived experience of the spiritual fruits of love, peace, joy, patience and compassion I have seen lived out in the relationships of couples of the same gender.
“2] Because I believe the Holy Scriptures I inherit as a Christian and believe to be the Living Word of God calls the church to be as open to changing its mind on what is clean and unclean as God called Peter to be open when Cornelius came knocking on his door.
and
3] At the end of the day, my faith isn’t based on being ‘sure’ or even being ‘right.’ Here’s what Verna Dozier—one of the great 20th century Anglican saints—had to say about that:
“Doubt is not the opposite of faith: fear is. Fear will not risk that even if I am wrong, I will trust that if I move today by the light that is given me, knowing it is only finite and partial, I will know more and different things tomorrow than I know today, and I can be open to the new possibility I cannot even imagine today.”
If you are a GC deputy, this is the argument. Mark my words.
Commenters might imagine being the next person at a mike. Don’t rant; answer this.
A comment by Richard (not Kew as far as I can tell) on the post: Preview of a speech for General Convention gives a blockbuster analysis of the points likely to be made at GC by advocates of same-sex blessings.
The argument by Susan Russell cited Scripture as a “living word” (a biblical quote) and experience as a crucial authenticating factor for change. Richard analyzes this as follows:
She seems to appeal to a concept of doctrinal development grounded in the scripture as a “living word.” What is not adequately dealt with is how we discern between true and false development. Arguably, the fundamentalism of the Southern Baptist Church is a development of biblical Christianity. But I am relatively certain that she would not accept this as an authentic development of the Christian tradition.
I might assume that the authenticity of such development is to be tested by her first point, “[her] lived experience” of homosexuality and that of others. But is individual experience an adequate arbiter of true development? If a Mormon Fundamentalist in a polygamous relationship experiences the same “spiritual fruits” as does Ms. Russell+ in her sexual life experience does that affirm that polygamy is an authentic development of the tradition?
Ultimately, an epistemological appeal to experience will deconstruct. What we call “truth” in this matter is merely the aggregate of discrete individual experiences. Thus there can be no overarching appeal to truth outside of the exercise of power.
While I’d like to debate with Richard on the conclusion that followed these words, I think he got into a crucial point here.
Traditional Anglican ping, continued in memory of its founder Arlin Adams. Verna Dozier is still alive, though with Alzheimers (I think).
So, she can't be a saint, can she?
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