Posted on 04/27/2006 2:42:02 PM PDT by sionnsar
Susan Russell and a few of her close friends have put together a GenCon to-do list. Most of it is the usual radical leftist political boilerplate and reinforces the idea that ECUSA is now the Green Party at prayer. But one suggestion intrigued me.
Seems Ms. Russell and her associates are Gravely ConcernedTM about how the church is being governed these days. And by whom.
We have allowed our governance to be distorted.
• We believe that all the baptized are called to share in the governance and mission of the Church at all levels.
• We see the increase of power claimed by the episcopate as an imbalance in the Body.
• We compromise the church as sign and witness by not sharing our resources.
The so-called "ministry of all the baptized." ECUSA's liberals have been chanting this mantra a lot lately, probably because they knew they didn't have a Scriptural leg to stand on when they gave Robbie a pointy hat and this is all they have left. Anyway, this is what Ms. Russell et al would like GenCon to do about it.
1. Continue the radical reformation of the Church.
• remove all canonical obstacles to exercising the full baptismal ministry in the whole life of the Church.
• conform the canons to the baptismal theology of The Book of Common Prayer.
The Anglican Diocese of Hereford in Britain still carries on an ancient custom. Once a year, a boy is elected to serve as bishop of the Diocese for a day. He is dressed in a miter and bishop's vestments and seated on the episcopal chair. The so-called Boy Bishop writes a sermon for the occasion and leads prayers during the service which is described here.
Ms. Russell's belief about the ministry of all the baptized opens up some very interesting possibilities. Since she and her group believe that "all the baptized are called to share in the governance and mission of the Church at all levels" and that "all canonical obstacles to exercising the full baptismal ministry in the whole life of the Church" should be removed, what is to prevent children, even infants, from being nominated for or elected to ECUSA's highest offices?
After all, most children are baptized and "all the baptized are called to share in the governance and mission of the Church at all levels." QED, children should be able to become bishops. Children are governed by their emotions, as is ECUSA, so they would fit into the House of Bishops remarkably well. Children often petulantly demand their own way and sometimes throw tantrums when they don't get it, a trait they share with liberal Episcopalians, so I think children would make excellent bishops.
Traditional Anglican ping, continued in memory of its founder Arlin Adams. Well, you see, nobody wants to do that...that would be too radical. (/leftythink)
Do you have any idea what they're really trying to get at here? What, specifically, do they want to accomplish?
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