Honestly!

Legislative Day # 3 031506


There are a few new words that are hot on the breath of everyone from the Radical Right. You hear these words every time some one of them is having a caucus with a liberal or progressive committee member or when they get up to speak at the microphone, be it in hearings or on the floor of convention.

Clarity is one. They want whatever this church has to say in response to The Windsor Report to be crystal clear. “No classic Anglican fudge,” as Kendall Harmon is of’t wont to say. This from the Radical Right side of the church which claims to be the last bastion of “classical Anglicanism.” How ironic!

There is an even deeper irony in the other word that is being tossed around. Every time I hear it being used, my jaw drops. I can’t help it. I am absolutely astounded. They want whatever this church has to say in response to The Windsor Report to be crystal clear and – ready? – honest.

HONEST!

“What General Convention did in 2003” was not the first time a gay man had been elected and confirmed a bishop. The election, confirmation and consecration of V. Gene Robinson as bishop of NH was the first time the church had called an HONEST gay man to that level in the councils of power and authority in the church.

They who profess to “hate the sin but love the sinner” hate our honesty much more than what they believe to be the sin of our sexuality. Honestly, more than anything, telling the truth about the fullness of our identity as children of God really makes them angry. They much prefer it when we are in the closet, or when they think they can rescue or heal us.

“What General Convention did in 2003” was not The Episcopal Church acting without sufficient consultation with the rest of the World Wide Anglican Communion. Honestly, Lambeth has been calling for dialogue about the issue of homosexuality since 1988, and nothing – NO THING – has been done. Indeed, Michael Hopkins, then President of Integrity USA and Colin Coward, director of Changing Attitudes, UK, were invited to Lambeth 1998 but not allowed to speak.

“What General Convention did in 2003” did not impair the relationships in the World Wide Anglican Communion. Honestly, that had already happened thirty years before with the ordination of women. If we are honest, we would admit that there continue to be three diocese in our own Episcopal Church which refuse to ordain women in flagrant refusal to be in compliance with the canons of our church.

“What General Convention did in 2003” was not about homosexuality. Neither is it about scripture no. Honestly, the core issue is what it has always been in the church: power and authority. Make no mistake is a ‘jihad’ – a holy war – for the very soul and spirit of Anglicanism.

Honestly, it is even more than that. Well funded by the IRD – the Institute for Religion and Democracy – it is part of a strategic plan to “roll back” (to use the honest words of Martin Minns) our country to “our roots as a Christian nation.”

If you listen carefully, the background music you hear is the theme song from all of the television programs from the 50’s. The one playing right now is the theme from “Father Knows Best.”

If I tell the truth, I would have to admit that I absolutely agree with the Radical Right. I think whatever our church has to say in response to The Windsor Report needs to be marked by clarity and honesty.

I would just appreciate a little of the same.

Honestly!

Elizabeth+