Monday, June 07, 2010

Note to Lambeth: Stop calling


I don't know. Our man in Canterbury just won't quit will he?

Have you read the latest missive from Lambeth Palace?

Those boys are flexing muscles they ain't never used before, and I suspect don't even know how to use properly.   I'm a little concerned.  I mean, really.  They could hurt themselves, you know? 

Okay.  I exaggerated.  I'm not even a little concerned.

You can read it here, and the ENS article here, but, essentially, because +++Rowan wrote this in his Pentecost Letter. . . .
“I am therefore proposing that, while these tensions remain unresolved, members of such provinces – provinces that have formally, through their Synod or House of Bishops, adopted policies that breach any of the moratoria requested by the Instruments of Communion and recently reaffirmed by the Standing Committee and the Inter-Anglican Standing Commission on Unity, Faith and Order (IASCUFO) – should not be participants in the ecumenical dialogues in which the Communion is formally engaged. I am further proposing that members of such provinces serving on IASCUFO should for the time being have the status only of consultants rather than full members”.
. . . Secretary General, the Rev'd Canon Kenneth Kearon, wrote this:
Last Thursday I sent letters to members of the Inter Anglican ecumenical dialogues who are from the Episcopal Church informing them that their membership of these dialogues has been discontinued. In doing so I want to emphasise again as I did in those letters the exceptional service of each and every person to that important work and to acknowledge without exception the enormous contribution each person has made.

I have also written to the person from the Episcopal Church who is a member of the Inter Anglican Standing Commission on Unity Faith and Order (IASCUFO), withdrawing that person’s membership and inviting her to serve as a Consultant to that body.

I have written to the Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada to ask whether its General Synod or House of Bishops has formally adopted policies that breach the second moratorium in the Windsor Report, authorising public rites of same-sex blessing.

At the same time I have written to the Primate of the Southern Cone, whose interventions in other provinces are referred to in the Windsor Continuation Group Report asking him for clarification as to the current state of his interventions into other provinces.
Words fail to express my astonishment - and my anger - at the many ways and numerous time that man - Mr. Williams - has tried to screw us over.

I think he may be taking lessons from BP Executive, Tony Hayward. You know. The one who just wants his life back after the "Oil Spill" in the Gulf Coast.

+++Rowan has enacted the odious, punitive - and still widely controversial - measures of Section IV of the PROPOSED - not ADOPTED - Anglican Covenant.

Never mind that he has no authority to do any of this. Did I mention that the Anglican Covenant is not yet ADOPTED but PROPOSED??????

It's British open heart surgery, performed under the glaring light of arrogance, with the razor sharp blade of certainty, under the dull anesthetic of politeness.

An effective and efficient way to remove a piece of the heart of the Anglican Communion whilst causing maximum pain to the Body.

I have rarely been in favor of the "dollar referendum" method, but I think if ever there were a solid reason and just cause to employ this form of protest, this is it.

It's well past time to dump our ecclesiastical tea in the baptismal font.

Look, it's like this: We are who we are. We did what we did. We are not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ nor the risks we feel we must take for it. Neither are we unwilling to take responsibility for our actions and suffer the consequences.

I mean, we've been at this for more than 50 years. We've not been flying by our ecclesiastic pants. We are not rebellious children, "doing a new thing" just to piss off our parents.

We have entered into this deliberately and intentionally, after decades of study and prayer and obedience to the Spirit.

Oh, and did I mention that +++He has no authority to take this action?

Can you say, "Colonialist"? Okay, how about "Imperialism"?

Some are calling him "Pope Rowan".

I just wish he would stop calling.

Perhaps he'll listen to Lady Gaga.

Hello, hello, baby
You called, I can’t hear a thing.
I have got no service
in the club, you see, see
Wha-Wha-What did you say?
Oh, you’re breaking up on me
Sorry, I cannot hear you,
I’m kinda busy.

K-kinda busy
K-kinda busy
Sorry, I cannot hear you, I’m kinda busy.

Just a second,
it’s my favorite song they’re gonna play
And I cannot text you with
a drink in my hand, eh
You shoulda made some plans with me,
you knew that I was free.
And now you won’t stop calling me;
I’m kinda busy.

Stop callin’, stop callin’,
I don’t wanna think anymore!
I left my hand and my heart on the dance floor.
Stop callin’, stop callin’,
I don’t wanna talk anymore!
I left my hand and my heart on the dance floor.

24 comments:

  1. It would appear that the ABC wishes only to be ecumenical with the Church of Rome -- not within the Anglican Communion.

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  2. I think we should smile politely and put the checkbook away.

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  3. Susankay - You got that right, sistah

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  4. Good plan, Verge! I couldn't agree more.

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  5. Ah, dear one, I always knew you could dance...even if busy. Great take on matters.

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  6. Love the song. Will be loading that into my iPhone for the drive Thursday. So, is it finally time to take the Anglican Communion seal off my rarely worn tippet?

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  7. Nope, just time to take the dollars away from the ABC.

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  8. "Time to take the dollars away from the ABC"....it looks like we are in complete agreement now, Mother Keaton.

    BTW, GREAT post! I appreciate your wonderful sense of humor!

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  9. The bit about British open heart surgery was absolutely brilliant - and right on target.

    So what would happen if the TEC showed up at all the meetings anyway and - gasp - voted? The abc (no longer worthy of capital letters) would probably be too strangled by British politeness to do anything. Oh wait, he doesn't have the power to do anything.

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  10. "It's well past time to dump our ecclesiastical tea in the baptismal font."

    I like that... got me thinking --maybe we should just dump the ecclesiastical tea OUT of the font...

    Hoping and praying our Bishops don't cave.... what with that taste of Lambeth tea they shared....

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  11. Classic! :-D

    To paraphrase the great Emma Goldman, "If I can't dance, I don't want to be part of your Communion"!

    [Lizbet, have you seen the version of this song performed by soldiers in Afghanistan? Not only does it show how little a post-DADT Army would change---OK, maybe slightly better dancing ;-/---but the soldier who put the vid together has two moms!]

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  12. David and John - BTW, are you from NJ?

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  13. Mark - I am counting on those of you on EC to make some important decisions. Not easy ones, to be sure, but important none the less.

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  14. RevMama - well, we've been "removed" so we can't show up. Well, Kathy Greib has been made a Consultant. Means she can show up but has no power or authority, and can only speak when spoken to - just the way they like their women over there.

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  15. Margaret - I swear to God, my creative juices flow more freely when these boys pull my last, poor, tired nerve.

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  16. JCF - I had NOT seen that video. It's really fabulous. I'd much rather think of our soldiers doing this stuff than sitting around thinking about war.

    The song is insanely addictive, isn't it?

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  17. Amen, Sister! Tell it!

    We on Executive Council have our eyes open wide. We're paying attention to what's being said, what's left unsaid, and alert for being incremented by Anglican bullies with no sincere interest in dialogue or respect for differences. We must resist being willing victims in our own marginalization because of our patience and charity.

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  18. No. It's not British. That would include the Scots, Welsh and many Irish. It would include the 98% + of the British population that don't belong to the Church of England. It would include all the millions of people in Britain who are not Rowan Williams.

    Blaming me for the actions of Rowan Williams is like me blaming you for starting the war in Iraq.

    However, please feel free to diss the perps who are responsible as much as you like.

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  19. Thank you, Lelanda. I couldn't have said it better myself.

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  20. I've written a letter to him today for the first time in a long whiles expresing my feelings. I won't repeat here, its on the blog if you wish a look. But know you have my sympathies and I do agree that if it comes to the crunch you should withdraw financially. I told my parish TEC would have some spare cash in a few years time and we should perhaps be thinking about alternate episcopal oversight!

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  21. Dear Me - thank you, my darling. You are one of the good ones. There are many more across the pond, but you are, as you know, badly represented.

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  22. I am in Canada at this very minute and was finding myself at a loss to explain to BP why the Canadian Anglicans are not being excoriated as much as the Yanks, when they have been far more sensible and open about GLbT inclusion for far longer (as is their wont.)

    Brava.

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  23. Sorry, but we are from a little farther south...make that much farther south (TN).

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  24. Okay, now I'm back and rather disappointed with the Canadians after all.

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