Where is the Gospel? (aka the return of the Corkscrew of Anglican Infallibility)

Much has been said about the recent announcement from the Vatican about allowing disaffected Anglicans to become Roman Catholic and still retain much of their spirituality and liturgy.  Under this new “Personal Ordinariate,” this will allow for married Anglican deacons and priests, but not bishops.  Those who have been agonizing over the fact that the Anglican Communion works best on a missional and consensus-driven model rather than a magisterial way of governance will find safe harbour at the Vatican.  Of course, these clergymen (and yes, they will all be men, make no mistake about that!) will have to be re-ordained because the Vatican does not recognize the vaildity of Anglican Holy Orders.

Many questions arise out of this announcement, and the answers will probably be sorted out in the actual Apostolic Constitution document when it comes out over the next few weeks.

Some questions include (most of which have been discussed elsewhere):

• What about bishops who are currently married?  One case in point is a bishop of the Traditional Anglican Communion over in the Philadelphia suburbs.  His commentary on the matter may be found in the NY Times at the link above.  He hopes that the sea of purple can be “grandfathered in” and presumably going forward, once the initial crop of bishops dry off from their swim across the Tiber, the celibacy requirement will be in force.  Regardless, I think the ban on married bishops will prevent many from leaving the Anglican Communion than we might at first be inclined to believe (i.e., I don’t see +Jack Iker of Fort  Worth, or any of our African Bishops running off to Rome any time soon).
• Will this bring up again the taboo topic of discussing whether or not it is a right, good and a joyful thing to require the clergy to be celebate? This has been brought up several times over the past week, recently on NPR’s All Things Considered, which featured interviews with Jim Naughton of Episcopal Cafe; +Robert Duncan of ACNA; and Fr. Thomas Reese, a Jesuit priest in Washington, DC.
• And what about the laity?  In the USA, Canada, and also to an extent the United Kingdom, I believe that lay participation in the councils and structures of the church is rather robust … Is there room in a top-down magisterium for such a group?
• Oh, yes and the property questions, and what to do with their stipends, pensions, etc.

Lots of questions, not a lot of answers …

For those of us in the US, and perhaps Canada also, this will not prove to be such a big deal.  Actually, I think it affects the Anglicans in Europe much more so than here in North America, which tends to be the consensus amongst the Anglican pundits.  The Anglicans in North America who have left TEC and the Anglican Church of Canada are busy forming their own parallel province, so I doubt seriously anyone will want to take advantage of this move … However, one really big question I have is ….

Anglican Wine Bars .. No, it’s true!

We take a break from talking about politics and wincing at the theology of Southern Gospel to bring you this important announcement from the UK’s Telegraph … Graphic shamelessly stolen from Dr.Vino, to whom I am also giving a hat-tip….

Cathedral Turns to Wine Bars to Woo New Business

Now you can go to church, have coffee hour AND have brunch all in the same place! I hope someone told Dennis …

Dr. Vino writes, “If you’ve wanted to work for the Church of England but have felt constrained by the whole clergy thing, Birmingham Cathedral in England may have just the position for you: sommelier.“

Excerpts from The Telegraph say (emphasis mine, click on the link above for the whole article.

The first “director of hospitality and welcome” at an English cathedral has unveiled far-reaching plans to make its operations more business-like……His plans, revealed today, include a chain of city-centre wine bars and “loyalty cards” for regular worshippers to obtain discounts at the cathedral’s shops.  The new appraoch to attracting and retaining worshippers could become a blueprint for dioceses across the countr.  The wine bars would feature stained-glass windows, pictures on a religious theme and be decorated in “episcopal purple”.

Staff would have to be sympathetic to Christianity and times of cathedral services would be posted on the walls.  Mr Hope-Urwin said: “We’re not trying to encourage drinking, but the cathedral has to engage more with the city and find ways of meeting people on their territory.

“Cathedral wine bars should be seen as a potential commercial operation with profits going into the upkeep of the building and paying for evangelistic work… People have all kinds of distractions in their busy lives and at the moment too many just see the cathedral as a big brick monolith. That has to change if we are to bring people in.”

Except for the whole loyalty card business, this actually sounds kind of fun.

Oh! Oh! and wait!  There’s a traditional “orthodox” nay-sayer just waiting in the wings to point out just one more way the God’s Church is going to hell in a handbasket.

The Rev David Phillips, the general secretary of the Church Society, a traditionalist group, said: “Opening wine bars doesn’t seem an appropriate way to generate money.

“People who attend church should give more so that this doesn’t have to happen. The idea of the Church getting involved with selling alcohol will worry people.”

Oh, for the love of Mike … whatEVER Rev. Phillips.

Now here’s the fun part … Let’s come up with fun names for our favourite vintages at the church pub wine bar.  How about “De Vine and De Branch?”

Lambeth Lamb-bake

I have only been an Episcopalian for a little less than 5 years now, so this is the first time I’ve observed from afar what went on at the Lambeth Conference which just ended this past weekend. I give thanks to everyone who took time to report back their perspectives of what was going on, from blogging bishops in the US, Canada, the UK, Brazil, and everyone who was doing the work of advancing the Kingdom on the fringes and in the marketplace, especially to +Gene Robinson, Susan Russell+, Elizabeth Kaeton+, and Katie Sherrod.

All in all, despite all the money that was spent and the disappointments that came out of the last few days of the conference, I believe that it was A Good Thing, and an Important Thing to have. Looking at things from the perspective of the bishops, it seems that a lot of good (and at times difficult! ) conversations were had and new relationships forged, and people have begun to appreciate others’ viewpoints whereas before they most likely only read about them via newsfeeds, blogs and other media. You can read all you want, but nothing replaces a face – to – face encounter.

As I have commented on other folks blogs, the non-invitation of +Gene Robinson and his presence on the fringes of the conference made him a bigger rock star than the British Press is making +Rowan Williams out to be, and +Gene’s witness is much more powerful and persuasive on the outside than it would have been inside. From reading +Gene’s blog and from reading about other accounts from the marketplace, it seems that the Lord was definitely at work in the hearts and minds of people. Our faith is an Incarnational one, one that is lived out and given flesh, not one that is read about, so I am all in favour of people getting together in the flesh as faithful followers of Christ.

I recently had a conversation via email with a conservative priest in the Diocese of Central Florida, and what was great about it was that we did not agree on too much, and we will probably won’t in the near future, but we saw in each other a faithfulness in our commitment to Christ and to the Church, and therefore, a mutual respect. I think that conversation is a glimpse into what happened in many cases at Lambeth.

All of that being said, I do have to say that while it is not entirely surprising that the reflections document contained calls for moratoria on partnered gay bishops and blessings of unions, it is disheartening. It is discouraging all the more so because in spite of our HUGE presence in the marketplace the GLBT witness is still one that is talked about, and not spoken with. The Covenant, it seems, is going forward and +Rowan’s newly found ecclesial capital has given it the steam to continue down the road we’re on. I do find it VERY discouraging that the people who are asked to be making sacrifices are the one people that are NOT being spoken to face to face and are not being allowed that Incarnational encounter.

Humour

Thanks to my father for sending this along.  I thought this was appropriate in light of the tea party going on over in Canterbury.

Quote of the week

Now THIS is a sermon … Taken from the Bishop of Colombo’s sermon from the opening Eucharist of the Lambeth  Conference, emphasis mine. You can read the whole thing here

It is indeed a true saying that God gives the Church an agenda out of the crises of the world.  And so my dear sisters and brothers in Christ, the Anglican Communion must always give the highest priority to our invitation from Christ to participate Christ in transforming God’s world.  To bring healing, peace, justice, reconciliation, abundant life, where there is oppression, where there is hostility, where there is strife and division.  … God has called us and placed us in God’s world so that we might participate with him in bringing this transformation.

….

I would like to draw your attention to the parable that was read as the Gospel:  the words of the master were wise words.  Let them grow together.

There can and there must be no uprooting, simply because if we attempt this game of uprooting the unrighteous then, my dear sisters and brothers, none of us will remain.  We are all a mix of the wheat and the weeds. The wisdom of these words suggest that we stay together because we draw from a common soil, a common tradition, a common heritage.  We are what we are regardless of our differences, because of our common life together and our origins.  Transformation comes in this interaction, and transformation must come from within.

And all of God’s people said … AMEN!