It is an old proverb, "You can not have your cake and eat it too." Maybe it does not always apply.
I had coffee recently with a dear friend. He is a partnered gay man. He is one of the many faithful monogamous lesbian and gay people I know who give the lie to the evangelical fantasy of a, "homosexual lifestyle." I tell you this much about him to set a context.
My parish church is holding its second fall benefit dinner for the diocese of Renk Sudan in a few days. We have hosted ABp Daniel and Bp Joseph in the past as well as a number of the Lost Boys over the last few years. We have donated thousands of dollars to Renk, as have other parishes in the diocese. We have a sister parish as do a number of others.
Now according to the evangelical homophobes clearly we are trying to buy influence.
Back to my conversation. My friend like Sue-z and I is writing a check for the fund raiser. Yes we know that ABp. Daniel made some very hostile remarks at Lambeth. Yes we know that the Sudanese church is evangelical, and not particularly pro-American.
So are we cutting back? No. Are we making our help "conditional?" No. Are our gay members and our activists cutting back? No. We have made promises and we have come to understand the needs of the Sudanese Anglicans. Of course we would like it if ABp Daniel were to consider the idea of, "cultural imperatives" he once mentioned at our parish. Of course we are not happy about his attacks. But, the money will flow, the events will continue, the diocese of Chicago has a deputation on the ground in Sudan as I write.
We are not buying support. We are obeying Jesus, "Feed my sheep." I do wish the wrong wingers could tell the difference!
So, yes, ABp Daniel can have his cake and eat it too. He can indeed expect us to continue to help those would expel us from the communion. We will if we must work out relationships outside the formal WWAC. We can agree with the Gaf (fe)Con primates on one point -- Canterbury is not the only way forward. If we must function without Dr. Williams, we will.
FWIW
jimB
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- JimB
- I am an Anglo-catholic Episcoplain layman, a lay contemplative, a musician, and a completely doting grandfather. New slogan for the election cycle: Vote for Cthulhu -- don't settle for the lesser evil!
7 comments:
and, so will many of the rest of us...Thanks Be to God we have a God (and often the common sense that God has given us...but for LGBT Christians at Church, this is nothing new...it's just another hostile scenario to listen to as we go about the business of "being")
Leonardo,
I fear we all have to get on with the business of "being the church" with or without the WWAC. Dr. Williams has managed so badly and is so far out of touch he still thinks, I gather, that if he can just bully the progressives into acting homophobic he can get the Gaffers back.
That is error. He will land up with neither group.
We need to build bridges not of agreement, not of 'covenant' ( a really bad idea) but of concern and friendship.
My best and longest friendship is with a radically conservative Lutheran. We disagree on all sorts of topics. It simply does not matter as long as we agree it does not matter, that we disagree. There is perhaps a model there.
FWIW
jimB
Personal to Oswald: Thanks for dropping by. I deleted the links to your blog for two reasons:
1) I cannot read German. So It is difficult to understand the content.
2) Some of your categories stray rather far from my topics. I do not mind substantive comments from you but ads are another matter.
FWIW
The charge that teh west is "buying influence" is one of the most abvious examples of the complete hypocrisy of the schismatics.
It is well worth remembering that one of the leading schismatics, Henry Orombi, was quick to praise his far right financiers for sending "so much money."
Yet somehow the targetted and conditional bishop-buying of the Institute for Religion and Democracy is okay, but unconditional gifts are an attempt to "buy influence."
Perhaps the bought and paid for primates of Uganda, Nigeria and cetera might ponder this. Our Lord said nothing at all about homosexuals. He said a great deal - and none of it positive - about hypocrites.
Awesome Christian attitude, Dad!
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