Convention Winds Down

It is not clear what the repercussions will be to resolution opening ordination in the Episcopal Church to partnered homosexuals. Those in favor of the resolution say it reflects that the church has "moved on." Some also see the controversy to come as a by-product of adventurous faith.

I myself am of two minds. Since 1970, I have been in favor of full canonical and civil rights for lesbians and gays; I don't see how I could have voted against the resolution. On the other hand, I see myself as an Anglican under the Archbishop of Canterbury and I don't know what I would do if the Church of England breaks off relations with the Episcopal Church.

Yesterday, extensive canon law revisions were passed affecting clergy discipline. I have not seen the final version that was passed but according to one article I read--non-partisan, by a canon law historian--that was published before the Convention, these canons deprive accused clergy of the right to remain silent or to have any civil defense or attorney. The conduct requirements are quite detailed and strict. For example, if a retired widower priest living but not serving in a retirement home ("congregation") took a widow from the home out for dinner and held hands with her walking back to the home, he could be defrocked!

One can safely predict that the Church has not yet reached a coherent understanding of the ethics of sex! --J. Douglas Ousley
This has got to be the worst convention since the '70's.

Most Important Vote of the Convention?

The General Convention has just voted to remove any gender-preference barriers to ordination within the Episcopal Church. The resolution is somewhat nuanced but it does beyond both previous Convention proposals and the wish for restraint expressed by the Archbishop of Canterbury and many other Anglican leaders and governing bodies. Whether this will mean the end of the Episcopal Church as part of the Anglican Communion under the Archbishop of Canterbury remains to be seen. But schism is closer than it has ever been. --J. Douglas Ousley

General Convention Continues

So far, so predictable. The Episcopal News Service reports indicate that the progressive agenda is moving along and that the Convention will choose to be "prophetic" rather than conciliatory toward the rest of the Anglican Communion with regard to its rules on gay relationships. A bewildering number of new lesser feasts have been authorized despite much previous criticism that many of the honored figures are irrelevant to our church or of deserved obscurity. It is not clear yet what impact the budget crisis will have on other aspects of the church's ministry but the national church leadership seems firmly in charge of the Convention. --J. Douglas Ousley

General Convention Begins

The General Convention of the Episcopal Church has convened in Anaheim, CA. Special meetings are scheduled to discuss past decisions about blessing and ordaining homosexuals in relationships. Budget pressures will also provoke discussion. In the background, despite the hoopla, delegates and the many observers will be aware of the continuing and seemingly inexorable membership decline in the Episcopal Church. To get up-t0-date coverage from the Episcopal News Service, click here. --J. Douglas Ousley

British Politics and the Church of England

The explicitly racist British National Party fielded two winning candidates in the recent European Parliamentary elections. The BNP was successful despite being denounced by virtually every leading figure in Britain, including the Archbishops of Canterbury and York.

Such denunciations of a specific political group are as rare in the United Kingdom as they would be in the United States. Yet the Episcopal News Service, in quoting a BNP leaflet, suggests the deep anger tapped by this party. The leaflet states, "All over the U.K. pews are emptying; churches are closing down and turning into mosques/temples. Our distinctive Christian heritage is disappearing as whole regions of Britain become Islamified ... The cowardly 'yes men,' functionaries and time-servers leading the Church of England have consistently failed to lift a finger in defense of Britain against those who would destroy it."

In order to eliminate the scourge of racism, the leaders of the Church of England will need to develop a strong and cogent response to such cries of frustration. --J. Douglas Ousley

Brand Erosion?

As summer approaches, we can expect to hear news of the controversies of the Episcopal Church as the General Convention meets in Anaheim, CA.

Preliminary reports and the Convention agenda suggest that politics and liturgy will have a prominent place in the debates, as they usually do—though finances may also have to be discussed. The leadership and the delegations appear to have moved further to the progressive side, so the votes will likely not be close.

One wonders, however, whether Convention delegates will give any substantial attention to the continuing decline in the number of parishes and members and in average Sunday attendance, as well as the aging of most congregations. Granted, these trends are long-standing and are present in most Christian churches, including the Roman Catholic Church and Evangelical denominations.

But surely the clergy and lay leadership of the Episcopal Church should at least try to address the numerical fall. After all, it was the Emperor Nero, a notorious enemy of the early Christians, who was accused of fiddling while Rome burned…

Or: "The Church for These Times?"

A prominent church in midtown has just put up slick banners featuring worried traders and other financial industry workers beneath the headline, "The Church for These Times."

Leaving aside the presumption that this particular church is "The" church while others apparently not for these times, and also leaving aside the possibility that the parish is capitalizing on Wall Street's lack of capital, we may ask: what times was the Church not for? Surely if Christ is God's revelation to the world, then there is no time when he will not speak to the material and spiritual needs of human beings?

As it happens, of course, Jesus said quite a lot about money and the soul. So the banner is not only valid advertising; it can be left up until Judgment Day. --J. Douglas Ousley