Some disturbing articles on Rich’s page regarding the current Anglican problems, this time in the Diocese of New Westminster (Vancouver, Canada), where the bishop, who has approved of same-sex union ceremonies, seems to be coming down pretty hard on dissenting parishes.
Not the way to deal with these sorts of things, folks. Making it a struggle for power is the opposite of the fellowship and brotherhood that the Church is called to provide by its founder. Jesus was a no-nonsense kind of guy, but he had very little tolerance for folks arguing about who was in charge.
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Oh Lord. how good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity! It is like precious oil poured on the head,
running down on the beard, running down on Aaron’s beard, down upon the collar of his robes. It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the LORD bestows his blessing, even life forevermore. I pray for my brothers and sisters in the Anglican Communion that they might find your peace, and that their leaders might be extraordinarily wise and guide them through these troubled waters. Amen.
Sing it, brother. Though I’m not much for oil running down my own beard …
Rich also has a (in my opinion) rather unhelpful open letter sent from Rev. Dr. Ephraim Radner to Presiding Bishop Griswold (the head of ECUSA), asking him to step down.
Ephraim was, until his resignation after losing the election to our new bishop, one of the four Regional Missioners here in Colorado, basically the closest advisors to the biship and representatives of the diocese in the differnet areas the diocese is split up into. He’s well known and respected as a highly intelligent, scholarly, reverent, dedicated man. He’s also the torchbearer for conservatives in the diocese, arguing for unity, to be sure, but in the context of his own beliefs.
His “open” letter, though, not only promotes factionalism, but pursues the (to my mind) false argument that because ECUSA’s actions are not approved of by others, they must therefore be wrong and be repented of. And should Presiding Bishop Griswold step down, all that will ensue is an even more divisive battle for succession; while that holds one of the last chances of the conservatives in ECUSA to change the course of the denomination, it’s only a faint one.