Mood:
chattyTopic: News of the Church in the world
It appears that Anglicanism is indeed newsworthy: Several times an hour, the BBC has now announced, as the first item in its world news summary, that a priest who is apparently a lesbian has been elected as the first lesbian bishop in the Episcopal Church, and the second lesbian bishop worldwide (affter a very recently consecrated bishop in the Church of Sweden). The BBC, with consummate thoroughness, adds that the election of the new bishop will have to be agreed to by leaders (surely, bishops) of the Episcopal Church.
While there is no guarantee of infallibility in electing bishops, what is the Church to do, if Episcopalians in Convention insist of continuing to leaders based on some consideration other than heterosexuality? Which is not to deny the existence of severe problems with the scriptural stance towards gay people and gay love.
Interestingly, celibates, that is, monks and nuns in the Episcopal Church, seem quite relaxed, in no hurry to condemn anyone, something I noticed years ago. I remember reading some advice on a calendar published, I believe, by All Saints Sisters of the Poor, Episcopal nuns in Maryland: "We must never judge anyone, since even God waits until we're dead." This is very much the sentiment one finds in those original ascetics, the earliest monastics, in Egypt, in the fourth century CE. Not a bad way to proceed, and if the roof does not fall in, with two openly gay bishops (not counting all the closeted ones), then, to the distress of those who would love to deny that homosexuality even exists, I imagine church members will go on electing gay bishops.
On the question of the way gays are treated by the Episcopal Church, I just came across two quotations, that may come from St. Francis:
“It is no use walking anywhere to preach unless our walking is our preaching.”
“…As for me, I desire this privilege from the Lord, that never may I have any privilege from man, except to do reverence to all ..."
The second quotation ends with the sentiment that one can only win soul to obedience to the Franciscan rule through example. I think these Franciscan sentiments speak to the problems of Episcopalians in dealing with sexualities today.
Posted by indactper-2009
at 12:39 AM EST
Updated: Sunday, 6 December 2009 1:10 AM EST
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Updated: Sunday, 6 December 2009 1:10 AM EST
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