(Archbishop) Williams turns to 'wise men' in crisis over gays

[tjwmason]

Williams turns to 'wise men' in crisis over gays
By Jonathan Petre
(Filed: 08/05/2006)

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has quietly appointed four "wise men" to advise him on the crisis over homosexuals that is threatening to tear the worldwide Anglican Church apart.

They have yet to be named, but are expected to include the liberal Primate of Wales, Archbishop Barry Morgan, and the conservative Primate of Central Africa, Archbishop Bernard Malango.

The group will play a pivotal role following next month's General Convention of the US Episcopal Church, the American equivalent of the Church of England's General Synod.

Its advice to Dr Williams could determine whether the 77 million-strong Church stays together or shatters.

Saturday's decision by the Diocese of California to choose a married man rather than a homosexual as its next bishop avoided an immediate widening of the rift over gays.

To the relief of Dr Williams, the diocese belied its reputation for controversy by electing the Rt Rev Mark Andrus, even though two gay men and a lesbian were among the seven candidates. If California had picked a homosexual, it could have triggered even greater turmoil than that which followed the 2003 election by New Hampshire of the Rt Rev Gene Robinson, the first openly gay Anglican bishop.


More at link:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/05/08/nchur08.xml&sSheet=/news/2006/05/08/ixuknewsnew.html

Personally I don't think he's got much chance, but I suppose he has to go through the motions.


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FROM THE COPYRIGHTED NEWS SOURCE PER DU RULES.

[msongs]

1. how bout following the teachings of the mythical jesus?

love thy neighbor as thyself?

dont gas jews or lynch africans?

be nice.

all that stuff.

Msongs
www.msongs.com
batik & digital art
mugs and shirts

[xchrom]

3. of course non-believers are paradigms of virtue.

[xchrom]

2. grrrr! let it split!

it's not like liberal churches will stop the cash flow to poor countries -- and you can't talk to conservatives herer.

conservatives will stop showing up whenever a woman is elected bishop or sufragan?
hardly --

liberal christians -- shake the dust off and keep walking.

i love my church -- but like anything else -- there are limits.

i might be ''welcome'' at my individual church -- but apparently it's coming with strings attached.

[tjwmason]

4. I think that the American conservatives are some of the worst

I've heard them make big claims that Gene Robinson isn't actually a Bishop - because it's a totally different thing to consecrate a gay man as opposed to a straight one :wtf:

[xchrom]

6. oh you should have seen them when barbara harris was elected suffragan

in d.c. -- the display was disgusting -- and she's a wonderful wonderful woman -- and true spiritual leader.

but they hate women priests.

[tjwmason]

11. I've heard all about that one.

:eyes:

[Zenlitened]

5. That's quite an olive branch he's offering, huh?

If the convention agrees to "repent" for its past behaviour, to avoid public blessings of gay "marriages" and to exercise extreme caution over gay bishops in future, Dr Williams hopes that the current fragile unity can be maintained.

In other words... "Stop what you're doing. Do what I tell you to do, think what I tell you to think. And we'll get along just fine."

:crazy:

[tjwmason]

9. That's not of Archbishop Rowan's making.

He's an honest broker caught in the middle.

[TallahasseeGrannie]

7. I'm comfortable with the Episcopal Church

just getting out of the Anglican Communion all together. We didn't need the Pope, we don't need Canterbury.

[tjwmason]

8. Are you comfortable with all of the Episcopal Church?

Not meant in an offensive manner, but from my experience ECUSA has folk just as bad as anywhere else.

I think that ECUSA needs to have a calm separation - this will only happen if liberals and conservatives can potter off in their own directions. As it stands at the moment, I believe that if a split happens the conservative dioceses will keep the property of the liberal parishes within them; and that the liberal dioceses will keep the property of the conservative parishes within them. The result is that both sides have a bunch of empty churches which they can't do anything with, and both have congregations disposessed of the buildings that they've lavished love and care on over the years.

[TallahasseeGrannie]

10. I see no other way out of it

The pottering off crowd gets the enthusiasm for the new digs, and the folks that stayed behind are less crowded. Of course, if they can't get the congregation up in numbers, the whole shebang goes on the auction block, which is sad. But frankly, I don't want to have this conversation (gay consecrations) with anyone anymore. It's sad and tiresome. So I'm just as happy to wave goodbye and see them at the Messiah sing along every year.

In this town, it is the liberal folks who are keeping the buildings because the conservatives rode off on their high horses.

[davidinalameda]

12. a church is not a building

it's the people

if my church were to lose it's building tomorrow, I'd be okay, and I think that most of the members there would be as well

[tjwmason]

13. That's not what I'm saying.

I use the term simply because in the modern English language the building in which a congregation meets for Divine Service is called a 'church' and because these have immense ties for many people.

I simply suggest that ECUSA divide itself calmly and in charity (whether that charity is deserved) with each parish deciding whether it wants to affiliate with the (liberal) ECUSA or with the Fundy Homophobic Anglican Church of America (or whatever it decides to call itself). The other route is simply going to pass vast amounts of money to lawyers and would at most provide a pyrrhic victory.

[dsc]

14. What compromise can there be here?

Gays want to be treated equally and conservatives want gays out of the church. These really are irreconsilable. I just have to admit to being worried that gays will ultimately be blamed for the break up of the second oldest church in the United States.