Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Congratulations a bit late and the Asshat awards...



Congratulations to the Diocese of Louisiana for their election of Morris Thompson as their new bishop and to the Diocese of Los Angeles for electing Diane Jardine Bruce and Mary Glasspool as suffragen bishops.

And on to the Asshat Award... I haven't given these out much because they are so many great candidates right now. However, one in particular seems to strike a nerve. To the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams.


This award is presented to him via the blogsphere because of his rapid response to the election of Mary Glasspool, a lesbian in a committed relationship for 21 years, while offering only stony silence on the bill in Uganda, fully supported by the Anglican Church there, to not only make homosexuality a capital offence (punishable by death), but will extend the warm welcome of the Iron Bar Hotel to anyone who would hide them, support them, render pastoral care, or discuss the issue in a positive light.
Here's his response in full:
The election of Mary Glasspool by the Diocese of Los Angeles as suffragan bishop elect raises very serious questions not just for the Episcopal Church and its place in the Anglican Communion, but for the Communion as a whole.
The process of selection however is only part complete. The election has to be confirmed, or could be rejected, by diocesan bishops and diocesan standing committees. That decision will have very important implications.
The bishops of the Communion have collectively acknowledged that a period of gracious restraint in respect of actions which are contrary to the mind of the Communion is necessary if our bonds of mutual affection are to hold.


He was asked in 2007: "You yourself once thought it possible that same-sex relationships might be legitimate in God's eyes." He responded: "Yes, I argued that in 1987. I still think that the points I made there and the questions I raised were worth making as part of the ongoing discussion. I'm not recanting. But those were ideas put forward as part of a theological discussion. I'm now in a position where I'm bound to say the teaching of the Church is this, the consensus is this. We have not changed our minds corporately. It's not for me to exploit my position to push a change."

>An old curmudgeon and friend of mine once said that theology was, "attempting to apply the Word of God into our lives..." and that theology was not an abstract thought, but something meant to guide us toward the will of God. Dr. Williams seems to think that theology is merely abstract thought with no practical application.


We have a saying here in the hills, "If you ain't the lead dog, the scenery never changes". The way I see it the Archbishop can either lead the pack into a greater understanding of Christ's love and inclusiveness or he can simply follow the rest of the sled dogs with their myopic view of exclusivity. He is obviously choosing the later, and now the blood of the innocent is on his hands.

2 comments:

Leonard said...

I love the lead dog saying...I think you may have cleaned it up a bit for us...not to worry, we get it and I must say that I´m real tired of the view of Rowans behind...sorry, but I must admit, I´ve rarely seen such blatant cowardliness at Church or anywhere else.

Best to you and the lovely wife (I bet she hasn´t vacumed the ceiling once lately) and kids.

Abrazos,
Leonardo Ricardo

Lauralew said...

You've got that right, Hillbilly.