A third way on the Covenant?
John Backman, an n associate of the Order of the Holy Cross and member of the vestry of St. Paul's Church in Albany, New York, asks if there isn't a third way to approach the Anglican Covenant. This "third way" is grounded in listening and trust.
Episcopal Life Online has his essay here:
We had come to this point, according to our diocesan leadership, partly because of Rowan Williams' suggestion that individual dioceses express their wishes to their provincial churches. In response, our bishop put forward a resolution in favor of the covenant, which passed overwhelmingly in that up-or-down vote.During the debate, however, I couldn't help but wonder if we had overlooked better options -- like not yet.
Not yet, admittedly, is not always popular. Some people see it as nothing more than a way to delay the inevitable. But that perspective misses what not yet can do: honor the concerns of the yes and no camps alike, while opening up space for deeper dialogue.
There's room in not yet, for instance, to affirm the wording of the covenant (at least the first three sections) as an eloquent statement of our faith's historic claims, an apt description of the church's vocation, and a deft treading of the tightrope between autonomy and communion. To be sure, faithful Christians from both sides can disagree on the details. But if this draft had been presented as a way for churches of mutual goodwill to walk together, I could have been persuaded to vote yes....
...Instead of debating the covenant, then, I believe we would better spend our time rebuilding the foundation -- laying aside our rigid positions and stereotypes of the "other side" in favor of authentic dialogue. Then, when we have made significant progress in that direction, we can reconsider the covenant, this time as an affirmation of our restored bonds of affection.
Sadly, I don't believe "deeper dialogue" is honored in the Diocese of Albany, Bro. Backman. [Outside the corners of a TEC-faithful diocesan-dissenter or three.]
JC Fisher
Posted by tgflux![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.episcopalcafe.com/lead/nav-commenters.gif)
|
July 23, 2010 8:21 PM
JCF: Don't underestimate the extent of dissent in the Diocese of Albany. Between 250 and 300 people turned out to hear Bonnie Anderson's "Can We Talk?" presentation in January, 2008, most of them liberals or moderates.Unfortunately, few of them attend Albany's three day Convention, which is costly and whose worship services, workshops, and visiting speakers (e.g. ++Gomez and +Nazir-Ali) lean hard to the right.
Convention's preemptive endorsement of the Covenant will have little or no effect on TEC's decision in 2012. It serves only to increase Albany's distance from the national Church and from those in this diocese who support it.
Robert T. Dodd
Posted by Bob![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.episcopalcafe.com/lead/nav-commenters.gif)
|
July 24, 2010 8:02 AM
Oops my bad, Robert, for ambiguity.
I didn't mean to minimize the number of dissenters in DioAlbany (where, FWIW, I spent a couple of summers/many weekends in the early 1990s).
Only to signify their lack of overall impact as measured at the Diocesan Convention.
Prayers for faithful Episcopalians in the Diocese of Albany!
JC Fisher
Posted by tgflux![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.episcopalcafe.com/lead/nav-commenters.gif)
|
July 24, 2010 5:45 PM
JC: Thanks for your prayers!
As I noted above, Albany's Convention is expensive and offers little to attract moderate to progressive Episcopalians. Hence few such people attend, with obvious consequences for votes on things like exclusionary canons and covenants.
Albany is a conservative diocese, but far less extreme than the turnout for its Convention suggests.
Posted by Bob![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.episcopalcafe.com/lead/nav-commenters.gif)
|
July 25, 2010 6:11 AM
Indeed the Dio of Albany has made little effort a any real "listening" for much of the recent important votes on Diocesan issues. What has been known and billed as listening has typically been a discourse by the Bishop on his opinion, sprinkled with comments from the audience either pro or against but hardly looks to me like a real dialogue at least at events I have attended. There are many who contineu to be faithful and supportive of the Episcopal Church.
Rich Angelo
Integrity Albany
Posted by Richard Angelo![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.episcopalcafe.com/lead/nav-commenters.gif)
|
July 25, 2010 1:26 PM