catholic witness of Methodists

Yesterday, the HOB passed a resolution creating Interim Eucharistic Fellowship with the United Methodist Church. This will now go to the HOD. Whatever else needs to be said about this re: sacramental theology, etc, there is at least one sense in which the Methodists offer a more catholic expression of the faith than we do in ECUSA (or TEC, as we soon will be called). The UMC ses itself and orders its common life in conjunction with Methodists across the globe, rather than functioning as independent Americans. One consequence of this has been the decision not to allow ordination of practicing gays. Even though the majority of US reps voted for their inclu0sion, the global communion rejected it. A lesbian pastor of a large congregation was subsequently removed, and she now serves in a UCC congregation (I think). In any case, I wonnder- if we enter a period of Interim Eucharistic Fellowship with the UMC for the next 3 years, will we perhaps learn something from them about the virtue of belonging, with mutual accountability, to a global communion. This, after all, is what the Windsor Report has put forward regarding the relationship of Anglican Provinces to the Global Communion. I pray that, at this Convention, we will be inspired by the catholic witnes of our Methodist brothers and sisters.

A short note: I attended the same hearing referenced by Rev. Allison Thomas, and also heard Bps. Duncan and Robinson. However, heard hope in Bp. Duncan's remarks, and a descent into darkness offered by Bp. Robinson. Perhaps this is another illustration of our "irreconcilable differences".

Tonight is our diocesan gathering for dinner, which wil be our first chance to really check in with one another.

The Windsor stuff is still stuck in Committee.

First Posting

We have just completed our third day of legislation at our 75th GC, and I finally have time and access to a computer to post a message. We are experiencing the early tentative steps towards the heart of our business, which, as I see it, will focus on the response to the Windsor Report. At an open hearing last night (and continuing this morning), some 75 speakers addressed the Special Committee charged with handling the Windsor recommendations of the Special Commission. By rough count, some 34 were of "progressive" opinion, 30 of "orthodox" and 9 supportive of the Commission resolutions as submitted or with only minor changes. The 64 or so from the "wings" of our church are in complete agreement on one thing: this Convention needs to speak clearly in response to Windsor. This does not bode well for the "moderates" (or should it be "mud-erate", considering their desire to say nothing clear one way or the other).

Many of my thoughts as I've been making my way through this Convention, in between having delightful reunions with old friends and wonderful conversations which being an alternate gives me time to have (please pray for the energy levels of our bishop and deputies), have been reflections on a passage from the book "The Second Thousand Years" in an essay on Rousseau. Mary Ann Glendon, professor of law at Harvard, wrote the following: "Morality, in Rousseau's view, was rooted in neither reason nor revelation, but in the natural feeling of compassion. Indeed, he is in an important sense the father of the politics of compassion. As we know, however, compassion is a shaky foundation on which to build a just society. Compassion, unlike charity, is not a virtue, acquired by self-discipline and habitual practice. It is only a feeling, and a fleeting one at that. It yields not only to self-preservation but to self interest." It seems clear to me that our church is dominated by the children of Rousseau. I pray that the good that is in compassion may become the greater virtue of love, by obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I know I won't really get the hang of blogging before next Wednesday, but I will try to check in again in a couple of days.

Welcome

Welcome to my General Convention Blog.