[Magdalen] TEC suspended from Anglican Communion

[Sally Davies]

Of course, but there are GBLT children of God in every land and nation.
More than ever, they need to hear that the "texts of terror" do not apply
to their lives, and that it is not compulsory for Christians to deny the
evidence of science and their own personal experiences of identity.

We liberals have over and over again made the mistake of assuming that
because our practices of community, our ways of working with and through
Scripture, our tolerance of "reason" and respect for scientific endeavours,
were widely shared or soon would be. We didn't see the urgency of combating
ignorance and prejudice in our own communities, and that has allowed these
things to thrive and be nurtured elsewhere.

In some cases, the very people whose personal and political freedoms cost
so much a few decades ago, are found amongst the most hostile and
intolerant of homophobes now - how did THAT happen?

GBLT need protection from persecution and their families need reassurance.
Women need to know that their voices are worth hearing, that they too can
be leaders and teachers in God's church.

TEC or any other liberally minded church throwing a sulk at this entirely
predictable posturing of dictatorial church leadership, will do nothing to
help our fellow Christians, and will only confirm their isolation.

Not to mention all the other anti-poverty and life enhancing projects with
which North American churches have been involved; and conversations in
which they contribute whether (some of) the Primates like it or not.

"I will build My church, and the gates of Hell will not prevail against
it". Doesn't that sound like taking the fight to the Enemy - not the human
enemy (much as certain people might invite that kind of label) but the
spiritual enemy of all human peace and wellbeing?

Sally D



On Saturday, 16 January 2016, Marion Thompson <marionwhitevale at gmail.com>
wrote:

> But tell that to the LGBTB et al.  Children of God who are being thrown
> under the bus -- again, or still -- for the sake of this one-sided 'unity'.
>
> Marion, a pilgrim
>
> On 1/16/2016 9:47 AM, Sally Davies wrote:
>
>> I may be missing something or in denial, but as far as I can establish
>> from
>> reading well informed commentary rather than popular press reports:
>>
>> 1. No church has been suspended, nor could it have been, by this meeting
>> 2. The Communion is not glued together at all but experiences an organic
>> unity in a myriad levels of relationship and connection (including if I
>> may
>> say so, this little Pub). This idea was first expressed by Archbishop
>> Rowan
>> but has been picked up by many others since then.
>>
>> 3. The position of leadership figures in TEC seems to be, not to take this
>> as though it meant being attacked or robbed of something, but as a
>> challenge to respond with acts and expressions of love and generosity.
>>
>> All this gives me hope.
>>
>> Sally D
>>
>> On Saturday, 16 January 2016, Marion Thompson <marionwhitevale at gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>> I tend to lead from the heart rather than the head, but a Communion that
>>> is being glued together by such wrong-headed actions and pandering to me
>>> is
>>> not worth, as my mother would have said, 'the gunpowder to blow it to
>>> blazes with.'  Our General Synod in July should be interesting and with
>>> the
>>> outcome by no means clear.
>>>
>>> Marion, a pilgrim -- already late for a meeting of Diocesan Council!
>>>
>>> On 1/16/2016 5:26 AM, F von Prondzynski wrote:
>>>
>>> Marion Thompson wrote:
>>>>
>>>> WOW WOW WOW!!!  I'm late to this story.  They've suspended the wrong
>>>>
>>>>> people, but are we surprised?  Not a bit of it.   I hope we will stand
>>>>> shoulder to shoulder with TEC.  I see no use in the Communion at all.
>>>>> The days when we got all misty about the whole world using the same BCP
>>>>> all over the world on Sundays are long gone!
>>>>>
>>>>> I do absolutely understand the anger felt in the US Episcopal Church
>>>> over
>>>> this, and I think an horrendous mistake has been made (now if the
>>>> suspension has ben suggested because the US church insists on calling
>>>> itself TEC I might have been more sympathetic:)
>>>>
>>>> But I don't agree with Marion's implied view that there is no point to
>>>> the
>>>> Anglican Communion, or that a shared worldwide liturgical framework has
>>>> no
>>>> meaning. I think it does.
>>>>
>>>> My own view would be that a split has been inevitable for some time, and
>>>> that both Rowan Williams and Justin Welby have humoured the Africans (or
>>>> some of them) far too much. I would have said let them go their own way.
>>>>
>>>> Ferdinand
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>