Sunday, May 17, 2009
New Draft Of Anglican Covenant
The new draft of the Anglican Covenant has been released by the Anglican Consultative Council. You can find a copy at www.anglicancommunion.org. Honestly, I have just had time to skim it. I'll have a chance to read it seriously this week at College for Bishops. But my skim leaves me still reluctant to endorse this approach to our relationship. My mind remains open, but I still have huge doubts. In any event, we have not received the document in time to take it up at General Convention. So we probably have a good 3 years to read the fine print.
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3 comments:
I have not read the draft carefully, but I only note that some that we might describe as "liberal" or glbt friendly, such as Susan Russell et al, are not pleased with this draft because it asks to continue the moratoria. Likewise, those we might call conservative (blogs like Stand Firm) don't like the draft either because it eliminated a fourth moratoria dealing with litigation, and because it did not create an adequate punishment/enforment mechanism.
My own view is that if two of the more vocal groups in the church are opposed to it, I don't know what future is has. It may be the "silent majority" is all the folks in the middle. But, if it is to succeed, they will have to not only in fact be the majority, but they cannot also be silent either. They will have to speak up and make it happen because I don't know who else will.
Still haven't really studied it, but the opposition from left and right in the US may mirror the international attitude toward the basic concept of the covenant -- New Zealand rejects it from the left; Sydney from the right. Then a chunk of the middle goes theological and is concerned not with specific terms but the basic structure as being legalistic as opposed to relational and thereby undermining our communion. Commmunion is relational. The structure of the covenant looks like a Pre-Nuptial Agreement contemplating divorce. But again, I have not studied it so I don't really know. This is just my starting point. Possibility: it may be that the covenant process is healing and edifying even if it doesn't produce a covenant.
ONLY REASONABLE SOLUTION for me: Bookmark this blog for further study. Is the ACC crossing its TEEs and dotting EYEs as per the approved fashion - in your opinion, Dan? Just curious!
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