No Way APA?

I and a number of other Reformed Episcopalians got some e-mails yesterday from a No Way APA guy. The No Way APA people much oppose the merger of the REC and the Anglican Province of America (APA) basically because the APA has more Anglo-Catholic tendencies than the REC.

One of the e-mails had links to a message board that a number of Anglo-Catholics of various stripes frequent. I guess I was supposed to be horrified by what I read there. Instead, I joined and said “Hi there!”

As you perhaps noticed from my posts at the Orlando REC-APA convention, I think the merger is wonderful. But I can understand how some Low Church people can be leery. They don’t want Anglo-Catholic or high church thought and practices imposed on them. Some of them experienced their prayer books being taken away in ECUSA or having women clergy imposed on them. Those that didn’t experience that know others who did. And they don’t want to go through anything like that again. They want to continue their Low Church practices in peace.

Now my understanding of REC polity is that there’s hardly any way they can have higher church practices imposed on them. I think most or all parishes own their own property, for example. So if the REC pressures a parish too much, they can just walk.

Any such pressure is exceedingly unlikely, however. I think the REC leadership has made clear, as has the APA, that they have no problem with churches continuing in a Low Church path. In fact, in the past couple years the very Low Church Chapel of the Cross in Dallas (which I’ve visited) was welcomed into the REC. There are any number of REC parishes that continue to be Low Church, and I think even the APA has its Low Church parishes.

But if further assurances, put in writing and made binding even, would calm Low Church concerns, then I think making those assurances would be a good idea.

The problem is the vibes I get from the No Way APA crowd is they have such a phobia of Anglo-Catholics and their practices that they don’t even want to be in sacramental fellowship with them at all.

And that’s where I put my foot down.

I’m from a fundamentalist background, so I fully understand those who want to be sure there won’t be any missals or statues or extra candles or such in their parish. That’s not where I’m personally at now, but I’m fine with that.

But to refuse to acknowledge that the faithful church is just a bit bigger than that, and to resist the REC’s efforts to be bigger than that by pursuing fellowship with orthodox Anglicans of varying churchmanship is flat wrong and, yes, *unbiblical*.

Christ prayed that we would be one, not monochrome. Something wonderful about the Orlando convention was seeing people of widely different church styles worshipping together without casting aside those styles. Even among the leaders, you had APA Archbishop Grundorf in full tat and mitre. He shined! Yet beside him, you had Primate Greg Venables and Bill Atwood in very simple garb with no mitre. (There’s photos over at the APA site.) And there were any number of styles of dress and of giving the sacrament and more among the clergy. And there was even Afro-American gospel singing during the distribution of the elements. But it all fit together, and it was beautiful.

That’s what the church should be like. And we Reformed Episcopalians need to insist we will be like that. And that biblically “broad” church certainly includes our Low Church brothers and sisters.

But when a few insist that we exclude people because they are not Low Church, that’s where we must say, “No, the church is bigger than that . . . and we will be, too.”

Yes. God can use even +Andrew Smith for good.

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28 (NASB)

That’s my life verse right there. Time and time again I’ve seen God take awful things and use them for a greater good. So I know God will use the evil of Connecticut ECUSA Bishop Andrew Smith for good, maybe even great good.

Why? ‘Cause the Bible sez so.

Ah, it feels good to let my inner fundie out.

But I’m Anglican now, so I should use reason, too. So here goes.

+Smith’s actions are an outrage that cannot go unanswered. If nothing else, they bring home the urgency of the need for provision and place for orthodox North American Anglicans.

Therefore, the mess in Connecticut will reveal whether various parties in the Anglican Communion are really serious or just all talk.

We’ll find out if ECUSA really is inclusive or if their oh-so-inclusiveness excludes conservatives who have a bishop who doesn’t like them. The true face of ECUSA will become more evident to all.

We’ll find out if North American Orthodox Anglicans have the backbone to do more than create organizations and issue press releases. (I think they do and am particularly encouraged by the creation of CAPAC. But we’ll see.)

We’ll find out if the Panel of Reference serves any useful purpose or is another Society to Put Things on Top of Other Things. The Primates clearly intended for it to help out besieged conservatives. But then ++Rowan Williams dragged his feet, then appointed as chairman Peter Carnley, a man who has long been part of the problem, not part of the solution. Carnley then promptly made clear the Panel would be even less assertive than STPTOTOOT. So we can see where that’s heading.

Also, for those Anglicans who actually are serious about providing a place for the orthodox in North America, the actions of +Andrew Smith should speed things along.

And that’s just for starters. I haven’t mentioned the very real possibility +Smith will have his mitre cut down to size in court.

Texans needed the Alamo and Goliad to let them know inaction or defeat were not acceptable options. I certainly hope Bristol, Connecticut has a better outcome. But I think it’s serving the same purpose. It’s making quite clear the time for talk and *spit* “dialogue” is past.


UPDATE: YESSSSSS! THIS is backbone! I thought bishops weren’t supposed to have those.

Like I said . . . Romans 8:28.

I’m back . . . and I’m home.

Well, I arrived at my new home in Corpus at 2:15am this morning. I’m still feeling the effects of that, so I don’t know how profound or coherent this post will be.

I have decided to go ahead and get back to regularly blogging. And there’s a lot of matters bottled up inside me, so watch out.

My last Sunday in Denton was one of many good-byes. One was to Fr. Baines of St. David’s. I found out he’s retiring. He will be missed. I will miss his strong singing of the Eucharist – which often rings through my mind during the week – his excellent sermons, and his gentle, disarming smile. And how many rectors join the choir for the anthems?

Spending time with him as I helped carve the Paschal Candle is a good memory that will stay with me.

I guess I’m finding out already that “You can’t go home again.” I can go back to St. David’s. But it won’t be the same without Fr. Baines.

Before leaving, I found out some more of how God used me to make a difference in kid’s lives, especially in running the church skate park. That alone makes my years in Denton worthwhile.

Los Angeles Bishops Meeting

I’ve mentioned this some time back, but it fell off my radar screen. As reported here and here over at Drell’s Descants, a good representation of bishops from both the conservative and liberal wings of the Episcopal Church are meeting in Los Angeles to see if progress can be made toward “a final settlement.”

I suspect that if ECUSA isn’t to descend further into ugliness, something substantial needs to come out of this meeting. Hopefully, Connecticut will bring home to the bishops the urgency of the situation. God can bring good even out of Bishop Smith’s actions.

Pray.

Ken Starr and David Boies Agreeing on John Roberts?!

Wow. I just saw Ken Starr and David Boies (Al Gore’s election attorney and Bill Clinton’s impeachment attorney) on MSNBC pretty much agreeing that John Roberts is a good pick for the Supreme Court. That was a sight.

Boies said using the already famous quote of Roberts opposing Roe v. Wade would be a “red herring” since he was representing a client when he said it. And he expects Roberts to be overwhelmingly confirmed.

My take at this time? Roberts is an excellent pick, both judicially and politically. He has the credentials, both in his conservative Constitutional views and acclaimed legal experience. Yet, even though it looks like he’s conservative enough to please even me, there’s very little the liberals have handy to bash him (except all that scare money they raised).

An excellent pick for the Supreme Court easily confirmed? Would have have thunk it? But I think it’s going to happen, and I’m certainly not alone. Heck, even Ken Starr and David Boies agree.

An encouraging random peek

One of the trying aspects of youth ministry (and I guess of most ministry) is there are times when you wonder if your ministry really makes a difference. Well, Sunday night, I saw first hand that my past ministry combined with other ministries has made a difference.

Trevor is a kid who often came to the church skate park I helped run. Like many young teenagers, he was a crazy fun guy. And we got along well. I don’t remember whether he listened to my talks well, though. I could say the same about most of the skaters, of course.

One dusk, when his ride home was late in coming, we sat back against the big ramp and talked. And we talked about his faith. I was encouraged by his answers to my questions.

But later on, I saw him less. And when I did see him, he seemed to be too cool for school. Those who have been around a lot of teen guys will know what I mean.

But guess who I ran into Sunday night at Denton Bible? Our eyes both got wide and we were glad to see each other. He’s going into his Junior year in high school now. We sat together during the service. He said he came most Sunday nights.

And it was clear he was excited about his faith. I peeked over during the singing. And he was worshipping fervently with his eyes closed and unable to keep still. He wasn’t showing off, nor was he being like those around him (who were less outwardly fervent by the way); it was the real deal.

This was most unlike the Trevor I remember.

Anyway, this really encourages me, right as I’m about to move away for good, to see that God has been working, including using me and my past skate ministry, in Trevor’s life.

You just never really know in this life how God uses you in ministry. Every once in a while, I’ll get a surprise random peek into God using me that reminds me of that.

And those random peeks help keep me going.

The Problem of Power Hungry Church Authority

I’ve noticed in my churchly wanderings that overbearing authority can be found in conservative and liberal churches alike. Man’s power hungry mind that wants to be “like God” can twist any tradition (or lack thereof) to justify almost any abuse of authority.

I’ve experienced first hand how a conservative church leader who sees his authority as coming from God (which is at least largely correct) can confuse his authority with God’s authority. He can then oppress those under him, pushing them to violate their consciences or worse.

(For those who are wondering, I am not referring to the excellent leadership at my previous church.)

And then there’s liberal church leaders like Bishop Smith of Connecticut, who do not recognize the authority of God’s word, who don’t recognize the authority of orthodox church leaders they disagree with, who don’t even abide by the authority of inconvenient church canons. For them, although they would never admit it, there is a vacuum of authority. And guess who ends up filling the vacuum? That’s right: the liberal church leader.

And we can see how ugly and arbitrary this can be in Connecticut.

The question is how do churches deal with power hungry church leaders? Any church, of whatever tradition, that doesn’t think long and hard about this and make provisions for dealing with such is asking for trouble.

For wanting power “like God” is part of the Fall; power hunger is something any number of us can fall into.

And the power hungry can twist any tradition to his ends. And the power hungry can descend upon any church.