Well, today we commemorate Augustine of Canterbury. And I have to admit, I don’t normally think of him when I think of the Anglican via media. But, at Gregory’s direction, rather than adhering strictly to the Roman rite, he made at least some allowance for Celtic practices that were ongoing when he arrived. And, as our first Archbishop of Canterbury, that had to help set a tone. (more…)
May 26, 2010
Augustine of Canterbury and the Via Media
Posted by johnmangels under Christian Unity, Episcopal Church | Tags: Anglican Communion, by John Mangels, Episcopal Church, Inclusion, Sam Portaro, spiritual search |1 Comment
March 3, 2010
House of Lords Votes for Same Sex Marriages in Churches
Posted by johnmangels under World Events | Tags: Anglican Communion, Episcopal Cafe, GLTBI |Leave a Comment
That’s “The Lead” at Episcopal Cafe. This happened on a 95 to 21 vote (with 74 needed to approve). If I understand correctly, this means that all churches that want to can perform civil or religious ceremonies for same-sex couples. No church has to do this. And it means that some individual congregations (including congregations from the Church of England) can perform such marriages, without the Church of England ever having approved them. This is because the head of the Church of England is the Queen, and some decisions about what the church can or cannot do (like approving a new Prayer Book) are effectively decided in Parliament. It’s really very interesting how this works. And it changes the landscape on this question in England.
March 2, 2010
Is It Possible to Find Common Ground?
Posted by johnmangels under Religion, World Events | Tags: Anglican Communion, by John Mangels, Episcopal Church, GLTBI, Politics, Uganda |[5] Comments
I read an article from the New York Times, seemingly from a religious conservative, this past week. And the tone was along the lines that if we could just stop fixating on sexuality, maybe conservatives and liberals in the church (in the broadest sense) could focus on real Christian ministry. Jeremiah talked about the real sin of Sodom being their unwillingness to share what they had with those in need. And conservatives have begun to focus, perhaps, less on their personal faith, and more on living up to the gospel. They have been challenged from within to start doing a better job of responding to the desperate needs of the world around them in God’s name. (more…)
November 24, 2009
Archbishop’s Response
Posted by johnmangels under Episcopal Church | Tags: Anglican Communion, Roman Catholic Church |Leave a Comment
Archbishop Rowan Williams further responded to the Vatican’s creation of a new “Anglican rite” within the Roman Catholic Church for Anglicans who wish to become Roman Catholics. As Williams notes, so far there has been little response beyond the Traditional Anglican Communion which left in the 1990’s over the ordination of women. If you wish to see the New York Times article on what’s happening you can find it here. If you want to see the Anglican Communions story about this, you can find it here.
October 20, 2009
Vatican offers home to traditional Anglicans
Posted by johnmangels under Episcopal Church | Tags: Anglican Communion, Episcopal Cafe, GLTBI, Roman Catholic Church, Women's Ordination |[2] Comments
This is the daily lead from Episcopal Cafe. It’s long, but I’m including it all here:
It may be a while before anybody can speak with any real knowledge about the impact of the development described in the story below, which contain a major error in its first paragraph. (more…)
October 10, 2009
Don’t Ask Don’t Tell
Posted by johnmangels under World Events | Tags: Anglican Communion, Brian Baker, Episcopal Cafe, GLTBI |1 Comment
Dean Baker says
You know that society is moving toward the acceptance of gay relationships when Joint Force Quarterly , a prestigious journal published by the National Defense University Press for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff gives the top prize in its 2009 essay contest to a systematic dissection of the U. S. Military’s policy of Don’t Ask. Don’t tell.
Col. Om Prakash of the U. S. Air Force wrote “The Efficacy of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” while a student at the National War College.
You can find the final paragraph of the essay in his piece here.
August 22, 2009
South African Guidelines for “covenanted partnerships”
Posted by johnmangels under Church | Tags: Anglican Communion, GLTBI |Leave a Comment
Episcopal Cafe notes the following:
The Anglican Diocese of Cape Town today agreed to a resolution asking the church’s bishops to provide pastoral guidelines for gay and lesbian members of the church living in “covenanted partnerships,” taking into account the mind of the worldwide Anglican Communion.
The Synod of the Diocese also resolved to ask Archbishop Thabo Makgoba to appoint a working group, representing church members of varying perspectives, to engage in a “process of dialogue and listening” on issues of human sexuality in line with a “listening process” which is being.
The resolutions were passed in a session of the Synod which was held at St. Cyprian’s Church, Retreat in Cape Town.
To see the whole article click here.
August 3, 2009
My thoughts on the Archbishop’s Statement
Posted by johnmangels under Episcopal Church | Tags: Anglican Communion, by John Mangels, Episcopal Church, GLTBI, Inclusion, Rowan Williams |[3] Comments
Well, I’ve read the reflections on our General Convention from the Archbishop of Canterbury. And I have to say it’s a thoughtful reflection. The main problem I have with it is that he see’s sexual orientation as a lifestyle choice. I think he’s wrong. And I think this has grave consequences. (more…)
May 20, 2009
A Little More on the Covenant
Posted by johnmangels under Episcopal Church | Tags: Anglican Communion, Dan Edwards, Episcopal Church |Leave a Comment
Bishop Dan did a quick writeup on the most recent draft. (This is a proposed document for defining the relationship between all member churchs of the Anglican Communion, including the Episcopal Church.) I’d link you, but it’s all here:
I still haven’t digested the document. But it all seems to turn on section 4, the enforcement clause. And apparently the ACC has not approved that except as a discussion document. So the thing really isn’t even on the table yet for voting by anyone. It is more like a motion made so the subject can be discussed. We should therefore discuss — but as in the case of germ fears, don’t panic.