Marc Robertson: What should we do? What God has done

From the Savannah News, an opinion piece by the Rev. Marc Robertson, rector of Christ Church Savannanh, in response to an earlier piece by Kevin Clark:

. . . [Kevin Clark's] column goes on to present Jesus as a great example for us to follow. He is presented as a "rebel" and a "liberal street activist" who spurned all forms of institutional religion and set forth metaphysical principles for us to follow.

I would question whether this picture of Jesus is accurate or balanced on a number of fronts, but the most important aspect to consider is Jesus' primary role as a moral example. If Jesus came to be an example to humanity, it would appear from Kevin's own assessment mentioned above that Jesus failed in His mission.
But what if His mission was different?

Maybe what we need is not just an example. If Jesus was only an example, then it all depends on what we do. It is all up to us to "live up to" that incredible example, and that can lead us to frustration, disappointment, even despair.

But what if Jesus was not only an example, but also a sacrifice? And this sacrifice can restore us to God, heal our woundedness, and actually give us a new heart - a heart that can learn to love? If Jesus came to be a sacrifice, then it's not about what we do, but about what God has already done - what God has done on the cross on Good Friday.

Moreover, it is the bodily resurrection of Jesus from the grave that we celebrate on Easter that confirms God's authority and power to transform an unloving and broken heart.

It is our greatest sorrow that The Episcopal Church will not affirm Jesus as God's unique sacrifice for our salvation. In 2003, at the General Convention of The Episcopal Church, the House of Bishops failed to pass resolution B002, which affirmed the Holy Scriptures as "containing all things necessary to salvation," the historic Creeds, and the sacraments of Baptism and the Lord's Supper (by a vote of 84 "no" to 65 "yes," and eight abstentions).

In 2006, additional efforts to affirm Christ's sacrifice (resolution D058) were refused consideration, and a resolution affirming the Bible as the Church's "supreme authority" (resolution D069) also failed as presented. We believe such fundamental beliefs define us as Christians, and offer us the hope of a world transformed by Christ's sacrifice, and as such have taken careful and considered action to preserve this hope by aligning ourselves with an Anglican Province (Uganda) that will support us and encourage us in this mission, while maintaining continuity with our Anglican past. . .

Read it all.

Reuters on the Anglican Communion

From Reuters, Africans woo conservative U.S. Anglicans in gay row:

JOHANNESBURG/NAIROBI (Reuters) - As an Anglican row over gay clergy deepens, growing numbers of conservative American priests are abandoning the liberal U.S. church and pledging allegiance to traditionalist African bishops instead.

Africans, who take a tough line on homosexuality, are keen to recruit the dissident priests as bishops under their own authority and to provide a new spiritual home for their clusters of wealthy U.S. congregations.

But liberals say African bishops are violating church rules by setting up fiefdoms in the United States and deepening a crisis that threatens to split the Anglican communion, a world-wide federation of 38 member churches.

"It's a terrible breach of longstanding Christian tradition. You don't invade someone else's territory just because you disagree with them," said Jan Nunley, deputy communications director for the U.S. Episcopal Church. . .

The 77-million-strong Anglican church has been divided since 2003 when its 2.4-million-member U.S. branch consecrated Gene Robinson as the first openly gay bishop in its history.

Conservatives say the U.S. church has disobeyed biblical commands and broken with Anglican teaching by backing gay priests, while liberals support a looser interpretation of scripture and say Anglicanism has always embraced diversity.

The Africans say they want to rescue U.S. churches and individuals who might otherwise abandon Anglicanism.

"We are not undermining the authority of anybody. We are actually saving a situation of people who so much need us," Kenya's Nzimbi told Reuters. "Otherwise if they are left on their own they would be like sheep without a shepherd." . . .

Jim Naughton, canon of communications for the Washington diocese, said most defecting parishes were small. He suggested financial gain could be a factor for struggling African churches -- a charge they vehemently deny.

"The budgets of large American churches are sometimes larger than the budgets of entire African countries," he said.

On an earlier story, I sarcastically said, "Feel the love." Here I say, "Feel the condescension" (and I'm not being sarcastic - Jim Naughton as canon on "communications" must only be "communicating" to the choir, because this type of language I find amazingly insulting, to everyone involved).

Read it all.