Categories: just-life
Date: 28 June 2006 16:06:20
An old Chinese saying, or curse if you will. Of course, in this busy modern era "interesting times" only really just covers it!!
We have wars in Iraq and Afganistan (as well as others), povety and politics, Wimbledon (spelt correctly this time) and the Football World Cup. We also have this.
If ever there was a time when being the Archbishop of Canterbury really, really sucks, I think about now must be very high on the list.
You know, sometimes I wonder if people are just trying to cause trouble on purpose. To imagine that ordaining an opening gay, nay, a practising homosexual to a Bishop wouldn't cause some sort of outrage was either very short sighted on the part of the Episciple Church, or suggestive that they weren't too bothered.
I would like to think that to risk splitting the Anglican Communion, to cause so much trouble would not be a thing done lightly. However much that I wish to be annoyed at them, my mind keeps bringing me back to another group of men who spilt a Communion because they believed they were right. Men like Martin Luther, Huldrych Zwingli and John Calvin (but to name a few).
Of course, I'm hoping that there's going to be no burning of people for being heritics.... maybe just a bit of light beard-pulling, that sort of thing.
Now, if the Primates of the Anglican Communion were to come to me, to ask for my opinion (which I note that they're not) I would be quite willing to give it as something like;
Dudes, look, I think that we can agree that yes, homosexuality is a sin. The Bible is pretty sure about that, BUT, and this is the important part, oneof the founding tennants of Christianity is FORGIVENESS. Our sins can be forgiven. Whatever they may be.
Yes, I realise that people might say that to have to ask for forgiveness for being what they are is too much to ask, I would point out that they are not asking for forgiveness for being homosexual, nor for being a practising homosexual, but they are asking God to forgive them for all their sins to Him. That is afterall what we all do.
So while the Episciple Church may have been a little naughty, but these are still Godly people and I am sure that He will find it in His heart to forgive them. As we should find it in ours.
Of course, if they were to ask me my opinion, I would have to write it a lot better. Thoughts and Archbishop Rowan Williams' letter can be found, here.