Just a brief thought or two on ongoing Anglican developments--more preaching thoughts hopefully to come:
Rowan Williams' statement is most assuredly worthy of your time, should you be interested in the torturous (and tortured) intrigue of sex and politics in the Anglican Communion.
The problem, to me, seems to fall into two simple parts. Or, perhaps what has really happened is that nothing about this has become simpler, but in having sat through this tense business for years now, the emotions no longer burn quite so much.
1. Many of us have become increasingly convinced, by (what we believe to be) sound theology, experience of human persons, prayer, and the Holy Spirit's presence, that gay marriage--following the usual vows and callings we associate with straight marriage--is something that God is calling us to embrace. Fidelity requires no specific genitalia. God's love can be shown, likely even in a sacramental way, through married persons of the same sex.
2. Others disagree that, in fact, God has called us to this. More likely, we have been deceived--perhaps by culture, perhaps by our pride. But marriage can never happen between two people of the same genitalia because this can never show whatever marriage is supposed to show about God's love and intention for the world.
Of course, we from (1) think those from (2) are deceived by culture or pride. Those from (2) believe (1) is not recognizable as the church, the ecclesia, the body of people following Christ, because we are changing historical sacramental teaching. We, in (1), believe that we're following ancient sacramental teaching in Spirit. And on down the spiral.
And there you have it. Our impasse. We disagree not only about whether two people of similar genitalia can accomplish God's purpose in marriage, but also about how we make that kind of decision.
The Archbishop seems to point the way ahead by suggesting a kind of two-tier communion in an Anglican Covenant. I'm not wild about the covenant--it smells too confessional to me--but if this is where the wind blows, I say: fine. I am quite certain I have never been a first tier Christian, so being a second tier Christian bothers me not at all. And historically, we American Anglicans have been second-tier before. It was not so long ago that England wouldn't introduce the episcopate to our apostate republic--Scotland, it turned out, who was groaning under its own second-tier status, created a kind of solidarity among second-tier Anglicans and got us rolling in the Episcopal line.
So, I'm fine being second tier. Or "track." Or however the inferior branch is named. I was never picked first at kickball out on the playground, either, and I discovered that it didn't kill me.
The problem is, for us, a surprisingly simple one. Either quit supporting the ministry that comes from gay clergy and gay couples, or quit supporting people we love in theory but mostly never see in other countries around the world. And remember, this is being asked of some us, like me, who grew up and have spent our whole lives recognizing the holiness that characterizes faithful same-sex relationships.
It bears mentioning that most of the people who have left the Episcopal church were the most dysfunctional assholes around, who filled meetings with hatred and fear, and who would always put their own agenda above any communal mission or prayer. So, we find ourselves faced with painful questions.
What would happen if we suddenly discarded our whole spiritual learning and wisdom about the possible blessing in faithful same-sex couples? Do we have to be like those people who left? Would they then call the shots for our future? Would we give up the relationships with the clergy and gay people who raised us, who were the very first people to teach us about Christ? Would they become our "second-tier" friends?
I'm not cynical about our world-wide communion, but I am realistic. We will never pick our preachy Neighbor whom we never see in person over the persecuted Neighbor we see every day. It simply won't happen, not because we're bad people, but because we're trying to do what we believe God is calling us to do. If others think we're not hearing God right, that's okay by me. I think they're not hearing the call right, either.
And for a change, we Americans don't hold the power. Perhaps it will be best for us to keep discernment, but surrender our status.
So, make me a second-tier Anglican, give me a shallower relationship with our provinces, and announce to the world that I've selfishly chosen local discernment over the global when I believed so strongly that the global discernment was wrong. I'm ready, and I write this entirely without malice or sarcasm.
I've still got prayer, teaching, and evangelism to do, I've got to grow up into the full stature of Christ, I've got worldwide mission to support with my body and my money (that I won't stop no matter the tier in which I'm put), and if that means I don't get picked first for kickball, that's fine by me. God is working more in us than we can ask or imagine--even those of us in second tier.
