This is sad on so many levels, but not unexpected. The move away from the old truly comprehensive Anglican church in America “brand” (which I guess no one really liked all that much, held together as it was by old ideas like duty, honour and obedience) to an all out—take no prisoners party war, with only one side claiming—prophetic triumph “brand” hasn’t worked out so well. I for one want to uphold the actual Anglican “brand” as best I can: Common Prayer, Common Altar, Common Cup, where ALL are invited to relationship with God through Jesus Christ, no exceptions.
One of the great challenges in holding the actual Anglican brand together voluntarily, in our North American context, is that our church’s wonderful diversity can be, and has been, used by some “parties” dialectically. Dialogue between different parties is difficult to trust when one party intends the studied dialectical transformation of its opposition. (And, thus, to have no opposition left!) Providing ecclesial protection and support for vibrant Evangelical, and Anglo-Catholic, and Charismatic, and Traditional, and even Progressive local parishes to co-exist in a Diocese, seems a road so few want to travel. True Anglican Comprehensiveness is a pearl of great price, that allows a broad diversity of people to be in community even in the same parish. Pity that in an increasingly polarized culture, the thing our culture most needs from the Episcopal Church—a generously orthodox comprehensiveness—is the thing we seem to have forgotten, and need to be called back to embrace.
Outside of a remnant few Dioceses and individual parishes and priests, what are the odds of that?
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