As I’ve moved around the Anglican/Episcopal blogosphere these past few days, I’m left with the distinct sense that the documented, deeply entrenched positions have been thus far unmoved by the appeals of the wider Anglican Communion to return to the understanding, teaching and practice of the Church regarding biblical authority and homosexual practice & blessing of relationships. Admittedly, this impression of mine falls between the visit of the titular head of the Anglican Communion, Rowan Williams, The Archbishop of Canterbury, and representatives of the Primates Steering Committee, and the US House of Bishops’ response to the crisis it precipitated with the decisions of the General Convention in 2003. I continue to pray with my Bishop that:
the Holy Spirit will come mightily upon this House, touching and transforming the hearts and souls and minds of every Bishop here, helping us to discern and carry out the will of God. May His will and only His will be done. Just as Paul encountered the risen Lord on the road to Damascus, may we too have a Damascus road experience in which we, the House of Bishops, are convicted of that which is not of God, repenting and asking His forgiveness of our sins, and then be given the grace to be faithful and obedient in exercising our ministry as bishops in God’s holy Church, keeping Jesus Christ at the center of all that we do.
The following is the text of one of the addresses given to the assembly yesterday. I found it a particularly thorough appeal to the best of the Anglican tradition’s stand on Scripture, tradition and reason. My understanding from the various blogs and comments I perused is this plea was not generally well-received by the Bishops (though I am certain there were a few who were entirely enthusiastic and in agreement).
Address to the US House of Bishops of Archbishop Mouneer Anis, Primate of the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East, September 21, 2007, New Orleans
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Thank you so much for inviting me here to come and listen to you and for giving me the opportunity to share my heart with you. I am very aware of my own shortcomings and weaknesses, but every word I want to say is out of love and concern for the unity of the Church of Christ.
I do not come with great authority, nor am I the primate of a province with a great number of Anglicans; I do however, come from a region where Christ walked and where the Church was born. I come representing the Church of Jerusalem and the Middle East.
The Church ion this region has faced many challenges since the first century. Our brothers and sisters in the early centuries were ready to sacrifice their very lives to stay true to the Faith they received from the Lord and his Apostles. Their blood was not in vain; rather it became the seed of the Church across our entire region. Many disputes and heresies took place in our region. In face of all the challenges, persecutions, and heresies our ancestors—people like St. Athanasius, St. Clement, Origen, and Cyril from Alexandria, along with Tertullian, Cyprian, and St. Augustine from North Africa—kept the faith of the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. We are constantly learning from our ancient martyrs and forebearers how to serve the Kingdom of God faithfully.
Today our Anglican Church in the Middle East still lives within a very exciting and challenging context. We live among the Oriental Orthodox, the Greek Orthodox, the Catholics, the Jews and the Muslims. We greatly value our ecumenical relations and continue to work for unity.
We also deeply respect and appreciate our Muslim friends and value our interfaith relations while in no way compromise our faith. I have to tell you that many of these relations were severely strained after your decision to consecrate Gene Robinson as bishop in 2003. We are seen as the new heretics and this has hindered our ecumenical and interfaith relations as well as our mission in the region
My friends, like you, we want to be relevant to the culture in which we live. More importantly, we want to be salt and light to our societies. That is not an easy calling but it means we must remain distinct and humble at the same time. Without being distinct we cannot be salt and light; without humility we will not represent the one who said, “I am meek and lowly in heart.” We are also continuously challenged whether we should allow the culture to transform the Apostolic Faith we once received, or if we should allow the Gospel of Jesus Christ to transform our culture as it has in the past. As we struggle to answer this question we must never divorce ourselves from the faith that countless men, women and children died to protect. I believer that if we faithfully serve the Church of Christ, He will continue to fulfill his promise that the gates of Hades will not prevail against her.
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I’ve been enjoying very much using the ESV English-Greek Reverse Interlinear New Testament that I received as a Christmas gift last year. So, when I came across the Book of Common Prayer daily lectionary online in the ESV translation I was pretty excited. For someone like me, who spends a good chunk of time on the computer every day, it’s a convenient, beautifully organized site that gives the daily scripture portions used in my tradition on one page, and in a translation that I’ve truly come to appreciate.
