Letters
from 26 June to 2 July 2006
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all letters to the editor everywhere, these letters are
the opinions of the writers and not Anglicans Online.
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'God
is still running the ship'
Hello
again! As always, you are a breath of fresh air. Your
opening
essay (June 26/06) beautifully underscored
up the ephemeral nature of ecclesiastical tempests,
Dr. Baber's letter was pithy, pointed and spot on.
The letter in support of the Reverend Martha Englert
was passionate and compassionate (and I hope
Martha's bishop reads it!), and the letter from the
man in Fort Worth expressed so much of the hurt felt
by those of our GLBT brothers and sisters in Christ.
Whatever
is happening to our beloved Anglican Communion I
persist in believing that, in one form or another,
it will survive, and the present day whirlwinds and
tempests will subside (no doubt to be replaced by
new ones).
How
appropriate, then, was the gospel reading for the
the third Sunday after Pentecost — the wonderful
story of Jesus sleeping in the boat while the storm
raged around, and the disciples were gripped with
fear. Are Anglicans everywhere so mired in their
own petty disagreements and ecclesiastical squabbles
that they cannot understand that God is still running
the ship, and that He and only He can calm the storms?
Bless
you for your continued good sense.
In
Christ,
Rene
Jamieson
St. John's Cathedral
Winnipeg, Manitoba, CANADA
26 June 2006
The
point of it all
Just
a note of thanks for your "tabloid
edition" on
the Convention of 1827. Those of us who want
to rush out and "save the Church" — however
that may be defined in our own circle of significance — occasionally
need reminding that the Church already has a
Saviour, and I'm (you're, we're) not it!
Grace
and peace,
Jason
Haddox
St. Peter's, Morristown
Morristown, New Jersey, USA
JMHaddox@verizon.net
27 June 2006
What
languages do you read?
I
really enjoy Anglicans Online and try to read it
regularly. Prayers for Cynthia are offered up regularly
here in Wilson, New York, where she was a member
many years ago.
I
read the rants or complaints of others regarding
the absolute outlawing of women or homosexuals by
their 'Bible'. My first response to most of these
comments is to ask in what language they are reading
their Bible.
Are
they reading it in the language in which it was originally
put on paper or scrolls? Or, are they reading a translation
by a group of humans from a time and culture far
removed from the original. The King James translation
has some lovely poetical verses, but the life and
viewpoints of 1611 are as far removed from Hebrew
writers such as the author(s) of Leviticus, as they
are from American life and culture today.
Anyone
of any nation or language who uses scripture as a
point of reference is standing on shaky ground and
depending on the accuracy of a third person's best
guess. If trying to use scripture for such purposes,
speakers or writers should be both reading and speaking
the language of origin with fluency. Translation,
no matter how carefully done, results in some degree
of change from the original meaning.
To
use a simple non-religious point of illustration,
Eskimo (Inuit) languages have well over ten words
for snow. English has only one. How would you translate
from English to Inuit? Would you be using the wrong
form or incorrect word altogether? Don't point out
other's errors when you might be depending on misinformation
yourself!
I
look at the social and economic differences in life
for countries such as Nigeria and the USA. When other
countries have given women the rights that most Native
American tribes gave their women, then come back
to the table for a discussion. Native Americans were
primarily matrilineal, inheritance was through the
mother's line, men were not the keepers of the culture.
It took the United States centuries to get to the
point where women could vote and hold property.
As
a 'cradle Episcopalian', I am not displeased with
the changes made at our most recent General Conventions.
Instead, I expect my Church to keep Jesus Christ,
the Holy Spirit and God the Father in mind as the
reference for decisions. The Church is a hospital
for sinners' souls, not a place for perfect people
only. Remember that 'talking the talk' is not at
all the same as 'walking the walk' with Him.
Gloria
Bryant
St John's, Wilson, New York
Lockport, New York, USA
gloryb2561@juno.com
26 June 2006
Dog
days
I'm
so glad you're here to point the lovely air conditioner of reasonableness toward the sweltering crowd of
contentious Christians calling themselves Anglicans.
You're the best!
Thanks
for keeping us updated about Cynthia; may Heaven
continue to bless her with healing and courage.
Christy
Favorite (and Toulouse, the helpful cat!)
St. Mary's Episcopal Church and others
Anchorage, Alaska, USA
28 June 2006
'Thy
throne shall never, like earth's proud empires,
pass away'
The
Anglican Communion seems to be getting itself
tied up in knots over the issues of gay priests
and women bishops, in an effort to keep itself
together.
The differences now appear to me so unbridgeable,
that some form of separation between the US Episcopal
Church and the rest of the Anglican Communion is
now inevitable.
If people in all Christian conscience have irreconcilable
views, they should go their separate ways. This was
after all what led to the setting up of the Church
of England in the 16th century in the first place!
"Empires come, and empires go, but the word of the
Lord lasteth for ever!" This could be rephrased
as "Churches come and churches go, but the message
of the Gospel will outlive them all."
Alan
Houston
Belfast, NORTHERN IRELAND
29 June 2006
Children's
games?
Kangaroo
or not, it's still a zoo,
In Wisconsin - deja
vu.
Teaching
in a bedroom community of Portland, Maine which I
shall call "Jerusalem's Lot" I
grew to appreciate a home-grown entertainment I called
"the "Salem's Lot game" (extra points if you pronounce
it correctly). It
starts with a student complaining to a parent about
a real (or imagined) slight — said parent then immediately
phoning the principal (or the superintendent) to
complain and thereby change things to make the parent
(not the kid) happy. It
has nothing to do with respect, facts or the best
interest of the child. It has everything to do with
power, being "right", getting your way
because the biggest kid on the playground stood beside
you and said you were right. The
game was over when the "big kid sang". Extra points
for style if you denied the other player any chance
to explain, complain, reason or even have a choice
in the matter.
My
gosh, it must have felt great to win the "Salem's
Lot" game — to put someone in "their place",
to feel so right, to be so certain of how the world
is supposed to work. I
suppose that feeling must define an entire approach
to community, theology and life. The destination
is determined by the directions you follow - rather
than the other way around. Sadly,
that seems the case in Wisconsin. From my observations
and reading of the posted documents I am struck that
this entire process is designed to humiliate Rev.
Englert in the fastest way possible.
Why
is there no record of the parish Vestry sitting down
and working out a plan with Rev. Englert? Why no
attempt to handle it first at the parish level? Why
jump straight to presentment without a record of
a compassionate and prayerful attempt to work it
out?
From
where I sit, Bishop Miller shot from the hip at a
target of opportunity - this action smacking more
of vendetta than of virtue. A hired gun, used by
people terrfied of the thought of the destination
determining the directions, the "product" determining
the "process", of the church.
Rev.
Ms. Englert is a priest — totally certain of the
end purpose of God's work, willing to adapt,
completely dedicated to working it out on the go
as needed. Rev.
Ms. Englert is a friend — a solid, honest,
earthy person whose honesty challenged me to be more
of the person God made me to be, no matter how much
work it caused me.
So
sit down, kids, work it out, pray about it, ask
for forgiveness of each other and give God a chance
to work it out.
Gosh,
Bishop Miller — isn't that what we have
a church for?
Jim
Alberty
Cathedral Church of St. Luke, Portland, ME
Portland, Maine, USA
1 July 2006
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