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Failed Relationships

I am truly saddened by the outcome of the Primates meeting. It reminded me of divorce mediation where nasty influences/relationships are expunged in an attempt to save a failed relationship. The actions a majority of the Primates took towards the American Episcopal Church is shameful. The message that this decision sends to LGBTQ2 persons again makes their full inclusion tenuous based on orientation rather than humanity. Canada is facing a similar decision around it marriage sacrament in June and a theological commission has opened the door by noting that circumcision, which was a major tenet on Judaism was not required for non-Jews who became Christians. Such grace is required to broaden the Christian Church's attachment to marriage as being exclusively male & female. I am weary of those who fearfully hold to a prescriptive interpretation of scripture throwing tantrums that restrict full inclusion of the marginalized. I believe this quote from Anne Lamott sums it up, "You can safely assume you've created God in your own image when it turns out that God hates all the same people you do.

Donald Shields
Grace Church Markham
Markham, Onterio, Canada
planet.shields@gmail.com
18 January 2016

Of Those Who Get to Decided These Things

Thank you for your gentle and forthright assessment of the suspension of the Episcopal Church by Those Who Get to Decide These Things in the Anglican Communion.

I'm not sure what TWGTDTT hope to accomplish... We Episcopalians are a contentious bunch in general and in Alaska particularly, accustomed to agreeing to disagree and to loving each other--or at least behaving in loving ways--even when the disagreement is such that individual parishes align themselves with dioceses outside Alaska.

Upon hearing the news, I imagine our bishop sighed sadly and offered a prayer because the TWGTDTT for the Anglican Communion keep choosing fear and exclusion instead of love and inclusion and the spiritual growth associated therewith, then cheerfully continued with his and Heaven's work of Love and reconciliation and care among his wildly diverse, far-flung flock.

Heaven's work of Love dissolves all boundaries, limitations, and barriers, real and imagined. Yes, it may take a while, but trying to keep Love from prevailing is like passing a law to keep a comet from entering the solar system.

Christy Favorite
St Mary's/Christ Church/St Peter's Episcopal Churches
Anchorage, Alaska, USA
23 January 2016

Earlier letters

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