Some rather bracing comments from the secretary general of the ACC

[FireDragon76]

Infallibility? No, I don't believe in infallibility. I do believe that it's in the process of working through things together that we can discern what God is up to in our midst.

Which is no statement about what God might be doing outside the institution, but more a question of how we seek to cooperate with God within it.

You guys really need the equivalent of St. Justin Martyr's Corner. I'd love to discuss that more with you but it would probably involve something resembling debate.

 

[Paidiske]

You could start a thread in the ecclesiology forum, if you like.

 

[FireDragon76]

You could start a thread in the ecclesiology forum, if you like.

I think I will. Just because I have some essays to share with you that might be helpful as an alternative perspective.

 

[seeking.IAM]

...To my mind, being a church means one bunch of people don't just declare their own path and do their own thing. We are bound together. I think of it a bit like marriage;

Yes, but good marriages tolerate differences of opinion. One does not always submit to the others opinion, yet they stay united in love knowing they have different views in some areas. And they still treat each other with grace.

 

[Paidiske]

Yes, but good marriages tolerate differences of opinion. One does not always submit to the others opinion, yet they stay united in love knowing they have different views in some areas. And they still treat each other with grace.

I don't disagree. I think the problem we are bumping up against here is what happens when something places that under strain. Which can be a problem for marriages and churches alike!

 

[seeking.IAM]

It's probably not good for family relations when you don't invite your family's spouses to Christmas dinner.

 

[Paidiske]

Seriously? We're going to reduce this whole situation to a question of spouses at Lambeth?

We all know it's a whole heap more complicated than that.

 

[seeking.IAM]

I'm not trying to reduce anything. I was just staying within your theme of marriages as to how one treats family. I wouldn't dream of doing that within my own family, regardless of how much I disapprove of someone. It's not what I think Jesus meant when he said love your neighbor as yourself or what our baptismal vows mean about respecting the dignity of all persons. I can barely tolerate being in the same room with a member of my wife's family, but I would never go so far as to say he or she isn't welcome. I concur it is a heap complicated, but can you see how that may be hurtful to people? My opinion is that a fairer solution would have been to say it is a clergy-only event with no spouses invited, and offering no event with spousal inclusion (if indeed there is one planned, which I do not know). I would have been okay with that. A missed opportunity to avoid the whole mess.

 

[Paidiske]

Sure, it's hurtful. But the way I see it is, this time, those bishops will be there. There is another chance for renewed dialogue. Making their hurt the centre of that is probably not helpful here.