Stay Tuned, as 2 Churches Struggle With Gay Clergy

Laurie Goodstein from the NYT uses four metaphors now common parlance in the debate, "conjoined twins," "divorce," "walking away," and "fudge."

In each church, the conservatives and the liberals are bound together like brawling conjoined twins.

We probably have a lot of our DNA in common. 

The liberals dominate the power centers of the denominations — the national offices and the legislative arms. The conservatives have threatened to walk away, but most have not because they say the church is rightfully, theologically, theirs.

They think we are walking separately, but we are still on the same road, whether they think so or not.

"It's all very well to threaten divorce, but it's another thing to go to the divorce court," said David C. Steinmetz, a professor of the history of Christianity at Duke Divinity School who has spent the last few years on schism watch.

It's true, because the real conflict will happen over property. 

Members of both churches had looked to this year's conventions to clarify their positions on ordaining gay clergy members and blessing same-sex couples.

But instead, each convention produced the kind of parliamentary doublespeak that some Episcopalians call "Anglican fudge," a concoction often used to smooth over differences at meetings of the global Anglican Communion, of which the Episcopal Church is the American branch.

Personally, I don't know what the problem with "fudge" is.  Fudge is delicious.  And it is perfectly sensible for words to be vague, if only to keep people, in practice, from judging each other so they can pray together. 

..."If the communion puts its stock in this promise, it's going to be terribly deceived," said Bishop Robert Duncan of Pittsburgh, moderator of the Anglican Communion Network, a conservative group that has formed an alliance with conservative Anglicans in the developing world.

Bishop Duncan suggested in an interview that he had received assurances that the Anglican Communion would soon reprimand the Episcopal Church for disregarding orthodoxy.

Duncan has grand powers of discernment; and he knows that the Episcopal church deserves chastisement.  Right back at ya!  We're all sinners, my friend.   For each chip of righteousness, I'll raise you two of hypocrisy.   

The quote drips ressentiment.

Comments

[Heidi]

Blake said it best "Prisons are built with stones of Law, Brothels with bricks of Religion.

[Sr. Mary Hasta]

Why is it that every time I hear something along the lines of +Duncan's reprimand suggestion, the infamous lines from Monty Python run through my head?

There is only one punishment at Castle Anthrax for setting alight the grail-shaped beacon! A spanking!

Erm, I'll just stop there. But yes, in my head, the entire scene plays out.

[John Wilkins]

Personally, I think Duncan would enjoy a spanking.