Love and Fear

Over the past month there has been a bit of argy bargy between different member churches of the Anglican Communion.

At the end of January The Archbishops of Canterbury and York posted a communiqué in regards to sodomy laws in Nigeria and Uganda, nations which are home to two of the largest (numerically) Anglican Provinces. They quoted the Dromantine Communique of 2005 which states the Anglican Communion is ‘unreservedly … committed to the pastoral support and care of homosexual people.’ Amen to that!

Sadly, this communiqué, (ABC and York’s one) which was sent to all Primates, as well as the President’s of Nigeria and Uganda had a somehow (don’t ask me how) unforeseen side-effect of upsetting the Primate of Nigeria the Most Rev. Nicholas Okoh and the Primate of Uganda The Most Rev. Stanley Ntagali.

Archbishop Ntagali laid the smack down and called the ABC and York to get their own house in order regarding Lambeth Resolution 1.10 and suggested that perhaps the Communion could do with some attention in that area, rather than prematurely calling Nigeria and Uganda to account when in actual fact Uganda had challenged the draft Anti-homosexuality Bill before the parliament in 2010. As a result of that challenge they had successfully seen the death penalty and mandatory reporting of homosexual activity removed from the bill, whilst encouraging proportional sentencing. Whoops, someone in the C of E must’ve missed the memo or not looked up the Church of Uganda’s recommendations on the google box before the ABC and York stood up and chastised Uganda and Nigeria.

No surprises as to what happened next – the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church showed why she was the better man by making a statement about gay civil rights . Big ups for KJS.

What does this all underscore, and where is the Squeaky Cog going with this dredging up of not so current affairs?

All of this interaction at the highest levels of leadership has showed just how desperate the situation within the Anglican Communion really is, here three provinces have vastly different understandings of what a loving pastoral response to people who are struggling with same-sex attraction or homosexual orientation looks like.

TEC offers full acceptance. Their pastoral response is to say “we need to change our doctrine and our teaching to make these people fully accepted.’ This was clear in the actions of TEC to ordain Gene Robinson as Bishop of New Hampshire – in some ways the straw that broke the camels back. In the eyes of TEC this is a loving response. I believe that this is where the ACANZP is headed too.

There seems to be a sum that Christlike Love + Pastoral Response = Full Acceptance.

I don’t buy that. The equation seems flawed to me, and here’s why.

Full Acceptance ÷ 1Cor 6:9-10  =  Possible* eternal damnation.

(I say ‘possible’ because I know that the Bible and what it says is somehow up for grabs within theAnglican Communion. All sides of the spectrum have beaten each other over the head with it citing passages which demonstrate our positions. Whilst I strongly believe that Scripture is the final authority on this issue I want to try and park that conviction and refer to reason for a few moments.)

So, let’s examine the reason, that beloved leg of Hooker’s Stool which progressive Anglicans love to fly high as the single leg we ought to stand on most heavily when dealing with issues today.

I have reasoned that for me to get on board with this Full Acceptance model within the Church you would have to prove, beyond reasonable doubt, actually, beyond any doubt at all that St Paul was wrong when he wrote to the church at Corinth. Why? Because otherwise the Church is participating in accepting something which is resulting in possible eternal damnation.

How loving is that? Are we playing Russian Roulette with people’s souls here? Is not the Full Acceptance position saying “I found this old revolver, there are bullets in there, I’m not sure if they are any good any more, we think they are rubbish, go ahead, pull the trigger”? Is this a loving, or pastoral response? 

To love is to warn of danger. To love is to correct behaviour. To love is to be clear – You are putting your future with God at risk. Wow. That’s going to be hard work. I don’t think it’s going to be very fashionable, but I’m convinced it will be faithful. Is to say “I will fully accept behaviour which is condemning you to hell” actually loving? Is this a legitimate pastoral response? Not a chance. It is selfish and weak. I hope I never find myself in the place where I so lose my faith in the Word of God, that I park reason and accept fear over love.

When did this rot set in?

The machine I belong to is in a dire state of disrepair it is sad to be a cog and to see parts of the machine falling apart and proclaiming a message which is so contrary to that which we should be. Instead of a clear and concise message that Jesus Christ is God Incarnate the  Anglican Church in Aotaeroa New Zealand and Polynesia has had it's message hi-jacked by the clerics at St Matthew in the City (Diocese of Auckland) and is issuing forth bizarre and confusing messages about the sexuality of the Christ Child.

The vibrant life giving parts of the machine are few and far between, a handful of parishes in each of the seven Pakeha Dioceses are full. Most have become memorials to the past, full of old brass plaques which say "Mr and Mrs Simkins gave this lovely tea trolley" or "Dedicated to the glory of God at the passing of Mrs. Miggins Cat". Those old brass plaques don't speak of the future and it makes me weep.

I am a small, and fairly new cog in this machine, I wonder when it was that this rot, which we call 'the liberal agenda' set in. How has it come to pass that these ideas which are contrary to the doctrine of this Church (the Anglican Church in Aotaeroa New Zealand and Polynesia) are accepted and promoted?

Were you there when they crucified my Lord?

One Small squeaky Cog

Ever felt like an insignificant piece of a much larger machine?  I’m one small (often squeaky) cog in a machine called the Anglican Church in Aotearoa and Polynesia. I am often frustrated by the ‘product’ this machine produces, so I sit here squeaking away hoping something will change… it doesn’t seem to. The big cogs are the ones who get noticed, the cogs who are flashy and perform important roles, but they forget the many little cogs, cogs like me, who are comitted to seeing this machine working in the way it was created to.

Perhaps by being online, and squeaking a bit more loudly I’ll see where others in the machine are at, perhaps if we squeak together we may find the good oil and together change the direction of this machine. I hope we can, I pray for the sake of the gospel we can.