We're All Imperialists. Some of Us Just Have More Money.
The Lord said, "He who is first among you must be your servant." For the Pope that means bearing his office and his body to his dying breath while maintaining the deep respect of his flock. For Rowan Williams, it means putting up with the open hostility and secret contempt of those who claim to be in communion with his see. Yes, servants are kicked and abused. But chiefly in the most "common" households. Abusing servants is not a worthy activity for free men.
At this point, I think that the governance of the whole communion has broken down because so much is done in private and so many antagonisms are allowed to boil below the surface.
I instead suggest a full convocation of the bishops, clergy, and elected laity of the Communion at Canterbury in two years, a Diet of Arches, if you will. Questions can be set concerning the authority of Scripture, the Sacraments, and the more practical matters of dispute. And then the sides can have it out like a court of law with nothing on trial except the truth. And one of those fundamentalist millionaires can pay for it.
But Caelius, should we not be conciliatory? Forgive seventy-seven times? Yes, we should. But it is no profit for a man to call his fellow, "Gabbatha" and less profitable for him to do it in private. It would be better at this point for the entire communion to experience the same kind of horror met by Leontius, son of Aglaion. I pray that if we are actively antagonistic toward each other and can ask necessary but offensive questions, the Spirit may have a chance to work in us and make us seek unity again.
ESA(20050307.1)
The Lord said, "He who is first among you must be your servant." For the Pope that means bearing his office and his body to his dying breath while maintaining the deep respect of his flock. For Rowan Williams, it means putting up with the open hostility and secret contempt of those who claim to be in communion with his see. Yes, servants are kicked and abused. But chiefly in the most "common" households. Abusing servants is not a worthy activity for free men.
At this point, I think that the governance of the whole communion has broken down because so much is done in private and so many antagonisms are allowed to boil below the surface.
I instead suggest a full convocation of the bishops, clergy, and elected laity of the Communion at Canterbury in two years, a Diet of Arches, if you will. Questions can be set concerning the authority of Scripture, the Sacraments, and the more practical matters of dispute. And then the sides can have it out like a court of law with nothing on trial except the truth. And one of those fundamentalist millionaires can pay for it.
But Caelius, should we not be conciliatory? Forgive seventy-seven times? Yes, we should. But it is no profit for a man to call his fellow, "Gabbatha" and less profitable for him to do it in private. It would be better at this point for the entire communion to experience the same kind of horror met by Leontius, son of Aglaion. I pray that if we are actively antagonistic toward each other and can ask necessary but offensive questions, the Spirit may have a chance to work in us and make us seek unity again.
ESA(20050307.1)
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