Luminous Darkness

Some interesting news out of Botswana today. Apparently there was an article stating that the diocese had passed a vote of no confidence in their bishop, but a letter from the Diocesan Secretary states that this is in fact not true. Although the discussion of another bishop holding meetings within Botswana without consent is of concern from an ecclesiological point of view, to me the more interesting quote backs of what I have believed about many Anglicans in Africa for some time:

…the Bishop still stands by his position that Africa has too many problems (poverty, HIV and AIDS, poor governance, unemployment, etc) to sort out than to spend a lot of time and energy on homosexuality issues, which do not impact on the day-to-day lives of many struggling African people.

I have heard this point of view expressed by others I have met at international events in the past, and I feel strongly that it relates pretty closely to my own views on the issue as well.

Thanks to my friend Jen for pointing out FreeRice.com, a website where you can build your vocabulary and, with each word you correctly define, allow the website to donate ten grains of rice to help end world hunger. How cool is that! The test is adaptive, so you are actually learning new words and constantly being challenged out on the edge of your vocabulary.

Thanks to Jeremy Bonner, I have learned that the convention actually needed to pass Resolution 1 by a 2/3 majority, not a simple majority. So, in fact, the whole process passed by only one (lay) vote! Fascinating to think that it was actually that close. I have been able to correct this entry.  In fact, a simple majority is all that is necessary in the canons of the diocese, as he points out in his amended article.  His whole article is actually quite a good summary of what went on at the meetings today.

The Diocese of Pittsburgh voted just now to leave the Episcopal Church, not in so many words, but that is the spirit of Resolution 1 at the Diocesan Convention. The Resolution says several things, but the most important points are that the Diocese of Pittsburgh is free to choose its own Provincial alignment by canon and that it may contain parishes outside its historical geographic boundaries. The majority was not staggering, but in the lay order was approximately 66% in favor and 33% against and in the clerical order, 82% in favor and 18% against. The Rt. Rev. Robert Duncan, bishop, in his address to the convention said the following to ‘moderates’, those who have not made up their mind as to which side of the debate they are on:

To the still undecided or “torn” deputies in this Annual Convention I would offer one thought. The matter finally comes down to an unavoidable choice between cultures. There is the culture of the wider Episcopal Church: theologically innovative, at the edge of mainstream Christianity, secularly attuned, declining, canonically fundamentalist, and ready to sue or depose to obtain its way. By contrast, there is the culture of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh: Scripturally centered, critiquing the secular agenda, among the fastest (and few) growing dioceses of the Episcopal Church (relative to population decline), focused on congregational mission, allowing vast freedoms in the form and manner of ministry. Given that we must choose – and I do believe that national actions have now dictated that we must – which is the predominant culture we desire individually and corporately to embrace: national Church or local diocese?

He goes on to add what some of the results of his resolution passing would be:

If Resolution One passes, our work in the year ahead would likely include determination of the Province with which the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh might re-align, development of acceptable options available to minority congregations, and negotiation, both nationally and with plaintiffs locally, about a mediated alternative to continuing or escalating litigation.

I will add more details later, but, for now, it seems that things are going to change here permanently, although it should be noted that this would not take effect unless the same resolution was passed again at the convention in 2008.