Seven whole days

Today the Episcopal Church commemorates William Wilberforce, who campaigned to end the slave trade. You can read all about him on James Kiefer’s excellent hagiography site. The story of the struggle within the church to end the slave trade makes fascinating reading. There are, I think, some interesting parallels to today’s struggles over the inclusion of GLBT Christians in the sacramental life of the church. In the 19th century, arguments were made that slavery was natural, that it was biblically supported, and that tradition favored the practice of slavery. Sound familiar?

I’ll leave you to ponder these things, but there’s another thing to tell you about. I’ve learned today that clergy and youth workers can receive a free copy of the DVD of Amazing Grace. This excellent film tells the story of William Wilberforce and his quest to end human slavery. Clergy and youth workers, go request your copy, and then show the film in your church. It comes with a license for church viewing, so you’re good to go.

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Thanks, ASBO Jesus!

Pity I didn’t see this a couple of weeks ago, while I was across the street from Disney. This video uses time-lapse and narration to chronicle the building of Disneyland. It’s pretty amazing, almost cool enough to make up for the fact that I didn’t actually get to go over to Disneyland while I was in Anaheim. Enjoy!

Tip of of the mouse ears to Boing Boing.

Yesterday came official word that the Rev’d Kevin G. Thew Forrester has not received the required consents to his election as Bishop of the Diocese of Northern Michigan. As I wrote before, I would not have voted to consent to his election, for several reasons. Still, this must be very hard for him and for his diocese. Pray for Kevin and for the people in Northern Michigan.

Also, a post from June 2008 is one of the most visited posts on 7WD. It’s a post entitled “An update on the Rev’d Ann Holmes Redding” and it had some then new information about the case of the now deposed priest who had hoped to practice Christian priesthood while being a Muslim. The counter went crazy yesterday as many visitors landed on 7WD after Googling “Ann Holmes Redding.” It turns out there was a story on ABC’s World News Tonight about Redding. Lots of viewers decided to learn more, and I hope they found information in lots of places, not just here on 7WD. Again, no one should rejoice in the deposition of a priest, even though many of us felt that the Bishop of Rhode Island was right to insist that Christian Holy Orders are incompatible with life as a Muslim. Let us renew our prayers for Ms. Redding and for those who have known her ministry in two faiths.

Anglicans Online has a thoughtful reflection from Bishop Pierre Whalon (Bishop-in-Charge of the Convocation of American Churches in Europe). Bishop Whalon writes about how easy it is to misunderstand what happened at General Convention, especially with the attention-getting resolutions on same-sex blessings (C056) and the ordination of bishops in same-sex partnerships (D025). We are reminded that no moratoria have been overturned, at least if you read the words of the resolutions themselves.

The bishop then writes about all the other important things that happened, such as pension and healthcare enhancement, ecumenical movements, and more. Near the end of his reflection, he says this:

So why didn’t we see headlines like “Episcopalians Give Employees Pensions, Better Health Care”; “Church Dramatically Cuts Budget, Except Missionaries”: “Episcopal Church Breaks New Ground In Reconciling Christians”, “Episcopalians Reaffirm Jesus As Lord”?

Doesn’t sell, that’s why. People want bad news. Disasters and scandals sell. “Those crazy Episcopalians” sells. Good news does not, especially when it contradicts conventional media images.

One headline that would have sold newspapers and Google ads on blogs did not appear, however: “General Convention Ignores Report on Declining Numbers.” This is found in the House of Deputies Committee Report on the State of the Church, part of the 2009 Blue Book.

Indeed, we spent almost no time on this most important topic. As the good bishop notes, we’ll have no choice but to take this up at General Convention 2012 in Indianapolis. By then, things could be much worse. Just before this General Convention, I wrote about this very thing, suggesting that as a church we need to face the reality of what’s happening and ask hard questions. Thanks for pointing to the elephant in the room, Bishop!

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I’m taking a little break here from all-Anglican-intrigue-all-the-time. Frankly, it’s a bit wearying. So if you want to know more about the latest eyebrow twitch of the Archbishop of Canterbury, move along to the next post. No doubt, I’ll have another one ready soon.

Anyway, this doesn’t have an overt connection to church matters. Slate has posted “The history and future of airport design.” It’s a quick visual tour through a bit of the history of airport terminal design. I love airports, love architecture, and love history. So this is perfect!

Actually, it might have a bit to do with church after all. Go have a look at the tour of airport design and then come back here. Welcome back! Now go look at a photo of the inside of the church in which you worship. Welcome back! I’m betting that for most of you, the inside of the church looks more like it did before the birth of aviation than it differs from that time. I’m betting that while airports have been reinvented, and while our notion of church and culture has been rethought, our notion of how we use our church buildings has remained static. If your church building isn’t quite that old, I’m willing to bet that the design vocabulary is at least that old.

I know not everyone loves Richard Giles, but I think he has some good points in Repitching the Tent. It’s long past time for us to think about the ways we use our worship spaces and about what we put in them.

Bob Chapman has written a blog post about something he noticed over at techdirt. It seems that vinyl LP sales are going up, while CD sales are on the way down. There are lots of possible reasons, and no one seems to know exactly why this is the case. One big reason is thought to be the physical nature of LPs versus CDs, according to techdirt:

For true fans, the LP is a sort of badge of fandom, proof of just how much you love the band. Compared to a digital download or a CD, the LP is a crafted thing, complete with large-scale artwork and often other inserts.

Bob sees another facet to this trend, wondering if magazines might displace newspapers for some of the same reasons. Simply put, magazines are better artifacts than newspapers. By their nature, they encourage longer articles, with sustained analysis. They are less tied to quick reactions and immediate stories, so they could be more reflective. You don’t get ink on your hands when you read most magazines.

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Today the Archbishop of Canterbury has published some reflections on the recently concluded General Convention of the Episcopal Church. Please go read these reflections — slowly — and then read it all again. While progressives are likely to howl at several points in the text, there are also some bits that will give heartburn to conservative-leaning Anglicans. If, like most readers of 7WD, you are left of center and don’t like Rowan’s reflection, go have a (quick!) look at the comments on Stand Firm. You’ll see that folks on the extreme right are convinced that Rowan has sold out.

Pretty much every Anglican blogger on the planet is going to have some things to say about what has been written. I considered passing this one by, but I’ve decided to toss in a few comments to particular bits of what Rowan has written. Before that, however, I want to make a couple of general points clear. First, I am grateful for the leadership of our present Archbishop of Canterbury. While I have certainly not agreed with everything he’s done or said, I do believe he has — out of deep, genuine, and inspiring faith — done everything he can do in order to preserve the unity of the Anglican Communion, while respecting the contexts of each province. Second, he is often misread by Americans, who use many of the same words as our English friends, but with totally different meanings. He is not a rampant homophobe out to zap the Episcopal Church. Third, Americans have often accused Rowan of misunderstanding the polity of the Episcopal Church. Perhaps that is true, to some extent. But it is even more true that we have failed to see things from his perspective as Archbishop of Canterbury. It is, though on a vastly different scale, similar to the role of a rector; there may be things that I would personally like to permit, but which my office demands I refuse. (See John Alexander’s excellent reflections on “Person, Orders, and Office” for more on this.)

Now, on to a selective look at a few bits of what Rowan has offered.

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Andrew Plus has done it! He has, out of sheer brilliance, diagnosed the real problem in the Anglican Communion over issues of women’s ordination, acceptance of GLBT persons, and theological variance. I think his diagnosis and cure will work particularly well with the recent unpleasantness at Blackburn Cathedral. Turns out the whole problem is “cooties.” All we need is a vaccine. Fortunately, this already exists.

Tip of the hat (wearing rubber globes, natch) to the MadPriest.

I have long aspired to have the Pluralist take an interest in 7WD, so that the famous sketch treatment might be applied to your author. This would be, in my book, an honor at least as good as a D.D. Alas, this has not happened. I was delighted, however, to come very close. In a recent posting, the Pluralist has produced some excellent satire showing the tortuous reasoning of the Archbishop of Canterbury. Though I’m in the camp who is grateful for +Rowan’s leadership, it is quite often admittedly hard to follow him.

Anyway, to illustrate this post, the Pluralist has produced this:

This is in turn based on a photo I snapped at last summer’s Lambeth Conference:

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A parishioner at the parish I serve forwarded a link to an article titled, “Any dogs at your church?” She knows that I have two dogs and that I love it when she brings her dog by the office for a visit. One of the highlights of our year as a parish is the first Sunday in October, when we invite people to bring their pets to church for a blessing. On that Sunday, the pets stay for the whole service, delighting us with the accompaniment of bird tweets during the sermon or a hearty “woof” at the end of prayers.

But is one Sunday each year enough?

USA Today recently ran an article about a dog-friendly worship service every Thursday at Underwood Hills Presbyterian Church, Omaha, NE. The weekly “Paws and Prayers” service started in December and currently draws 50-60 people and an estimated 50 dogs. Further, the vast majority of the people who come are not members. In comparison, the 85-member church has an average attendance of 71 for its Sunday morning service.

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You can’t make this up. For years, our friends in the Church of England have regularly scoffed at us here in the Episcopal Church in the USA. I know, not everyone has done this, but plenty of people have done so. It is, after all, the English pastime: being right. And who could blame some smirks now and then, what with clown masses and zydeco masses. (For the record, I happened to appreciate the experimental value of the masses in question.)

Now, friends, it’s time for the shoe to go on the other foot. Word comes from England that Blackburn Cathedral has set up two-track communion whenever a woman (gasp!) is presiding at the Holy Table. On those occasions, God-fearing (or, more accurately, woman-fearing) men can receive consecrated bread that is “untainted” by female hands.

I am not making this up. Ruth Gledhill writes,

Even Forward in Faith, the Church’s traditionalist lobby group, described the arrangement as unusual. Its spokesman Stephen Parkinson said: “I’ve never come across this before. It is pretty extraordinary. I can’t understand why the women priests put up with it.”

Dr Penfold and the Dean are on holiday and not available for comment. But the cathedral’s canon, Andrew Hindley, defended the arrangement. He said: “It was agreed by all the clergy and cathedral chapter that this was the best way to handle what we call a mixed economy.”

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