Via Media.... Can We Get There from Here
A question was raised on an email list:
I am re-reading Alister E. McGrath's _The Renewal of Anglicanism_. He spends much of this "little book" (his phrase) on "reconstructing the via media". But, he wrote it back in 1993. I wonder if he still thinks it's possible for the hardcore "fundementalists/liberals" (his
dichotomy) to come together in any truly functional way to reconstruct the via media. Are there any folks left on this list who think it's still possible to pull back from the brink of schism and to find our way back to the via media?
My response:
I think perhaps we need to word the question differently. We are not on the brink of schism, we are already in schism. As we saw at GC06, there were people who refuse to celebrate eucharist with other people, parishes have left TEC and as far as I am concerned, that means we are in schism. After all, what is basis for the Anglican Communion but those invited to share the Body and Blood together?
The first step to repairing the schism that already exists is to gather at that table to break bread and sip wine together. That will require many people on *all* sides of The Issue to swallow their pride, arrogance, anger and embrace humility. Until and unless that is done, schism exists.
People on both sides of the Windsor Report fail to comply with it in its **entirety**. After all, there was much more in the Windsor Report than a few sentences about gender preferences. But there is almost a knee jerk response from many people on *all* sides of The Issue to point out how others are failing to be Windsor compliant as they choose to define it, instead of looking at themselves to see in what ways they themselves fail to be Windsor compliant. It's the familiar dynamic of the log and the splinter.
Many people on *all* sides of The Issue need to stop pointing fingers of blame and start down the path of humility, looking to their own behavior and not that of other people. And we need to come to the holy table together.
Forgive me if I've said this before. I feel compelled to say it over and over.
I am re-reading Alister E. McGrath's _The Renewal of Anglicanism_. He spends much of this "little book" (his phrase) on "reconstructing the via media". But, he wrote it back in 1993. I wonder if he still thinks it's possible for the hardcore "fundementalists/liberals" (his
dichotomy) to come together in any truly functional way to reconstruct the via media. Are there any folks left on this list who think it's still possible to pull back from the brink of schism and to find our way back to the via media?
My response:
I think perhaps we need to word the question differently. We are not on the brink of schism, we are already in schism. As we saw at GC06, there were people who refuse to celebrate eucharist with other people, parishes have left TEC and as far as I am concerned, that means we are in schism. After all, what is basis for the Anglican Communion but those invited to share the Body and Blood together?
The first step to repairing the schism that already exists is to gather at that table to break bread and sip wine together. That will require many people on *all* sides of The Issue to swallow their pride, arrogance, anger and embrace humility. Until and unless that is done, schism exists.
People on both sides of the Windsor Report fail to comply with it in its **entirety**. After all, there was much more in the Windsor Report than a few sentences about gender preferences. But there is almost a knee jerk response from many people on *all* sides of The Issue to point out how others are failing to be Windsor compliant as they choose to define it, instead of looking at themselves to see in what ways they themselves fail to be Windsor compliant. It's the familiar dynamic of the log and the splinter.
Many people on *all* sides of The Issue need to stop pointing fingers of blame and start down the path of humility, looking to their own behavior and not that of other people. And we need to come to the holy table together.
Forgive me if I've said this before. I feel compelled to say it over and over.
posted by Gloriamarie Amalfitano @ 2:07 PM
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