Monday, February 28, 2011

Blame Grandmere Mimi

Mimi told me I had to take this quiz, so here I are.

My Political Views
I am a left social libertarian
Left: 5.78, Libertarian: 3.65

Political Spectrum Quiz

And here are my results pertaining to foreign policy:

My Foreign Policy Views
Score: -5.98

Political Spectrum Quiz

And, here is my cultural bias:

My Culture War Stance
Score: -5.92

Political Spectrum Quiz

I hope this surprises no one.  I may be an anachronism, however.

 Mimi, see what you have done!

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Time To Celebrate

IT and BP will have their marriage blessed today!  Alleluia!  Here, for our part, are a couple of songs just for them on this most solemn and joyful occasion.






Thursday, February 24, 2011

The Presiding Bishop: A Leader not a Ruler*

What makes those (clergy) in the Anglican (both real and imagined) Communion angry and frustrated all at the same time?  It is the manner in which our Presiding Bishop speaks to issues of import throughout the world.  Our Presiding Bishop, not just this one but those in the past as well, walk a razor thin line in speaking for our province.  Sometimes, it may look like "prevarication" as some in the Anglican Communion have viewed it. 

Well, we are the only province that is structured in such a way as to routinely give voice to the people.  There is no other province in the world that does this and it leads to some rather routine mis-interpretations.  Let me see if I can explain this a little more.  When a leader in another province speaks that leader does not have to consider what has been voted on, spoken by the people if you will, in his province.  A provincial leader from say Nigeria, can pretty much say whatever he wants and "speak for all the people of Nigeria" because he is not going to face an election by Anglicans that vote on issues and could make him look silly -- on that same issue.  In most cases the thinking would go something like this, "I am the archbishop, I know what is best for 'my people' and I will tell everyone what is what."  As simple a formula as that is and as hierarchical as it is and as demanding as that is, that approach just does not work in The Episcopal Church in the United States.  The Archbishop of Canterbury is beginning to learn that lesson about us.  He has attended several General Conventions in which the mind of the people (lay and clergy) are spoken freely and issues of significant import are voted upon.  That means that when the Presiding Bishop speaks the mind of the Episcopal Church in the United States she (but in the past he) must take into account that whatever the issue, we could vote on it at the next triennial and make the Presiding Bishop either right or wrong depending on what is said.  This is a much more precarious position than any other primate, including the Archbishop of Canterbury.  We have, we cherish, and we will never give up the method under which we come together each three years and set the mind of the province.

Let me end with another analogy.  If there is going to be a parade in the United States and the presiding bishop wants to lead the parade then she/he must wait for the laity and clergy to form up and begin marching -- then get in front of the parade.  For virtually every other Anglican Province in the world the primate IS THE PARADE.  For those in other parts of our communion and for those just in other parts of our universe this experience is one of pride and power but for the Presiding Bishop it is a source of humility and servant-leadership.

* There will be an extra 20 points given to those who can remember from whence the title was first used/found.

Monday, February 21, 2011

Where We All Should Be

Want to know where the Episcopal diocese of San Joaquin is headed?  Want to see our vision?  Well, we borrowed but watch it all the way through and tell me if I am wrong.





H/T to AA from CTK

Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin Welcomes Our Second Provisional Bishop (elect)

Make no mistake, the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin continues to struggle.  We have struggled since those months in early 2009 when we were left to our own devices.  But the struggle has just become a little easier.  Surely, we have been supported by the National Church and the Executive Council is and continues to be a close ally of our diocese -- and we appreciate all that they have done.  The Presiding Bishop has been supportive (and my grandson thinks she is the only real bishop) and Bishop Lamb has been great in helping us pick up the pieces and begin anew.  But this thing we call the Episcopal Church, our Christian duty and responsibility has weighed heavily on everyone left in this diocese.  Let's face it, we are small -- someone said our Average Sunday Attendance is around 700 -- for the diocese!  Remember we stretch from Sacramento (actually Lodi) to Bakersfield and from Taft and Coalinga to Bishop and Mamouth!  Yes if our numbers were not staggering enough the geography is enough to keep a bishop driving most everyday of the year.  But do not mistake our challenges for anything more than that.  And, we have a new bishop to help us meet those challenges. 

Bishop Chet Talton, retired Suffragan Bishop from Los Angeles has arisen from the ranks to help us meet our continuing challenges.  We meet him yesterday at a deanery meeting in anticipation of our March 5, 2011 Special Convention to elect Bishop Talton our next provisional bishop.  Bishop Talton is a rather quiet and unassuming bishop with the heart of a lion.  He has come to us to build up the community over the next few years.  While he has not lost sight of those issues that are important in the legal world, he is focused on rebuilding a renewed community of Episcopalians in the Central Valley.  We welcome Bishop Talton, his wife and family and look forward to our task ahead!

 Bishop Talton takes questions from an expectant audience.
 Bishop Talton shares some life experiences with our deanery.

This is Cindy Smith, the diocesan Chair of our Standing Committee.  It is the Standing Committee's responsibility to bring to our diocese a provisional bishop for election.  Cindy and the committee has done an outstanding job, not just in this instance, but in creating and open and welcoming diocese.  We are blessed with a dynamic Standing Committee.
Canon Mark Hall explaining the new deanery structure.

Friday, February 18, 2011

The Instruments of the Anglican Communion

We all must, by now, have found the Conelonialists ranting and raving about the "instruments of communion".  Seems to me the only real instruments of communion are those pictured below.






Can someone explain why we need any more instruments than these?  Seems to me these are about all the instruments of communion we need.

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Archbishop Venables Gets It WRONG (Again).

I know we are not supposed to play with the devil but I must admit I visited a site that has little to do with God and more to do with . . . , well you know who and low and behold I found this little gem.

This is part of a much larger discussion, one in which Archbishop Venables slings dirt on the Anglican Communion but here is the heart of the message:

Asked about the role of Canterbury, Venables thinks the Global South is moving away from a Canterbury led communion. "The truth is we never had to go through Canterbury to get to Jesus. Canterbury is a wonderful part of our history. I have a tremendous respect for the role of the ABC but we cannot allow one person and one small group to assume authority over the Anglican Communion. It is not Anglican and it is not in Scripture."
Let that sink in for a moment.  Do not rush off and read something else or even think about how nutso the ACNA can get or even how wonderful it will be when John David Schofield retires -- The Anglican Communion does not run through the Archbishop of Canterbury?!  Henry the VIII did not war with the Pope, Elizabeth was not excommunicated, Cranmer did not write the book of Common Prayer and the English Communion does not run through England?  How is that again?  Lord knows my undergraduate studies were in social revolutionary theory but this is some of the best I have ever seen! 

I do not know about you, but I would like to get my hands on whatever the good archbishop is smoking these days -- it certainly produces some rich history (albeit revisionist).


A special note to those in San Joaquin where we have left the light on -- is this what you signed up for?  John David Schofield PROMISED you would get closer to the Archbishop of Canterbury -- that the rest of us had somehow drifted too far away and YOU personally were going t o see to it that WE all got closer.  Is this how you do it?  The guy down south along with the rest of the Conelonialists are going to take the Anglican Communion and drive it right through the heart of Nigeria???  Well folks, the light is still on -- come on home to the ONLY Real Anglicanism!