Windsor Compliancy Report Card

We interrupt our regularly scheduled blog to bring you this relevant news. We'll get back to love soon.

The Windsor report recommends a number of things. Some , however, seem more important than others as affecting the life of the Church. Since GAFCON and its associates, even within TEC, regularly complain about TEC's "disobedience" to these recommendations, it is interesting to compare their performance with TEC's.

1. Don't consecrate bishop's whose manner of life is objectionable to some members of the Communion.

So far as I know, no one has objected to any bishop consecrated in TEC (or ACC) since the report came out. Have I missed something?

GAFCON churches have consecrated a number of people who owe their positions to thievery (or embezzlement or whatever -- and probably simony) and has taken in several deposed bishops of the same persuasion. Stealing is behavior is widely objected to even in Anglican circles. They have also consecrated clerics who have preached in favor of punishing -- even killing -- homosexuals just for being homosexual. Indeed, it seems some have been raised just because they preached that way, This behavior is objected to by many parts of the Communion, even -- officially -- by the Windsor Report and the ABC.

2. Don't establish rites for blessing (etc.) same sex marriages.

Well, I admit this is a fudge, but the Church has not established (or even officially set out to study -- which means that any actual establishment would be 6 years away at least) any such rite. The fudge is, of course, that various parishes and even dioceses have carried out such rites, using ad hoc forms and, perhaps, even some that circulate widely and would surely be considered if the Church were to start a study.

GAFCON passes this with flying colors, naturally.

3. Don't cross provincial borders to establish churches.

Well, TEC, because of its history, has churches in all sorts of places, but no new ones since the Windsor Report.

Four or five GAFCON provinces have established churches -- or, more often, taken over existing ones -- in the US and Canada. When they took them over, they regularly tried (and in many cases have succeeded so far) to take over the assets of the church and use them in opposition to TEC and ACC. TEC has sued (successfully in the decided cases) to recover the property-- an unChristian move according to the thieves, as Paul is against going to the government for church matters. Unfortunately, even though this government is not antiChristian (it really isn't) and, so, different from the government Paul was suspicious of, it does have laws of fiduciary responsibility, such that, if TEC had not sued to recover the property, it could itself be sued for heedlessly alienating that property.

4. Accept all lgbt people in the Church as full members of the Church -- and all equally under God's love.

Well, TEC doesn't get an A+ on this, but its record is not embarrassingly bad, certainly better than most other provinces of the Communion, including the C of E (which hasn't even dealt squarely with women yet).

So far as I can tell, no GAFCON province has objected to laws in their countries which criminalize homosexuality, association of homosexuals, homosexual acts and so on. In most cases they have been approving, if occasionally silently, and in some cases have been in the forefront of those advocating more such laws and stiffer penalties. They have also allowed (even encouraged) preachers to preach against homosexuality in terms that would surely come under hate speech and clear and present danger to violent acts in the US and are at least distasteful almost anywhere.

5. Listen to the experiences of lgbt members and others.

Again, TEC does not get and A+, but fares pretty well against others in the Communion and other US Churches. Vocal spokesperson for lgbt inclusion are heard, even if off the record, and there is some indication that some official body will actually sit down and listen to them -- and others not so loud -- on the record.

On the grounds that you can't get anything sensible out creatures lower than dogs or from admitted criminals, no GAFCON province has any program for listening to lgbt people nor plans to have one. They always plead that there are more important things to worry about -- poverty, hunger, disease, corruption, ... but then they don't do much along the lines of dealing with these, either, and actually hamper some efforts since they won't take aid from TEC or other people where men marry men.

Have I forgotten anything important? Have I misevaluated anyone?