Noonday Update

More from the Blogosphere

Spending my lunch hour at a comfortable coffeehouse with free WiFi, I now have time to add some of the additional bloggers who have weighed-in on the bishops' decisions. Not surprisingly, today's posts are somewhat more reflective than those in the night.

At Telling Secrets, Elizabeth Kaeton characterizes the bishops' action as "self-differentiated, non-anxious clarity" in this morning's post. Here are some snippets:

As I reflect on the Statement from the House of Bishops the early morning light of a new day, I must say that what our bishops did was the best example of a healthy family system dynamic that I have ever seen in the church by a collective body of servant leaders.

and

The ordained leaders of our church in the House of Bishops have shifted the anxiety that was placed on our system back where it belongs and from whence it originated.Our Katharine has modeled excellent leadership in this regard.

The Rev. Kaeton has also published a letter from Bishop Robinson here.

Scott Gunn – who published a preliminary response last night – has written a longer reflection at Inclusive Church. In the comments on our blog, he acknowledges "some might call it a rant."

At No Claim to Sainthood, Saint Pat says (among other things):

I am so proud of our House of Bishops for taking a decisive stand and standing up for what is right, and saying "no" to the Communiqué, "no" to the Global South and "no" to the forces of chaos that want to mess with the Episcopal Church.

Reverend Ref says this is "a really good thing." In response to the bishops' statement, "Most important of all it is spiritually unsound. The pastoral scheme encourages one of the worst tendencies of our Western culture, which is to break relationships when we find them difficult instead of doing the hard work necessary to repair them and be instruments of reconciliation." Reverend Ref says, "Claiming the need for separation based on puritanical interpretations of orthodoxy totally ignores this fact. It seems to me that the conservative primates of the AC and the members of the AAC/ACN are playing the part of the eldest brother in the parable of the prodigal son/loving father."

Father Dan Martins says the bishops are in denial.

What amazes me about our bishops, speaking of them collectively--but also about others within the power structure of "this church"--is how seemingly out of touch they are with the obvious "on the ground" political environment in which they are operating. They labor on behalf of their convictions and ideals. That is commendable. But they seem clueless about their spatial and temporal environments. Their statement has the chutzpah to say that, regardless of what the Primates or even Rowan himself does, they are confident of their "full communion" with the See of Canterbury. This is pure fantasy. The bishops are in terminal denial. Anything they are proposing is way too little way too late. Some claim that it is only a small minority who are fomenting a spirit of crisis and abetting division. That may once have been true, but it is no longer. The church is disintegrating under their feet, and they are hastening the process.

Father Martins is a thoughtful writer. Do read it all.

AndrewPlus says, "Well done, bishops – Well done" and promises to write further tonight. He's always worth a read.

At Bending the Rule, Christopher takes a long look at the polity issues. As usual, his thinking is so tight and nuanced that it's impossible to find a "snippet" to quote here as a teaser. Go there and read the whole thing.

The Anglican Centrist has used the hours since last night's new release to good advantage. He begins: "The Bishops have spoken with a degree of passion and firmness which is commendable. Of course, I disagree with some of the points they make -- but, I am impressed that they have spoken." He says, "The Anglican Communion as it now is -- is about to change radically," and proceeds with a thoughtful analysis of where we are headed. Read the whole thing.

More to come . . . .