There’s a new article up on the New York Times about the goings-on this week in the Episcopal Church. This one looks closely at the reaction of one particular parish:
“For parishes that identify with the right or the left pole on the issue of homosexuality, allegiances are clear. But the vast majority of parishes are somewhere in the middle, with members on each side of the debate who feel connected to the Episcopal Church and to Anglican tradition, said the Rev. William Sachs, a St. Luke’s member who was recently named director of the new Center for Reconciliation and Mission at St. Stephen’s Church in Richmond, Va.
‘What’s really going on in the pews of Episcopal churches is they don’t necessarily want to align with either side,’ Father Sachs said. ‘They want to get on with life. They want this thing resolved.'”
David Anderson, the rector of St. Luke’s, is a classmate and friend of mine from Yale. David and I had a chance to catch up with each other at General Convention – and I can attest to his being a middle-of-the-road sort of view, and by extension that of the parish he serves as well.
I haven’t had a chance to meet formally with my parishioners yet. I’m not sure either how many have been following what is going on, or where they will come down as a group. My sense is that this conversation is going to be happening all of the Episcopal Church this weekend. For what it’s worth, the only advice I have to offer is to not stop the conversation too quickly.
I don’t think the “news” has stopped flowing yet. I’ve got a feeling there’s more to come. Yesterday the Diocese of Springfield joined the Diocese of Central Florida and the previous four dioceses in requesting APO. I’m guessing that Dallas and Quincy will be joining in as well. There’s been no response from Canterbury yet. Not sure if that means something or not.
I’m not sure I understand what APO means or what the folks requesting it ultimately want out of it. If someone has an explanation, I’d be very grateful for a pointer.
Read the rest of the NYTimes article here: Episcopalians Shaken by Division in Church – New York Times
I’ve been asking the same question about APO on some of the conservative blogs I check. So far the only thing like an answer I got was in a reply on Timotheos Prologizes . His answer was that the APO requests are basically symbolic and don’t actually do much concretely.
Jon