"I still haven't found what I'm looking for"

Progressive Episcopalians in Pittsburgh have released their position on the Special Commission Resolutions. It's important to note that since this has been released publicly, it is both a position paper as well as a political strategy. When we have local campaigns and the candidates release their positions on the hot topics in our local communities (you've received those flyers when you are in public places like train stations and metro entrances), they are aimed not only at the voters but also at their opponents. It's a strategic move. What I find interesting about this document is not so much the positions, which are unsurprising, but the strategy to paint their opposition as "militant traditionalists." It's the rhetoric in the commentary that is even more interesting than the actual position (which in reality are ever-changing - this is where they are today, but that does not mean this is where they will be next week). What they are looking for is to see the response and then adjust their response accordingly.

The question has been and continues to be - will ECUSA affirm the Windsor Report or not? This group still seems to think that its in charge - that somehow someone else broke communion, not the Episcopal Church itself. We can expect that this is the rhetoric we will hear over and over again at General Convention, the sort of "oh, little old us didn't do anything to hurt litle ole you, its just those meany militant traditionalists (and by the way did I mention that "The IRD" is behind every evil known on planet earth) who are causing all the trouble - they just ruin our parties, throw up in our bushes, bring their bratty kids to our pool, and smash our cars into telephone polls. They are just so mean, but we just want to love everyone and be listening posts, and just include everyone into our party cause we just love being loved).

Here is the link: http://www.progressiveepiscopalians.org/gc2006resol.pdf

Money quote that just tell us how mixed up ECUSA is:

It is to be hoped that the
Episcopal Church will never be forced to choose be-
tween its ability to pursue its understanding of its
mission and unity with the wider Communion.
There are surely forces acting to fracture the Com-
munion, however, and, in the end, we may be pow-
erless to prevent schism. If we can do so while pre-
serving our integrity, we should make every effort
to remain in the Anglican Communion and, if a
break is to come, leave it to others formally to pre-
cipitate it.


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