Once again we have dramatic reading of a certain letter recently penned by the Presiding Bishop following her recent short parlay with the Anglicans in Alexandria, Egypt. The original letter is here. Click the recording above, or click here.
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6 comments:
I do love your dramatic readings. Short on time, this morning, though, I found the link and skipped right ahead to the written letter itself. I don't know what your take on it is, but I have to say (with all respect to the office of Bishop) that this is probably the first insightful thing I've read from 815 in ages.
I take issue with her OT hermeneutic and how she views the passages about male homosexuality there--I think she is off on that. (But I knew I disagreed with her here already.)
But her insight about gender is refreshing--the interrelation of gender, societal roles and expectations, and sexuality is something I'd really like to see both "sides" explore more. She makes some good contributions here.
And her "all of us read Scripture through the lenses we have" is more true than we would like to admit. As a descriptive statement, she is really getting at something (and I was surprised to hear her admit this, since it certainly applies to how 815 reads the Bible, too).
As a *prescriptive* statement, however, the best lenses for reading Scripture are 1) other Scripture; 2) the Holy Spirit; 3) the early church; etc. So I think she needs to take more account of that.
But my favorite part of the letter was this: "We also privilege particular parts of Scripture in the way we build our lectionaries." Finally an Episcopalian/Anglican who admits that! I've always loved how at Truro if a part of the lectionary was skipped (you know, usually the part that is difficult to take and be obedient to), 9 times out of 10 whoever was preaching would point that out to give us the fuller picture.
As I said--don't know what the general theologically conservative take on this letter is, but short of her interpretation of those (important) OT passages.... I have to say I'm downright, dare I say, impressed!
And I am SURE her "all of this is about white supremacy" quote will not be well-received by many, but it is a charge I think that will continue to be leveled against CANA/ACNA/AMiA et al (with only male bishops and almost exclusively male priests). To the extent that it has not already, the new Anglican conservative body will need to articulate (Biblically and well) the reasons for its heavily male church leadership.
What is this world coming to when an ex-Episcopalian at one of the U.S.'s more theologically conservative seminaries finds common ground with the Presiding Bishop of TEC? ;)
Ha... woops! Substitute "male supremacy" for "white supremacy" in my quoting her above. That was an honest mistake. Obviously I have been thinking about other things besides gender, too. :)
Thanks for posting A &S. I always do love your posts!! Keep rockin' for the Kingdom!
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Unreal! Now I'm off to the MCJ to listen to CJ's take on the thing. Eventually, I'm going to have to wean myself off this stuff (however humorous!)
Ya know...I wonder if this gay gynecologist in the wheelchair, at the end of the Alexandria Emission, is the same guy in the wheelchair that disturbed the FW Diocesan Convention in November by playing "Hit The Road Jack" loudly on a radio under his wheelchair. He was in the Via Media Huddle and always hangs out with them at functions. Everyone thought it was a phone, but it kept going on and on, disturbing the peace, so a diocesan staffmember had to go turn it off. I mean, not THAT many people in wheelchairs hang out in the Via Media and at Shadow Worth conventions.
BabyBlue... have you thought about releasing a CD of your dramatic readings? Or selling a compilation on iTunes? :)
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