For the most part, I try to stay out of the wrangles within the Anglican communion. Even with a reliable guide, things are complex and sometimes hard to follow.
But this bit about cross-communion boundary disputes from MadPriest is funny, and more than a little opinionated:
TEC [the Episcopal church, a.k.a. ECUSA] members complain when Tom Wright flies over to the States to “educate” them and gain disciples. But why shouldn’t he? It’s a free market and one invented by Americans. In stead of whinging and sissy comments about funding, they should be more American and fly over here and educate us and gain disciples for their more righteous cause.
For goodness sake, the US is never backward in coming forward when they want to export their crap to the rest of us. Why is it that when they’ve got some good product, like a truly inclusive church, they are reluctant to ram it down our throats? The only answer I can come up with is that they actually desire isolation and see [Archbishop Rowan] Williams as an opportunity to gain this American default position without having to blame themselves for it happening.
I won’t presume to know if that last sentence is correct or not. But with that caveat duly noted, there is a very solid point here. Why is it that liberals seem so afraid to push their beliefs? Both politically and theologically, there are a lot of people in the center and parts left who seem content to let the world roll around to agreeing with their ideas, as if it will happen on its own, never mind the evidence that it doesn’t, and never mind the evidence that failure to advocate for a sane position only leaves room for the batshit-insane positions to take over. I have no idea why this is, other than a reflexive disdain for being “partisan,” but as MadPriest points out, after a while, it starts to look less like leadership and more like passive aggression.
