Albany Via Media

June 15, 2010

To the Editor:

1.  I agree with Bob Dodd that the Covenant presents a “teaching moment.”

2.  I also agree that the West Texas approach was exemplary.

3.  And I agree that we in the Diocese of Albany missed the boat in regard to the invitation to offer a response to the Covenant Design Group.

4.  I do think, however, that there was significant opportunity within the Diocese of Albany to address the issue of the Anglican covenant including last year's Covenant presentation at the Parish Leadership Conferences, my DVD presentation of last spring (about which Bob Dodd seemed fairly positive — and which I appreciated), the many parish discussions it elicited, and the Pre-Convention meetings. I would also commend Openly Episcopal and AVM for providing remarkably open venues for discussion. I also thought that Archbishop Gomez's presentation was quite substantial — and learned as well. The Rowan Williams clip was brief but important — especially given ++Rowan's theologically progressive outlook.

I noted with some sympathy the protest of the lesbian parishioner from St. Luke's, Saranac Lake that the manner in which the Covenant was presented at the convention felt stacked. While I don't agree, I can understand why she might have felt that way. But the fact is, there were numerous opportunities — including those mentioned above — for opponents to express their disagreements. And the fact is: Bishop Love was exercising his role as a leader in charting the course of the diocese, and he clearly wanted to support the covenant. Moreover, by this past weekend, people had pretty much made up their minds.

The term “embarrassing” seems a little polemical. “Insufficient” might be more reasonable, though again, I wouldn't agree.

5.  In the end, I suspect that the Covenant will have only a mild effect in addressing the fractures within worldwide Anglicanism, and the sanctions that it might potentially impose on TEC to be of a mostly symbolic nature. My hope is that it will be enough to hold the Communion together and to encourage and strengthen the position of orthodox Anglican Evangelicals, Traditionalists, Anglo Catholics, and Charismatics in North America and elsewhere. And without them, I don't believe TEC can survive, since (here is a provocative thesis that I don't have the space to develop) theological progressivism is parasitic on orthodoxy, being largely a response and self-appointed corrective.

6.  Thank you for the congratulations.

Fr. Christopher Brown+