The Diocese of Eau Claire in Wisconsin had its convention recently and passed what seems to me to be one of the most sane resolutions passed or rejected in the last three years. Here are the details.
The resolution said that the diocese, "as a Christian family," affirms that:
- "God has not abandoned his Church. The Holy Spirit continues to guide and be present in abundance with the Episcopal Church."
- "A time of crisis can become a moment of grace-filled opportunity and we desire to work towards that end with God's help."
- "The heat of the moment must be tempered with a larger historical perspective over ongoing moral and ethical debates. We urge patience and unity during the protracted discussion and caution against hasty actions by any which would further split the Body of Christ."
- "We desire to affirm the classical 'middle way' of Anglicanism in order to avoid extreme positions or actions of any kind which would limit or foreclose rational debate and deliberation, always respecting the dignity of every human being."
- "We pledge our allegiance to the ongoing process of determining what is God's will for his Church and affirm that we shall do so together in faith and good will."
- "We adopt the words of St. Augustine of Hippo as the traditional guiding beacon to avoid less than holy behavior and consequences: 'In fundamentals of faith there must be unity. In disputable matters there must be freedom for debate. But in everything else there must be love.'"
St. John's is also a "Christian family" which needs to put love and respect before issues.
