Thankful. I am very thankful for the lives and health of each member of my family. My wife and I were talking about our car accident last summer -- neither of us likes to bring it up because we were so close to grave injury and even death. Yet, by the Grace of God, we were delivered and walked away with mere scratches. Thinking on the accident brings us back to how close, how very close the fragility of life was broken for us. I guess it's good to slide by that and dwell in our gratefulness to the Master for having truly delivering us.

It is good to have a national day of Thanksgiving.

Accept, O Lord, our thanks and praise for all that you have done for us. We thank you for the splendor of the whole creation, for the beauty of this world, for the wonder of life, and for the mystery of love.

We thank you for the blessing of family and friends, and for the loving care which surrounds us on every side.

We thank you for setting us at tasks which demand our best efforts, and for leading us to accomplishments which satisfy and delight us.

We thank you also for those disappointments and failures that lead us to acknowledge our dependence on you alone.

Above all, we thank you for your Son Jesus Christ; for the truth of his Word and the example of his life; for his steadfast obedience, by which he overcame temptation; for his dying, through which he overcame death; and for his rising to life again, in which we are raised to the life of your kingdom. Grant us the gift of your Spirit, that we may know him and make him known; and through him, at all times and in all places, may give thanks to you in all things.

Amen.

The Möbius Strip Shuffle. I love mathematics and, in particular, the somewhat different fields like topology. For example, my kids and I play the torus game: I'll ask "is an unattached garden hose more like a piece of cooked spaghetti or a full mug of coffee?" The answer, since this is the torus game, is the mug of coffee since both have a hole through them (the mug being the hole created by the handle). Mathematically, they both have a genus of one.

I love Möbius strips (a one sided surface) and Klein bottles (a bottle with no inside). These imaginary things are wonderfully fanciful and allow one to do mental calisthenics.

Having said this, I can not begin to describe how positively convoluted Rev. Keith F. Axberg's argument is claiming that those who seek to remain faithful to the Anglican Communion are schismatics. I quote it here in the entirety, so as to not do the man a disservice:

There are two kinds of schism: schism in the Church, and schism from the Church. ?“Schism in the Church is a breach of communion between local churches ?… though neither side has changed the fundamental faith and order of the Church?” (Moss, 281). Schism in the Church, then, isn?’t a leaving, but a rip in the fabric of our common life in Christ. It is an estrangement, not a divorce.

?“Schism from the Church?”, on the other hand, ?“is the revolt of persons, large or small, who separate themselves from the Church by rejecting her faith and order ?…?” (Moss, 282). Calvin, for instance, rejected the Catholic Church, calling it the synagogue of the Anti-Christ. He saw it as being beyond redemption, beyond healing, and beyond God?’s capacity to reform. So he created a new church organization over and against the old church. The Protestant Reformation was most literally a schism from the Church.

The debate raging within the Anglican Communion and the Episcopal Church is partially clouded by the use of the term ?“schism?” without the defining prepositions: in or from. The Episcopal Church is clearly experiencing schism in the Church over such issues as Prayer Book revision, the ordination of women, gay, and lesbian persons, human sexuality, etc. Those persons, parishes, or dioceses not able to abide such changes are, themselves, departing from the faith and order of the Church by choosing not to accede to the authority of the Constitution & Canons of the Episcopal Church (USA) and the actions of General Convention, and not the other way around.

I've left his emphasis in.

Let me repeat his payoff sentence, Axberg's conclusion:

Those persons, parishes, or dioceses not able to abide such changes [i.e. "Prayer Book revision, the ordination of women, gay, and lesbian persons, human sexuality, etc."] are, themselves, departing from the faith and order of the Church

!

Talk about "pay, pray, and obey!"

Let's look at Axberg's definitions. First, let's do the "in" thing. Rev. Axberg writes "Schism in the Church, then, isn?’t a leaving, but a rip in the fabric of our common life in Christ. It is an estrangement, not a divorce." A rip in the fabric, hmmm. Where have I heard that before? Oh yes, the Primates' letter -- the one signed by every primate present in London, why, just last month. Even Frankie ("Lyin Eyes") Griswold signed it. What was that phrase they used -- you know, the leaders of the Anglican communion.

Oh yes, they said "This will tear the fabric of our Communion at its deepest level..." Okay, so it's slightly different, not a mere rip, but a tear at the deepest level. So what was the "This" the Primates referred to -- according to Rev Ax, it must have something to do with failing to accept the ordination of a guy who believes gay sex is sacramental. How did those primates define what would tear at the deepest level? "If his consecration proceeds . . ."

Well, how about that...

No wonder Rev. Ax decided to go for that second option. Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain. Come over here and let me show you the real schism. ?“Schism from the Churchis the revolt of persons, large or small, who separate themselves from the Church by rejecting her faith and order ?…?”

By golly, Rev. Ax, do you think that's them pesky fundamentalists we've got lurking around the 'piscopal church?

Rev. Ax sure thinks so.

When all the Primates get together, year after year after year and "reject[] homosexual practice as incompatible with Scripture" that doesn't establish the Church's faith and order.

When the Scriptures teach that God created us male and female, that doesn't have anything to do with the Church's faith and order. When the Scriptures teach that marriage should be between one man and one woman for life, that doesn't have anything to do with the Church's faith and order.

When those same Scriptures - without equivication -condem homosexual acts as sin, that doesn't have anything to do with the Church's faith and order.

When the constant teaching of the Church Catholic through the decades and the centuries is that homosexual practices are sin, why that doesn't have When the Scriptures teach that marriage should be between one man and one woman for life, that doesn't have anything to do with the Church's faith and order.

When the Scriptures and teachings of the Church tell us that a Bishop should be holy and blameless, why that doesn't mean squat.

When every single Christian denomination tells us that what ECUSA is doing is wrong. Eh, who cares?

Again, when the Primates unanimously tell us that ordaining Gene Robinson is wrong, why, that doesn't have anything to do with the Church's faith and order.

No, it seems all that matters for Rev. Ax is what 60 bishops in Minnesota thought on a hot day in August.

Those of us in the congregations who are seeing our churches ripped to shreds by a handful of selfish, self-centered American bishops are having to decide if we want to follow that, "revolt of persons, large or small, who separate themselves from the Church."

Hmmm, do I go with the Church or those in ECUSA revolting from it?

Not a hard choice, Rev. Ax.

I must say your argument is not a very good topology. In fact, I'd say it's a lousy tautology.

It's full of holes. It's a one-sided surface. It is a bottle with no inside: it doesn't hold water.

Steve Taylor Clone. It's been 10 years since the last Steve Taylor album. The only "up" side is for those of you who have never heard him is he's given express permission for his songs to be freely traded or disseminated via the internet. As a result, King David has posted a number of his songs here, in .mp3 format.

Among the songs available is one I've mentioned before, Over My Dead Body, written in Warsaw in 1984, about Grzegorz Przemyk a Polish Youth Worker slain by the Communist government. This one may be downloaded by clicking on this link [right click and save as, for best results].

Confessing Network. The Anglican Mainstream has set forth some of the details on the emerging Confessing Anglican Network of North America on its website. There is a long statement and explanation there. What is really cool is that you have the opportunity to sign up and pledge to pray.

Here is some of the background:

The Primates set up a Commission to address these dangers and to report in September 2004. In the meantime they unanimously urged Provinces not to act precipitately and therefore agreed to a moratorium on controversial actions in their own jurisdictions. But ECUSA has acted already.

The Primates further called for and guaranteed adequate provision for Episcopal oversight for dissenting minorities in consultation with the Archbishop of Canterbury. Adequate here clearly means "acceptable to the people concerned."

Because of the defiant and pre-emptive action of some in ECUSA, this oversight needs to be in place now. But instead of providing such care as promised by the signature of their Presiding Bishop, some in ECUSA have launched lawsuits and disciplinary procedures which pre-empt the Archbishop's Commission and hold the agreed standstill in contempt.

As the Primates warned, this action could have grave knock-on consequences in relationships around the Communion. The fabric has already been torn by New Hampshire and the whole Anglican family must act to prevent further damage.

Moreover, there is a long list of suggested and contemplated actions for different persons, dioceses, bishops, and ministers. The gist of the actions may be seen in what is being urged of the ABC:

Urge the Archbishop of Canterbury and the other primates individually and severally

To maintain full Communion with those Anglicans in the USA who comprise the Network

To recognise Bishop Bob Duncan (Pittsburgh) as the duly elected Convening Bishop (Moderator) of the Network and invite him to all events to which the Presiding Bishop of ECUSA is invited.

To recognise the Convening Bishop (Moderator) in opening ecumenical conversations with other Christian churches.

To insist on a moratorium on license suspensions and lawsuits against those who do not accept the election, confirmation or consecration of Gene Robinson or the blessing of same-sex partnerships at least until the Archbishop's Commission completes its work and Primates have considered its outcome.

To insist that true and acceptable Episcopal oversight (rather than the Presiding Bishop's unacceptable proposal for "Supplemental Episcopal Pastoral Care") be arranged forthwith, and offer immediate oversight themselves until it is in place.

To accept Letters Dimissory (recognition as licensed ministers) of threatened clergy, including both women clergy and those who will not accept the ordination of women.

To ensure that no Bishops who attended and signed the consecration papers of Gene Robinson be permitted to serve on any committee or commission of the Communion or, in any way, as official representatives of the Anglican Communion.

Truro. Last night we had another parish meeting to discuss what's happening in the broader Anglican communion and where Truro parish is heading. As with the other all-parish meetings, Martyn Minns asked that the discussions be kept within the parish family. In the past, I've honored those requests and will do so again.

I believe the Truro vestry and clergy leadership are proceeding in an appropriate manner.

Details will be forthcoming in the coming days -- when they do, I will link to them here.