From An Inch at a Time, Katie Sherrod writes, in part,
In his address to the joint session of the House of Bishops and the House of Deputies, Frank Griswold tried to anger "the center" by telling them that "the fringes" had manipulated them. He made it clear that the "fringes" included LGBT people who are participating fully in the life and ministry of the church and want to continue to do so.
We-have-to-do-this-or-we-won't-be-invited-to-Lambeth became his ultimatum. Then he brought out his biggest gun of all, Presiding Bishop-elect Katharine Jefferts Schori. Give Katharine what she needs to be at the table. The bishops caved.
Read the rest here.
Luiz Coelho noted the following in a comment at Father Jake Stops the World:
Dear Jake+
I follow your website for a long time, since I was in Spain, and, back in Brazil, with all those events that happened to our church last year, I would like to say that even looking like a defeat, I tend to look at B033 as a concession that The Episcopal Church is making in order to help other provinces (which do not share ++Akinola's fundamentalist views) to evolve.
The Episcopal Anglican Church of Brazil is one of the few churches here that has opened its mind to discuss some issues on human sexuality, but even having a moderate to liberal clergy body, we still face a tremendous pressure from many members and from at least one diocese (that is still very conservative).
The presence of a strong US Episcopal Church with an active voice inside the Anglican Communion will surely help many smaller provinces that are struggling to affirm inclusive policies. Without the ECUSA, or the Anglican Church of Canada, we will be obliged to accept everything that our african counterparts determine. ++Akinola has already excluded us from the "Global South". We were described as a "spiritual desert". And currently, the ECUSA is the only hope we can look at.
We are sorry that the Episcopal Church had to walk slowler, but I think that, looking from this point of view, it was a way to help other Churches walk with you.
And congrats on your website.
May God bless you.
That same post at FJSTW links to an article in The Guardian that's worth checking out.
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