Archbishop Tutu rebukes his church on its misplaced priorities

[thatcrazycajun]

You may have heard that the worldwide Anglican Communion, of which the Episcopal Church USA is a part, has been in something of an internal tizzy the last few years since the ECUSA named an openly, actively homosexual bishop to its hierarchy, the Rev. Gene Robinson. More conservative elements in the church have been tossing around the word "schism" with increasing frequency lately as the American church has steadfastly refused to defrock Robinson or demote him from his bishopric.

Now comes Nobel Peace Prize winner and South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu to remind them of all the people suffering in disease, poverty and violence while they argue about a supremely asinine matter instead of working to help them. Rather forcefully, in fact, and you can read about it here thanks to BBC News.

Money quote: "I must imagine that God is weeping, and the world quite rightly should dismiss the Church in those cases as being totally irrelevant." Archbishop Tutu accused some of his fellow Anglicans of going against the teaching of Jesus in their treatment of homosexual people by "persecuting the already persecuted."

You tell' em, Your Eminence. They will never in all likelihood listen, of course, but when J.C. does finally return to judge their sorry asses, they can't say they weren't warned.

Comments

[technoshaman.livejournal.com]

One of His Grace's proteges is a fellow South African native by the name of Robert Taylor. As many gentlemen on this Washington's Captiol Hill do, he lives with his gentleman partner. I have had the pleasure of hearing him speak... it was in his capacity as Dean of St. Mark's, which had I a back window in this place I could see. Dean Taylor was up for the Bishop of San Francisco not too long ago. I think I can speak for much of the Emerald City in saying that I'm just as glad he didn't get it. And nowhere near that many of us are Episcopal.

I don't share the man's theology; I don't grok it. But that doesn't mean I'm not interested in what the man (and his fellow ministers) have to say... and I'm *especially* interested in the "radical inclusivity" concept that he and Tutu are pushing, as well as the social justice that goes along with it. I totally agree with the spirit of what Tutu is saying, that the record shows that the Rabbi *clearly* meant for folks to love and respect *everyone*, regardless of whatever status they might have.

[osewalrus.livejournal.com]

Some will listen. And the more people say it, the more people see that it is ok to think it.

People are often better than we expect, although perhaps slower to realize it than we would like.