Captain Yips Secret Journal

And Another Thing

One way of looking at TEC's strategy (if TEC can be said to have had a strategy at all) over the last couple of generations is that it was an "inside strategy" of not actually confronting the larger movements of society, whatever they may have been.  Society plagued by increasing divorce?  Let's have serially married bishops.  Abortion?  We on board with that.  Eclectic, muddled fake spirituality?  We have Wiccan-Episcopal priests.  In the last 50 years, TEC has so conformed itself to its society that a lot of folks have no idea what the deuce Anglican Christianity might be.  How the Innies are to differentiate at the same time they stay within, escapes me.  Good luck and all, but how do you keep the poison from crossing over?

Innies and Outies

Or, Common Cause and Communion Partners. 

It is, I suppose, theoretically possible for the "inside strategy" of remaining within the Church formerly known as Episcopal to simply outlast the collapse.  Theoretically.  It's possible to imagine building fortress dioceses that can survive.  The EpiscoLeft is sterile imaginatively, liturgically, theologically, and morally, and will ultimately shrink into a fairly small probably almost exclusively urban sect, providing a comforting but not very interesting Oprahfied content.  It's possible to imagine that the Communion Partners might eventually gain control of General Convention (though that doesn't seem to be a goal) and possibly of the entire shrunken body.  Theoretically.  But, of course, the inside strategy is the strategy of the last couple of generations, and it hasn't achieved diddly squat.  So let's start with some simple numbers.

These are the Communion Partner dioceses:

Albany
Central Florida
Dallas
Fond du Lac
North Dakota
Northern Indiana
Rhode Island
South Carolina
Tennessee
Texas
West Texas
Western Kansas
Western Louisiana

Since 2002, Average Sunday Attendence in these dioceses has fallen from about 120,000 to about 110,000, or about 8.5%.  Some have seen big declines:  a few are static:  none are growing.  A couple - Western Kansas, North Dakota - are so tiny that their continued existence is questionable.  It is a little hard to imagine that the wealthier Communion Partner dioceses would take over support of these small and poor dioceses to free them of the control of the Episcopal Organization, but that's neither here nor there at this time.

The Innies have to deal with the unpleasant fact that the EpiscoLeft is firmly in control of the great majority of TEC resources, and that will continue indefinitely.  The Innies can make noise and protest, but will be shouted down.  As has been happening since the mid 1960s.  The EpiscoLeft is now a self-perpetuating oligarchy whose displacement cannot be foreseen.  Nor have the Communion Partners ennunciated any strategy towards such displacement.  The record would seem to indicated that the Communion Partners will share in the general decline in active membership, and will have the tactical problem of remaining yoked to an institution that is increasingly remote not merely from Christian tradition but also from anything specifically Anglican - can you bear to wait for the actions of the next General Convention?  And the next Prayer Book? 

In short, I don't think that the Inside Strategy can work, not on it's own.  It's been tried for almost 50 years and has record of failure unblemished by success.  It might, however, succeed if the Common Cause Partnership succeeds.  The combination of inside and outside pressure might crumble the entire rotten edifice.  I cannot see how the Innies could prevail on their own:  half a century ago, when their predecessors were in the majority, they could not resist the well organized revolutionaries.  I can't see prospect for another outcome now. 

The Common Cause Partnership, on the other hand, faces uncertainty, but has a clear path.  There are lots of dangers ahead, but they are, if you will, good dangers.  The Episcopal Organization's future is pretty clear:  collapse to white dwarf status in the next generation or so.  Will the Innies survive the collapse, or be consumed in it?

Wholly Unnecessary Challenge

Of all the challenges to charity that are probably to be presented as a result of the new administration, the most immediate seems to be the emergence of Bill Ayers from his Hyde Park incubator.  Ayers spent last week talking to anyone who would listen.  Now a Northwestern student group has asked him to talk about "Peaceful Progress: A Discourse on Affecting Change."  I hope that "Affecting Change" is a mere misprint, though "affecting change" is an amusing concept.  Indeed, many of the changes that Mr. Ayers and his friends have effected are enough to make me weep. 

Of course, he must be allowed to speak to anyone who wishes to hear him.  Listen to him, and very carefully back away.

Even More Plans

The official announcement of the December 3 event is now up here. 

WHEATON, IL, Nov. 17—Leaders of the Common Cause Partnership, a federation of more than 100,000 Anglican Christians in North America, will release to the public on the evening of Dec. 3 the draft constitution of an emerging Anglican Church in North America, formally subscribe to the Jerusalem Declaration of the Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON) and affirm the GAFCON Statement on the Global Anglican Future at an evening worship celebration in suburban Chicago.

This historic event comes in the wake of GAFCON held in Israel last June with leaders from more than one-half of the world’s 77 million Anglicans. At the close of that gathering, Anglican leaders released the Jerusalem Declaration and the GAFCON Statement on the Global Anglican Future, which outlined their Christian beliefs and goals to reform, heal and revitalize the Anglican Communion worldwide.

“One conclusion of the Global Anglican Future Conference held in Jerusalem last June was that the time for the recognition of a new Anglican body in North America had arrived,” observed Bishop Robert Duncan of Pittsburgh, moderator of Common Cause Partnership. “The public release of our draft constitution is an important concrete step toward the goal of a biblical, missionary and united Anglican Church in North America.”

Provinces, dioceses and parishes around the world have been making formal decisions to support the Jerusalem Declaration and the GAFCON Statement on the Global Anglican Future since its release this summer. Leading bishops and representatives of the North American Common Cause Partnership will officially subscribe to the Declaration and affirm the Statement at the public worship service at Wheaton Evangelical Free Church in Wheaton, IL at 7:30 p.m. CST on December 3. All Anglicans in attendance will also be given an opportunity to individually subscribe to the Declaration and affirm the Statement.

“We enthusiastically issue a public invitation to all fellow Christians in hopes that they will witness, participate in and celebrate our unity and common mission,” Bishop Duncan added.

Prior to the evening service, at 2 p.m. CST earlier on Dec. 3, a reception will be held at the Billy Graham Center in Wheaton to give thanks and learn about the mission of Christ Awakening. Rooted among Anglicans, Christ Awakenings are quickly spreading to the larger Christian community. The first Christ Awakening was held in September 2007 in Chicago. Since then, the grassroots movement of Christ Awakenings has held events in Vancouver, Ohio and New England to call Christians to work together, in unity, partnering for mission worldwide. After the reception, a media briefing with Common Cause leaders will follow at 5:30 p.m. CST, addressing the significance of the historic worship celebration that evening.

The Common Cause Partnership is a federation of Anglican Christians that links together eight Anglican jurisdictions and organizations in North America, including the American Anglican Council, the Anglican Coalition in Canada, the Anglican Communion Network, the Anglican Mission in the Americas, the Anglican Network in Canada, the Convocation of Anglicans in North America, Forward in Faith North America, the Reformed Episcopal Church, and the bishops and congregations linked with Kenya, Uganda, and South America’s Southern Cone. Together they represent more than 100,000 Anglican Christians worshiping each Sunday in the United States and Canada.

Stupendously Cool

Direct image of a multiple planet star system.  Wow. 

A Plea

One reason for my irregular blogging for the last few months is that I've been serving as principal redactor of the 1662 Holy Communion service for my parish.  We've been using a slightly modified version of 1662 for some time, but some thought that the old fashioned language was a barrier to new comers.  We decided to take a run at a modernization that tried to keep the many good things in the 1662 service while modernizing intelligently.  After months of work and lots of community feedback, the current result may be inspected here.  I will, of course, be happy to discuss the effort in comments or by email.  This version differs slightly from the one I sent to some of you. 

As we consider the prospect of a unified Anglican province in North America, we also turn to think about the form that the worship of such a province might take.  There's a lot of sentiment against the 1979 Book, but mixed feelings about a return to 1928 or 1662.  My plea is this:  look at 1662 not for the archaicisms (whether you like them or not) nor the vocabulary, but for the single minded concentration on God and God's action that the 1662 Book preserved from Thomas Cranmer's earlier achievement.  Keep in mind that prior to the English Reformation, the Communion service was not only said in Latin but often said in an inaudible mumble, with portions of it said silently, by the priest to the priest, and, sometimes, some places, some of it said behind a screen, hidden from the congregation.  Cranmer's achievement was to bring the service into the light, into the language of the congregation, and to make the congregation a participant in the worship rather than a passive witness.  Above all, listen to the deeply passionate response to the saving works of God that Cranmer suffuses through the service. Rediscover this great well spring of Anglican worship.

Of course, I am entirely aware that the revision we're currently using is at best a first cut of a very difficult and probably contentious process.  There are parts I with which I am less than happy, but one has to stick a fork in it eventually.  After we use this a while, we'll probably have another round of slight tinkering. 

Even More Info

Thanks to Anglican TV, we now have more information.  The Common Cause Council will meet on December 2 and 3, with a Holy Communion service to conclude at 7:30 on the 3^rd.  The venue for the service wasn't announced, but one rumor is that it may be here.  I shall attend.  Any readers or fellow Anglican bloggers who plan to attend and want to try to squeeze in a meeting or dinner should email me or drop a line in comments.  I will continue to provide information as I get it.

Rumors

Leaks and rumors are coalescing that the new Anglican Province in North America will be formed on December 3.  I'll add my two cents that we've been told that a major Common Cause event will take place that day in the Chicago area, probably in Wheaton.  Details haven't been released.  I plan to be there, but I'm traveling today. I'll post more information when I get it. 

Update:  I wrote too hastily.  Allow a clarification before I hit the road.  What some in the Chicago area have heard from a well placed source is that on December 3 we will be able to witness a significant step.  From the vague description, it seems more like another step in solidifying the Common Cause Partnership than a declaration of the North American Anglican Province for which we long.  Attendence by some Primates is hoped for.  The details are unclear, and my hunch is that negotiations continue at a level beyond the source of the information.  A press release is said to be forthcoming, but it seems a bit delayed.  If the process of constructing this Province can be likened to building a house, it's more like, "We've dug the basement, and are ready to put down the sills." 

The Question

Is the President-elect a covert, committed socialist radical, or merely a tightly wound coil of ambition who adapts his professed policies to whatever wins elections?  I don't know that we can tell at this moment, though his position on abortion and a good deal of the rhetorical style suggests the committed radical.  We won't be able to tell by his words:  the rhetoric of the left now uses the vocabulary of the center and sometimes the right.  It's here that the experience of American Anglican conservatives can help.  The EpiscoLeft is skilled at using words that soothe and calm while behaving indeed like a duck:  all calm and placid above, but below paddling furiously.  So we must watch what President-elect Obama does, and stop our ears to what he says. 

Looking Back

When the “Obama for President” drumbeat began the day after his election to the Senate four years ago, my wife said, “he should get some seasoning first.”  I said, “he has to go now.  In another four or eight years people will know who he is.”

We’ll get to know him now, of course.  Candidate Obama was an blank slate onto which his supporters projected whatever they wished.  President Obama will be a different thing altogether.  He must make decisions (something he’s never had to do), not merely talk. 

A couple of striking things about this election.  Obama received 62,680,702 votes.  In 2004, Bush got 62,040,606.  This year, McCain got 55,542,743, while Kerry got 59,028,109 in 2004.  2,345270 fewer votes were cast.  Assuming that enthusiasm for Obama generated an unknown number of new voters, an awful lot of people who voted for George Bush in 2004 didn’t vote this year - at a guess, 3 to 4 million.  In 2004, there were about 156 million registered voters, and presumably more this year, so turnout was down quite a bit.  Given the fall off in turnout, the result seems to be less about enthusiasm for Obama than lack of enthusiasm for McCain. 

The President-elects lefty sideboys will do their best to claim that the new administration has a mandate, but that’s not the case.  Given the circumstances, the Republicans in the Senate did well.  Elizabeth Dole seems to have self destructed in North Carolina and may have taken McCain with her.  Nevada and Ohio, which flipped to Obama, have high rates of foreclosure.  In general, state margins were narrow.  Over-topping enthusiasm for Obama seems to be limited to a few cities and to members of the media establishment. 

While I don’t share Dr. Mabuse’s apocalyptic vision, I do think that we’re being asked to think about who we are, and I think there are certain qualities in common with the plight of traditional Anglicans and conservative Republicans.  Who are we? 

And there I’ll stop for today, hoping to explore both questions of identity in the immediate future.

Later:  This is not good.  Rahm Emanuel is a bare knuckle brawler of a politician, very good at it, but without an ounce of conciliation.  If this is a sign of what the new administration will be like, it'll bee a very long four years.