Right now the convention is going through the financial report and the budget, so I thought I'd jump out and check my email and fill you in on what has been going on.
So far, so good. Folks are behaving themselves. It's been a good time of re-connecting with friends from all over Canada. I've drunk some beer, bought some books, ate good food. Typical convention stuff.
Tomorrow is the Same-sex blessing resolution. It's going to be awful. Strong feelings on both sides. I'm not looking forward to it.
If it passes, the ELCIC will collapse. No question. But a new church will rise. That I'm confident of.
If the resolution DOESN't pass, then some liberals will force the issue from within their own congregations. They will either perform "illegal" blessings (can a blessing ever be "illegal"?) and suffer the consequences of church discipline, or they will turn in their licences to perform marriages as sanctioned by our synod and ask their congregation to independantly endorse them with the provincial government.
The question I ask is: why don't folks who want to perform ssb or ssm simply do first what they are threatening to do as a consequence of a "no" vote - turn in their licences to get their congregations to apply for a separate licence. This, it seems to me, is a good compromise. It won't change church policy, it won't anger the conservatives, and we'll continue business as usual.
Maybe tonight, I'll chat with some leaders in the "pro-gay" camp and see if this is a real option, or if they just want to beat up on conservatives.
But tonight is about beer and prayer. For this crowd, the two are the same. At least we can agree on that.
3 comments:
"The question I ask is: why don't folks who want to perform ssb or ssm simply do first what they are threatening to do as a consequence of a "no" vote - turn in their licences to get their congregations to apply for a separate licence. This, it seems to me, is a good compromise. It won't change church policy, it won't anger the conservatives, and we'll continue business as usual."
I think the reason is that on gay issues, the liberals don't want to back down for fear they will lose ground, making it harder to argue for it in the future. It seems that conservatives will fight tooth and nail about gay issues and tend to use any victory against the liberal proposals.
At least, that's an outsider looking in.
Ah, hang in there. Beer and prayer indeed.
(Homer Simpson voice) ... mmm ... Beer and prayer ...
I'm wondering why I go to youth gatherings instead of the NCC ... oh right, teens are easier to get along with and understand than adults!
Open hearts trumps beer? (cue Homer neck-stranglehold)
markh
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