AND SO BEGINS another round of what some see as little more than battling bishops and multimillion-dollar lawsuits, all in the name of the church.
I'm referring to this summer's General Convention of the Episcopal Church, the once-every-three-years gathering of thousands of church members from Ecuador to Alaska.
For the fourth time, I will don my hat as editor of Center Aisle, the daily newspaper published during the convention by the Diocese of Virginia.
This year, the 10-day-long convention will be held in an Anaheim, Calif., convention center across the street from Disneyland. But judging by my experience, I'll have no time to spend with Mickey Mouse, Goofy and the rest of the gang (though the temptation to make symbolic use of those characters may be irresistible).
Ever since 2003, when Gene Robinson's consecration as the first openly gay bishop of the church was affirmed, the media have made a beeline to this convention, despite the fact that it spends a good portion of its time delving into arcane matters of church governance.
So why am I still an optimist when the doomsayers are once again predicting that the Episcopal Church and the Worldwide Anglican Communion are about to come apart at the seams over issues of human sexuality?
Call me naive, but I see another opportunity in Anaheim for our church to be a positive witness to the world--a model of how passionate believers can champion their causes and still remain committed to the foundational beliefs that unite them.
More here-
http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2009/052009/05132009/465225
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