The Idolatry of Unity
A Statement of the Presiding Bishop of the Universal Anglican Church
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, recently announced that he will not invite The Rt. Rev. V. Gene Robinson to Lambeth Conference in
The reason that Rowan Williams has decided to not invite Bishop Robinson is ostensibly the issue of unity. Some Churches in the Anglican Communion, particularly in the developing world, have very traditional views of human sexuality, and are seeking to impose their views of human sexuality on the rest of the Communion. Such an attempt is completely contrary to Anglican polity, but that is a discussion for another time.
Archbishop Williams, and the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church in the
Those who seek to support the cause of unity biblically usually appeal to one biblical passage. That passage is John 17:20-21, in what is known as the priestly prayer of Jesus. Praying to God, Jesus says, “I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so the world may know that you have sent me.” (NRSV)
Those who would say that this passage justifies their rampant acts of discrimination are ignorant of some very important realities. The first is that neither Jesus nor God are Christians. Therefore it is impossible to conclude that this prayer that all might be one has anything to do with all people belonging to one faith (with, in the case of Jesus, the possible exception of Judaism – although I hasten to mention that regardless of Jesus’ status God isn’t Jewish) much less one denomination. The second reality they are blinded to by their own prejudices is that Jesus is praying that we all might be one in God. That is not a request by Jesus for a change in status of humanity, it is stating a reality that has always been – that by the very act of creation we are all one in God, we are all God’s children, and it is only our own pettiness and the false teachings of religion over the years that has obscured this reality. There is no need to do anything to make us one in God – we already are.
Although the precise language differs from Church to Church, one of the things a person ordained in the Anglican tradition agrees to do is to respect the dignity and worth of all human beings. Clearly, Rowan Williams has failed to do this in excluding Bishop Robinson on the basis of his sexuality. Bishop Robinson is the duly elected and consecrated Bishop of the Diocese of New Hampshire. That election was confirmed by the General Convention of the Episcopal Church. Clearly, Mr. Williams cannot be excluding Bishop Robinson on the basis of some question about legitimacy. Rowan is excluding Bishop Robinson on the basis of Rowan’s own idolatry and his inability to take a courageous moral stand. Mr. Williams is a coward, a bigot, and an idolater who has broken his ordination vows and I can no longer acknowledge him as the leader of any body of faith. I call upon him to repent, resign his position, and pray that he might be restored to wholeness. Only after that occurs will I be able to afford him any respect. Until such time as he repents, I cannot in good conscience refer to him by any religious title.
Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts-Schori, unless I am very wrong, will soon join Mr. Williams as an individual to whom I cannot, in good conscience, refer to by any religious title. She has already shown a remarkable tendency to worship at the altar of unity. She has betrayed the very constituency in whom she elicited such hope when she was elected Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church. She has shown the same lack of backbone as Mr. Williams, the same kind of effete leadership, the same tendency toward idolatry. Unless and until she withdraws from Lambeth 2008, I will maintain that she, too, has abdicated her responsibility and broken her ordination vows. As with Mr. Williams, I will be unable in good conscience to refer to her by any religious title.
It has become clear that the only unity desired by the leaders of the Anglican Communion is the unity of their own power structures. Thank God that the Universal Anglican Church is not a part of that Communion, for it represents everything to which we are opposed. Those who seek to defend the Communion from within are, in reality, only attempting to maintain their ever shrinking power base. Those who attempt to defend the Communion from outside are attempting to bail out a leaky cruise ship with a thimble. They, too, are willing to sacrifice human beings on the altar of unity.
One of the most discouraging parts of this debate within the Communion is that, under Anglican polity, it should never have happened. Weak leadership has allowed it to happen, and now energy and resources that should be used to serve and help the suffering within the Communion are being diverted to placating the prejudiced and the ignorant.
Hang your head in shame, Mr. Williams, you are a Judas of the highest order. I expect your friend Ms. Jefferts-Schori will soon join you in that role.
God’s Peace,
+Craig Bergland,
Presiding Bishop of the Universal Anglican Church
