I was walking around the exhibit floor yesterday and came across a booth with lots of icons. It is staffed by two Orthodox monks, and their order both creates and produces icons and liturgical stuff, including wonderful Orthodox music, around the world. I talked with one of the monks for a good bit. He is in his mid-30’s, a convert to Orthodoxy from Lutheranism (the migration continues), and has not yet taken his final vows – but still with a long beard, black habits with a simple, cotton baseball cap like hat without the brim. We talked about the difficulty of the vow of obedience!
I was repeatedly asked by one of the priests in Ohio who kept encouraging me to pursue the priesthood several years ago whether I would end up in Orthodoxy. No, probably not. On the other hand, there are certainly those forces within this church that seem to continue to push it further away from the centuries old traditions of Anglicanism. I became an Anglican, and did not join one of the other Protestant expressions of the faith. I came to the Episcopal Church because it was “catholic” and I don’t want to see that lost. I don’t want this church to become just another Protestant body, not because they are bad but because they are not, what?, “this,” not “catholic.” We certainly do have reformation inspired theology, but we also are squarely part of the One Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. Only if we are pushed to loose our distinctiveness might I consider something else. I really don’t have the words at this point to express what I am feeling.
I am eating well! Very well! Too well! And, so far I haven’t had to pay for any of it. There are some great restaurants around the convention center; the Pension Group takes care of lunch for those of us who are working, and breakfast is included at my hotel. Life is good, and people seem to be in good spirits.
I also ran three miles yesterday, walked about five on Sunday, and use the stairs whenever possible – clergy wellness and all that. Standing in the Pension Group booth representing the Medical Trust and knowing all the problems clergy are experiencing, how can I not at least attempt to be an example for other people (so that I will not be accused of being a hypocrite, even though I do act hypocritically at times), but also for my own health.
The stuff of convention continues on. Committees have begun their work last night and public responses are being requested. Nothing much of controversy yet, but I’m reading the responses on various blogs and websites to get a feel for other peoples’ reactions. At this point, my sense is that the radical fringes are hyped-up, but honestly I do believe most people do not want to divide, and the Windsor Report seems to be the accepted mechanism for keeping us together. It will all depend on whether the response of convention to the report will satisfy the majority of people on both sides of the issue. As I’ve written before, nothing but absolute victory and the destruction of opponents will satisfy some. We shall see.
To get a sense of where people and groups are, check the links on the side panel under “The Anglican Perspective.”