Standing at the foot of the Cross
Sep. 26th, 2007 02:32 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
chrishansenhomeThe Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church has referred to "standing at the foot of the cross" after coming up with a weaselly statement on the place of lesbian and gay people in the church and especially in episcopal orders. This is, I suppose, meant to reflect the personal pain that each bishop feels at being "forced" to abandon our lesbian and gay brothers and sisters to the wolves of Lambeth Palace in exchange for an invitation to tea with the Queen and Bible Study with Peter Akinola.
My response, in another venue, was this:
This guff about "standing at the foot of the cross" needs to be countered forcefully. We are all crucified and raised with Christ; this I believe fervently. However, bishops suffering from cognitive dissonance are not "standing at the foot of the cross". These bishops have themselves selected the tree, sawed it into planks, required lesbian and gay people and their friends to carry the cross to Calvary, personally hammered the nails in, and raised the cross on which they've crucified us on high. They should not be allowed the luxury of standing beneath that cross wringing their hands and saying how upset they are. The honourable exception, of course, is +Gene, who has himself suffered in this entire sorry situation perhaps more than we know. He's up there with the rest of us.
My response, in another venue, was this:
This guff about "standing at the foot of the cross" needs to be countered forcefully. We are all crucified and raised with Christ; this I believe fervently. However, bishops suffering from cognitive dissonance are not "standing at the foot of the cross". These bishops have themselves selected the tree, sawed it into planks, required lesbian and gay people and their friends to carry the cross to Calvary, personally hammered the nails in, and raised the cross on which they've crucified us on high. They should not be allowed the luxury of standing beneath that cross wringing their hands and saying how upset they are. The honourable exception, of course, is +Gene, who has himself suffered in this entire sorry situation perhaps more than we know. He's up there with the rest of us.
