In his Presidential Address, Rowan Williams has said something to upset just about everyone. I think he deserves credit since his seems to be such an effortless gift; others of us have to work at it.
Liberals are upset because Rowan is still not “fully including” homosexuals in the life of the Anglican church, even though he did issue a rather grovelling apology – perhaps what was missing was an obsequious Obama Bow™.
Conservatives will be upset because, among other things, he seems to think that TEC and the ACoC have exercised genuine restraint, because he jumbles together outside intervention and litigation as if they were equivalent wrongs and because he still doesn’t get it: the ACoC and TEC have become sub-Christian institutions.
Such is the problem of trying to find middle ground when there really isn’t any. Rowan Williams might be able to thrive in the effete, refined halls of academia but he is quite incapable of leading the Anglican communion to anywhere but ruin.
I agree with you. Sometimes I wish ++ Williams would simply come out a nail his colours to the mast and get it over with. He tries to walk a “middle path” (that as you rightly point out doesn’t exist in reality even though everyone knows he is himself a liberal) which pleases no-one and he ends up derided by all.
Surely the revisionist churches are Post-Christian, since they clearly come from real Christianity, but have moved beyond it.
David,
Check this out: http://pluralistspeaks.blogspot.com/2010/02/bishop-bootslick-on-wednesday-vote.html
Lovely piece of satire I found in the comments on a Fulcrum interview about the ACNA vote in C of E.