Thursday, July 24, 2008

Tea with the Queen, the blogging bishops


Today the bishops are off to tea with the Queen, and then are marching through the streets of London in support of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to end world poverty. I am still not sure what to make of the juxtaposition of those settings. You can decide for yourself; read about the bishops' Walk of Witness, led by Archbishop Rowan Williams.

I am amazed by all of the bishops who are blogging from Lambeth. I feel as though we have a ringside seat, and even better, we get to hear what the bishops think. Episcopal Cafe has a great daily roundup and is worth checking. Among the more insightful and entertaining blogs is from Alan Wilson, an English bishop. His blog entry today, called The Kingdom as Hawaiian Luau, includes photos and cartoons. Definitely check it out!

Nor are the small and large ironies lost on the bishops. For example, the major news headline for the week was about the primate of Sudan, the Most Rev. Daniel Deng Bul, calling for the resignation of Gene Robinson and his harsh words about the American Episcopal Church. Yet my bishop from Northern California, +Barry Beisner, had breakfast with Bishop Deng Bul, and over the eggs and crumpets the Sudan primate invited Barry to visit Sudan! Meanwhile, the American bishops will be hosting the Sudan bishops to a cocktail party on Saturday. Some bishops have noted on their blogs that the conversation over the white wine will be most interesting and you can bet they will be posting reports on their blogs. 

So onward we plunge, Anglicanism in all its splendor, all its commitment, all of its contradictions and ironies. Keep the bishops in your prayers!

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