Friday, October 06, 2006

Wheaton news

I just got my alumni magazine and noticed the excerpt from the graduate commencement speech, delivered by a Ugandan Anglican Bishop. I was disappointed that Wheaton would invite a bishop whose country (I don't know about him personally) is calling for church disunity and sanctions against the American Episcopal Church because of our inclusion of GLBT Christians - and now, women - in leadership.

In addition, I found his speech deeply ironic, for it was about the fact that Jesus chose to associate with "tax collectors and sinners" rather than the religious elite of his day. He then proceeded to talk about his own encounter with HIV/AIDS patients and how his mind was changed about the disease, how we should all support them (originally, to him, the disease only afflicted "sinners").

How strange that he did not mention the elephant in the room - the real marginalized from his country and the Anglican Communion at large - which is the GLBT community in our church. To me, that is the group Jesus would associate with today - that is the group that is scandalous to the religious establishment, at least in this bishop's country (and most of his continent).

Too bad...but not all that surprising.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Something you might find interesting from another Wheaton alum, who performs with Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind in Chicago:

http://chris.tessone.net/2006/05/17/jesus-place-your-bets/

Sue and I found the monologue so powerful that I emailed the guy afterward and asked if I could post it to my blog.

Michelle said...

Just FYI...

I don't know which Ugandan bishop you were talking about (since I'm not a Wheaton alum), but my understanding is that Ugandan Anglican leadership are not opposed to women's ordination. They began ordaining women in the early 1980s.

Blessings...