Primates are Here to Help
I recently remarked on this blog that the SUO debates can sometimes be absurdist. But day-to-day reality provides plenty of such absurdities. One of the most surreal to observe has been the transformation of western Christianity over the past few decades. Although I have been actively observing foronly 20 years, it appears to me that the transformation beganin earnest about 40 years ago, with Vatican II. Surreal that the once-mighty Catholic church has imploded in sex abuse scandals. Surreal that the sexual orientation of a bishop becomes a matter of public discussion for millions of Christians. Surreal that the same church who brought us Vatican II and Malinga now sends Ratzinger to offer moral support to conservative episcopalians. These are things that would have been unimaginable 40 years ago, and still it seems very unreal to read the news. Today I read that Kendall Harmon, one of the conservative episcopalians at the summit,argues for churchunity, saying “the primates are serious in trying to help you.” As if it’s not strange enough to be arguing that moral authority is subordinate to good intentions, but do they really have to call their leaders “primates”? Could you write better fiction?