Don’t fence me in
by chuckofish
Today marks the 75th anniversary of my parents’ wedding at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Savannah, Georgia in 1950.
Time like an ever-rolling stream and all that.
In other news, The Church of England announced Friday that the Right Reverend and Right Honorable Dame Sarah Mullally has been named the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury–as Albert Mohler says, “A liberal nurse to lead a dying church?” Ugh. As Mohler says, “My own life has been so enriched by the Anglican tradition, and my soul has been fed by towering figures such as John Owen and Bishop Charles Ryle. I hold dear the memory and examples set by towering Reformation martyrs such as Archbishop Thomas Cranmer, Bishop Nicholas Ridley, and Bishop Hugh Latimer. I learned much from J. I. Packer and John Stott and a host of others, living and dead. I am thankful for such good work done by so many for so long. I pray for them. I cherish Anglican music, though I hear it far more commonly in my library than in my church. I grieve for my Anglican friends.”
Well, as Anne says, “Yes, for sure, go to church, but be awfully careful which one. It’s kind of a jungle out there. But for sure, only by being incorporated as a living stone into the same building with the stone that the builders rejected, which is the chief cornerstone, can you be really happy and have the life you really need and desire.”
On a happier note…
And here’s a treat: Bob Dylan sings one of my favorite Cole Porter songs.
dual personalities 
Anne is right. It is a jungle out there, and I will refrain from commenting on the new Archbishop of Canterbury other than to express my consternation. Yikes!
I don’t often comment, but here goes…an alternative perspective on Sarah Mullaly’s election as Archbishop of Canterbury (and yes, I DID read Mohler’s article in WORLD):
The Rt. Rev. and Rt. Hon. Dame Sarah Mullally, Bishop of London, has been chosen as the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury, the first woman to serve in the office/
Her nomination by the 20-member Crown Nominations Commission had been approved by King Charles III. The commission, which for the first time included representatives from the five regions of the Anglican Communion, met last week, and at least two-thirds of the members approved of her election.
“She is someone who seeks to understand and respect a variety of different traditions, and tries to hold them together. … She is known to be someone who listens and wants to hear and discern, instead of having their own views and then being unhappy when people have a different perspective,” said Andrew Goddard, tutor in ethics at Ridley Hall Cambridge and a prominent commentator on the Church of England.
Mullally has served as Bishop of London since 2018, and was previously Bishop of Crediton. As Bishop of London, she oversaw a modernization of the diocese’s administrative structures, drawing on her experience in the National Health Service. Goddard said that she is known as “a manager, a process person, and that her credentials in leading projects at a national level in church and public service likely made her a very attractive candidate”
Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe said that he looks forward to working with her in her ministry across the Anglican Communion and added, “Bishop Sarah is known in the Church of England as a wise and steady leader, a faithful advocate for the leadership of women in the church, and a bishop who will be committed to safeguarding vulnerable people and victims of abuse.”
A first female leader carries untold expectation – not least on social media, where women come under harsher criticism. But perhaps a first female leader might also carry a charism for uniting where our instinct is to polarise. In English history the three longest-serving and best-loved monarchs, who each took charge following times of turmoil, all happened to be women.
Thank you for commenting! I’m glad we can agree to disagree.
I know polarized is spelled wrong!