Learning lessons well

Why haven't the Anglicans split? Why keep communion with Africans and Asians that don't seem to understand what Christianity is all about? Is it because the Americans and Canadians think they can influence the conservatives? Chances seem slim. Perhaps it is white guilt? If the split happens Africans would lose much needed subsidies, which doesn't seem to slow down the African bishop's antagonism. Here is a suggestion at the history of the problem, implying the anti-gay fundamentalism is a fault of the British and American missionaries that brought the Anglican church to Africa and Asia. They seem to have taught a primitive version of the story. Africa, especially, can't get beyond that because so few of their leaders are well educated or have had seminary training. They aren't used to interpreting historical texts and placing them in context. They aren't exposed to the latest scholarship on homosexuality. So it seems that while African and Asian bishops can read the Bible, they don't understand the Christian faith. So what's wrong with a split? That is, after all, how the Anglican Church began.

Then again, many conservative churches in American teach a primitive form of Christianity and don't understand what it is all about. Perhaps the Africans and Asians did have good teachers. Here is a story of an ex-gay leader who claims that God gave breast cancer and killed off half a lesbian couple to chastise the women left alive. How cruel can you get? That prompts a rant by blogger Terrence Heath. So why did cancer take his straight father who, on his deathbed, was urging is son to be saved? That distorted view of God is the view the rest of society has come to know, so well that George Carlin can do a monologue about God the hostage-taker. God is seen as this invisible man in the sky who watches what we do and if you do anything from his list of 10 things you get sent to a place of torture and anguish. But he loves you. And he needs money. Follow the link to Carlin's actual text which is full of words I'd rather not use.