Covenant

It seems I owe Bill Kinnon a debt of gratitude this morning. Yesterday Bill pointed us to Ruth Gledhill's blog at the Times Online, where Ruth has been reporting from The Lambeth Conference. I must admit I haven't gone out of my way to stay up to date with this tragic denominational trainwreck, but I've been watching (and grieving) from a distance. Down the page on Ruth's blog I came across her post Lambeth Diary: Chief Rabbi commands the crowds. 

On Monday The Chief Rabbi Sir Jonathan Sacks addressed those gathered at Lambeth. At the conclusion of his remarks Ruth tells us this Jewish Rabbi received a five-minute standing ovation from the Anglican crowd. Needless to say this piqued my interest, and thankfully Ruth has linked to the full text of the Chief Rabbi's address. I read it a couple of times yesterday, again last night after I arrived here at Linwood House, and once more this morning. He spoke on covenant, on fate, and faith. It is outstanding, and I will read it several more times before I'm ready to put it down.

If you're so inclined go read the Rabbi's words, and perhaps come back and let us know what you think.

Comments

[Bill Kinnon]

'Tis what friends are for, Mike.

The Anglican Communion is heading towards a train wreck. It is profoundly sad. Everyone wants to talk - very few want to listen. TEC, the ACC and perhaps the GAFCON leaders - are only interested in listening to those who agree with them. I'm afraid a schism is inevitable. There will be two Anglican Communions - if not more. The Global South with more than 75% of the people who call themselves Anglicans will be one Communion - TEC, the ACC, the CofE and parts of the rest of the world will form the other - with the North American expressions heading towards the irrelevance of the United Church of Canada. And I say this as a Canadian Anglican.

[DTODD]

Great to see a Rabbi speaking at the Lambeth Conference! And about reconciliation. As Marvin Wilson says in one of his books: "The roots of Christianity run deep in Hebrew soil.Though the Hebrew heritage of the Church is rich and extensive, many Christians are uninformed about it." Whay a debt we owe.Guess it's why I wear a star of David round my neck- more than just a souvenier of a trip to Israel
DT

[sonja]

Wow ... that's an amazing piece of writing.

The expression of covenant is so important ... and I loved the way Reb Sacks wove that teaching and the essential Jewish manner of questioning throughout his whole talk. It's so beautiful.

Like you, I will return to this again and again.

[sonja]

I was particularly struck by his description of the State being the place where power is manipulated and distributed, and the Market is the place where wealth is manipulated and distributed. Then he seamlessly moved from that discussion into a description of the difference between contract and covenant. The difference is sooooo vital and so completely misunderstood. This quote was perhaps the most vital part of his speech:

"... If there is only competition and not co-operation, if there is only the state and the market and no covenantal relationships, society will not survive.

What then happens to a society when religion wanes and there is nothing covenantal to take its place?

Relationships break down. Marriage grows weak. Families become fragile. Communities atrophy. And the result is that people feel vulnerable and alone. If they turn those feelings outward, the result is often anger turning to violence. If they turn them inward, the result is depression, stress related syndromes, eating disorders, drug and alcohol abuse. Either way, there is spiritual poverty in the midst of material affluence."

There is much to be done. Some of the work involves the practical; feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, etc. But a lot of the work that we need to do in the world also involves renewing our covenant with our neighbors rather than enacting a contract with the state.

An aside, and this is for DTODD as well, an excellent book to read on the Jewish roots of our faith is "The Gospel According to Moses" by Athol Dickson. Mr. Dickson is an evangelical who participated in weekly Torah studies with a Jewish group for (I think) five years. This book came out of those studies and is a wonderful survey of how the OT both foreshadows Christ and how He fulfills it and uses it throughout His life. Great read.

[wendy]

Thanks Bill, Mike and Ruth for pointing us to the Rabbi's address. Very rich.
I'm engaging with a Jewish lesbian friend - and this is a perfect piece to share with her.