Hugs for the Archbishop

I know there are a lot of Episcopalians upset right now by Rowan Williams but there is a difference between being upset and being downright mean. Yesterday I started a Facebook group called "Hugs for the Archbishop." It might sound a bit light hearted but there is a serious point here - hugs show affection and more the point a hug in many of our churches is a sign of peace.

I was once told by a wise person that it is difficult to hate someone who we are praying for. By praying with an open spirit we allow God to show us that those for whom we pray are in so many ways just like us - struggling with the same issues about humanity and God and still coming to a different conclusion. Hopefully this divine introduction to commonality and shared humanity, at east, stops us from simply writing off others and villifying them in a way which I would regard as un-christian.

With the Advent of the internet there is a much greater opportunity than ever for public comment - but it is precisely that - public. We all express private and un-holy irritation at times - we say things to spouses and friends which we would not usually say to the whole world. Now, in the privacy of our own homes we can say anything via a keyboard - but I wonder whether we should say all the things we do. Generally I have a rule - if I would not say something to someone's face then I should not be saying it at all - let alone writing it. I wonder if the posters of some of more colorful posts would be willing to stand in front of the objects of their attack and say the same sort of things. If they would and could then I am concerned that our communication skills need some honing.

So hugs for the Archbishop is a Christian concept representing commonality and a wish for peace. We may not resolve this issue very soon but what we do have is a man of prayer in the Canterbury who is deliberating carefully - he is listening for God's voice just as we are - he is making sense just as we are - however devastating our end differences are - they are just that, differences and adding unnecessary meaness to the conversation simply demeans us and more importantly stains dark the banner of Christ under which we live.