Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Serious Scribbler Award

The gracious Tobias Haller has passed on an award to the Anglican Centrist called the Serious Scribbler Award. It is kind of like doing the 'Wave' on the internet, from what I understand. But I am grateful for Tobias' kind words about this blog. Rules and information about the award are found here.

In following them, I commend the following as Serious Scribblers:

- Craig Uffman, founder and shepherd of the Covenant website. Craig is deeply thoughtful, faithful and capable. His own writing is deep and well-wrought, and the team that he has assembled over at Covenant have done impressive work in a relatively short order. They have managed to create an alternative voice to the kind of liberalism espoused by entrenched institutional leadership, or the insipid and rude tone struck by those at Stand Firm or Virtue. This is the blogosphere constellation of loyal Episcopalians and Anglicans who are certainly 'right-of-center' - if that matters - but more importantly are Communion-minded Anglicans, whose vision of the Church is concerned with unity, integrity and catholicity - while maintaining hallmark Anglican generosity and breadth. I dub Craig a Serious Scribbler.
- Bryan Owen, at Creedal Christian and Chris Epperson at The Eternal Pursuit, are kindred spirits of mine here in the 'Anglican Heartland' as former South African Primate Njongonkulu Ndungane once described it. We are 'centrists' for want of a better word - as strong proponents of the Book of Common Prayer, robust traditional Episcopal liturgy, and the Quadrilateral basics of the faith - and dedicated to the idea that the Episcopal Church can be comprehensive, not beholden to left (or right). Certainly, we have been labelled 'heretics' by those on the extreme right for our belief that glbt Christians are called by God to lives of faithfulness in the church and leadership - with their life partners if so blessed. On the other hand, we have been labelled 'conservatives' by those on the extreme left because we have little interest in the sort of theology offered for so long by a generation of 50's/60's Era Liberal Modernists. Yes, we think the traditional faith as articulated by the Quadrilateral - and amply attested to in the BCP and Hymnal - say all the reasons in the world why we should be including all faithful Christians. Our basis for justice and social equality is rooted not in Modernism or renunciation of the Christian faith - but in the Christian faith itself. I find Nick Knisely also to be a strong voice from somewhere in the Episcopal middle.

- Final props go to Eric Von Salzen who writes frequently here at Anglican Centrist. As an EFM mentor and leading layperson in his parish, Von Salzen brings a fresh non-clerical perspective.

1 comment:

Fr. Bryan Owen said...

As we come to the beginning of a New Year, I give thanks to God for the Good News of Jesus, for friends, family and colleagues, for Anglicanism, for The Episcopal Church, and for being included in the company of these serious scribblers. Salud!