Amidst the hullabaloo about the supposed inadequacy of the subgroup report on the US Episcopal Church (TEC)'s response to the Windsor Report, it should be noted that the report has got far sharper teeth than many have assumed. In fact, in its discussion of blessings for same sex partnerships it takes very real cognisance of the failure of TEC to respond in this area at least and to the very real possibility of intransigent bishops not being a full part of the Anglican Communion:
It is therefore not at all clear whether, in fact, the Episcopal Church is living with the recommendations of the Windsor Report on this matter. ... We do not see how bishops who continue to act in a way which diverges from the common life of the Communion can be fully incorporated into its ongoing life. This is therefore a question which needs to be addressed urgently by the House of Bishops of the Episcopal Church.
Further, the discussion of the "expression of regret" is hardly a ringing endorsement of TEC:
The group was unsure how these words should be understood. On the one hand, there does not seem to be any admission of the fact that the action of consenting to the particular election at the centre of this dispute was in itself blameworthy. ... The Group feels that the reality of the change of direction that some see in the resolutions of the General Convention can only be tested however by the way in which the Episcopal Church lives out these resolutions.
In other words, "Don't try and pull a fast one: we are watching you."
Is the report adequate, fully accurate and encouraging? Overall - NO. But neither is it as unilateral as many comments have suggested.
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