Archbishop Williams's switch from "communion" to "family" reminded me of something I had written fifteen years ago, titled "The Divorce," because while "quarreling until the cows come home" is a nice sentiment, it is not the way many families end up. Fifteen years on, real repentance and reconciliation seem as far away as ever.

So at the risk of reviving unhappy quarrels around the supper table, here it is:

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Many theologians and teachers inevitably enclose themselves within towers of intellectual superiority and communities of arcane conversation. The spirit of pride and rivalry among them may possibly engender the tendency to novelty of thought and sensational opinion. There are some minds that simply must strive for attention and originality. The humble service of the gospel is too drab for their professional ambition.

The team later found the church's mosaic floors, which had been buried for almost 1,500 years. According to the Center's press release, these discoveries indicate a "large and magnificent church."

Ancient documents mention the Church of the Apostles, including one written by a Bavarian bishop named Willibald in 725 A.D. "[Willibald] states that the church was in Bethsaida built over the house of Peter and Andrew, among the first disciples of Jesus," Notley said.

The next clauses 8-13 address those issues of particular urgency in our day: marriage and sexuality; the mission imperative; stewardship of the earth and commitment to justice; and church unity and diversity and its limits (ecumenism and discipline). When our Statement group was considering these issues, we neglected to address one topic: life and death, which is equally rooted in Scripture and under attack in contemporary culture.