Who are the Benjamites?

We completed our study of the Book of Judges in our Tuesday morning Bible study at our parish. The events recounted in chapter 19 result in the near total annihilation of the tribe of Benjamin. If Judges 19 isn't immediately recognizable, allow me to give a brief synopsis. A traveling Levite was welcomed into the home of an old man to stay for one night in the town of Gibeah. That night some men surrounded the house and shouted to the old man, "Bring out the man who came to your house so we can have sex with him" (v. 22). The old man implores the mob not to do this "disgraceful thing," and the guest ends up sending his concubine outside to satisfy the lusts of the crowd. She returns near death early in the morning and is discovered dead later that morning by her master.

The Levite returns home with her dead body which he cuts up in twelve parts and sends them to every corner in Israel. The entire nation is thereby incensed at what happened in Gibeah and chapter 20 tells us that 400,000 soldiers from the tribes of Israel join together to attack Gibeah. When the tribe of Benjamin refuses to turn over the wicked men of Gibeah, 40,000 of the 400,000 soldiers are chosen to attack the city. The city is annihilated after three battles.

Now, the question is, in the context of crisis in the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States (pecusa), which party is Israel and which party is the Benjamites? PECUSA likes to pretend that she is Israel and the "tiny minority" of orthodox Anglicans in PECUSA are akin to the tribe of Benjamin. Considering the details of the biblical narrative this really turns the story upside down, doesn't it! Consider this also: pecusa still wants to insist that she is a full member of the Anglican Communion. So, if, as is the case, the Anglican Communion Network within pecusa is recognized by all provinces of the Anglican Communion as being in full communion while a majority of the Communion say that they are not in full communion with pecusa in general, isn't it clear that the Anglican Communion is Israel and pecusa is the tribe of Benjamin in Judges 19-21? While we don't expect a complete annihilation of pecusa by military means in our day and age, we can expect to see the disintegration of pecusa that has already begun as it continues on its path apart from the Anglican Communion.

In the Judges story Israel mourns the loss of the tribe of Benjamin and works to restore and reintegrate the tribe into the nation. We can only hope at this point that pecusa comes to the place where she is ready and willing to do what is necessary to be restored to full fellowship with the rest of the Anglican Communion. At this time, there are few real signs that this mindset of return has yet to come to the leaders of pecusa. Maybe it will come from the laity once they realize that pecusa has cut herself off from her catholic and apostolic heritage.