Posted on 04/20/2005 6:17:19 PM PDT by sionnsar
Who is this Bishop Andrew Smith who tells priests in Connecticut’s Episcopal churches that they cannot oppose the election to bishop of a gay priest? How did he get into the seat of such power? What happened to one of the most appealing maxims in Christianity: Live and let live?
Should Bishop Smith be unseated or defrocked?
To me, until now, the Episcopal Church has been a model of Christianity because of its policy and practice of tolerance.
I thought the election, as bishop, of the Rev. V. Gene Robinson, of New Hampshire, was the perfect example of Episcopalian tolerance. People who disagree have every right to do so, and to express that idea without punition. That tolerance should include the right of the church’s priests to take that stand.
The problem is working its way through our system of values and will not be complete probably for another 50 years. Let us walk together on that road without threatening each other.
I am an Episcopalian.
Barbara S. Sherman
Groton
Traditional Anglican ping, continued in memory of its founder Arlin Adams. She seems to be one mixed-up lady.
Poor woman hasn't a clue what's happened or happening.
In 50 years, will the Son of Man find faith left on earth?
Barbara S. Sherman
Groton
She REALLY has not been paying attention. This is one of the dead white Episcopalians that David Virtue talked about, clueless and letting themselves be co-opted in the destruction of their own church.
I'm suddenly minded of a Scots Gaelic song (An Toll Dubh - The Black Hole) where the refrain goes:
Le eiginn ar n-éirigh as ar suain
Le eiginn ar n-éirigh as ar suain
An Gàidheal 's leabaidh
An Gàidheal 'na shuain
Le eiginn ar n-éirigh as ar suain
With difficulty we rise from our sleep
With difficulty we rise from our sleep
The Gael in his bed
The Gael in his sleep
With difficulty we rise from our sleep
That aside, I know what you mean. Slow to anger.
But she CAN'T be ignorant of all the goings-on since . . . what was it, August of 2003? Ignorance is curable, it ought to have been cured by now.
Actually, I did mean slow to awareness. There are reasons why one might not want to be fully aware of the situation, to sweep it under the rug... for now.
I learned cadal first, as in "Nam chadal bidh mi a'bruadar ort . . ." or "Tha mi 'nam chadal." Maybe that's local, or maybe it's just my teacher (she is a Lewiswoman.)
Well, there are certainly plenty of variations...
"The six Connecticut parishes owed about $200,000 to the diocese for 2004, but have remitted less than $8,000, the diocese said."
Ouch!!! That's got to hurt...That's a real slap in the Bishop's face, ( would that be a "Bishslap?" perhaps?....LOL) and it's been going on obviously for far longer than we've been led to suspect..Maybe the Bishop his lost his cool..In all the articles and reports from around the country, especially from Virginia, California, and Texas, where they talk about parishes cutting back on contributions to the diocese..I don't think it has ever come close to this level...this is pitching a shutout, in baseball parlance. Who knew the fires of schism burn bright in Connecticut, of all places?..
Traditional Anglican ping, continued in memory of its founder Arlin Adams.
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Speak the truth in love. Eph 4:15
St. Paul's Darien has had a reputation for being a bold evangelical church for years, doing radical things like selling their building to focus on the Word. We all used to look down our noses at them! (After all, no REAL Episcopalian would do something like that!)
Of course, God's presence had been visible in places even stranger than Connecticut!
I grew up in the Cathedral of the Incarnation, Garden City, LI, NY - and there was a Rt. Rev. Jonathan G. Sherman who was a Suffragan who became Bishop of what is now a crazyily liberal Church. Bp. Sherman was most decidely NOT liberal.
One of his daughters has lived in Conn. for most of her married life and I just registered at theday.com in order to see if I can read a bio on Barbara C. Sherman, to see who she is. I'd be horrified to find out that this is the Grand daughter of this Bishop.
The six (Hmmm, strange number again?) very large evangelical Churches here in No. VA have also withheld all of their "Diocesan tithe" since GC 2003. Trust me when I tell you it is way more than $200,000 as Truro probably gives that alone, in one year! (or at least, they used to. Their operating budget is in the Millions.)
Were Bishop Peter James Lee of a mind, he could have done the same thing to six Priests as Rectors here in No. Va but has not chosen to do so.
I understand he did recently send out a letter requesting that any of the Churches in his Diocese catch up on their "arrears" and in order to bring their tithing uptodate, to double what they gave last year. At my Church, they laughingly stated that double of zero is still zero - and kept putting what they would have sent to Richmond in a Bank account, most of which is used for Missionary support, I believe.
If Bp. Lee wanted to, he could be the one making an example of these Rectors, but he has chosen to take a far more lenient attitude toward those in his Diocese who disagree with him. He is also recuperating from quadruple bypass surgery tht he had at the end of Feb., and I think his attention is on getting well, physically.
BTW, one more thought. Bp. Sherman's daughter attended St. Paul's, Darien. I can't help but think that the author of this piece is a misguided Granddaughter of the Bishop I knew as a child, and at whose Kitchen table, I had many discussions over differences of opinion in application of Scripture to Christian living. I can't help but wonder if Barbara is the Grand daughter of Bp. Jonathan Sherman and Christobel Douglas Sherman.
She needs to go over to the Church of the Universal Whatever.
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