Bishop Elected in Episcopal Church Holds Buddhist Ordination

Institute on Religion & Democracy ^ | February 23, 2009 | Jeff Walton

[PAR35]

Washington, DC—An Episcopal priest who has received a Buddhist lay ordination has been elected bishop in the Diocese of Northern Michigan. The Rev. Kevin Thew Forrester, who has served in the diocese since 2001, was elected on the first ballot and received 88 percent of the delegate votes.

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Forrester, who has been identified by his former bishop Jim Kelsey as ‘walking the path of Christianity and Zen Buddhism together, is not the first Episcopal clergyman to practice dual faiths. In 2004, Pennsylvania priest Bill Melnyk was revealed to be a druid; while in 2007 Seattle priest Ann Holmes Redding declared that she was simultaneously an Episcopalian and a Muslim.

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[Martin Tell]

Hmmm. Not so far from St. Paul: Philippians 2:12 (King James Version)"Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling."

Don't get me wrong, I agree with what The Reader David quoted Fr. Schmamann as saying. There is a good deal of (little "t") truth in Zen. T.S. Eliot declared that if he were not a Christian he would have been a Zen Buddhist - and he was not kidding.

That is not to say, however, that there is any way other than the Way, the Truth and the Life.

As far as the pagan Episcopalians go, well, their actions speak for themselves. I left the Episcopal church four years ago and am now very happy as Orthodox.

[Mr. Lucky]

What a thoughtful post.

[PAR35]

Well, with the current Pope appointing Bishops who are actually Catholic, perhaps the decoder ring won’t be as needed in the future.

[TaoOfSteve]

It's just a groovy philosophy and set of emotional exercises. By definition, if understood an practiced correctly, it *can't* conflict with any theology (except perhaps one that demands concentration on desire).

You said:

Then that makes Buddhism incompatible with Christianity. At the heart of Christianity lies the greatest desire of all, the desire for God. And this desire requires the greatest concentration. That concentration is the purpose of Lent, the liturgical season that western Christians begin tomorrow.

What lies at the heart of Christianity is the peace of knowing Jesus has given us full and unimpeded access to the Father without requiring a priesthood, rituals, good works, or anything other than accepting the free gift of salvation. This is not in the least incompatible with the Eightfold Path, and in fact compliments it perfectly.

http://www.thebigview.com/buddhism/eightfoldpath.html

You said:

A person is perfectly entitled to be a Buddhist if he so chooses. But what he cannot pretend, without engaging in a great illusion, that Buddhism is compatible with Christianity. Buddhists and Christians may live in peace with one another, but they can never live in the same world.

How ironic. A Buddhist would say that Buddhists and Christians live in the same world, and it is reasonable and correct for them to live in peace. It is only those poor souls who damn themselves with self-inflicted blind obedience to pointless, narrow traditions of men that make peaceful co-existence a challenge instead of the status quo.

[ArrogantBustard]

I think (if I may be permitted an opinion) that perhaps it would be better if the sane folk ignored the bomb-throwers ... and best if the bomb-throwers ceased throwing bombs.

It should be possible, I think, to have sane discussion of this insane situation WITHOUT resort to the crudity of formal “caucus” or “ecumenical” labels.

[PAR35]

But I can’t remember which side you are on, so I don’t know whether to praise the insight of your comment, or flame you.

(Actually, I can tell from your page, but I didn’t want to pass up the chance to use that line. Even so, your comment has merit).

[stripes1776]

What lies at the heart of Christianity is the peace of knowing Jesus has given us full and unimpeded access to the Father without requiring a priesthood, rituals, good works, or anything other than accepting the free gift of salvation. This is not in the least incompatible with the Eightfold Path, and in fact compliments it perfectly.

Bosh

How ironic. A Buddhist would say that Buddhists and Christians live in the same world, and it is reasonable and correct for them to live in peace. It is only those poor souls who damn themselves with self-inflicted blind obedience to pointless, narrow traditions of men that make peaceful co-existence a challenge instead of the status quo.

Double bosh.

[TaoOfSteve]

I said:

What lies at the heart of Christianity is the peace of knowing Jesus has given us full and unimpeded access to the Father without requiring a priesthood, rituals, good works, or anything other than accepting the free gift of salvation. This is not in the least incompatible with the Eightfold Path, and in fact compliments it perfectly.

To which you replied:

Bosh

Wow. I guess you're right.

[stripes1776]

Wow. I guess you're right.

I am happy to see that you acknowledge that I am right. You are coming to your senses. To help you further in your new awareness of the truth, let me quote one of the masters of Christian orthodoxy:

No two ideals could be more opposite than a Christian saint in a Gothic cathedral and a Buddhist saint in a Chinese temple. The opposition exits at every point; but perhaps the shortest statement of it is that the Buddhist saint always has his eyes shut, while the Christian saint always has them very wide open. The Buddhist saint has a sleek and harmonious body, but his eyes are heavy and sealed with sleep. The mediaeval saint's body is wasted to its crazy bones, but his eyes are frightfully alive. There cannot be any real community of spirit between forces that produced symbols so different as that (G.K. Chesterton, Otrhodoxy).

I am glad to see that you are beginning to open your eyes and recognized what is right.