Posted on 02/25/2009 5:17:31 PM PST by sionnsar
I use the phrase "Strategically-Minded" deliberately, for that's what I am. I'm a conservative Episcopalian, staying in TEC, and interested in doing more than just sitting around and saying "ain't it awful."
Here's my question.
If there were to be a day-long [no more than six hours, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.] gathering/meeting of like-minded conservative Episcopalians who are staying in The Episcoapl Church for the forseeable future, and who are interested in discussion, sharing of issues and struggles and solutions, and fellowship together, would you be interested in attending such a gathering?
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Traditional Anglican ping, continued in memory of its founder Arlin Adams. The moral clarity of Benedict XVI is looking pretty good right now.
I have a great deal of respect for Ms. Hey..but I’ve retired from that battlefield..and happily so
I believe you should do what is best for you based on your local church. The national dioses may make decisions you don’t agree with, but your local church is your family. We left our local Episcopal church (went non-Denominational) not directly because of what the national dioses did, but because the local church turned into nothing but a political gossip mill, where people where splitting and turning on each other over things they didn’t have any part of. I know many who where based for staying or disagreeing with the split, not because they agreed with the national positions, but because they thought the split was just as bad.
sorry about the spelling, I tapped that out and didn’t go back and proof.. I’ll blame the iPhone, not my lack of proofing. :->
Always happy to blame Apple. /sarc (I went to school with several founders, but I'm a Linux fan...)
But to be frank, a parish that becomes what you describe is dysfunctional, for whatever reason, and IMHO if it goes on too long, unless somebody (including you) has/have a program or plan for restoring it, you're better out of it.
I won't say that we haven't had problems something like that rise in my parish over the past quarter-century (we're only human), but we've always had someone to put away and resolve the squabbles.
Our former rector (before all this blew up) was very much at keeping the church on focus to Jesus and what was important. He actually went on to work at the White House and is now the Anglican Mission in the Americas (Ellis Brust). I guess it shows that the leaders make a lot of difference. The rector who took his place was very ineffective in keeping the crap down, he actually helped fester it.
BTW, I still consider myself Anglican and miss the church, especially the reverence compared to a non-denominational. I wish there would be some sort of conclusion to come back to God’s way.
Q: What do you get when you cross an Episcopalian with a Mormon?
A: A guy who goes door-to-door, but doesn’t know why.
But yes, the leadership makes all the difference; it can make or destroy a parish, and I've seen too much of that first-hand.
He was one of President Bush’s advisers from the Anglican Church.
You may get what you wish for (though as an Anglican I do not believe that we are the sole entirety of God's Way). There are coalescing groups within the fractured U.S. PECUSA/ECUSA/TEC departures:
One group, centered around the TAC, is seeking reunification with Rome (terms are FAR from settled).
Another (APA & folks) is reaching across the aisle to the old REC departures. Stalled last time I heard, but not sure where it's going.
The other big Continuing group (ACC+UECNA+APCK) is in slow reapproachment, including a common seminary.
This is where Ellis is now:
http://www.theamia.org/experience/home
More power to them!
I attended the noon Ash Wednesday service today and had the cross of ashes marked on my forehead. I stopped after at a nearby grocery (Fred Meyer) for sandwich lunch-makings and was a bit surprised at what seemed a subdued hostile reaction from folks. This in a place where my jolly "young Santa" appearance usually gets smiles.
Then again, this is the Pacific Northwest...
I stopped going to the Episcopal Church a looooonnnnnnngggg time ago when it became clear that, much like today’s GOP, the Episcopal church was abandoning its principles.
Me too, depending upon whether (almost) 26 years ago is a long time or recent history. But Anglicanism in North America continues to exist apart from TEC. One hopes, however, that conservatives can retake the GOP...)
Never mind the minor issue of justification.
So how is justification working for you in the context of the moral relativism prevalent in the Episcopal and Anglican churches?
If some benefactor could set up schools for Episcopalian kids like the Catholics have the church would stand a chance to revive. The future is the youth. As long as the focus is on something else, the church has no future.
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