I notice with some amusement that Robbo’s Former Episcopal Church still has me marked down for receipt of the annual birthday offering envelope. No doubt I’ll appear in tomorrow’s service bulletin as well. So far as they’re concerned, I still count as a warm body regardless of my actual beliefs. Nonetheless, the next time you see an article or the like stating that the Episcopal Church has a national membership of 1,900,000, you should know it’s actually 1,899,999.
In a strange twist, I believe I actually spend more time there now than I did prior to swimming the Tiber, since Mrs. R has become much more committed to regular attendance than previously and it’s my duty to tag along in order to help ride herd on the gels. I suppose that so long as I refrain from taking part in the RFEC communion (which I, of course, do, remaining in the pew and smiling quietly to myself) nobody can tag me with being too heretical just by showing up.
Besides, I still have friends there, I enjoy helping out with sandwich Sunday once a month, and the hymns are usually well worth singing.
UPDATE: Oh, my. I haven’t been paying attention to these things for a while, but this morning the rector suddenly started talking about how “the Church’s strength is in its contradictions” and “don’t believe everything you read in the papers.” I leant over to tell Mrs. R that it sounded like somebody has just dropped another bombshell, but she shushed me before I could get the words out.
Well, it turns out my radar was working just fine because it seems the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia has just passed a resolution embracing free love.
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January 25, 2009 at 10:23 pm
The Abbot
Read about it on StandFrim. They’re convinced it is a bombshell because No. Va. is considered a moderate Episcopal diocese, not a liberal one. As I read it, as far as traditional marriage goes in the Episcopal church, it’s “game over, man.”
The road to Rome might have some additional traffic on it.
January 26, 2009 at 3:24 pm
Mrs. Peperium
I’ve been away for almost 2 weeks. When I departed you were talking about the metro vamps in the Episcopal Church and I return and you are still talking about them.
Sheesh.
I’d say get a new Church but you already did. And my don’t you look like the brilliant all-knowing, all-seeing one rather than the hate-filled intolerant bigot?
Now, it’s time to hammer than all-knowing, all-seeing bit home to the Mrs….
January 27, 2009 at 3:45 pm
Robbo
It will be very interesting to see how things shake out. Virginia traditionally has been a moderate diocese and many of the more moderate members of the congregation at RFEP (including Mrs. R) have taken the Uncle Owen it’s-all-such-a-long-way-from-here attitude about the Church’s trouble. What they’ll do now that the diocese has decided to, ah, shove it in their faces remains to be seen.
January 27, 2009 at 4:37 pm
Mrs. Peperium
Completely understand. Cardinal, oh gosh, which one? The other one from Oxford —-Manning? Abbot would know I bet –wrote very eloquently about the parochialism in the English Church in the late 1800’s being one of its greatest downfalls. It prevented the flock from understand what was happening to the corporate church and how it truly affected everyone at the parish level. There was a time – back about 10 years ago or so, I used to wish we were part of the N. Michigan diocese as it was far more adherent to the teachings and canons of the Church. This morning I received an email that N. Michigan is about to elect for its bishop someone -do not know if it’s a man or woman- who is an ordained priest of TEC as well as a Zen Budhist (sp?) monk?
Can’t figure out how a Zen budhist (sp?) monk and the 1st of the Ten Commandments the candidate swore to uphold in the priestly ordination services-Thou shall have no other gods before me- do not cancel each other out…must all hang on the word before as to why it doesn’t. The candidate must serve each God equally I guess. Nice work if you can get it….Are they all lawyers?
January 28, 2009 at 3:43 pm
The Abbot
I’m guessing it’s Cardinal Manning.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Edward_Manning
Stand Firm has a good article on the Zen bishop; I’ve offered comments there on it. That’s a great site, one of my favorites. I see a lot of them ending up across the Tiber before it’s all through.
January 28, 2009 at 5:11 pm
ScurvyOaks
Abbot,
You may be right, but my guess is that the emergence of ACNA will slow the trend to cross the Tiber. Many trad-piskies would rather remain Anglican, if there’s a theologically conservative and institutionally viable way to accomplish that. ACNA may — and I stress may, to be fair — prove to be such a way.
January 28, 2009 at 9:04 pm
Mrs. Peperium
Abbot, I’ve both read as well as have seen your comments over at SF. You might have seen some of mine as well as I employ a nom de guerre…
I think I would have enjoyed being around in QE1’s day…before she offed me that is….