Saturday, July 14, 2012

The Episcopal Church Launches Into Deep Space!



The Episcopal Church is now well and truly off on a deep space quest to go where other churches have never gone before. I know. I was there at the launch, at the shrinking church's 77th General Convention, in Indianapolis.

Gene Robinson, with friend


What happened? Apart from press room rumors that bishop Gene Robinson was getting a divorce from his "beloved Mark" and living estranged in separate hotel rooms. Apart from that and gender neutral bathrooms, what happened?

Famously, a rite, or ceremony, for gay-marriage, which hits the pews in Advent and appears to be the first of its kind.  Chalk that up for history and with it the declining church's new gender rules. These make it a crime to exclude people from governing positions in the small denomination if they've had a sex-change. Gender reassignment surgery? The Episcopal Church is the place for you, if you can find it that is, which is hard because it's shrinking at a rate of 50,000 members a year.

weaving the circle 


But who knows, maybe the church's new mission oriented budget will turn things around, get the mothership back on the planet, as it were. Unlikely, given that 42% of the denomination's $111 million budget is going to be spent on administration and governance, with $12 million earmarked for legal costs and $1 million for church planting. Mission and growth? You do the math.

you're very small from way out here


A small minority of traditionally minded bishops did mount a fight-back of sorts, signing the Indianapolis Statement, which protests their church's accelerating trajectory into the icy void.

All well and good, traditional bishops, you have my total sympathy. But remember, in space no one can hear you scream.

The Episcopal Church was last seen leaving earth orbit.

LSP


6 comments:

Silverfiddle said...

A most excellent post.

LSP said...

Thanks Silverfiddle -- if you want to see my reporting go to virtueonline.org (Traditional Bishops Blast Gay Marriage etc.)

God bless.

Silverfiddle said...

I just reread this post, as I am linking to it from my blog. I'm looking at the second picture with Gene Robinson and the young man, and "poor kid" keeps running through my mind...

I assume you've read this?

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/15/opinion/sunday/douthat-can-liberal-christianity-be-saved.html?_r=1

The riposte of course, is "who would want to save it?"

That's me doing by best Christopher Hitchens...

I've got to tell you I admire how you comment on all of this. It is all so otherworldly, the motifs you choose fit the bill perfectly.

Your writing reminds me of Kurt Vonnegut.

LSP said...

Good old Vonnegut! Now you make me want to read Ice 9 again... + I've always enjoyed his Dresden description.

But you're kind.

"Off world" is the only way to deal with the current wave of Anglican/lib madness.

Great piece in the Grey Lady and I agree with you, from a Christian point of view. Liberal Christianity today has nothing worth saving because it isn't Christian.

"Poor kid"? Couldn't agree with you more. Had to hold myself back from writing about that...

Infidel de Manahatta said...

Gender neutral bathrooms? I....I don't know what to say. Sadly this craze seems to be catching. The U.S. navy just announced that starting in 2015 there will be no urinals on board ships. All bathrooms will be gender neutral.

I guess the Navy is now squatting for peace.

LSP said...

Saw that business about the Navy, Infidel.

Soon all bathrooms will be gender neutral in our brave new utopia.