Standing on the Cliff

 

Financial Cliff

The Episcopal (TEC) Diocese of Vermont's in trouble, which is weird because they have a famale person of color (POC) at the helm. Problem is, no one's going to their churches or parting with cash. 

This got bishop figure MacVean-Brown worried, so she hired a consultant, Stephen Burnett, who used to work for Deloitte, no less. What did Stephen say?

Bishop Figure

That you're spending more than you're getting, "The Bishop envisioned financial shortfalls early on in her ministry, and we can reaffirm that there is, in fact, trouble ahead, likely in the first quarter of 2023, where, without intervention, expenditures will far exceed revenues.” 

Oops, there you are on that old "financial cliff." So what to do, apart from hiring consultants and appointing "task forces"? Merge with other failing dioceses, obviously, in this case New Hampshire and Maine. And we have to ask, does the Episcopal Church and its lib mainstream protestant, bow tie, seer sucker sorority even have the will to live at this point?

Downsized

Not really, just look how they shut down in the face of a virus that kills what, 0.2something of the people it infects. Or less. But hey, their religion was never the Gospel of salvation, more the gospel of the New York Times and, apotheosis achieved, why not retire? 

Tough luck on MacVean-Brown, though. She might be looking for a job.

Cheers,

LSP

The Ugly Face Of Halloween Racism

The day started off well enough, with a famous Texan sunrise breaking through the autumnal mist. It was powerful and while some fail to see the glory of God in creation, it's also true that some are blind. My son wasn't and remarked, "That's very beautiful, Dad." 

So true and on we drove to this rural haven's hallowed hall of free academe. Resisting the urge to think "you get what you pay for," I dropped the kid off at school and headed back to the Compound. Well done. School INFIL complete, it was time for a strong cup of coffee and Morning Prayer, on the porch.

Just Some Tranny

Next task? Walk the dog. The creature of fur was happy to be out and frisked along blindly; he works by scent and keen, batmanlike ears. Not to be trifled with, I can tell you. So all was right with the world or at least with this small slice of latter day Americana that is LSPland.

Then BOOM. We round the corner and there it is, the ugly face of Halloween Racism. No apologies, no ifs, ands or buts, none of that, just simple, unalloyed, brazen racism. 

I stared at the grey-clad figure and wondered at the kind of blindness that thinks it's somehow OK to present the effigy of a Confederate soldier to the world on Halloween. There it was, in its grey uniform and slave-owning cap. 

To add insult to injury, the effigy was clearly genderless, a mocking tribute to non-binary oppression everywhere. 

Blue Cis-Gender snorted and ate something revolting on the curbside and we walked on, trying to put the ugly face of Halloween Racism behind us.

Munroe Bergdorf has nothing to with this, at all.

Carry on,

LSP