From the Diocese of Central Florida's recent newsletter, this quote from +John Howe makes all kinds of sense to me ... and is getting a lot of flak on the conservative blogs!
There is no way I can imagine that I would or could attempt to remove the Diocese from The Episcopal Church. And should the Board or the Convention attempt this it would be a kind of ecclesiastical Civil War that would be absolutely horrible in every way imaginable. I urge you not to go looking for lawyers who will support a position you would like to see prevail. Look for the best advice you can find regarding what will prevail. I believe we have already received that from [our chancellor and vice chancellor]. I can assure you, there is no one in the state of Florida who has thought more deeply about these issues! If the "compromises" of The Episcopal Church are such that one can no longer remain a member of it, if s/he can no longer function under its Constitution and Canons, then there really is no alternative but to leave: "Go in peace, to love and serve the Lord." But, please do not try to find ways to take property that does not belong to you. That is dishonest and illegal.
As I noted above: makes sense to me!
P.S. Flak can be found here and here
3 comments:
+Howe seems to be a realist who is not blinded by the prospect of a huge promotion. His SC, however, seems to wish for a bishop like those in the new whymn on my blog.
Hmm. Maybe you shouldn't publish this. I'm not sure I want the trolls on my innocent blog.
I am a former Episcopalian who has done exactly that. I used to be a member of St. James' Los Angeles, but knew better than to expect that my fellow members would have any interest in leaving. I used to contribute a lot of time and quite a bit of money to the church; I now have switched my charitable giving to other churches and other organizations and I attend other churches.
The Episcopal denomination as a whole is bleeding members and funds and will continue to do so. I find this sad but not surprising. Holding on to the property will buy it time, of course, but I see a future of churches closing, parishes merging and property being sold all over the country. TEC will be reduced to living off the glory of its past, since it has no future.
TEC will be reduced to living off the glory of its past, since it has no future.
No future? I remain convinced that for every person who leaves the Episcopal church, there are 10 people who deepen their commitment to discerning the movement of God in their lives. Some struggle more than others to accept the actions of the church, but our Christian life together demands that we reexamine our personal preferences in order to grow in our relationship to God.
In this, I see a positive future for the church.
Post a Comment