Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Rumor Control

They're at it again.

The rumors are flying ... this time about the "non" story of who isn't celebrating at the Changing Attitude/Integrity Eucharist on Sunday, July 20th.

No, we're not going to adjust our press release schedule in response to blog-rumor-mania ... so look for the previously scheduled information release on the "everybody welcome/nobody banned" Eucharist on Wednesday when our press office opens.

In the meantime, however, I thought I might offer ... just for fun ... a new Lambeth Power List ... this one entitled:

The Top Ten
Most Influential Anglicans
NOT Celebrating
At the Changing Attitude/Integrity Eucharist

10 -- Ed Bacon
9 -- Elizabeth Kaeton
8 -- Jack Spong
7 -- Barbara Harris
6 -- Jon Bruno
5 -- Jeffrey John
4 -- Marilyn McCord Adams
3 -- Giles Fraser
2 -- Susan Russell
1 -- V. Gene Robinson

7 comments:

Elizabeth Kaeton said...

But, but, but . . .I thought everyone CELEBRATES, but the priest PRESIDES.

Oh wait, that's right. Most of the Bullies are either those who have left for Rome or Evangelicals who have left for Africa but not necessarily Anglicans.

Nuance escapes them.

JCF said...

Is it really so much more important that these folks conduct inquisitions than, y'know, actually GATHERING at the Table of the Lord? :-/

Peter O said...

So just to be clear, you're saying that Gene Robinson will not be presiding or con-celebrating?

Lisa Fox said...

Oh, this is funny, Susan!

SUSAN RUSSELL said...

peter o ... yes. si. oui.

Not celebrating.

Not con-celebrating.

Never intended to, planned to, or otherwise indicated that he might.

It's a joint "Changing Attitude/Integrity" service ... CA & Integrity leaders will be leading.

Any FURTHER questions feel free to give me an email ... hope this is "clear."

JimB said...

My favorite line of stupid predictions to date is the sub-thread on SF about Dr. Williams being the celebrant! I have seldom seen such a flight to victim status in public.


FWIW
jimB

uffda51 said...

I must confess I was naïve when Gene Robinson was consecrated Bishop of New Hampshire. I knew there were some disgruntled conservative folks in TEC but in learning more about them, they seem to me to be much more like Southern Baptists or mega-church evangelicals than any kind of Episcopalians I’ve ever encountered. I wonder how many of Bishop Robinson’s critics have heard him preach.

The folks at SF seem to have a lot of time on their hands – and they often seem remarkably un-Christian. The “Be Loving in Everything You Do” concept they espouse seems MIA. They seem to enjoy personally attacking and demeaning the people they disagree with, rather than debating the merits of the ideas being discussed. Of course you really can’t discuss these ideas at all if you dismiss two centuries of biblical scholarship and a century of medical research. As they say, everyone is entitled to their own opinions but no one is entitled to their own facts. One has to wonder why the SF crowd, in possession of “The Word Of God” and a place in heaven, can still be so very angry.


I’m reminded of Matt Taibbi’s book, “The Great Derangement,” in which he infiltrates the politically influential apocalyptic mega-ministry of John Hagee and participates in a workshop in which participants vomit out their personal demons into brown paper bags. After hours of casting out the usual suspects (greed, sloth, anger, lying) etc., they cast out some of the lesser demons – like handwriting analysis and anal fissures. I imagine Harry Potter was mentioned as well.

These are the folks who, when the GPS navigation system in their SUV tells them “Turn right and proceed across the bridge” they do so – even if the bridge collapsed a month earlier.

All part of life’s rich pageant.