Or the “mitre,” to be more precise. What a bishop wears in the Episcopal Church.
I don’t think it’s the fact that our recent bishop-elect (and now national primus inter pares) is a woman.
I don’t think it’s the fact that, among all our clerisy in a tradition that dates back 50 decades, she’s been ordained for scarcely 10 years, and a bishop for barely five – the bishop of Nevada, to be precise. A backwater micro-culture entirely unrepresentative of the national church.
I don’t think it’s the fact that she’s a “liberal, pro-gay feminist” who voted for Gene Robinson, the duly elected Episcopal bishop of New Hampshire, a gay man in a committed relationship with a partner to whom – canon law being what it is – he cannot marry.
I don’t think it’s the fact that she closed her investiture sermon with the words, “Shalom, chaverim, shalom, my friends, shalom,” because, while those words come from a beautiful, ancient and authentic faith tradition, it isn’t our tradition and hasn’t been for 2000 years and appropriating it is just too precious. Is what it is.
I don’t think it’s the fact that the entirety of the Anglican Communion is wondering what the hell we’ve been smoking, over here these last few years: Our church proudly claims to sit upon a “three-legged stool” of scripture, reason and tradition, but two out of three legs have been sawed short and the soundness of the third is greatly open to the disinterested observer’s interpretation.
I don’t think it was the fact that the ECUSA tolerated and now pays the retirement on a bishop whose preachings and written scholarship were clearly heretical and even anti-Christian.
No. I don’t think it’s any of those things that have left me seriously considering initiation into the mysteries of the Church of Rome.
I think it’s that damned hat. Christ.
There is nothing Christian about that cover at all. Sad day for the Episcopal Church here in the US – running like mad to the Unitarian/Universalist side of the coin. They are calling the rest of the Anglican Communion’s bluff. I think it is going to be called sometime soon.
Lex, I am a Southern Baptist – but I won’t try to Sestak you over to my side – but if you are thinking about going to Rome over this – you may want to look at the path Rob Dreher took. Just a thought. I left PCUSA for many of the reasons that are bouncing around in your post above. Don’t be shy looking around. I’m from the left wing of the SBC – so you’re a Brother any way you go. Just leave the funny hats at home.
Admit it, you’re just looking for a excuse to cheer for the Fighting Irish.
I saw the news articles about her yesterday and was looking at that Mitre and robe going “What the h$!@ is she wearing?”.
I lived in Boston for over 7 years so the whole New Hampshire Bishop thing was frontpage news for a long long time up thataways. Starting to look like some sort of schism to me..
Bryan
Cap’n,
This picture is so wrong on so many different levels. I guess in today’s PC society, thousands of years of tradition and Scripture doesn’t mean anything any longer.
Lex,
Come on across the Tiber! And you don’t have to don the “guilt” mantle along the way.
GEO6
Go where your heart and faith takes you. I’m as disillusioned with the Catholic faith as you are with yours. I tend to keep my faith private, live by the laws given to Moses, and turn my hatred over to Him. You’re a man of courage, faith, and honor, Lex, you’ll not escape His sight.
What is going on these days runs counter to the religious tradition of this country. Les, be aware that many folks are dissatisfied. I’m sure that your normal quiet investigation will bring you to a safe haven.
Go in Peace!
I’m with Byron on this one.
My favorite “relgious icon” if you will, is a painting of Washington kneeling in prayer in the snowy woods at Valley Forge.
A kindly Providence is always at work on our behalf. We just need to have the faith to follow where it leads.
Lex: If it’s the hat that’s bugging you, you won’t be happier on this side of the Tiber. There are some damned ugly vestments worn by some bishops here as well.
On the bright side, you won’t find our Pope wearing them. Plus there’s all that other cool “Catlicker” stuff you get in the bargain!
Welcome to the New All Is Relevant Episcopalian Church.
[sigh]
Lex,
Then again, there is the Anglican Bishop of Rochester, Michael Nazir-Ali, he is a bit “Old School” in a way that might give your new Bishop the vapors.
She is mooning us with that Moon-Hat.
Those may be the worst vestments I’ve ever seen.
I love the Catholic Church. My husband is a convert. I realize that you’re probably just venting, but if you have any interest, I can direct you to some good places for information. Catholic.com is one of them.
Shipmates,
Of course, there is always an open door to return to the pre-christian times. As a former Catholic, I find it much more attractive than any of the current offerings.
http://runestone.org/flash/home.html
Respects,
AW1 Tim
Not to mention that her diocese had some pretty serious shrinkage under her administration.
I’m a delegate to the Diocese of Chicago’s annual convention this coming weekend. I’m going to vote against some resolutions that I’ll bet have me on the short end of a few 110 – 12 votes (or something like that). Like the “anti-racism” resolution which will require every vestry member, warden, etc. to undergo training by the Diocese’s Anti-Racism Task Force. I greatly anticipate that said training will tell me that I, as a white middle-class male, enjoy class, race and gender “privilege” and that my refusal to accept guilt for that is (take your pick of pejoratives). And I also anticipate that when I vote against it, I’ll be tagged as a racist.
I don’t care that our new PB is a woman. I care a lot that her theology stinks.
Oh, BTW, if you go back to Hooker’s original writing, you find that there was no such thing as a “three-legged stool” in his Laws of Ecclesiatical Polity. Look here.
What you’ll see is that it’s a chain; the anchor link is Scripture. Reason is only valid when based on Scripture, and Tradition is dependent on both Reason and Scripture. The invention of the three-legged stool set these three equal, so that two could supercede the other, but this innovation was never part of the Anglican faith.
Shipmates,
Yup….. conquer and die. The synod would rather die and fragment the church than admit it was in error.
Again I submit that the death of Christianity will be the fragmentation of the whole, the schism between Catholic and Protestant and Evangelical that allows for no reconstitution, but rther enflames the passion of the few aginst the whole.
The tombstone of Christianity will be enscribed with the words “died of diversity”.
Rather than try to be everything for everyone, Christianity ought to state it’s ironclad doctrine, and say follow or leave. That’s rreally all it needs to do. Either establish a doctrine and subscribe to it, or admit that anything goes and accept the moonbats and tinfoil-mitered clerics.
I’m a Pagan. I understand what my Gods demand, and what I must submit to, and what my Gods accept from me. No problems. Black and white.
I’ll go to bat for a Christian to protect that person’s right to their beliefs. I find it hard, though, to understand why so many Christians have to demand that their own beliefs transcend what the church “insert demonination here” considers doctrine.
Respects,
AW1 TIm
What Tim said, about how Christians ought to be serious with, like, integrity; or shuddup.
Listen to Domenico and swim the Tiber, Lex!
Our hats are cool, the German Sheppard Cardinal Ratzinger would make short work of any Sponging nonsense (a nice titulary bishopric for some defunct diocese in central Turkey perhaps?) and while the American (and of course, most of the European) branches of the Church have problems they have not abandoned the faith. And with the albino assassins of Opus Dei to deal with serious heretical threats we have things well in hand.
If you like the hat, you’ll love the matching panties and socks.
come on home big guy, we’ll be singing Adeste Fidelis for ya, and you can be here in time for the last verse.
Ten year TOS, and already in charge???? Wasn’t anyone out there, with say, 30 years in the pulpit, who has been there and done that? Anyone?
I can only guess that they held the secret “conclave” that elected that person on Super Bowl day. No one was present or paying attention.
“With a hat like that, you get a free bowl of soup. But hey, Whitey, it looks good on you!”
If you do execute the option you discussed last, you’ll be welcomed back, you Gallic prodigal.
It’d only be right, plus we’re growing you know..
B2 (a low key mack snapper)
CAPT Lex-
I have to add my voice to Byron’s – while I still consider myself Catholic, there is a lot there to bemoan as well. So much so that I was looking into the Episcopalians for a bit, myself.
Aw1 Tim, Don’t write off Christianity too soon. The Catholics have been trying to reconcile doctrinally, at least in part, with their brethren for a while now. Hopefully the trend will continue – a more unified voice would be nice…
From this side of the Tiber, when you decide to take the swim there will be someone on this side waiting with a towel, dry clothes and someplace to warm yourself.
Humor certainly does take the ugly edge off of reality. That hat is scandalous!
Tim — correction–the tombstone of protestant Christianity will read died of diversity. There is a church with iron clad doctrine that says take it or leave it. It has survived 2000 years of hatred and persecution–but the gates of hell have not prevailed against it!
http://www.realclearreligion.com/
dc, what seems to have happened is that the more orthodox forces decided to give the other side it’s head and let the schism go forward, rather than try to patch over an unbridgeable gap.
Swim, I tell you, swim while you can! We did and we are so grateful to God that we did. You can read my conversion story here.
And I promise I wont sing “Shalom Chaverim” to you, even though I come by honestly, but more because of my lousy voice!!
For whatever reason, a lot of us thought the fix was in on Schori a long time ago. She’s never headed a parish, for crying out loud. But as for those vestments, I’ve taken to referring to her as Purple Haze.
‘Scuse me while I kiss the sky.
Chris, that’s brilliant.
Well, thanks for your thoughts all – It’s very hard to even consider leaving the church I was raised in, that my children were raised in. And yet in some respects I feel as though it wouldn’t be me leaving, but that the church had left me.
Our local parish does a great job of staying well clear of the national church’s politics though, and is happy and spiritual place, full of joy in the love of God. Most Episcopal churches that I have been to have the same feeling. It seems so strange that such a God-centered community in the micro can so quickly develop into something so fundamentally un-serious at the macro level.
Guess I’d better just pray on this some more. Thanks again, all.
Lex, my husband, who’s grandfather was a bishop, felt the same way….that the church had left him. Many at our old church were convinced we left because of internal politics, which couldn’t have been further from our reasons. Remember, the Church isn’t just your own cozy Parish, especially in church which claims Apostolic succesion.
God bless you and if you have anyquestions about our journey, please feel free to write.
Something I noticed. You probably have.
Don’t want to “pile on” or upset the 3-legged stool.
Not a joking matter, here:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=416003&in_page_id=1770