The Prayer Book Society and the UndergroundPewster: Part 1

Last week it was my privilege to attend the Prayer Book Society USA's two and a half day 2018 Conference in historic Savannah Georgia. I was there last year as well, and while this year's attendance was smaller than last year's, I think the overall quality of the papers presented was better than those I heard in 2017.

We met at St. John's Episcopal Church in Savannah whose keeping and teaching of the Faith allows me to use the word, "church" in the same breath as the word "Episcopal", something I have not been able to do of late. St. John's has stuck to the 1928 American Prayer Book and the 1940 Episcopalian Hymnal for use in worship, and this makes them an odd duck in the Episcopal organization. Their average Sunday attendance of 400 souls in 2016 is very healthy by Episcopal standards, but it is down from over 500 in 2006.

I took some notes which I will share with you over the next few weeks.

The theme for the 2018 Conference was, "The Prayer Book: Doctrine Liturgy and Life"

Beginning on Wednesday afternoon, the Presidential Address,

“The Ancient Catholic Lectionaryat the heart of a Reformed Liturgy”.

was delivered by the Revd. Fr. Gavin Dunbar, President of the Prayer Book Society. He spoke about the ancient origins of lectionaries. Continuous reading of the Gospel may have been the custom with the exception of Easter when a "proper" lesson fitting the season would be selected. In post-Nicene Rome, the Bishop selected the scripture. By the end of the 6th century, non-continuous reading was becoming common with scriptures befitting each liturgical season. By the 8th century, readings, chants, and prayers were formalized as seen in the Romano-Frankish lectionary. The Papal court was one exception.

Everything changed in 1970 after an entirely new Roman Catholic lectionary, the OLM, was introduced. The Common Lectionary (CL) began being adopted by Protestant churches and found its way into the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer in 1979. In 1992 the Revised Common Lectionary (RCL) was published and is used by many denominations and Episcopal churches today..

The aim of the CL and the RCL was to increase the amount of scripture read by creating a three year cycle instead of the earlier lectionaries' one year cycle. What we lost was continuity and repetition as well as significant chunks of teaching (as documented many times on this lowly blog). The RCL also disconnects the Old Testament reading and the Epistle from the Gospel selection leading to a lack of cohesiveness and teachable points. One example of the loss of chunks of scripture is the loss of much of Romans Chapters 1, 2, and 3 which contain teachings on condemnation without which there is little need for the instructions on justification by faith to be found in subsequent chapters. "The RCL presents a buffet service of the Bible, the quantity is larger but the quality is not so good."
In summary, the RCL is like a multipurpose kitchen gadget that tries to do a lot of things well but does not do any of them well enough.

This was followed by,

"Justification in Anglicanism and the Prayer Book"

delivered by the Rt. Revd. C. Fitzsimons Allison, Retired Bishop of South Carolina. Fitz described the definition of and the importance of repentance. Repentance is "a renewal of love" (Ashley Null) and is a change of heart not a change of mind. We cannot understand justification without repentance and vice versa. Older Prayer Books contained a stronger message of the need for repentance. When this language is removed or watered down as we see in the 1979 Episcopal Book of Common Prayer, we can easily fall under the spell of the Pelagian heresy. To quote Fitz, "Pelagianism is the banana peel on the cliff of Unitarianism."

The idea that we do not need to have the requirement for repentance recited on a daily or weekly basis in our Prayer Book puts us in the same position as the secularists, "They are not led by God to think they might be wrong".

Following Evening Prayer (1928) there was a reception at the adjacent Green Meldrim House which was General William Tecumseh Sherman's headquarters when the Federal army occupied Savannah during the Civil War .

Following that,  those who didn't get their fill at the reception retreated to their favorite restaurant for dinner.

Thus endeth the first day.


     

The Beginning of Wisdom

This Sunday's Psalm 111, "Confitebor tibi", gives thanks and praise to God for all that he has given his people in the past and the legacy that He has left for future generations, but there is one verse that seems to be out of place. Let's see if you can spot it,

1 Hallelujah!

I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart, *

in the assembly of the upright, in the congregation.

2 Great are the deeds of the Lord! *

they are studied by all who delight in them.

3 His work is full of majesty and splendor, *

and his righteousness endures for ever.

4 He makes his marvelous works to be remembered; *

the Lord is gracious and full of compassion.

5 He gives food to those who fear him; *

he is ever mindful of his covenant.

6 He has shown his people the power of his works *

in giving them the lands of the nations.

7 The works of his hands are faithfulness and justice; *

all his commandments are sure.

8 They stand fast for ever and ever, *

because they are done in truth and equity.

9 He sent redemption to his people;

he commanded his covenant for ever; *

holy and awesome is his Name.

10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; *

those who act accordingly have a good understanding;

his praise endures for ever.

My attention was drawn to verse 10. In part because it is so familiar to me, and in part because it seems to interrupt the psalmist's recitation of God's gifts to us.

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" is also to be found in Job and Proverbs,

"And to man He said, 'Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; And to depart from evil is understanding.'" Job 28:28

"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding." Proverbs 9:10

Twenty-three more related verses to the fear of the Lord and wisdom can be found at the "Knowing Jesus" pages.

I was reminded this week of Adam's sin of trying to gain the wisdom of God by eating of the forbidden fruit. We can never attain the fullness of God's wisdom in this life, but at least we have been given a beginning. The last of God's gifts that the Psalmist recites actually comes from the beginning of mankind. It is the beginning of wisdom, the fear of the Lord, a remarkable gift, and something Adam only discovered in his shame after he tried to grab the entirety of God's wisdom in one bite.

So maybe it is not so out of place after all.

The Episcopal "YogaMass®": Another Attempt to Save a Dying Denomination

Liturgical dance, giant puppets of doom, Zen Buddhist priests, labyrinth walks, solstice services, mandalas, enneagrams, I thought I had seen it all, but no, Episcopal priests are an endless source of innovations in spiritual practice. Archbishop Cranmer's plan for "Common Prayer" has been tossed aside by these ersatz Anglicans who see no problem with things like a "Yoga Mass". They even have the gall to trademark the idea!  The latest, the YogaMass® - Home.

Episcopalians have a special weakness for syncretism. In describing their innovations, they usually hide the fact that there are real problems with these new practices through the use of familiar Christian jargon, and by avoiding the use of terms like "Eucharist" and "altar" which might scare away non-Christians, and using instead, words like "meal" and "table". YogaMass® is no exception. The Rev. Gena Davis, who might be hoping for money from book sales and the trademarking of her idea, explains it simply,

                                                    Rev. Davis welcomes you to Yoga Mass

"YogaMass® is a unique worship experience engaging and integrating all of our dimensions -- physical, psychological, and spiritual.  It reconnects us, through sacred ritual and practices, to the divine presence among us, within us, and in the sacred meal that we share as we seek to be transformed into the likeness of Christ." 

She tells it so sweetly that many progressive pewsitters will probably wander her way if they can find their way out of whatever labyrinth they have been spiraling into for the past few years.

Or not, for labyrinth walkers a special Yoga Mass is being offered this week,

YogaMass® "embodied spirituality on the mat, sharing Christ's sacred meal"Saturday, January 27, 4:00-5:15 pmYogaMass on the LabyrinthThe Hines Center for Spirituality and Prayer500 Fannin St. #100Houston, TX 77002

The Rev. Gena explains her vision,

"So why a YogaMass®?  Bringing together the practice of yoga, breath work, meditation, and Holy Communion is a way to encounter the Risen Christ on our mats, and to tap into the deep well of God’s divine light within us, so that it may shine through us and flow out into the world.  In the Church, Mass or Holy Communion is a sacrament, an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace.  When we gather to celebrate and receive Holy Communion, we desire to become one with God in that moment, making it a sacramental moment, a sacred moment in which you know and experience what is true all the time and everywhere.  When we celebrate Holy Communion, we come into the present moment and experience divine presence around us and within us through the sharing of the bread and the wine at the table of Jesus."

"When we practice yoga, we also have the opportunity to have a sacramental moment, on the individual level, when our breath and our body come together in a way that we feel a truth of who we are in our deepest level of being.  We are in these bodies, with this breath, experiencing the gift of life.  Our spirits, our energies, move within us, and as we allow and engage this movement, we are on the path to wholeness and healing.  We discover the grace of knowing that God’s Spirit is within, not simply intellectually but also experientially.  In Christian terms, salvation begins when we open to the possibility of no longer being separate from God.   In our humanness, this is a process of discovery and rediscovery, and that hunger for divine connection brings us again and again to our mats."

"When we meditate, we can have a sacramental moment, coming to know the truth of the divine light within us meeting God’s Spirit, if even for a moment.  And even more, a meditation practice brings us into the process of ongoing conversion, in which, as Father Laurence Freeman, priest and Benedictine monk, says in his book, Light Within: Inner Path of Meditation, 'we arrive at a mindfulness of the one Christ present in our hearts and in the world, not remembering Jesus by turning our imagination to the past but mindful of his presence in the present moment.  …  We awaken to this presence at the deepest level of consciousness.'” 

"YogaMass® is designed to create the space where this union in the present moment, on our mats and at the table of Jesus, can be experienced in community – physically, psychologically, and spiritually.  Through engagement of our complete selves in body, soul, and spirit, and the recognition that the sacrament of Holy Communion reveals to us the deep truth and reality that Christ is present, YogaMass® offers a sensory and fully participative experience of Christ’s divine light and consciousness within."

Of course, part of her vision is to sell books. I have not read "Yoga Mass" (not willing to pay for a copy), but I found a review which paints a worrisome picture, 

​

"Yoga Mass" reviewed by Jennifer Ball,

"Davis outlines the Liturgy of the YogaMass at the end of the book, which has been authorized for her use as an Episcopal priest."

Authorized by whom? Bishop Andrew Doyle? I wonder if he will sponsor a resolution for it to be included in the next Prayer Book? There's more deviations from the path in Davis' "authorized" liturgy,

"In the Liturgy, she quotes the Gospel of Thomas, which is not in the Canon, the authoritative teaching of the Church. You can’t find the Gospel of Thomas in your Bible, but Davis emphasizes that the Gospel of Thomas highlights 'inner seeing.' However, this could feel like a controversial idea to some conservative Christians who do not see the Gospel of Thomas as a viable source."

Controversial to say the least. Unbiblical is what I call it.

"Perhaps one of the most interesting parts of the book is where she talked about Christian people’s fear of incorporating other religions into their practice. Could this be a slippery slope? Davis herself said chanting Aum at first felt like a 'betrayal.' This answered my question about whether Christians found this teaching controversial. It turns out it might not be easy to accept at first."

Meditative Yoga teaches freedom from attachments and mastery over the inputs of the sense organs. The practice of Yoga was never intended to be trademarked, bought, or sold. Patanjali would be upset if he had not mastered that emotion.

While preparing for this blog post, I had a vision too.

It is not going to be easy getting the vision out of my mind.

I see a mass of yoga pant clad mat-sitters walking up to the communion rail.

"likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control..." 1 Timothy 2:9

"For God alone my soul in silence waits"

This Sunday's Psalm selection that will be read in many churches is Psalm 62:6-14. Because I think we should sing/chant/ read all of the verses of the Psalms, I will present you with the whole thing, 

62 Nonne Deo

1 For God alone my soul in silence waits; *
from him comes my salvation.

2 He alone is my rock and my salvation, *
my stronghold, so that I shall not be greatly shaken.

3 How long will you assail me to crush me,
all of you together, *
as if you were a leaning fence, a toppling wall?

4 They seek only to bring me down from my place of honor; *
lies are their chief delight.

5 They bless with their lips, *
but in their hearts they curse.

6 For God alone my soul in silence waits; *
truly, my hope is in him.

7 He alone is my rock and my salvation, *
my stronghold, so that I shall not be shaken.

8 In God is my safety and my honor; *
God is my strong rock and my refuge.

9 Put your trust in him always, O people, *
pour out your hearts before him, for God is our refuge.

10 Those of high degree are but a fleeting breath, *
even those of low estate cannot be trusted.

11 On the scales they are lighter than a breath, *
all of them together.

12 Put no trust in extortion;
in robbery take no empty pride; *
though wealth increase, set not your heart upon it.

13 God has spoken once, twice have I heard it, *
that power belongs to God.

14 Steadfast love is yours, O Lord, *
for you repay everyone according to his deeds.

This Sunday the depracatory verses 3-5 are omitted by the Lectionaty editors. I suspect the goal is to present a sanitized version of the Bible to the simple pewsitters so as to not scare them away from weekly worship. It also makes it a little easier for revisionist preachers to steer the conversation/sermon in the direction they want it. 

The Lectionary editors do a real disservice to the Psalm by presenting a version that omits the initial repeat of "For God alone my soul in silence waits" and its different response, "from him comes my salvation." When we see repeated verses in the Bible, we are supposed to pay special attention to them. Alas, this Sunday most folks will miss it.

And most will sit in silence waiting to hear a sermon.

In the Beginning... Oh, Forget that, Oregon Created a Third Sex

We live in the age of gender confusion. Biologic sex means nothing. He can become she at a whim, but the legal implications of a "sex change" are complicated, and governmental agencies are having to play catch up with this cultural change. The state of Oregon has always been on the progressive side of things and has now decided (see Christian Post) that there should be a new legal sex,  the "non-binary".

An Oregon judge ruled Friday that 52-year-old Army veteran Jamie Shupe, who does not identify as male or female, can legally choose to be "non-binary" or a "third sex."
"Male and female are the traditional categories, but they fail to properly categorize people like me. So I challenged that," Shupe told The Daily Dot.
Shupe who retired in 2000 as a sergeant first class in the Army, began transitioning in 2013 while living in Pittsburg. Shupe knew then that neither male nor female fit and now just prefers to be called the gender-neutral name Jamie, instead of a pronoun, according to Oregon Live.
"I was assigned male at birth due to biology," Shupe noted in that report. "I'm stuck with that for life. My gender identity is definitely feminine. My gender identity has never been male, but I feel like I have to own up to my male biology. Being non-binary allows me to do that. I'm a mixture of both. I consider myself as a third sex."

Note the confusion of the words "gender" and "sex". The court is equally confused,

Portland attorney Lake James Perriguey filed Shupe's petition for a sex change on April 27, supported by two letters from Oregon Health Science University as well as the Veterans Affairs hospital, stating that Shupe's gender should be classified as nonbinary.
Oregon law allows a court to change a person's legal sex if a judge determines the person has undergone surgical, hormonal or other treatment related to a gender transition. The law, however, does not require a note from a doctor, according to Oregon Live.
In Friday's ruling Multnomah County Circuit Court Judge Amy Holmes Hehn said Jamie had satisfied the law for a sex change.
"The sexual reassignment has been completed," Hehn wrote in the ruling. "No person has shown cause why the requested General Judgment should not be granted."

I am reminded of something I read today by L. Joseph Hebert at Crisis Magazine,

"Jean Louis de Lolme, writing in 1784 of the 'omnipotence' of the British legislature—and by implication of the modern state—remarks that 'parliament can do everything, except making a woman a man or a man a woman.'”

The state of Oregon, thumbing its nose to de Lolme, has either created a third sex, or a new gender identity, or both, and I don't think the Judge even knows for sure which is which.

Hebert notes that the state creates a new reality, a new absolute that must be accepted,

"Today, the striking thing about de Lolme’s qualification of state power is its apparent naiveté. We live in a world where medical technology is thought capable of 'making a woman a man or a man a woman'; where a man’s conviction that he is a woman, or vice versa, is considered sufficient to make it so; and where the state stands ready to compel us to affirm what many reasonably believe to be a distortion of reality."

 In God we trust, not our human judges. Hebert continues,

"It has become customary for self-proclaimed representatives of humanity to wield sovereign power against anyone opposing the satisfaction of selected desires, promising thereby to secure the conditions of perfect earthly contentment. Today’s gender ideology is one step among many—'from divorce, to contraception, to abortion, to fetal experimentation, to gay marriage, to state control of family numbers and begetting'—through which enlightened despots have acquired an ever-expanding 'environmental and eugenic control over man,' all for our own good of course!"

Rebel, rebel, the world's in a mess...

Omitting the Imprecatory Verses: Is that any way to form disciples?

For the Second Sunday after Epiphany, the Episcopal Organization's Lectionary slashes quite a few verses from Psalm 139. Regular readers of this blog should be able to easily pick out which parts of this Psalm that Sunday pewsitters will not hear. Read the whole thing and guess what gets the ax.

139 Domine, probasti

1 Lord, you have searched me out and known me; *
you know my sitting down and my rising up;
you discern my thoughts from afar.

2 You trace my journeys and my resting-places *
and are acquainted with all my ways.

3 Indeed, there is not a word on my lips, *
but you, O Lord, know it altogether.

4 You press upon me behind and before *
and lay your hand upon me.

5 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; *
it is so high that I cannot attain to it.

6 Where can I go then from your Spirit? *
where can I flee from your presence?

7 If I climb up to heaven, you are there; *
if I make the grave my bed, you are there also.

8 If I take the wings of the morning *
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,

9 Even there your hand will lead me *
and your right hand hold me fast.

10 If I say, "Surely the darkness will cover me, *
and the light around me turn to night,"

11 Darkness is not dark to you;
the night is as bright as the day; *
darkness and light to you are both alike.

12 For you yourself created my inmost parts; *
you knit me together in my mother's womb.

13 I will thank you because I am marvelously made; *
your works are wonderful, and I know it well.

14 My body was not hidden from you, *
while I was being made in secret
and woven in the depths of the earth.

15 Your eyes beheld my limbs, yet unfinished in the womb;
all of them were written in your book; *
they were fashioned day by day,
when as yet there was none of them.

16 How deep I find your thoughts, O God! *
how great is the sum of them!

17 If I were to count them, they would be more in number than the sand; *
to count them all, my life span would need to be like yours.

18 Oh, that you would slay the wicked, O God! *
You that thirst for blood, depart from me.

19 They speak despitefully against you; *
your enemies take your Name in vain.

20 Do I not hate those, O Lord, who hate you? *
and do I not loathe those who rise up against you?

21 I hate them with a perfect hatred; *
they have become my own enemies.

22 Search me out, O God, and know my heart; *
try me and know my restless thoughts.

23 Look well whether there be any wickedness in me *
and lead me in the way that is everlasting.


If you guessed verses 18-23, you are mostly correct. Verses 6-11 were also omitted from the Sunday reading.

Imprecatory verses like vs. 18-21 in which the psalmist prays for God to slay the wicked and in which the psalmist extols his hatred for those who hate God are the parts of the Bible least known by Sunday pewsitters.

The Asbury Bible Commentary on the imprecatory issue should be studied by all who are offended by these verses,

"The Christian reader must begin by accepting these prayers as they are, by and large the cries of God's people for vengeance for unspeakable atrocities against them as God's people and those places sacred to them and to him. The best reading will refrain from spiritualizing the enemy or the petitions or the blessings thereby diminishing the depth of the agony felt and the vehemence of the action sought."

Spiritualizing the enemy would separate the psalm from its historical context in which the enemy was flesh and blood, coming at you and your family.

"The disciple of Jesus must also realize that any disquiet he or she feels in reading these prayers is due to the redeeming influence of the Lord and his apostles, not to any particular moral sensitivity naturally possessed by the 'enlightened' reader. Contemporary readers would have no problem, were it not 'given' them by the same Scripture that preserves both these poems and the teachings that call them into question. This sensitivity surely does not rise out of pure Enlightenment refinement or 'modern maturity.' Secular humanism can never on its own support values sufficient to impugn these prayers. Thus one will do well to refrain from patronizing or moralizing approaches to these works."

In other words, our discomfort is due to Christ working within us and not due to some other moral authority.

"Contemporary readers, particularly those in more affluent societies, can allow these prayers to help them enter the suffering life of the people of God, to transport them from their relative ease into the ghastly suffering and consternation of persons who have been uprooted, mocked, or abused. These prayers awaken the conscience to the human cry for redress, the cosmic demand for moral order and justice. They can lead one to feel as deeply as one ought the horrendous insult to Yahweh and his creation perpetrated by those who lie and cheat and kill and abuse and blaspheme. Made callous by exposure to continual evil, one may lose the sense of outrage these evils deserve, whether done to us or to others or to God. These prayers awaken that outrage, which is to be offered to God and which motivates to redemptive action.

Beyond these instructive appropriations the imprecatory prayers must point the followers of Jesus beyond themselves to a loftier vision of prayer, as noted above, for, not against, 'the enemy,' a form of prayer taught by our Master (Mt 5:11, 43-48) and modeled by the earliest church (1 Pe 2:19-25). This vision does not set aside the call for justice and vindication, but places these matters in God's hands for the eschaton (Ro 2; Rev 2:19ff.; 18)."

Sadly, the average churchgoer will never learn these lessons because they will only be exposed to a sanitized version of this and many other passages read from the Bible during the typical Sunday morning worship service when that church utilizes the Episcopal lectionary.

What student can ever hope to become a professor when they only learn selected fragments cherry picked from a study guide?

Is that any way to form disciples?

Drag Queen Story Time at a Public Library

Matt Kennedy posted this on Facebook because it is happening in his town.

Broome County Public Library185 Court St, Binghamton, New York 13901 

Come join us for our first ever Drag Queen Story Time! This is an exciting chance to see live characters from your favorite books. Ariel, Elsa, Alice in Wonderland, Cinderella and maybe a surprise guest or two will appear before your eyes and read your favorite stories!

As I type this, 66 people say that they are going. That means a large number of preschool children will be treated to a drag queen show with a man cross dressing as their favorite female characters, all at their tax-payer funded public library. In reading through the comments on the library's Facebook page, whenever a critical comment was posted, the individual was quickly attacked as a hater and a bigot. I was not surprised to see that most of the comments were positive. Here are a few,

"Lucky kiddos! This is great."

"LOVE! Proud to be a part of such an amazing community!"

"This is going to be awesome! God love the Community!!!! 🙌🏼 yass!!"

"In my opinion, the reason they are advertising it as Drag Queen Story Time is to prevent outraged parents causing a scene when they bring their children. Outraged intolerant, bigoted parents."

"Outstanding, Broom County Public library.... paving the path for everyone to feel included! Children hold no judgement.... it’s what we teach them, that determines what kind of person they will be!"

"Oh...my...God! This is incredible!!! What an inclusive event for all children! Love love love this!!!"

"It just kills me that people have an issue with this but fail to remember that years ago MEN used to act out the WOMEN parts in Shakespeare plays. How crazy is it to think that this still lives on today? Go be mad and upset about something else. Your children will be fine. In fact, they’ll probably grow up to be more tolerant of people than these disgusting humans bashing this amazing event are."

"My own children are much older now but I will be borrowing a friend's child for such a fun and worthwhile event."

"What a beautiful way of teaching our kids acceptance and community. Our wonderful community is made up of all colors, backgrounds, gender identities and frankly, I can't wait! I'm looking forward to taking my children to the library for some reading and loving thy neighbor. Thank you for providing this opportunity."

"What an incredible event!! So proud of the community who is supporting this, and so heartbroken by all of the negative, uneducated comments. Drag is pure art, love, joy, pride, and celebration - everything we should be sharing with children!!"

"100% agree. It's part of our culture."

Yep. cross dressing is unfortunately a part of our culture, a tiny, itsy-bitsy part of our culture, and so are a number of other perversions that are also not appropriate for young children.

The tax-payers of Binghamton, NY should shut down their public library as it has become a public menace. 

The Voice of the Lord is Loud and Clear

This Sunday's Psalm 29 provides a strong rebuke to those who would claim that God speaks only in the quiet, as a whisper, or not at all.

1 Ascribe to the Lord, you gods, *
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.

2 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his Name; *
worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.

3 The voice of the Lord is upon the waters;
the God of glory thunders; *
the Lord is upon the mighty waters.

4 The voice of the Lord is a powerful voice; *
the voice of the Lord is a voice of splendor.

5 The voice of the Lord breaks the cedar trees; *
the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon;

6 He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, *
and Mount Hermon like a young wild ox.

7 The voice of the Lord splits the flames of fire;
the voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness; *
the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.

8 The voice of the Lord makes the oak trees writhe *
and strips the forests bare.

9 And in the temple of the Lord *
all are crying, "Glory!"

10 The Lord sits enthroned above the flood; *
the Lord sits enthroned as King for evermore.

11 The Lord shall give strength to his people; *
the Lord shall give his people the blessing of peace.

The Lord sometimes does speak in a whisper, but not today!

12 Predictions: What New Abominations Will 2018 Bring?

I have never been very good at predicting the future except when I have been guided by scripture, tradition, and reason. So, I think I will take a crack at making a few predictions for Episcopalians in 2018. These should not be regarded as "prophesies" as I do not lay claim to any divine inspiration. Instead, they should be seen as a just a few words of wisdom from a veteran of the losing side of the recent Episcopal Wars whose crystal ball is about as reliable as the old Magic 8 Ball.

1. Look forward to new abominations coming from the Episcopal organization's 2018 General Convention in July. Surely, there will be an announcement that Prayer Book revision is making wonderful progress and there will be rumblings that the revisions do not go far enough. A draft of a new Prayer Book (if they dare call it that) will be brought to the next convention in 2021. The slow moving timeline will be a source of aggravation for the extreme revisionists who will ask for permission to hold a same-sex marriages and not just "blessings" in local parish sanctuaries.

2. Bathroom equality will be recommended for local parish halls organization wide.

3. Denunciations of Republican political policies will work their way into speeches delivered at the 2018 General Convention. Watch for terms such as "racism", "systematic",  and "oppression" as trigger words to gain the approval of revisionists.

4. 2018 will be remarkable for an attempt by the Episcopal organization to seduce Hispanics away from Roman Catholicism through the use of Spanish language hymns, anthems, and signage. It won't work of course. One revisionist priest will make a show of using a tortilla for the Eucharistic meal and will be praised by some but called out by the more radical left as having committed an act of "cultural appropriation" or having made a "micro-aggression" toward Hispanics.

5. The "Episcopal Revivals" which Presiding Bishop Curry has been holding will be praised and called a great success and a sign that God is looking with favor upon the organization.

6. There will be no serious discussion about the declines in attendance and membership organization wide.

7. There will be no calls to stop support of the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Rights.

8. There will be prayers and words of support for Planned Parenthood.

9. There will be no words of repentance coming from the Episcopal organization.

10. There will be calls for the ruling Republican Congress and Senate to repent of any number of imagined sins.

11. There will be more funerals than baptisms in the Episcopal organization.

12. Diversity will be showcased at GC 2018, but your parish buildings will remain as homogeneous and as non-diverse as your local country club.

Stay tuned to see how the crystal ball fares in 2018!