From The Pastor's Heart comes the news that the Rev. Andrew Pearson has left Birmingham Alabama's Advent Cathedral (also known as "The Advent") after years of putting up the good fight and standing firm for the Gospel. In his interview he details his reasons, and speaks of his future plans. I recall that he used to be in The Diocese of South Carolina under Mark Lawrence. It is amazing that he lasted this long in the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama. The fact that he was told by two of its bishops that he had to change or leave reminds us that there is no room for the faithful in the Episcopal organization. In the video below, I suggest you scroll to the 7:30 mark.
Part of the write up from The Pastor's Heart,
The resignation of Rev Andrew Pearson as rector of the 11-hundred strong Advent Cathedral in Birmingham, Alabama has come as a shock.
The conventional wisdom had been that Advent could ride the storms of liberalism surrounding it, despite many other evangelicals being gradually forced out of America’s Episcopal Church over the last decade.
However, the Cathedral’s vestry has recently capitulated to the demands of the new Alabama Episcopal bishop.
Andrew says an ultimatum was put to him by two successive bishops, ‘change or leave the denomination.’
I am afraid that another little stone bridge has bitten the dust. Long ago, friend Sarah Hey suggested we fight for our little stone bridges and not abandon the Episcopal organization. My bridge got washed away from under me. The Rev. Pearson's was taken by the Bishop. Pray for those faithful remaining at The Advent as they have to decide whether to "change or leave". After this fiasco, the decision should be a no brainer.
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Part of the problem early on was that the "stayers" thought the "leavers" were wrong to leave and some even called us "quitters". 'A little leaven leavens the whole lump' Galatians 5:9
ReplyDeleteThe theory was that the more people who stayed and fought, the greater chance of reversing the course. The course was fixed, and nobody had enough votes or influence to change it.
DeleteI remember being raked over the coals for supporting All Saints Pawley's Island secession. But in truth the fix has been in since the 1970's.
DeleteThe Episcopal wars left many burned. I am glad your little stone bridgehead held.
DeleteIt may be interesting to watch at Pearson's plans for ministry develop. The ACNA, while he tried to hang on in ECUSA, has moved forward with liturgical standards and church planting. There are already thriving ACNA parishes in two Birmingham suburbs Pearson has mentioned (Hoover and Mountain Brook). Some folks in Raleigh, NC, have established a parish and built a church just blocks from the ECUSA parish they left. I hope Pearson will take the time to learn about his new affiliation and will work to adapt to the new organization.
ReplyDeleteYes, we will have to do a web search for him in a year or two.
DeleteAccording to this, Pearson plans to launch a new church in Birmingham, appealing, probably, to Advent people who are not happy with TEC. The affiliation of that church is not clear. Pearson, among other things, wrote his own liturgy at Advent. Whether he would be willing to use, to any extent, the new ACNA Prayer Book would be an open question.
ReplyDeleteThe link below, with this information, is from someone who thinks the Diocese of SC, lead by +Mark Lawrence, was in the wrong, so take it with a large grain of salt. Plus, he says St. Peter's, in Mountain Brook, is in a former Mormon building. I am credibly informed that it was, rather, previously a synagogue.
https://episcopalschismsc.blogspot.com/2021/05/pearson-to-start-new-church-today-18.html
Ron Caldwell is a reliable source of misinformation.
DeleteAs you say, Pewster, we'll have to do an internet search on Pearson in a couple of years to see how this goes.
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