Marriage Re-Rite

The muffled sounds we are hearing is that there will be approval of same sex blessings in the Episcopal Church (USA). The other muffled sounds are that a rewrite of the BCP is in the works. The "cone of silence" has been lowered on any proposed language for same sex blessings. In order to break the cone of silence, I have the following proposal for the Marriage Rite. This involves some simple changes to the existing Rite in the Book of Common Prayer. I believe this addresses some of the possible issues we may encounter as we move to include persons or non persons of varying personal or non personal sexual preferences. In addition, by carefully including optional language we will be able to create a Rite that will not have to be rewritten for many years, thereby saving countless Church dollars and trees. (My apologies to the BCP)

Marriage Rite: Concerning the Service

Christian marriage is a solemn and public covenant (words deleted) in the presence of God. In the Episcopal Church it is required that one, at least, of the parties must be a baptized Christian; that the ceremony be attested by at least two witnesses. A priest or a bishop normally presides at the Celebration and Blessing of a Marriage, because such ministers alone have the function of pronouncing the nuptial blessing, and of celebrating the Holy Eucharist. When both a bishop and a priest are present and officiating, the bishop should pronounce the blessing and preside at the Eucharist. A deacon, or an assisting priest, may deliver the charge, ask for the Declaration of Consent, read the Gospel, and perform other assisting functions at the Eucharist. Where it is permitted by civil law that deacons may perform marriages, and no priest or bishop is available, a deacon may use the service which follows, omitting the nuptial blessing which follows The Prayers. It is desirable that the Lessons from the Old Testament and the Epistles be read by lay persons. In the opening exhortation, the full names of those to be married are declared. Subsequently, only their Christian names are used unless no Christian name is available. Additional Directions are on page (tba).

The Celebration and Blessing of a Marriage

At the time appointed, those to be married, with their witnesses, assemble in the church or some other appropriate place. During their entrance, a hymn, psalm, or anthem may be sung, or instrumental music may be played. Then the Celebrant, facing the people and those to be married, with one or more to the right and one or more to the left, addresses the congregation and says

Dearly beloved: We have come together in the presence of God to witness and bless the joining together of this/these man/men/other and this/these woman/women/others in Holy Matrimony. The bond(s) and covenant(s) of marriage was established by God in creation, and our Lord Jesus Christ adorned this manner of life by his presence and first miracle at a wedding in Cana of Galilee. It signifies to us the mystery of the union between Christ and his Church, and Holy Scripture commends it to be honored among all people. The union of creatures in heart, body, and mind is intended by God for their mutual joy; for the help and comfort given one another in prosperity and adversity; and, when it is God’s will, for the procreation of children and their nurture in the knowledge and love of the Lord (optional language). Therefore marriage is not to be entered into unadvisedly or lightly, but reverently, deliberately, and in accordance with the purposes for which it was instituted by God.

Into this holy union N.N. and N.N. (and N.N. etc if needed) now come to be joined. If any of you can show just cause why they may not lawfully be married, speak now; or else for ever hold your peace.

Then the Celebrant says to the persons to be married

I require and charge you, here in the presence of God, that if any of you know any reason why you may not be united in marriage lawfully, and in accordance with God’s Word, you do now confess it.

The Declaration of Consent

The Celebrant says to the one or ones on the left N.(s), will you have this (fill in the blank) to be your (fill in the blank); to live together in the covenant of marriage? Will you love (fill in the blank), comfort (fill in the blank), honor and keep (fill in the blank), in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all others, be faithful to him/her/them as long as you (word deleted) shall live? The one or ones on the left answers or answer I/We will.

The Celebrant says to the one or ones on the right N.(s), will you have this (fill in the blank) to be your (fill in the blank); to live together in the covenant of marriage? Will you love (fill in the blank), comfort (fill in the blank), honor and keep (fill in the blank), in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all others, be faithful to him/her/them as long as you (word deleted) shall live? The one or ones on the right answers or answer I/We will.

The Celebrant then addresses the congregation, saying

Will all of you witnessing these promises do all in your power to uphold these (fill in the blank) in their marriage?

People

We will.

If there is to be a presentation or a giving in marriage, it takes place at this time. See page 437.

A hymn, psalm, or anthem may follow.

The Ministry of the Word

The Celebrant then says to the people

The Lord be with you.

People

And also with you.

Let us pray. O gracious and everliving God, you have created us (words deleted) in your image: Look mercifully upon this/these (fill in the blanks) and this/these (fill in the blanks) who come to you seeking your blessing, and assist them with your grace, that with true fidelity and steadfast love they may honor and keep the promises and vows they make; through Jesus Christ our Savior, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Then one or more of the following passages from Holy Scripture are to be read. If there is to be a Communion, a passage from the Gospel always concludes the Readings.

Song of Solomon 2:10 13; 8:6 7 (Many waters cannot quench love)

1 Corinthians 13:1 13 (Love is patient and kind)

Ephesians 5:1 2, 21 33 (Walk in love, as Christ loved us)

Colossians 3:12 17 (Love which binds everything together in harmony)

1 John 4:7 16 (Let us love one another for love is of God)

These readings may be substituted.

Daniel 1:9 (Now God had brought Daniel into favor and tender love with the prince of the eunuchs) (KJV)

1 Samuel 18:1 "...the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul" (KJV)

2 Samuel 1:26 "I grieve for you, Jonathan my brother; you were very dear to me. Your love for me was wonderful, more wonderful than that of women."

Ruth 1:16-17 "And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the LORD do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me."

Between the Readings, a Psalm, hymn, or anthem may be sung or said.

Appropriate Psalm is 67.

When a passage from the Gospel is to be read, all stand, and the Deacon or Minister appointed says

The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to ___________.

People

Glory to you, Lord Christ.

Matthew 5:1 10 (The Beatitudes)

Matthew 5:13 16 (You are the light...Let your light so shine)

Matthew 7:21, 24 29 (Like a wise man who built his house upon the rock)

John 15:9 12 (Love one another as I have loved you)

After the Gospel, the Reader says The Gospel of the Lord.

People Praise to you, Lord Christ.

A homily or other response to the Readings may follow.

The Marriage

The one/ones on the right, facing the one/ones on the left and taking right hands, says/say In the Name of God, I/We, N.(s), take you, N.(s), to be my (fill in the blank), to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until we are parted by death. This is my solemn vow. Then they loose their hands, and the one or ones on the left, still facing the one or ones on the right, takes hands, and says/say In the Name of God, I/We, N.(s), take you, N.(s), to be my (fill in the blank), to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until we are parted by death. This is my solemn vow. They loose their hands.

The Priest may ask God’s blessing on a ring or rings as follows

Bless, O Lord, this ring/rings to be a sign of the vows by which these have bound themselves; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. The giver/givers places/place the ring/rings on the ring finger/fingers of the other’s hand/hands and says/say N.(s), I/We give you this ring/rings as symbol/symbols of my/our vow, and with all that I/We am/are, and all that I/We have, I/We honor you, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit (or in the Name of God).

Then the Celebrant joins the right hands of all and says Now that N. and N. (and N. etc) have given themselves to each other by solemn vows, with the joining of hands and the giving and receiving of a ring/ or rings, I pronounce that they are (fill in) and (fill in), in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Those whom God has joined together let no one put asunder.

People

Amen.

The Prayers

All standing, the Celebrant says Let us pray together in the words our Savior taught us.

People and Celebrant

Our Father, who art in heaven, Our Father in heaven, hallowed be thy Name, hallowed be your Name, thy kingdom come, your kingdom come, thy will be done, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. on earth as in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, Forgive us our sins as we forgive those as we forgive those who trespass against us. who sin against us. And lead us not into temptation, Save us from the time of trial, but deliver us from evil. and deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, For the kingdom, the power, and the power, and the glory, and the glory are yours for ever and ever. Amen. now and for ever. Amen.

If Communion is to follow, the Lord’s Prayer may be omitted here.

The Deacon or other person appointed reads the following prayers, to which the People respond, saying, Amen. If there is not to be a Communion, one or more of the prayers may be omitted. Let us pray. Eternal God, creator and preserver of all life, author of salvation, and giver of all grace: Look with favor upon the world you have made, and for which your Son gave his life, and especially upon these whom you make one flesh in Holy Matrimony. Amen.

Give them wisdom and devotion in the ordering of their common life, that all may be to the other/others a strength/strengths in need, a counselor/counselors in perplexity, a comfort in sorrow, and a companion/companions in joy. Amen.

Grant that their wills may be so knit together in your will, and their spirits in your Spirit, that they may grow in love and peace with you and one another all the days of their life. Amen. Give them grace, when they hurt each other, to recognize and acknowledge their fault, and to seek each other’s forgiveness and yours. Amen.

Make their life together a sign of Christ’s love to this sinful and broken world, that unity may overcome estrangement, forgiveness heal guilt, and joy conquer despair. Amen.

(Section Deleted)

Give them such fulfillment of their mutual affection that they may reach out in love and concern for others. Amen.

Grant that all married persons who have witnessed these vows may find their lives strengthened and their loyalties confirmed. Amen.

Grant that the bonds of our common humanity, by which all your children are united one to another, and the living to the dead, may be so transformed by your grace, that your will may be done on earth as it is in heaven; where, O Father, with your Son and the Holy Spirit, you live and reign in perfect unity, now and for ever. Amen.

The Blessing of the Marriage

The people remain standing. The recentlywed kneel, and the Priest says one of the following prayers

Most gracious God, we give you thanks for your tender love in sending Jesus Christ to come among us, to be born of a human mother, and to make the way of the cross to be the way of life. We thank you, also, for consecrating the union of these in his Name. By the power of your Holy Spirit, pour out the abundance of your blessing upon them. Defend them from every enemy. Lead them into all peace. Let their love for each other be a seal upon their hearts, a mantle about their shoulders, and a crown upon their foreheads. Bless them in their work and in their companionship; in their sleeping and in their waking; in their joys and in their sorrows; in their life and in their death. Finally, in your mercy, bring them to that table where your saints feast for ever in your heavenly home; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

or this

O God, you have so consecrated the covenant of marriage that in it is represented the spiritual unity between Christ and his Church: Send therefore your blessing upon these your servants, that they may so love, honor, and cherish each other in faithfulness and patience, in wisdom and true godliness, that their home may be a haven of blessing and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

The recentlywed still kneeling, the Priest adds this blessing

God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, bless, preserve, and keep you; the Lord mercifully with his favor look upon you, and fill you with all spiritual benediction and grace; that you may faithfully live together in this life, and in the age to come have life everlasting. Amen.

The Peace

The Celebrant may say to the people

The peace of the Lord be always with you.

People

And also with you.

The newly married then greet each other, after which greetings may be exchanged throughout the congregation. When Communion is not to follow, the wedding party leaves the church. A hymn, psalm, or anthem may be sung, or instrumental music may be played.

At the Eucharist

The liturgy continues with the Offertory, at which the newly married may present the offerings of bread and wine.

Preface of Marriage

At the Communion, it is appropriate that the newly married receive Communion first, after the ministers. In place of the usual postcommunion prayer, the following is said

O God, the giver of all that is true and lovely and gracious: We give you thanks for binding us together in these holy mysteries of the Body and Blood of your Son Jesus Christ. Grant that by your Holy Spirit, N. and N. (and N.(s) if needed), now joined in Holy Matrimony, may become one in heart and soul, live in fidelity and peace, and obtain those eternal joys prepared for all who love you; for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. As the wedding party leaves the church, a hymn, psalm, or anthem may be sung; or instrumental music may be played.

Hemlines and Fringes

Mary Cat (not to be confused with the NYC Subway Godmother of Soul in the video above) delivered today's sermon and focused on the reading from Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26. Once again, she gets a story where there is a feminine element. Is it my imagination, or does she get these subjects more often than not? Mary Cat, focusing solely on verses 20-22 gave a personal reflection on a time when someone reached out to her. We should all reflect back on those times as either missed opportunities or times where we were able to help someone. The positive experiences of sharing God's love can be by just being present and listening as Mary Cat explained, but there are times when more is needed, and that is the hard part for many of us, and this is the part I wish she had touched on. I am referring to the times when I could have explained how Christ was present in our lives. Usually, when I reflect on a situation, I focus on what I should have or could have done, or how the situation affected me personally. The most important question may be the one I forget to ask, "Why did I ignore God's presence?" Answer: I was thinking about myself. If the interaction made me uncomfortable, "Why did I not ask for your help?" All too often, we do not allow God to be part of our human interactions. Lord forgive me as I am guilty pretty much all the time.

Again, we have to marvel at the Episcopal Lectionary and how we omitted verses 14-17 of Matthew 9:

Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, ‘Why do we and the Pharisees fast often,* but your disciples do not fast?’ And Jesus said to them, ‘The wedding-guests cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old cloak, for the patch pulls away from the cloak, and a worse tear is made. Neither is new wine put into old wineskins; otherwise, the skins burst, and the wine is spilled, and the skins are destroyed; but new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved.

When the Gospel is read in Church omitting certain verses, and it is printed in the bulletin in such a way that the selected readings are seamlessly "patched" together without even a "..." put in to indicate a break, I am afraid he scriptures become prophetic "and a worse tear is made." What is the reason for leaving out the middle of a Gospel section? Is it to make the service shorter? Only our poor pewsitters wind up getting short changed. More likey "we are making a new wineskin" by rewriting the Bible to be more convenient.

Another note on the Bulletin insert, Part II of "A Brief History of the Lambeth Conference," (for more details go to the Curmudgeon's analysis)we get the Rev. Webber's interpretation of how sex, birth control, abortion, and marriage have been handled by past Lambeth conferences. Apparently not up to his standards since his final paragraph displays clear bias when he writes,

"Not until 1958 would the bishops begin to construct a positive theology of marriage..."

They could not put this new theology into the old wineskin of 2000 years of scripture and tradition, they had to make up a new theology. If they try to put too much more of that new wine into my old skin, I will surely burst.
Who is on the fringe here, or is my bias showing?

The Underground Scriptures

Fr. Dunbar delivered today's sermon and left us hanging. His revelation that we pewsitters will only hear an expurgated version of the Genesis story of Noah and the Covenant thanks to the new ecumenical lectionary probably just sailed over the heads of many. Thanks to Fr. Dunbar and his willingness to tackle the difficult passages, we had a "Bible study" instead of a sermon (his description). This forbidden reading is left out of the approved lectionary for the Episcopal Church. What were "they" thinking, and who are "they" who call the shots? First the texts: From Genesis 9,

2 And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered.

3 Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.

4 But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat.

5 And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man's brother will I require the life of man.

6 Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man

What is so bad about that?
Do we have to be protected from these verses because we might join the NRA, shoot squirrels, and become carnivorous avengers? The reference to capital punishment must be expurgated! I have to think that we are being sheltered from selected Bible verses for an underground purpose. Look again at these verses and think of what future generations will lose. Of course, one might argue that the Bible remains intact and available for the public to read freely, but honestly, how many pewsitters actually read even the daily lectionary (links available on this page)?

Fr. Dunbar then expressed his opposition to the death penalty and his concern for the animals, and wisely left it at that. He then got around to the N.T. lessons and effectively compared the Old and the New Covenants. The other great thing he did with this "sermon" was when after discussing the nature of these covenants as agreements between two parties, he then made the point by reminding us of the Eucharist as God's side of the New Covenant by turning and pointing to the altar. He then ended his sermon abruptly, and in my mind I heard an unspoken message that might have sounded like this, "God has done His part, He has given us His Body and His Blood. Have you kept up your side of the bargain?" The silence that fell following his sermon seemed deafening.

In addition to today's sermon, we were treated to an insert in the bulletin from EpiscopalLife weekly written by the Rev. Christopher L. Webber (if you missed it read it here as a pdf)
Reading between the lines of this "Brief History of the Lambeth Conference Part 1" I suspect those responsible for rewriting the lectionary are also at work in rewriting the history of "Anglicanism."

“'It should be distinctly understood,' said Archbishop Charles Longley, 'that at this meeting no declaration of faith shall be made, and no decision come to which shall affect generally the interests of the Church, but that we shall meet together for brotherly counsel and encouragement'"

(Read, "Don't take Lambeth seriously.")

"In an uncanny preview of current events, the archbishop declared Colenso to be heretical and sent a new bishop to serve the same area. Colenso stuck to his guns and his diocese and is now revered by the Church in South Africa "

(Read, "Don't worry little ones, even if Bishop Gene Robinson or the entire Episcopal Church USA is declared heretical, and if some strange Bishop creature gets sent in to replace him, he and the entire Episcopal Church USA will be revered by future generations." Uncanny preview indeed!)

Getting back to "Brief History of the Lambeth Conference Part 1" in 1878 at Lambeth,

“the duly certified action of every national or particular Church...should be respected by all the other Churches” and that “no bishop or other clergyman of any other Church should exercise his functions within (some other) diocese without the consent of the bishop thereof.”

and, in 1897

"They were very clear that however diverse the members of the Church might be in language and ethnicity they were members of one Church. They stressed again that it would be very wrong for two bishops of the Church to attempt to carry on a ministry in the same area."

(Read, "We in the USA can do whatever we want, and don't even think of bringing in another bishop if you disagree with TEC.")

And then the Rev. Webber leaks one of the underground catch phrases "freedom and unity" which we will be hearing more about in the future as the American Church separates itself from the Anglican Communion. In this interesting ending to his "history" he makes the whole notion of an Anglican Communion an undefined postmodern meaningless enterprise,

"The issue of freedom and unity was addressed again in the statement that: 'it is important that, so far as possible, the Church should be adapted to local circumstances...and nothing is required of them but what is of the essence of the faith, and belongs to the due order of the catholic Church.' The first of these statements of course, left undefined what was meant by being 'in full communion
with the Church of England' and the second left open 'what is of the essence of the faith, and belongs to the due order of the catholic Church.'"

(Read, "Don't worry your little heads, there never was a communion to walk away from.")

I had to dig a little deeper into the "revered" Bishop Colenso and came up with some of the charges against him. There is something ominously familiar in the problems of Colenso as found in this correspondence from 1868,

"Dr. Colenso has taught that the Holy Scriptures, of both the Old and New Testaments, are not to be relied upon, as conveying to us an unerring Revelation of God's Truth and Will. He has affirmed that every living man is to judge for himself,--by 'the voice which he hears within,' which is the 'voice of his Lord,' the 'Light of the Divine Word,'--whether any, or what portions of the Scriptures are the Word of God; that 'by that light the words recorded to have been uttered by our Lord himself must all be tried;' that our Lord was ignorant, and in error; [31/32] that 'it is not to be supposed,' 'it cannot be maintained,' that 'He possessed a knowledge surpassing that of the most pious and learned adults of His nation,' that 'He knew more than any educated Jew of His age;' that He ought not to be adored or worshipped; that it is unscriptural and un-apostolic to do so; that we must 'modify our views of Christianity itself.'"

This sounds an awful lot like the path our current "leaders" are following.
Is there in this bulletin insert from our National Church the signature of an underground operation that may be trying to prepare us for something like "Operation Brain Drain?" Am I seeing things, or am I just looking for something to be unhappy about?
Oh, Vestry, protect me from the Rev. Webber. Do not feed our money to this propaganda machine.
Oh, Uriel, help me.

What’s the Use of Worrying?

Today's sermon was delivered by Charlie, who started out with a caveat, saying that today's lessons were used in the past to keep people from questioning authority. At that point, I knew I was being given the go-ahead to be a critic. It was suggested that the "do not worry about tomorrow" bit in Matthew 6 was used in the past to pacify those suffering privations caused by poor governance. Charlie seemed to say that these verses have been used to drug people into inaction. When Charlie said that "Marx was right, religion is the opiate of the people," I shrunk in my seat. Not exactly the best choice of words for Memorial Day. If I had been medicated, I would have smiled and "let it pass," for "today's trouble is enough for today," (Matthew 6:24-34 ). I wanted to shout "Marx was wrong, wrong, wrong, and history and our servicemen have proven it so!" The United States has never had a National Religion to serve as a mouthpiece of the powerful to keep the masses placated with warm and fuzzy scripture readings. What we should be saying on this day is, "Bless the slumber of all those who died for our freedom, so that we would not have to worry about the KGB, kangaroo courts, about how or where we will live, or about what we will eat, wear, or speak." How do today's readings relate to Memorial Day? I have to think of the soldiers, sailors and airmen in the field, what do today's scriptures say to them?
After this brief bit of trouble, I almost packed it in, but was rescued by a thought of an old tune...

Pack up your troubles in your old kit-bag,
And smile, smile, smile,
While you’ve a lucifer to light your fag,
Smile, boys, that’s the style.
What’s the use of worrying?
It never was worth while, so
Pack up your troubles in your old kit-bag,
And smile, smile, smile.

Charlie also spoke of the religious maturation of people. Paul had gotten to the point where he did not even judge himself (1Corinthians 4:1-5). In other words, Paul was not going to waste time bashing himself for his sins, but if there was anything "against" him, "It is the Lord who judges me." To Charlie, part of religious maturation is to know when to be silent. He is right, and I guess that I have not got religion yet, as this blog proves.

I really was ready to be silent today, I just was not given the chance. Where was anything said about Memorial Day? I know that Memorial Day has been a contentious issue in the South ever since it was forced upon us by the Union (see Order 11 ) following the War of Northern Aggression. In my day, it was not a school holiday, while Confederate Memorial Day was always remembered. Enough water has passed under the bridge, and the National Holiday Act of 1971 changed the meaning of the day, but Charlie reminded us today about the terrible conditions in South Carolina after the war, after the Union troops had taken all the livestock and the people had to worry about starvation. Still, I don't think this was the reason we dissed Memorial Day.

Since we did not recognize in church today those who gave the supreme sacrifice, I would ask for a moment of silence at this time.

Our Bishop has asked our clergy to be silent, but not for the above reason. David Virtue got a scoop and published this warning letter here. I guess Bishop Henderson thinks the clergy may lack the spiritual maturity to keep their mouths shut on the matter of St. Christopher's breakup in Spartanburg. The Bishop may be assured that Charlie kept his silence today and tried to stick to the scriptures in his sermon. But my question is this, will we hear any of our upstate clergy question authority about the Bishop's warning letter? If we do not, then the whole thesis of today's sermon will have to be thrown out. We will rewrite the scriptures that tell us that we have nothing to fear from such earthly concerns.

If this post upsets anyone, you must be needing a dose of conservative happiness (see earlier post). Refusing that, I will kindly rewrite your scriptures to read, "Worry about what you say, about what you will wear, and where you will pray, take out your troubles from that old kit bag, and scowl, scowl, scowl."

Shake the Dust Off Your Feet?

2 Corinthians 13:11-13

"Finally, brothers and sisters, farewell. Put things in order, listen to my appeal, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the saints greet you."

May I add, always depart from one another with a holy kiss.

Trinity Sunday should be about the things that hold us together. As expected, we will not hear word one about the defections from T.E.C. that are starting to hit closer to home. See the following discussion about St. Christopher's Episcopal church in Spartanburg breaking up and being reduced to mission status. The people there have voted with their feet and pocket books and left T.E.C. To the uninformed, this is unthinkable. The uninformed will say that the priest has led these people astray. Do not expect anything good to be said about their departure. No, they will get a holy "kiss off." And what about those that remain? The church will become a "mission church." This means that you and I will be paying the bills until and if they become self sufficient. Around here, being reduced to mission status is like a temporary stay of execution. My guess is that St. Christopher's property will be on the chopping block in 3 years.

And why are whole dioceses leaving the Episcopal Church? Perhaps it has something to do with a failure of leadership. Years of weak, careless leadership have emboldened people to get out of the pews and battle the powers that be in TEC. After years of struggle with TEC and trying to steer the ship back on course, have these revolutionaries now taken the approach of walking away from the field of battle by forming alliances with other Anglican Bishops and renaming their churches? Have they given up? My opinion is that this should be viewed as a leaving out of frustration at not having had any impact in changing the course of TEC over many years of staying engaged in a decent Christian attempt to be heard rather than viewing this as a cowardly retreat. In a good Christian fight, when people don't listen maybe we should shake the dust off our feet and depart as we have been instructed to do(Matthew 10:14).
Could South Carolina be the next battleground? Why is Bishop Henderson steering us towards the failing national church? With the election of Mark Lawrence as Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina is the other half of the state preparing to go South? You should take the time to review the visit our Presiding Bishop made to the other Episcopal Diocese in South Carolina. The summary should read "What we have here is a failure to communicate," or as I like to say "a failure to renunciate" meaning the PB and the TEC elite should cast off their wayward agendas and come back to a place us common pew sitters can understand.

After a lifetime of living, giving, bleeding Episcopalianism, and several years of studying the decline of the Episcopal Church in America (TEC), I have not seen any effective attempts by our leaders to stop the decline. Rather, it appears that our current leaders are doing everything they can to hasten the process (example).

Unfortunately, Since the election of Katherine Schori as Presiding Bishop of TEC we have seen a frightening attempt to create some sort of American Episcopal Union to counteract the growing confederacy of Anglican churches in the US. The "Federals" are busy rewriting the rules. Revisions to the canons (as one example)have been proposed which sound to many like an attempt at centralizing power.
The National Church supporting lawsuits against people who want an Anglican bishop shepherd them is another example of a powerful national organization that has lost its senses. Christians suing Christians! Blasphemy! Strike the capital letters and we have "christians" suing "christians."
Add to this the trial of Bishops who had the gall to confirm persons in the new Anglican dioceses (read it here). What a waste of our resources for our National Church Leaders to pursue an 80 year old retired Bishop. Next thing you will hear is an attempt to nullify the confirmations.
It appears that we are headed for a clash between the forces from above (the "National" Church) and the forces from below (the people, who by definition are the Church). As long as the people remain uniformed or apathetic expect the bizarre agendas of our PB to continue to dominate the field. Whenever things coming down from above run into things coming up from below, a big mess usually winds up on the floor for you know who to clean up.
What will we in EDUSC do when it comes time to choose a new Bishop? What questions will we want the candidates to answer? (Here are some samples) Are there any questions that we would be afraid to ask? What questions will we be allowed to ask?

To Dream the Impossible Dream

Today's service brought another glaring example of our politically correct expurgated Episcopal Church lectionary. By openly declaring that we would not read,

"Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth, and let the wicked be no more."

from Psalm 104:35 (KJV) aren't we conceding to the ruling priestly class that they know what is best for us lowly pewsters? An informal poll performed today (by yours truly, a "pew"ster survey) revealed unanimous support for reading the forbidden passage and letting the Spirit do His work. Am I dreaming, or was this a hidden message to prepare us for the sermon?

Fr. Dunbar delivered today's sermon. He started with the O.T. reading from Joel and the prophesy that all will have the spirit poured out on them much to the consternation of the priestly class. This vision that God will become accessible to even those lowly male and female slaves must have sounded offensive in its' day, and if written today in reference to our P.B.
and the ruling elite of TEC would certainly lead to Joel being banished to the outermost fringes of the w.w.w.
Fr. Dunbar then skillfully led us though the Pentecostal Gospels before returning to Joel's prophesy that in that time ,

"your old men shall dream dreams,
and your young men shall see visions."

As I read this, I think this is one of those forgotten positive messages of the Bible. After faith, hope, charity, love, redemption, and resurrection, we forget that after being born anew, we are really children (in Christ), and as such we are given freedom to imagine and to dream. The ruling elite must not forget the power of the Spirit to imbue us with dreams and visions, and must not ignore the truth that the Spirit extends to all who believe, even the lowly, despised, but ever-cheerful conservatives (see previous post).

"And the world will be better for this
That one man, scorned and covered with scars
Still strove with his last ounce of courage
To reach the unreachable star"

Maybe I am just tilting at windmills...

Have you Hugged a Liberal today?

This article helps explain why "liberals" are unhappy. Of course the article in essence bashes "conservatives" for they are apparently only happy because they "rationalize" (code word for wrong thinking) inequality.

"To justify economic inequalities, a person could support the idea of meritocracy, in which people supposedly move up their economic status in society based on hard work and good performance. In that way, one's social class attainment, whether upper, middle or lower, would be perceived as totally fair and justified."

Note the word "supposedly" interjected in the above quotation from the article by Jeanna Bryner of LiveScience.com. This is one way to say "the whole idea (merit based achievement) is bogus" without openly putting it into print.

Liberals don't have the rationalization resources of conservatives and therefore have to bear the full load of guilt for others lack of achievement...

"Our research suggests that inequality takes a greater psychological toll on liberals than on conservatives," the researchers write in the June issue of the journal Psychological Science, "apparently because liberals lack ideological rationalizations that would help them frame inequality in a positive (or at least neutral) light."

Now, I bring this article up because I have become critical when I hear our anointed ones preaching unhappiness from the pulpit. I have even tried going positive in hopes of being an instrument of change. Alas, this research suggests I am doomed to failure as unless we can help the poor, sad liberals to rationalize away their concerns and join us in conservative bliss, they will never experience joy. Let's analyze this further. I must be rationalizing in some way. Hmmm... sad liberal Episcopalians...help...I've got it, in typical conservative rationalization, "They must help themselves!" But you reply, "How can they pick themselves up by their bootstraps?" "You can't expect them to do it by themselves?"
The answer is "With the Lord's help, they can do it." Indeed the Bible's tales of resurrection, redemption, freedom, grace, faith, hope, and charity are wonderfully positive messages. Preach the Gospel, be positive even when exposing painful truths. Take a conservative stance, people will be happier! We are not abandoning the despondent liberals by taking a conservative stance. Rather, I would rationalize that we are just trying to rescue them from their sorrow.