It used to be the standard mantra on House of Bishops / Deputies Listserv that people may leave The Episcopal Church (tm), but not parishes. To not believe thus will get you labeled as a robber or a thief over at the HOB/D. How Christian.
But in the last few weeks the Archbishop of Canterbury reiterated that it is the diocese and the bishop that are at the center of pastoral life and Communion in the Anglican Communion, not the national church organizations or their leaders. This has not set well with the US national leadership, or their attorneys, as several Orthodox dioceses in the US are now acting on that construct. And rather predictably, the mantra over at the HOB/D has changed as well: people may leave The Episcopal Church (tm), but not parishes AND DIOCESES.
UPDATE: Yes, I know I said earlier that I was sick and tired of blogging about the Current Unpleasantness in The Episcopal Church (tm). But I am more sick and tired of the Orwellian 'newsspeak' of the current national leadership. The Presiding Bishop writes a threatening letter to a fellow Bishop, and they call it "reaching out with open arms." Please. If you could harness their spin, we could power cities.
No comments:
Post a Comment