A Williamsburg priest who says homosexuality should not exclude people from full involvement in the Episcopal Church will be consecrated this week as bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Virginia.
The Rev. Herman “Holly” Hollerith IV said he supports the church leadership’s position that all baptized Christians should have equal rights to a full life in the church. But full life in the church doesn’t guarantee ordination, he added.
Hollerith will receive the title “right reverend” on Friday during a 7 p.m. service at William and Mary Hall. The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, presiding bishop of the New York-based Episcopal Church, will lead the consecration, to be held in conjunction with the diocese’s Annual Council meeting Saturday and Sunday at the Williamsburg Lodge.
“Full membership in the church is not confined to heterosexuals,“ added Hollerith, 53, who has spent almost half his life in ministry. He will be the 10th bishop of the diocese.
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In 2007 it “took” 83 Baptized Members to “produce” ONE Baptism. My guess would be that this appalling level of “productivity” will not be improved by advancing the LBGT agenda in the diocese. Statmann
Full membership and inclusion in the Church begins with Baptism, proceeds to Confirmation, and on to Communicant status. This applies to all, regardless of race, ethnicity, economic status, sexual orientation, etc. Full membership status goes this far, no further. Denying ordination to practicing homosexuals who do not obey scriptural injuctions to cease and repent of their conduct, do NOT have a “right” to receive Holy Orders, and neither does a heterosexual living in a sexual relationship outside of a first (and only) marriage.
Dumb Sheep.
Hollerith: “He also wants to overcome what he calls “creeping congregationalism.”
Now they want to eliminate “congregationalism” — after individual parishes fell to the blandishments of satan and gave in to the “gay agenda” that God doesn’t know what he is talking about. They would have screamed bloody murder if those parishes had been disciplined for calling a partnered homosexual, or elected such a one to Vestry.
I present you this pen to sign checks to lawyers to keep your clergy in line by fear.
“But full life in the church doesn’t guarantee ordination” TEC is now at the point that heterosexuals may not have as good a chance at ordination as practicing homosexuals.
What do you mean “may not have as good a chance at ordination as practicing homosexuals”? The litmus test question in many dioceses is whether one thinks homoerotic sex can be blessed by God. A no answer gets one, at best, forced to work at a liberal church to expand one’s horizons (strangely, glbt’s are never forced to expand their horizons by working at orthodox parishes) and, at worst, drummed out of the process altogether.
#7 mannainthewilderness,
I went through discernment in DSJ where the litmus test was, “What is more important, truth or unity?” My answer was truth. To this day I am puzzled when KJS states that schism is worse than Heresy. Actually whether she sees it this way or not, TEC is involved in both.
Another good 815er gets his chair, miter and crook. This is a ‘dog bites man’ story. That dead flesh rots is not exactly new news.
Heh.
Actually, “creeping congregationalism” is code for “not all parishes are paying their toll to the diocese.”
Too rich.
#3. Dumb Sheep. You do have sort of a valid point but your remedy wrong. Two wrongs don’t make a right. No doubt, all Christians denominations should take a stronger stand against “cohabitation” as adultery. That’s a far cry from the what the DioVa and evidently the new bishop in S. Va. are going to actually affirm such behavior for “all relationships”. They have created a false equality issue (means) in order to justify SSB (ends). Both heterosexual cohabitation and SS cohabitation are sinful and wrong. The answer is for Church’s affirm scripture and not societal mores. “We all fall short”…but when we do hopefully there will be someone there when I do to lovingly point out…”why don’t you try it God’s way”.