The question put to the Rev. Michael Barlowe is on the minds of many Utahns as they quiz four candidates for bishop:
“Where do you see the Episcopal Church in Utah in three years?”
Barlowe’s answer, given recently to a group of Episcopalians in Ogden, is both a joke about the state’s culture and a wish — and it is greeted with applause:
“I’m not the prophet,” he says. “But I would hope we’d be a much larger church.”
Indeed, growing the church is very much on the minds of Utah Episcopalians as they come to the end of an 18-month process of selecting a new bishop to replace the Rev. Carolyn Tanner Irish, Utah’s 10th Episcopal bishop.
Following the dismal records of Bishop Carolyn Tanner Irish and, before her, Bishop Otis Charles, whoever becomes the next Bishop of Utah will have nowhere to go but up.
I agree, Henry, but I doubt anyone can turn it around… or should.
I went to seminary with M Barlowe. He was certainly out and about at that time too. One of my most vivid memories of Michael is of him saying something like this:
“Of course I say the creed. I can do so honsetly. I don’t believe Jesus rose from the dead but the creed says ‘he rose from the dead, in accordance with the Scriptures’ and I can agree that the Scriptures state he rose from the dead. So that’s true enough.”
I guess it all depends on what the definition of is, is. If Fr. Barlowe has not changed his tune since then I am again ashamed and amazed at what passes for theology in this church. God help us all.
Maybe they could try (non-serial) polygamy?
[blockquote]”Where do you see the Episcopal Church in Utah in three years?”[/blockquote]
In a museuem. Or a wildlife refuge. Or a yard sale. Or an auction.
Take your pick.
Henry (#1),
I’m glad you reminded us all that Utah has already had a bishop who in retirement is now openly gay, the hapless Otis Charles, as well as a bishop who apparently wasn’t even validly baptized as a Christian (just as a Mormon). What a sorry succession!
Barlowe’s wish that TEC would grow in Utah into a “much larger” church is so deluded that it’s comical. Sort of reminds me of the AA definition of insanity, doing the same thing over and over, and somehow expecting to get different results this time. I note that with diocesan membership declining 13% since +Tanner took over in 1996, despite the state population growing by 37%, that makes for a negative 50 point spread; the diocese is effectively half the size it was less than 15 years ago in terms of religious market share. And yet Barlowe expresses the wish that not only would things turn around so that the severely declining diocese would suddenly reverse direction and become not just larger, but “[b]much[/b] larger.”
Such a stubborn level of denial in the face of all evidence to the contrary would be amazing, if it weren’t so common. I find it amusing, but also quite pathetic.
David Handy+
Oops, I meant +Irish, of course.
David Handy+