Growing up the son of an Episcopal priest in Montgomery, Ala., at the height of the civil rights movement, Waldo witnessed a tragically divided society from both sides.
“I saw how some people lived radically differently from the way I lived. I saw the anger and violence directed at other people and knew this was not what God wanted for this world,” he told The Greenville News.
Years later, after rejecting the faith of his father and living through “an unwanted, soul-crushing separation and divorce,” he found solace in contemplative prayer and 16th century music….
As Waldo, 56, takes over leadership of a diocese of 62 congregations stretching from Columbia to the Upstate, he will be drawing on the spirit of reconciliation, self-sacrifice and mutual respect he developed during those formative years.
Those traits may help him guide the Upstate’s 26,000 Episcopalians through a continuing controversy over homosexuality that already has caused one parish in Aiken County to leave the diocese, and some families to leave the denomination.
“he will be drawing on the spirit of reconciliation, self-sacrifice and mutual respect he developed during those formative years.”
Hmmmmm, this would be nice…but for all intents and purposes his theological position is in agreement with the leadership of the EC and as such they see and argue that it is all about being inclusive and deny that sinful behavior is sin.
I will be praying for the people of Upper SC they will certainly need it.
I was expecting an article which gushed over about KJS. I am glad the G’ville News resisted the temptation. On the whole it was a balanced atricle. I have very low expectations for Mr. Waldo. I hope I am wrong, but I doubt it. #1 Thanks; we will need it.
David (#2),
So your parish is hosting the event as the largest church in the diocese? Too bad for you and Sarah, and other orthodox folk, seeing your cherished worship space defiled in such a way.
I was particularly struck by the reconciliation strategy (or at least keeping-the-peace strategy) attributed to Fr. Waldo here, whereby he seeks to make sure people on both sides of a controversy know that they are respected as [i]”persons of faith.”[/i] Not [b]Christian[/b] faith, mind you, just persons of generic faith. After all, any old faith will do, as long as it’s not too dogmatic or strict. For that would be divisive…
David Handy+
David H (#3)–It is at Christ Church because Trinity Cathedral in Columbia is having terrible structural problems and has scaffolding both inside and out. We are slightly bigger than they are and we have a “Christian Life” Center next door which can seat quite a few. But it would have been at Trinity if they weren’t in a mess. I am sure Mr. Waldo’s reconciliation will lend up looking like TEC’s–just get rid of your stupid ideas, stop complaining about “theology”, do what I tell you and then we will be reconciled. I am not attending and I am sure Sarah isn’t either. I don’t care to be around while the PB checks out her real estate holdings in Greenville.
No. 3, you know, when I read that, I assumed that “faith” referred to Christian faith, particularly in the context where the people on both sides of the controversy are Christians. I don’t think I was wrong to make that assumption.
I can’t resist: #5, we know what road assumptions lead down.
Back on point: I believe the church Mr. Waldo grew up in was one of the first to rebel against Bp of AL’s prohibition of any clergy to join AAC, and I believe the clergy and the majority of the parishioners of that church in Montgomery left and formed an Anglican church outside of TEC several years ago, after GC 2003 and the consecration of Mr. Robinson.