But you have to give Dr. Harmon his due: he has a Drudgelike ability to ferret out stories of all kinds from the Web, which makes his blog one of the most informative and interesting blogs out there. Moreover he, as an employee and official of the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina, takes some risk in presenting the various stories about the Episcopal/Anglican world he does. (Such a risk I can appreciate, since I too am an employee and official in my own church.) This is true especially when his own diocese is caught between a church that can’t bring itself to allow the bishop of their choice to take his rightful place in Charleston and an AMiA which enthrones itself in one of the Diocese’s one-time (that still isn’t resolved) superior properties, All Saints Pawley’s Island….
Even though Harmon has chosen to stay, some of those in the new Anglican churches in the U.S. are regulars there. What we are looking at is nothing short of the shape of things to come in general: a Paludavia like rescue of Americans by Third-world counterparts of like convictions. TEC is right to say that this is un-American, but it points out the central dilemma of American conservatism today: what do you do when the duly constituted authorities abandon the faith and ethic that made the church or country great? Today we have the spectacle of a very upper class church being governed in part by people from impoverished places, and hopefully that will help Anglicans here to see “how the other half lives” in a culture where the two halves grow further apart all the time.
One other observation that needs to be made is the level of theological discussion. This is fairly high, although Anglicans (and Orthodox) are too quick to recite formulae rather than get to the heart of an issue. One benefit I received from years in Roman Catholicism was the ability to penetrate past the formulas to first principles, although on its home turf the magisterium of the church (to say nothing of the level of discourse at the parish level) sometimes gets in the way of that. One would like to see this kind of erudition used, for example, in dialogue with Muslims. But it’s good to see it anywhere.
Kendall Harmon is to be commended for his work on Titusonenine. He has performed a service for a segment of Christianity that needs it. We trust that God will continue to bless him, his family, the elves, and, yes, his visitors, and that he may continue to be one “who holds doctrine that can be relied on as being in accordance with the accepted Teaching; so that he may be able to encourage others by sound teaching, as well as to refute our opponents.”
This is a nice tribute. I do think that T19 is the best blog in the Anglican blogosphere. Kendall and the elves really work hard to keep some decorum in this place despite the yahoos who comment (like me).
As an Englishman I feel strangely moved to use a somewhat cheesy Amercianism :
‘Way to go Kendall’ !!!
High praise indeed, passing over the ‘drudgelike’; Dr Harmon does set the gold standard for Anglican blogging as well as mission on the internet.
What is Vulcan Hammer’s moniker?
Steady on there RPP, you’ll do yourself an injury!
The kind words are very appreciated by this elf. It was a long week last week…! This should do much to help keep us motivated for and focused on the work that remains re: blog design and set up here.
Excellent and Full Worthy Elves – hope you had a relaxing weekend and have returned full of vigour and enthusiasm for your tasks.
Thank you so much.