The leader of the Episcopal Church of the United States said Friday that church dissidents unhappy with the ordination of an openly gay bishop in New Hampshire should refocus their energy on more pressing world problems.
“Obviously a handful of our church leaders are still upset and would like to see the church never ordain and never baptize a gay or lesbian person,” said Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, in Burlington to attend the annual convention of the state’s 175-year-old Episcopal diocese.
“We need to refocus on more life-and-death issues like starvation, education, medical care.”
“Obviously a handful of our church leaders are still upset and would like to see the church never ordain and never baptize a gay or lesbian person,” said Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori,…” Never baptize? When is the last time she has seen an adult baptism? (Obviously, sexuality is not an issue with an infant.) Wow. This woman is so far off the mark it is unbelieveable! Does she, and others of her ilk, deliberately ignore the theological issues at hand, the departure from basic, fundamental Christianity? Sex outside of marriage? Open communion? Jesus as being the only Way to the Father? Scripture meaning what it says and saying what it means? Etc, etc … How traditional Christians have lasted this long in their affiliation with TEC is beyond me.
“We need to refocus on more life-and-death issues like …”
Oh, maybe, the uniqueness of Christ at the path to salvation, his divinity, the authority of scripture, the consequences of being a false teacher.
Even though ECUSA has become a leading light of the “Religious Left,” I suspect they shall come to regret having elected this arrogant, heavy-handed, politically ignorant woman as PB. It would not surprise me one bit if the 2012 GC needs to elect a new PB.
“Obviously a handful of our church leaders are still upset and would like to see the church never ordain and never baptize a gay or lesbian person.”
Grrrrr … this is ridiculous. Does this person even *listen* to what conservatives are saying? She doesn’t have to agree, but does she listen?? WHO HAS EVER SAID THAT GAY PEOPLE SHOULD NOT BE BAPTIZED??
Sorry. Didn’t mean to yell. But *come on!* That’s not an argument anyone on this side is making!
Ms Schori needs to read Jude. Its short and easy to understand. In case she’s not overly familiar with the New Testament, its the the book just before the Book of Revelations.
This not the only book of the Bible that she needs to read for comprehension, but its ‘gets the message across.’
Spot on, Tikvah.It seems to me that the basic forces that allow one to adapt to (ignore?) pain are opperating in many of us. Logic would suggest, I believe, that TEC should have long ago “purified” itself through the process of the exit of those who cannot adapt to the Episcopal church and it’s new ways. But change is painful and scary. What if one makes the wrong decision and things are worse than before? How can one worship outside the church real estate which TEC claims as it’s own? How can one expose one’s self to social criticism by standing up for the ancien beliefs ? What will those who remain with TEC think of me? I swam the Tiber a year or so age. I find things in Rome not perfect, but at least recognizable. All these things are a part of why I pray for those who still must deal with this incomprehensible mess.
Sounds like she is just quoting the Septuagint, “Οὠθανάτῳ ἀποθανεῖσθε.”
+KJS: “Quick – Look! – Over There! – MDG’s! – Look over there at the MDG’s” (while we completely destroy the church)
RE: “. . . would like to see the church never ordain and never baptize a gay or lesbian person . . . ”
A [i]Lie[/i] .
Just a “handful” of “upset” bigots. Nothing to see here. All is Well.
+KJS:
I regularly contribute to ERD, which will no doubt get me reamed out by a couple of people on this blog.
I am still concerened about ECUSA’s actions. Its called multitasking.
Randall
[blockquote] Jefferts Schori said most people can be persuaded to accept new ideas like women bishops when they are able to talk face to face about it, but that communication in today’s world rarely involves such opportunities. [/blockquote]
The arrogance and condescension in this statement is truly breath-taking. But it does perfectly encapsulate the liberal attitude towards truth. Slightly re-written:
[blockquote] Jefferts Schori said most people (with out-dated ideas) can be persuaded to accept new ideas like when they are able to (have this “new thing” which the spirit is doing ever so patiently explained to them whlle we) talk face to face about it [/blockquote]
carl
RE: “We need to refocus on more life-and-death issues like starvation, education, medical care.”
It’s good that she is focused on these things because it will help her as she presides over the dissolution of ECUSA as a member of the Anglican Communion and reforms as the new and enhanced Episcopal Social Services Agency. ; >)
Hearing the Presiding Bishop say, “We need to refocus on more life-and-death issues like starvation, education, medical care,” it sounds uncannily like the Wizard of Oz saying “Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!”
Obviously the first people commenting above me jumped immediately on how outrageous the second paragraph was. I ask: “When does spin become bearing false witness?†“And from the leader of a national church?â€
These are clearly tragedies of the human condition that Christians must work to aleviate. However, there are secular social service agencies to assist in that task. “The Church” is uniquely responsible for the condition of our souls but time, and time, and time again she omits that from her list of concerns. Once, maybe twice these were omitted by mistake but by now it is deliberate. She does not see the condition of our souls to be the concern of the Church.
Reply to Nikolaus (#15).
You are ‘right on!’
Has anyone ever heard Schori, as presiding bishop, preach about personal Salvation throught our Lord, Jesus Christ? That our path to Salvation is through Christ?
If she doesn’t regularly preach on that foremost Christian theme, then she is not bearing full Christian witness as an Anglican clergy person.
Wake up, +KJS, please wake up. She knows this is not about baptizing gays (good grief, what a smear). She is deliberately pinning a label on reasserters as publicly as she can, whenever she can. Call us homophobes and you’ll never have to address the theological issues that concern us.
“We need to refocus on more life-and-death issues like starvation, education, medical care.”
We focus on those every day. We focus on them when we make political and lifestyle choices, when we serve the community, when we support charitable organizations, colleges, hospitals and medical research. Yoohoo, we don’t need the church to do this. We never have. Is that *all* the church is to her? Is there no higher thing we need to do, +KJS? If not … why are we bothering with any of this?
AnglicanFirst, Bp Schori would never preach on personal salvation through Jesus Christ because she has not the first clue about being reconciled to the Father through the sacrifice of the Cross. She flip-flops between salvation by cheap grace and salvation by works — never by the Cross and apprehending its benefits by repentance and faith.
[blockquote]The Rev. Eugene Robinson was elected bishop of the New Hampshire diocese in 2004,…[/blockquote]Actually it was 2003. Yesterday was the fourth anniversary of VGR’s consecration.
“Obviously a handful of our church leaders are still upset and would like to see the church … never baptize a gay or lesbian person”
Ditto to what others have said. What a shameless liar.
I think it is about time that we put ++KJS in a an “awfully small box”.
Disclaimer: Lest any revisionistas get their pants in a wad, I am [b]NOT[/b] talking about a coffin.
the snarkster
A good bit hinges on what Bishop Schori means by “gay and lesbian persons”. If she means persons with a predominate romantic/sexual attraction to persons of their own sex, but who, having heard the message of Christ, commit themselves to a chaste celibate life, then those persons are, of course, candidates for baptism.
I suspect she means those person who reserve to themselves the right to fornicate with persons of their own sex at will. As with unrepentant heterosexual fornicators, such persons should not be baptized until they are willing to give up their sin.
My wife and I have stopped contributing to ERD, and instead, we now gladly contribute to ARD…….faithfully!
Does anyone at 815 even know what the truth is anymore?
When I got over stamping around – re: getting on with the mission – and kicking the cat down the cellar stairs, I began to wonder if Schori is not stepping over an invisible boundary, causing those who have every intention of staying in TEC to wonder if they do not need a replacement for her. Is there no “too far” for her before even her own troops begin to revolt? It is hard for me to believe thqt there are not a good many in TEC who are watching the erosion and depletion of TEC and who are becoming more certain where the blame lies.
Does anyone know if she can get canned? This is a techinical question I know nothing about, but if I were in TEC, I would want to stop the decay and I would be asking, “Why is this happening and who is responsible?” I would be thinking that SOMEONE needs to pay and I would at last look at the leadership. Larry
I don’t know, Larry. Can there be a ‘recall vote’ or a ‘vote of no confidence’ at the next GC? Something to think about.
I nominate Bp. Duncan, if so.
Larry, Larry, Larry! You are clearly not paying attention. There IS no erosion…
[blockquote] Does anyone at 815 even know what the truth is anymore? [/blockquote]
Jefferson — either she hasn’t been Listening, or no the PB does not.
Actually I think she is too intelligent to pretend that she hasn’t been listening, so in that case she is clearly “bearing false witness’. In the past that would have been seen as clearly contrary to the 10 commandments, but I am sure the TEC pet-holy spirit has revised them and they now read
“Thou shalt say whatever you like about someone with whom you disagree so long as your feelings vouch that like the “Spirit” endorses it.”