In 30 years of serving the Episcopal Church in ordained ministry, I’ve encouraged people to be honest with me, to tell me what they think . . . and some folks have. I have at one point or another been told that I am too liberal, not liberal enough, too conservative. and not conservative enough. Maybe I am; I might be any one of those things at any one moment on any one issue, but surely I can’t be all of those things at once, all the time. I think the real truth of it is that as Episcopalians, and as Americans, we are encouraged to think for ourselves, which means that we will inevitably disagree from time to time. Sometimes when we disagree it is convenient to choose up sides and label who’s on my team and who’s on yours. Then we have not only a disagreement but also a competition, with winners and losers; we can make almost anything competitive….
I’ve heard Bishop [Henry] Parsley say several times that he is “radically moderate,” which I think is an apt description of him. I think my grandfather used to tell us to be “moderate in all things, including moderation.” Perhaps unlike my radical friend Henry, I can only be moderately moderate””trying to find the middle ground most of the time, hoping to bring together people who have the freedom to disagree so that we can talk to each other without attaching labels or calling names or tearing apart the Church we love so that together we can join together to serve God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
[blockquote] I have at one point or another been told that I am too liberal, not liberal enough, too conservative. and not conservative enough.[/blockquote] Not a good sign. Only liberals speak like this, and specifically when they are trying to appear as honest brokers. [blockquote] hoping to bring together people who have the freedom to disagree so that we can talk to each other without attaching labels or calling names or tearing apart the Church we love so that together we can join together to serve God through Jesus Christ our Lord.[/blockquote] Ah. This is the “Please don’t take your kids and wallets to another church” speech.
carl
As Rush said one day, “Who are the great moderates in history?”
Can’t you see stepping out on a path of ministry with this guy and then finding out later he has cut your legs off at the knees because he changed positions? No thank you.
It doesn’t matter what YOU are; the question is this:
“What is the teaching of the Church”?
He is one of three bishops serving on the Standing Committee for Liturgy and Music that has developed a trial rite for same-sex blessings that they want to implement for three years and revise based on any feedback they receive. We haven’t heard a peep out of him saying, “let’s not do this.” Obviously too conservative for Integrity and the Chicago Consultation who want marriage equality now!
I will readily admit that I have called Kee Sloan a good friend for many years, so this is very definitely a biased post. You can draw any number of conclusions from what he writes, but this will tell you volumes about him. He continues to lead this session every summer at Camp McDowell.
[blockquote]One of the most formative parts of my life has been working with summer camps for people with disabilities. The campers come with labels firmly attached: Down’s Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, Epileptic, Intellectual Disability, Spinal Bifida, and on and on. From a distance, these labels not only identify but also define these people—it’s only when you get a little closer that you can see that they’re really people. Labels are only helpful to a point; beyond that, they make it hard to see the person behind them. [/blockquote]
And if you really know Kee, then this part of his article will come as no surprise.
[blockquote]There are labels that I would like to be identified by, though. You can label me a follower of Jesus Christ, a child of God, a bishop in God’s church, a Mississippi State fan (I’m writing this on the first day of the college football season), a Southerner, a man in love with his wife, and a proud father.[/blockquote]
It surprised few that Kee was elected our next diocesan bishop on the first ballot by delegates from across the diocese who agree and disagree with each other regularly. It is well worth the time to follow Fr. Harmon’s recommendation and “Read it all.”
In my experience, it is always liberals who dislike being labled as such. I’ve never know a conservative to shy away from being so labled.
Sneaky sneaky snake.
Love me conservatives until I get into office and turn every decision against everything that you think is right.
Okay — so he’s a liberal who doesn’t like to be “labelled” as such. I can certainly understand that.