The event was organized by Albany Via Media, a group of liberal-to-moderate local Episcopalians. Members generally disagree with Love’s opposition to ordaining gay clergy and blessing same-sex marriages, and they want the Albany diocese to remain in communion with the national church.
“We talk about the struggles of the church, and we seem to think that it all has to do with sex,” Love said during his sermon. “That’s only a symptom of something much deeper. That issue much deeper is God’s word. How is it to be understood? How is it to be interpreted? How is it to be lived out?”
Some speakers told the bishop they felt shut out of diocesan events and publications. Some criticized links to conservative religious Internet sites on the diocesan Web page. One said he wasn’t comfortable being referred to as a “sodomite” or “heretic” on a Web site recommended by the diocese.
Love said he could check the policy regarding links. He also suggested that if the speaker found the material offensive, “Don’t read it.”
That drew loud disapproval from the audience and, later in the session, an apology from Love.
Bishop Love should never have apologized, since he said nothing that he should’ve apologized for!
Ah, liberals are lovers.
If Albany Via Media (AVM) had hoped to provoke +Bill Love at this meeting, then they didn’t ‘know the man.’
+Bill is a patient and kind leader who is willing to publically ‘hear out’ members of his diocese, even when he strongly disagrees with those particular members on matters of how Scripture is ‘read’ or is selectively ‘ignored.’
Bonnie Anderson’s visit to Albany in support of AVM was no small signal being sent by progressive-revisonists now leading ECUSA.
If ECUSA’s leaders thought that Ms Anderson was somehow going to light a fuse that would set off an explosion of progressive-revisionist revolution within the diocese, then yesterday’s meeting was a ‘dud.’
Most of the progressive-revisionists in the Diocese of Albany are located in the Capital District cities of Albany, Schenectady and Troy and around college towns in the diocese. And there are quite a few more middle-of-the-road and orthodox Anglicans in those cities and towns than there are radical revisionists.
So, if the Via Media people and their ilk accomplish anything, it will probably amount to some urban/suburban/college town parishes asking ECUSA for alternative episcopal oversight.
The phrase the Bishop used sounded vaguely familiar. It sounds almost like a phrase used by a person we know well. “If you can’t go along with the church then leave” Nuff said!!
4- Hunh?