Just when I was about to commend our Episcopal Bishop of Georgia for his moderate stance in agreeing that our orthodox friends over at Christ Church continue to hold services on the property during the dispute over its ownership, I read that, contrary to Biblical warnings against Christians going to court with fellow Christians, he has decided to litigate his differences with Christ Church.
His initial position was especially to be commended because The Episcopal Church’s (TEC’s) Presiding Bishop and other radical TEC bishops have been quick to urge the very strongest measures against those parishes that leave TEC.
Our bishop, of course, is not one of the radicals, some of whom now so reinterpret classic Christian doctrine that, even though they dress up in traditional garb and recite a somewhat familiar sounding liturgy, they are, in fact, like the pagan priests of the late Roman Empire whom Gibbon so devastatingly described as, “Viewing, with a smile of pity and indulgence, the various errors of the vulgar, they digilently practiced the ceremonies of their fathers, devoutly frequented the temples of the gods; and sometimes condescending to act a part on the theater of superstition, they concealed the sentiments of an Atheist under sacerdotal robes.”
“Viewing, with a smile of pity and indulgence, the various errors of the vulgar, they digilently practiced the ceremonies of their fathers, devoutly frequented the temples of the gods; and sometimes condescending to act a part on the theater of superstition, they concealed the sentiments of an Atheist under sacerdotal robes.”
…ouch. That’ll leave a mark.
Further evidence that the utter, unmitigated ecclesiological corruption of 815 has sulphuric effects on literally all with which it comes into contact. Left unchecked (its current state) the TEC steamroller will destroy everything in its path. Period.
[b]Our bishop, of course, is not one of the radicals, some of whom now so reinterpret classic Christian doctrine that, even though they dress up in traditional garb and recite a somewhat familiar sounding liturgy, they are, in fact, like the pagan priests of the late Roman Empire whom Gibbon so devastatingly described as, “Viewing, with a smile of pity and indulgence, the various errors of the vulgar, they digilently practiced the ceremonies of their fathers, devoutly frequented the temples of the gods; and sometimes condescending to act a part on the theater of superstition, they concealed the sentiments of an Atheist under sacerdotal robes.”[/b]
No, the Bishop of Georgia has been more like Pilate – he knows how he should act, but will not.
RSB
I just got the “Church in Georgia” the news paper of the Diocese of Georgia . There are two articles about Christ Church Savannah. There is a big plug for Via Media in one of the articles. I really don’t understand this. Via Media was a “way forward” between Protestantism and Catholicism. It is not meant to be a way forward between pagans and Christians, or sinners and the word of God or heresy and Orthodox Christianity. It is really a rather disingenuous article
4, you are right. Please keep saying that.
In reading this otherwise insufferably-smug piece, I did smile at “the Avian heresy”; let no one say the author isn’t … clever.
Can we add the church in Savannah to the growing list of churches that may have to take on 815. The score so far seems to favor the departing churches instead of 815
TEC’s Loony Left, a.k.a the E/episcopal hierarchy, has not only sawed off two legs of the Anglican Stool – Scripture and Tradition – but it has also substituted a wooden Canonical Fundamentalism for Reason, and Reasonableness.
I challenge anyone to produce an essay from the other side which comes close to the charm and cogency of this piece.
Finally the conclusion – “Our bishop, for whom I have great sympathy, needs to explore the possibility of a negotiated compromise as a way out of the present mess” – is so sensible that it will almost certainly be ignored.
I don’t know about “insufferably smug,” but the Avian Heresy is indeed amusing. Y’all need to click on the link and read the end of this piece.
I think “smug” has been redefined in this instance to mean “he makes his contempt for progressive theology quite clear and I don’t like that.”
It’s very interesting on multiple levels. The diocese doesn’t have a lot of money, so there must be a cash infusion from 815. It’s my understanding that the colonial churches of Georgia have legislative charters giving title to the rector, wardens and vestrymen. So, I would think it will be difficult battle for the diocese. The article by Bp. Louttit in The Church in Georgia perhaps gives some clues about how the diocese will approach the lawsuit. The diocesan chancellor is in the “process” leading towards ordination to the priesthood.
I certainly agree with Mr. Guerry that litigation in this situation is “lose-lose”, but the relationship between Christ Church and the diocese has been awful for years. I don’t know why. Bp. Louttit has gone out of his way to let more conservative parishes coexist with more liberal parishes in the same city.
I love his quotation of a letter critical to CC’s move out of TEC as “hatching the new Avian Heresy.” The letter concluded with, “Stop worrying about doctrine and sing.” Guerry says that the only creatures that do that are birds–canaries, mockingbirds, cuckcoos, etc. I’d add [i]loon[/i] to the list.
[blockquote]Avianism, perhaps with Tweetie Bird and Daffy Duck as its patron saints, will be an attractive menace to the younger set despite its loony perspective on doctrine. For me, it already has added a wonderfully unexpected dimension of meaning to that old gospel favorite, “I’ll Fly Away.”[/blockquote]
It’s good to know that someone can laugh at the litigious antics of TEC.
The author pretends to be a voice of moderation, but then he resorts to name calling. Yes, there are probably ways of stepping back. Christ Church puts a gun to the head of the diocese of Georgia and says, “Don’t make me kill you.” Unless the diocese was sending Christ Church a bunch of Gay Priests, what is certainly true is that TEC is a useful scapegoat, organizing the orthodox into a unified unit. Bless them.
The minute Christ Church says they have a “right” to the property, it becomes legal. Finally, although the author asserts that Christians should not take each other to court, part of the problem is that people don’t consider each other Christians. Actually, I do consider reasserters Christians who I disagree with. But I don’t expect the same kind of charity from reasserters – they question the purity of my soul and are seemingly inclined to have a sense of self-righteousness. Without that sense, leaving TEC wouldn’t be necessary.
It was a cute note. But forgettable, and misrepresents TEC’s position. That’s to be expected. Conflict sells papers, and it unifies people into sides. Love your friends and hate your enemies. It’s so easy to do.