“Preparing” for the 2012 General Convention ... in the Diocese of Upper South Carolina
It’s interesting, now, to see the rather quietly frantic efforts of bishops and rectors all around TECusa trying to “prepare” their flock for the coming every-three-year catastrophe that is now the General Convention train wreck. As I’ve pointed out a number of times before, every three years a fresh tsunami of lunacy arrives on the shores of far-distant dioceses and parishes from wherever General Convention has shipwrecked itself, bringing with it the tops of houses, dead cows, floating cars, jet fuel oil scum, and black tar voted on by the Leaders Of The Asylum that is our church. Every three years, clergy back at home brace themselves for a fresh wave of departures, less money and involvement, and more apathy from any who are informed and remain. General Conventions are deeply dreaded, and almost universally plunge parishes into fresh crisis, all at a regular, pre-scheduled rhythm. Every three years, parishes “on the edge” of survival are shoved over the cliff by GC’s chaotic, incompetent, buffoonishly-ham-handed, heretical pronouncements and actions.
What the word “prepare” means is bishops and rectors offering just enough information and group therapy caring-and-sharing “dialogue opportunities” that will prevent, in the wake of the conclusion of the General Convention, as many people leaving and/or re-designating their pledge dollars to more fruitful organizations as possible, while at the same time not offering so much information about what is coming that it provokes startled clutching of handbags and wallets during This Holy Season of Stewardship in which clergy and bishops rediscover a fresh appreciation of Biblical literalism and Teachings On The Tithe. “Too much information” may provoke cardinal rectors into chastising bishops for “scaring the flock prematurely.” If a parish is going to “take the hit” why not take it at The Dread Event, rather than a year or more earlier?
For an objective traditional Episcopalian like me, it affords endless opportunities for both amusement and pathos, and I will do my best in the coming months to highlight the “preparatory” efforts.
In my diocese, the bishop has sent out a letter to deans and wardens. Although I have a copy of the letter, I won’t be publishing it simply because I don’t want to publicize the planned group therapy sessions, since I suspect that very few people will bother to attend—and rightly so.
However, here are a few excerpts:
Providing the venue and structure for that conversation over the next nine months will be necessary if we are to be most fully prepared – in unity, love and knowledge – and to move most gracefully toward General Convention in July, 2012. As most of you know, The Episcopal Church will address the rites for same-gender blessings at General Convention.
Love that second “by the way” sentence!
We have prepared a process for dialogue within the convocations that is very similar to that of Theological Council, and we believe that three separate sessions in each convocation will be most fruitful over the next nine months.
Considering the debacle that was our diocesan “Theological Council” [I never bothered to write a report on it, but it was characterized by almost no public response from the horrified conservatives there, and plenty of texts and emails to me!], I think the bishop has established a mightily reachable “standard” for the convocations.
I cannot stress enough how important it is for us to have these dialogues in the coming nine months. It will make a huge difference in how we make it through the likely storm ahead. More important, they will establish and strengthen relationships across the diocese in ways that will bear much fruit in many areas that have nothing to do with controversies in the Church. They will help us to come to know more deeply who we are as the Body of Christ in this place at this time.
Well—hope springs eternal I suppose. I think we have all “come to know” the diocese pretty well in the past eight long loooooooonnnnngggggg years. “Who We Are:”
—predominantly liberal clergy
—increasingly distanced conservative laity, many of whom have hunkered down on their pocketbooks
—a large group of traditional moderates who desperately wish that this could all have not been pushed and that their own individual parishes might have been saved
—predominantly [thought not entirely] liberal and distanced diocesan house leadership, including three revisionist canons-to-the-ordinary in the past seven years [at least two of which managed to screw up numerous parish search processes—at least for the parishes, not for the agenda of the canons] and one revisionist “canon for youth formation” which led to parents ceasing sending their youth to diocesan youth events
—a deeply divided diocese consisting of groups of people who do not share the same Gospel, values, foundational worldview, goals, or much of anything at all
—a growing chasm of distance and detachment among all parties
But at any rate, at least the revisionists can converse among themselves, as they did at the “Theological Council.” Perhaps they can have some microphones set up for various speeches about family members who are gay and other reasoned discourse on theology and practice. That will really show us all—because of course, none of the conservatives have *ever* had family members who are gay.
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23 comments
Nice first salvo Sarah. I assume you’ll be in Indianapolis? Hope so. Your two gatherings for those in the very small minority were an oasis in the desert that was GC ‘09. Expect more of the same heresy at ‘12 although time seems to have made many of the moderate/conservative lay & clergy apathetic or perhaps resigned to the ‘new thang’ that TEC continues to spew. keep up the good work.
[1] Posted by Doubting Thomas on 11-9-2011 at 02:14 PM · [top]
Thanks for this, Sarah. It is important to bring out into the open what the leadership of TEC would like to keep as quiet and controversy-free as possible.
[2] Posted by Pigeon on 11-9-2011 at 02:35 PM · [top]
Sarah Hey,
I do notice in the portion of the letter quoted a certain conceptual error, an implicit assumption, on the part of your ordinary. He writes, referring to the importance of having the
monodialogues, that:If I am reading him correctly, he is making the unvoiced assumption that they will “make it through the storm.”
If the direction of TEC continues down anything approximating its present course, sooner or later in some, as yet future, triennial General Convention, the intensity of the storm will not be survivable for the number of people required to populate a viable diocese. He is obviously betting that it won’t be in 2012. Perhaps luck will be with him.
Pax et bonum,
Keith Töpfer
[3] Posted by Martial Artist on 11-9-2011 at 02:36 PM · [top]
Now that the SSB’s are a “slam dunk”, what are the Las Vegas odds that either polygamy or some sort of pedophilia starts rearing it’s ugly head?
VGR says “GLBTABCDEFG…”. He’ll have new shoes, no doubt.
[4] Posted by B. Hunter on 11-9-2011 at 02:37 PM · [top]
Brilliant. Thank you, Sarah. For a moment I even considered sending a copy of your missive to the Bishop of my own diocese, but then thought better of it.
[5] Posted by A Senior Priest on 11-9-2011 at 02:45 PM · [top]
“...and to move most gracefully toward…”
That is, if by gracefully you mean slouching toward Gomorrah.
(An interesting artifact here is the revisionist bishop tendency to collect and (mis)use churchy sounding words.)
[6] Posted by tired on 11-9-2011 at 02:54 PM · [top]
#4, I think the most likely outcome is that whip counts in advance of GC will reveal overwhelming support for the vote for SSBs… and that an amendment will be offered to create marriage rites for same-sex couples.
Second, given the advances made by “TransEpiscopal”—the transgendered lobby group in TEC—at the last General Convention, I bet there will be a host of measures in support of transgendered people and those claiming to have an alternative “gender identity.”
[7] Posted by Pigeon on 11-9-2011 at 03:14 PM · [top]
... and I think that a same-sex marriage amendment would narrowly pass in both the House of Bishops and the House of Deputies.
[8] Posted by Pigeon on 11-9-2011 at 03:20 PM · [top]
No so much “on topic,” but, Sarah, your second sentence is genius.
[9] Posted by Michael+ on 11-9-2011 at 03:43 PM · [top]
tired (#6) you beat me to it. I need to slouch towards Gomorrah faster next time.
[10] Posted by Chazaq on 11-9-2011 at 03:51 PM · [top]
Sarah, you DO have a way with words!
[11] Posted by cennydd13 on 11-9-2011 at 04:07 PM · [top]
He is nuts if he thinks we are going to repeat that nonsense at Convocation meetings. Put it at the end of the agenda and then everyone can gently and gracefully move out the door before we get to that part.
[12] Posted by Undergroundpewster on 11-9-2011 at 04:46 PM · [top]
Sounds like you’re being indaba’ed to death. Waldo’s been well schooled in Minnesota style passive-aggressive behavior.
[13] Posted by Bill2 on 11-9-2011 at 05:03 PM · [top]
The final versions of the “Theological Reflection” and “Liturgical Principles” that will accompany the Same-Sex Blessings vote package at General Convention 2012 were released today by the TEC Standing Committee on Liturgy & Mission. The documents are posted here in PDF form:
Same-Sex Blessings: Theological Reflection
Same-Sex Blessings: Liturgical Principles
[14] Posted by Pigeon on 11-9-2011 at 05:35 PM · [top]
Wonder if they hold a third convocation session (or even a second) when nobody shows up for the first session? Of course this would give the bishop the chance to say that since no one showed up, the diocese has already “...come to know more deeply who we are as the Body of Christ in this place at this time.” & it must be OK to move forward to approve SSBs at 2012 GC .
[15] Posted by johnd on 11-9-2011 at 05:45 PM · [top]
For anyone who can’t view the PDFs:
The Episcopal Church
Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music
Addressing General Convention Resolution 2009-C056, Liturgies for Blessing
Theological Reflection on Covenantal Relationships:
A Summary of “Faith, Hope, and Love”
October 2011
Baptism, Eucharist, and the Paschal Mystery</b>
All Christians are called to bear witness to the good news of God’s love and grace in Jesus Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit. We are empowered for such witness by our covenantal relationship with God.
Baptism initiates us into that covenant, making us Christ’s own forever and members of Christ’s Body, the Church. The eucharist sustains us in that covenantal life and strengthens us to be Christ’s witnesses in the world.
Our covenantal life with God can shape and be expressed in our relationships of commitment and
faithfulness with others. Our committed relationships can thus reflect a sacramental character (making divine grace visible) and evoke eschatological hope (our ultimate union with God). These relationships thus invite further reflection on the mission of the Church, what it means “to bless,” and the distinguishing marks of a covenantal relationship.
Themes for Theological Reflection
A sacramental framework for covenantal relationships suggests several other key theological themes for
reflection and shared discernment, including the following:
• Vocation: God calls people into various kinds of relationship, whether as single people, in monastic
communities, or as intimate couples. These vocational callings can empower our witness to the gospel.
The decision to enter into a covenantal union is likewise a vocation marked by these characteristics:
“fidelity; monogamy; mutual affection and respect; careful, honest communication; and the holy love
which enables those in such relationships to see in each other the image of God.”
• Households: Covenantal relationships are often lived in households in which we practice daily the
giving of ourselves for the good of another. While households take many different forms, they create a
space of mutual trust and accountability. The joy, intimacy, and shared vulnerability of households can
thus help us learn the spiritual disciplines of compassion, forgiveness, and reconciliation in lives of
committed monogamy and fidelity.
• Fruitfulness: The divine grace that sustains a covenantal relationship bears fruit in countless ways, not
only for the couple but for the wider community as well. Covenanted couples manifest this grace in their
shared gifts for ministry and in lives of service, generosity, and hospitality.
• Mutual Blessing: A blessed relationship is set apart for a divine purpose: to bear witness to the
creating, redeeming, and sanctifying love of God in the world. As the Spirit empowers the couple for
this witness, the Church is likewise blessed and strengthened for its mission and ministry.
In all of these ways and more, the blessing of a same-gender relationship invites the couple and the whole Church to renew our commitment to the Baptismal Covenant. That commitment is expressed by faith in the good news of Jesus Christ, in the hope for union with God that Christ promised, and with the love that knits us together as the Body of Christ. As the apostle Paul says, we live our life together as God’s people with faith, hope, and love. And the greatest of these is love (1 Corinthians 13:13).
[16] Posted by Pigeon on 11-9-2011 at 05:51 PM · [top]
And here’s the “Liturgical Principles” document. It would be an interesting research project to dig up the draft versions of these documents from January and see what has changed.
The Episcopal Church
Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music
Addressing General Convention Resolution 2009-C056, Liturgies for Blessing
Principles for Evaluating Liturgical Materials
October 2011
Materials proposed for blessing same-gender relationships must above all be consistent with the implicit theology and ecclesiology of the 1979 Book of Common Prayer. This would suggest, for example, that they must reflect the Prayer Book’s underlying assumption that the entire life of the Church finds its origin in baptism.
Nearly as important is that the proposed liturgical materials embody a classically Anglican liturgical ethos and style. Recognizing the varying notions of what makes public prayer recognizably Anglican, the task group identified these qualities:
The rites should provide explanatory notes and rubrics. The material must be considered as the script for an event, not merely a collection of texts.
Any rite of blessing must be an expression primarily of the entire Church, not of the couple seeking a
blessing. These rites must allow for robust communal participation, reflecting the baptismal ecclesiology of the Prayer Book. Related to this, since the eucharist is the symbol of the unity of the Church through unity with Christ, these services of blessing should normatively take place within a celebration of the eucharist.
Such rites must enact the notion of sacramental reciprocity by suggesting that, even as the Church blesses the relationship of the couple, the relationship of the couple is a blessing to the Church.
Options for various elements of the rites, particularly Scripture and the Prayers of the People, must be provided so that this action of the entire Church—this common prayer—does not degenerate into a generic rite.
Any rite of blessing a couple must hold up the two people making the covenant as the primary ministers within this action of God and of the entire Church. Such rites should give expression to the Church’s understanding that the couple is freely assuming a vocation that can be expected to yield the fruits of mutual fidelity for the couple, for the Church, and for the entire world, and that points ultimately toward the fulfillment of all human relationships and unity in the eschatological Reign of God, when God will be all-inall.
The rites must be what they purport to be—liturgical prayer—not didactic or polemical statements in the guise of liturgy.
[17] Posted by Pigeon on 11-9-2011 at 06:06 PM · [top]
It is indeed humorous to watch the prep efforts; I wonder if they ever consider they are really laying the seeds of their own demise by the liberal lunacy every three years? In years past, probably 90% of laity had no idea there was an every-three-year Convention because nothing really came out of it that affected them directly at the parish level. Now however, the question “what do you think is going to happen next year at General Convention” is posed to me nearly every Sunday as we gather to worship, or during fellowship meetings.
In other words, they have put themselves on the radar and some of the folks in the pews are taking notes.
[18] Posted by Capt. Father Warren on 11-10-2011 at 08:12 AM · [top]
The best strategy for orthodox rectors in the Episcopal Church would be to tell everyone, “It’s going to be as bad as you expect it will, possibly worse.” Then, if by some miracle, it’s only 3/4 as bad as we expect it to be, everyone will be pleasantly surprised.
[19] Posted by observer145 on 11-10-2011 at 02:58 PM · [top]
18. What you say is true. For instance, I still have contacts within my former diocese (ECR), and they tell me that they too are concerned, and that concern is more widespread than TEC would lead one to believe.
[20] Posted by cennydd13 on 11-10-2011 at 04:37 PM · [top]
If TEO were a dog, they’d put it to sleep.
[21] Posted by Bill2 on 11-10-2011 at 04:40 PM · [top]
They’ve had 9 years of normalized sodomy without “blessing” it thanks to VGR. Divorcing your wife then shacking up with a gay lover is “holy” enough to be a bishop. How many “one more thing and I’m gone” issues are really left out there? Polygamy? Beastiality? Pedophelia?
I say it’s time to close the pocketbooks and let the darn thing implode, then pick up the pieces. Liberals don’t have any fun when they don’t have other people’s money to spend.
[22] Posted by Bill2 on 11-10-2011 at 04:48 PM · [top]
Yep! Give us your money, and we’ll spend it….ALL of it!
[23] Posted by cennydd13 on 11-10-2011 at 05:06 PM · [top]
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