As you might have guessed, I’ve been following developments, both grievous and joyous, in the Episcopal Church in the weeks following General Convention 2006. News today: the Mother Church’s “General Synod approved the concept of women bishops as ‘theologically justified’ by 288 votes to 119.” BBC NEWS | UK | Church backs female bishops move Of course, the traditional wing has very strong objections, citing the concept as unBiblical. This wing has close ties to the conservative “Global South,” the area mostly under the influence or control of Nigeria’s Bishop Akinola. Actually, the American traditionalists are believed to be sending…
-
-
Obama: Democrats Must Court Evangelicals | Chicago Tribune Obama ROCKS. Right on. RIGHT on: WASHINGTON — Sen. Barack Obama chastised fellow Democrats on Wednesday for failing to “acknowledge the power of faith in the lives of the American people,” and said the party must compete for the support of evangelicals and other churchgoing Americans. “Not every mention of God in public is a breach to the wall of separation. Context matters,” the Illinois Democrat said in remarks to a conference of Call to Renewal, a faith-based movement to overcome poverty. “It is doubtful that children reciting the Pledge of Allegiance…
-
Father Jake pointed out a helpful sermon when he visited a friend’s parish after General Convention’s painful close: the rh[ ] factor: Blowing the “still” The British Navy has a strange custom. If there’s a sudden disaster aboard shipo, the “still” is blown. It’s a whistle that calls the crew to a moment of silence in a time of crisis. When the still is blown, people aboard know that it means. “Prepare to do the wise thing.” They tell us that this moment of calm has helped avert many a catastrophe. The General Convention ended just four days ago but…
-
Sarah Dylan Breuer attended a meeting of something called the Lay Episcopalians for the Anglican Church. This appears to be a front for the people who want to take control of the Episcopal Church and fight the mythical “gay agenda.” Here’s what she experienced: The Witness: Inside LEAC Ince walked a careful line in the meeting. On one hand, he was eager to present LEAC as an organization completely independent, not only of the Anglican Communion Network, the American Anglican Council, and Anglicans United, but also of All Saints’ Chevy Chase — despite that it was the site for all…
-
John Bryson Chane, Episcopal Bishop of Washington, speaks out forcefully on the gospel of intolerance preached by Nigeria’s Archbishop Akinola, and warns about the support for Akinola from conservative elements in the US seeking to “renew” mainline Protestant churches. A Gospel of Intolerance Were Archbishop Akinola a solitary figure and Nigeria an isolated church, his support for institutionalized bigotry would be significant only within his own country. But the archbishop is perhaps the most powerful member of a global alliance of conservative bishops and theologians, generously supported by foundations and individual donors in the United States, who seek to dominate…
-
ebar.com | The Bay Area Reporter Online An openly gay man and lesbian woman are among the five candidates vying to become California’s eighth Episcopal bishop. The church announced the list of potential candidates on Monday, February 20. Both Chicago’s Bonnie Perry and Seattle’s Robert V. Taylor are talented financial administrators with strong experience in congregational renewal and mission outreach. They preside over vibrant, growing churches and both earned their Masters of Divinity Degrees from New York’s progressive Union Theological Seminary. Each is in a long-term partnership. I’ve met Bonnie Perry several times at events here in the Diocese of…
-
I posted a sermon today that Father Ted gave on the Holy Moly blog. In it, he passed along the difficult news that Gene Robinson, Bishop of New Hampshire, has entered a rehab facility. If you haven’t any interest in the controversy that the Episcopal Church is has been facing over Bishop Gene’s position as the first openly gay bishop in the Episcopal Church, this won’t mean a lot. It does to me, mostly because gay people helped me along the way when first started attending an Episcopal church. This is why I find it difficult to understand why the…
-
Coffee Hour treats from Holy Moly. Yum! Now I need to remember to get good quality coffee and cream. Via: Flickr Title: Treat By: GinnyRED57 Originally uploaded: 12 Feb ’06, 6.06pm PST Technorati Tags: Episcopal, Treats
-
I wish we were doing this at Holy Moly: Chicago Tribune | Churches to mark Darwin’s birthday NEW YORK — Nearly 450 Christian churches around the country plan to celebrate the 197th birthday of Charles Darwin on Sunday with programs and sermons intended to emphasize that his theory of biological evolution is compatible with faith and that Christians have no need to choose between religion and science. “It’s to demonstrate, by Christian leaders and members of the clergy, that you don’t have to make that choice. You can have both,” said Michael Zimmerman, dean of the College of Letters and…
-
Yahooo! the Daily Herald published the article about Holy Moly today! They were really interested in the blog part of the site. I told him that it was really just because I couldn’t stand to work with Front Page for another moment, and switched the church site over to static pages, while leaving the blog piece working. I’m so happy! I hope the work is finally paying off. Will try to ping AKMA about this.