As Episcopal churches throughout the US struggle to deal with the pandemic, many are seeing reduced income, faltering attendance, and other signs that suggest trouble down the road. But one church, located near this author, may be about to experience big trouble, due to its decision to launch a preschool even as the pandemic was bursting onto the… Read More »
With much of the United States in turmoil over the death of African-American subjects in police custody, faith communities need to ask the questions, “What is our responsibility in this? Are we culpable?” In the case of The Episcopal Church, the answers to these questions are not good. Consider: It now has been more than 50 years since… Read More »
Church. For many, even the unchurched. the word brings to mind comforting, familiar images. Images of Christmases and Easter long gone, glorious colors swirling through stained glass windows, playing out against reassuringly solid walls. Familiar sounds, scents, intermixed with friendly, welcoming faces. But is that image realistic during the pandemic? Or might the comfort many find in church… Read More »
I loved my grandmother dearly. Like many in my family, she lived well into her 90’s. While she suffered from senile dementia in her later years, even in her final days she could carry on am extended and engaging conversation, despite her failing memory. Throughout 2019, it became clear that her days were drawing to a close. Minor… Read More »
Let’s face it. Churches generally aren’t good at communication. Nor are they great at transparency. But both are vital in these unprecedented times of pandemic. So why are churches so bad at these things? The answers are myriad, but several come to mind: Clergy trained in homiletics may be great talkers. But they often are lousy listeners and… Read More »
During the 2015 General Convention (GC) of The Episcopal Church, two measures were passed that addressed abuse in the church. Measure 2015-A073 authorized the updating of Model Policies for the Protection of Children, while Measure 2015-A074 called for the update of the Safe Church Training Materials. The work was done by a GC-appointed task farce spearheaded by the eminently capable… Read More »
Recently I read an article from a nearby church talking about its reasons for shutting down in-person worship. Much of the content was predictable, but one portion really resonated for me. That was the comment that love requires us to minimize the possibility of regret. The concept of minimizing the possibility of regret is useful as we think… Read More »
Here in Virginia, where The Episcopal church spent much of the last decade noisily arguing in court that it is a hierarchy, there’s a not-so-delicious irony afoot. That is that the church’s response to the COVID-19 emergency has been inept, disorganized, and inchoate on multiple levels. In fact, it’s looking like something straight out of a congregational polity.… Read More »
Today’s post isn’t about abuse. Instead, it’s about the future of the church. Specifically, might coronavirus point the way towards the future of the church? What does one have to do with the other? Possibly nothing. Possibly a lot. Several factors made me think about these issues. One was an excellent article by Cam Miller, an Episcopal priest.… Read More »
Many apologies for the delays in this weeks’ articles. My hands have been very full the past several weeks, with the death of my grandmother in early January, followed 20 days later by the death of my mother. That said, I am happy to report that I’m regrouping, and hope to be caught up before Monday. By the… Read More »
In a recent USA Today article, the newspaper covered the harrowing story of spiritual abuse that Dominique and Megan Benninger and their family experienced when they blew the whistle on pastor Donald Foose, who had been convicted and jailed following charges he sexually molesting an underaged relative. Stripped of his teaching license by state education officials, Foose nonetheless became pastor… Read More »
Thanks to the generous efforts of non-profit investigative media organization Pro Publica, data on more that 6,000 Catholic priests has now been added to our online database. A few reflections: A data import of this sort is, especially now in the early phases, of necessity clunky. The category field of the existing database therefore has been used to… Read More »
At a time when much of organized Christianity is in decline, many are fearful and anxious about the future. But what does this mean for your parish? How can you tell that your church is in danger? In recent years, I’ve spent a lot of time studying churches, what makes them tick, and how to tell if they… Read More »
Ed: I recently asked Phil Snyder, who is being sued by his former church, Tenth Presbyterian in Philadelphia, about an upcoming hearing in the matter. Below are his thoughts. My conclusion is that the church’s efforts to silence Phil via this lawsuit, as well as its apparent smear campaign, in which it claims that Phil is mentally ill… Read More »
For several years, I served as a diocesan sexual misconduct training and prevention facilitator. The experience was tremendously rewarding, and meeting people throughout the diocese a wonderful opportunity. That said, my sense was that even the most motivated cringed at the prospect of spending the better part of a Saturday in a classroom. And it wasn’t hard to… Read More »
Ed: The following is reprinted with permission from The Wartburg Watch. Note that while I have deep concerns about the church’s conduct, I say that with utter respect for the child’s parents.Check out the references to the church’s Dead Raising Team, too. Seriously creepy. (As of this posting, the autopsy reports have not been made available to the… Read More »
Yesterday, I received an email from Catholic priest David Nix, who is allegedly responsible for the death by suicide of Alana Chen. In Nix’s email (screen cap below), he demanded that I remove a reference to him on the site’s listing of abusive church leaders. That’s not going to happen, and here’s why. Before we go further, let’s… Read More »
This just in. Unconfirmed sources report that disgraced pastor Andy Savage, who sexually assaulted a teen entrusted to his care, is holding church services Sunday evenings at the offices of Speak Communications, located at 1648 West Massey in Memphis. Speak, which allegedly is owned by Andy’s brother, does marketing communications for churches. Sources say Andy’s new church, known… Read More »
Over the past several years, I have watched with dismay as The Episcopal Church and other denominations and faith traditions discuss the sharing of information about abusers. It seems to me that this should be a simple thing: If you are clergy and engage in any sort of abuse, people need to know. Churches need to know. Parishioners… Read More »
Editor: The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is one of the largest denominations in the United States. With over 4 million members, it is more than twice the size of The Episcopal Church (TEC). The two churches have been in full communion since 1999. But ELCA and share more than just the ties of being in full… Read More »
