Earlier today, I was a participant in the Zoom meeting with +Budde and Randy Hollerith over the Max Lucado debacle. Here are my thoughts: Bishop Budde was far more convincing than Randy Hollerith. Specifically, +Budde opens up and becomes vulnerable as she discusses this mess. Randy seems very much the narcissist who has learned responses by rote, and… Read More »
From the earliest days of Christianity, the church has treated Lent as a time of prayer, penance, and preparation for the Paschal feast of Easter. But in recent years, it seems like Lent has become much like making New Years’ resolutions: A sort of whimsical exercise where, for example, we give up chocolate for a few weeks, safe… Read More »
Let me cut to the chase: It’s time for the Dean of the National Cathedral, Randy Hollerith, to resign. It’s no secret that, as a progressive, I often find myself unhappy with recent decisions in the Episcopal Church, particularly when those decisions evince a lack of leadership. But when it comes to stupidity and downright meanness, nothing holds… Read More »
If we’re honest with ourselves, conflict is inevitable in all areas of life, and church is no exception. But my experience is that churches are particularly bad at conflict. Perhaps it’s because we hope that church will somehow be immune from strife. Or maybe we feel that we need to be all “churchy nice.” Possibly it’s that churchgoers… Read More »
One of the things that is interesting in watching the Episcopal Church over the years is how customs start out being progressive, then become normative, and finally become outdated. That is the case with funeral customs in the Episcopal Church, which at one time were greener than most, but today are increasingly outdated. Indeed, many today no longer… Read More »
Ed.: The following was written and published by Tom Ferguson aka Crusty Old Dean, for his blog located here. Reprinted with permission. With just 4 percent of Episcopalians being black, versus 13.4 percent of the US population as a whole, the church’s dismal track record on race warrants closer scrutiny. And while the church talks a good game,… Read More »
Did you ever have a moment of profound cognitive dissonance? Where you look around and just go, “Holy Toledo—what the heck just happened?” That was this author’s reaction when he recently learned that Shannon Johnston, former bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia (DioVA), has been named as a fellow to George Mason University’s (GMU’s) Center for World… Read More »
It’s no secret that, as employers, churches rarely attract the best and brightest. That is particularly the case for non-clergy positions, which often comprise long hours, low pay, and numerous high-ego constituencies. But this paradigm is nowhere better illustrated than the Episcopal Church’s recent ad for a copywriter and editor, reporting to staff at denominational headquarters. While I… Read More »
As many look eagerly to put the difficult year of 2020 behind them, so too are many looking forward to 2021. With that in mind, here are Anglican Watch’s top-ten predictions for the coming year for the Episcopal Church: Church budgets are over-optimistic due to the surging pandemic. Many churches and dioceses used budget forecasts in which income and expenses… Read More »
Over the years, liturgical practices in the Episcopal Church have shifted. Indeed, some would say that the 1979 revisions to the Book of Common Prayer mark the ascendency of the Anglo-Catholic side of the church. But in all of this, the church has picked and chosen from its Catholic heritage, while largely ignoring practices from Orthodoxy. And falling… Read More »
