Delegates to General Convention from Western and Eastern Michigan have asked for a review of the Office of Pastoral Development and its role in Title IV, particularly for bishops. The sharply worded request has it genesis in the dismal handling of the disciplinary case against The Rt. Rev. Whayne Hougland Jr., who had an extramarital affair. Todd Ousley,… Read More »
There’s a common saying in law enforcement, which is that sometimes, someone has to do something. What gets done may not be ideal. It may not comport with training. It may even be outside your department’s policy. But there are situations — like yesterday’s school shooting — where someone just needs to do something. To get it in… Read More »
Earlier today, the long-awaited report on sexual misconduct within the SBC was released, and it’s a bombshell. Persons of every ilk use words like “rage,” “fury,” “incandescent,” and “apocalypse” to describe their reaction to the report’s damning findings. Even so, one has a sense that people lack proper adjectives to fully describe their reaction to the revelations. Yet… Read More »
Remember when Donald Trump regaled us with braggadocio about the size of his, um, hands? Well, apparently he’s not the only person for whom his body parts loom large. Nor does Donald Trump have a corner on the market for bad behavior towards the less fortunate. Well-placed sources tell Anglican Watch that Oran Warder, rector of St. Paul’s Episcopal in… Read More »
During its 227th annual convention, the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia approved a fund of $10 million in reparations for its role in slavery and institutional racism. But while the news is commendable, the convention overall was a mixed bag, marked by resolutions and canonical amendments of varying quality. Before we go further, it’s worth noting that one measure… Read More »
The Blue Book, the three-volume mountain of paper that comes out in advance of every General Convention of the Episcopal Church, is here. And leaving aside the environment destruction it has wrought upon our forests, it’s a doozy, primarily for what it doesn’t say. Coming in at a whopping 1193 pages, the compendium has many sections that, despite… Read More »
As I look with increasing dismay at the discord within American society, I am reminded of the times that people have shown extraordinary kindness to me. One case in particular comes to mind, and it allowed me to finish law school without dying of starvation. Before we go further, the reference to starvation is not hyperbole. Due to… Read More »
In the course of my travels, both in-person and cyber-based, I am hearing a recurring criticism from Episcopalians, particularly those who are elderly, shut-in, or isolated. That criticism, and it is deeply concerning, is that the church is ignoring them during the pandemic; that they feel ignored, brushed off, and irrelevant. I don’t have hard numbers, but I… Read More »
Many Episcopal churches have begun streaming services in response to the pandemic. And while this may be a short-term solution that protects church members and the public, the long-term consequences likely will prove lethal for many churches. Say what? Won’t being online help broaden one’s reach and help spread the Good News? The short answer is that while… Read More »
Years ago, my family and I often spent much of our summer on Long Beach Island, one of the barrier islands off the coast of South Jersey. Those were delightful years, the sort that make me smile, even now. Just a few years before I was born, a big hurricane had breached the island in several places, leaving… Read More »