You can’t make this stuff up. In the midst of the pandemic, at a time where abuse and domestic violence are skyrocketing, the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia is now proposing to zero out its budget for sexual misconduct training and prevention. Seriously. The announcement comes as the diocese attempts for the second time to pass a 2021 budget.… Read More »
Some time ago, I wrote about the possibility that Episcopal Cafe, the independent news and commentary blog that serves the Episcopal church, is dying. The post can be found here. Recent events suggest that may indeed be the case, with some commenters even calling for the platform to close. The recent uproar involved the Daily Sip, a meditative piece by Charles LaFond.… Read More »
The Episcopal Church, which has said it is working to effect racial reconciliation, just provided a shocking and outrageous example of just how clueless it is. Here is the link. In a letter from the bishops of the Sewanee province condemning recurring incidents of racism at Sewanee, an Episcopal college in the south, the bishops stated emphatically that… Read More »
Imagine you’re a police officer in a small town. Crime’s far from rampant, but most nights you get dispatched on several calls. Depending on the weather or local events, you might have times when you don’t get a lot of calls. Maybe you even go a day or two sometimes with no calls. But if you didn’t get… Read More »
Schism begets schism. That’s the reality that now faces dissident “Anglicans” in North America, following a Pastoral Letter from American Convocation of Anglicans in North America (ACNA) bishops that suggested tolerance, if not acceptance, of LGBTQ members. (ACNA comprises groups that have left the Anglican Church of Canada and the Episcopal Church, and is not part of the… Read More »
Earlier today, the US Supreme Court declined to grant certiorari to loyalist factions seeking to maintain Episcopal control over church assets in the Ft. Worth area. As a result, dissident factions how have unquestioned control of formerly Episcopal assets, thanks to a Texas Supreme Court decision that grants property to the dissidents. While the outcome is painful for… Read More »
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 »
One of the moves many churches, in all denominations, have made in response to the pandemic is the move to virtual services, either streamed live or pre-recorded. But there is reason to be wary, for some, myself included, believe that streaming services will, in the not-distant future, prove fatal for many parishes. Origin of the Parish Before we… Read More »
There have been some recent developments in the Max Lucado debacle at the National Cathedral, which I like to refer to as the Max Meltdown. And while those developments seem well-intended, they may prove to be too little, too late. These developments include apologies from Cathedral Dean Randy Hollerith and Bishop Mariann Budde, as well as a listening… Read More »
The Episcopal Diocese of Washington (EDOW) recently published both its projected 2020 year-end budget numbers, as well as its approved budget for 2021. The numbers are a frightening illustration of just how hard COVID-19 is eroding income for many Episcopal entities. Background and Context EDOW is a study in contrasts. On the one hand, it is a relatively… Read More »