A small but appropriately noisy group of determined protestors showed up outside the Church of the Advent, Boston, last night in order to protest the presence of Dallas bishop George Sumner at the church. Sumner was giving a Lenten presentation on Anglo-Catholicism.
Below is a video Anglican Watch received from the protests.
Protests outside Church of the Advent Boston
At the heart of the matter is Sumner’s cover-up of the sexual harassment of two known adult women by outgoing Advent rector Douglas Anderson. Additionally, a Title IV complaint against Sumner alleges that he:
- Engaged in retaliation in violation of church canons by firing former Episcopal priest Rich Daly, who forwarded complaints of sexual harassment to the diocese.
- Sandbagged a Title IV case against David Halt, the rector of St. James, Texarkana, with whom Sumner conspired to retaliate against Daly.
Protesters also noted that the Diocese reimbursed Anderson almost $1 million in legal fees for his defense in the Title IV case. They chanted, “Money for the poor, not the priest’s lawyers.”
We’re pretty sure Jesus would approve of the protesters and join them.
As to the reimbursement itself, it’s appalling, as Anderson’s attorney misbehaved while representing his client, and there is no reason to reimburse legal fees involving illegal/unethical conduct. Not to mention subsidizing the defense of allegations of perjury in a previous Title IV case.
In other words, just how far from authentic Christianity can the Diocese of Massachusetts get?
Under corrupt bishop Alan Gates, the boundaries get pushed ever further, and we see nothing of Jesus in the behavior of Gates, the Diocese, Anderson, or the parish.
Speaking of, The Church of the Advent utterly bollixed its response to the protestors and called the police. Such a response is prevalent in the denomination and all but guarantees further criticism and protests.
Calling the police ignores the fact that protests are covered by the First Amendment (right, Grace Episcopal Alexandria?). In other words, protestors have as much right to be on the sidewalk as church members have a right to be inside, listening to a corrupt bishop bloviate about Anglo-Catholicism.
Additionally, calling the police is a remarkably counterproductive response. The better approach is to invite protestors to talk, tell them they are welcome, and offer refreshments.
It’s called engagement, and it’s something the Episcopal Church doesn’t understand. Indeed, the priest currently in charge, Jay James, allegedly was heard telling police that protestors were “disturbing” parishioners.
Meanwhile, we’re here to tell the public that Anderson’s corruption, that of George Sumner and Alan Gates, and of the Episcopal Dioceses of Massachusetts and Dallas disturbs us and many others. There’s simply no excuse for tolerating the sexual harassment of women or any other human being.
It’s called the Baptismal Covenant, folks. Have you heard of it?
Looking towards the future, the protestors are talking about more protests outside the church and working with other groups to increase awareness of the Diocese’s dismal conduct.
Perhaps this Lent, the Episcopal Church needs more disturbance and less comfort.
Anyone interested in pursuing a Title IV case against an Episcopal bishop, including Alan Gates, one of the tremendous spineless wonders of the denomination, or George Sumner, one of the most appalling bullies we have yet seen, can do so by emailing intake officer for bishops Barb Kampf at bkempf@episcopalchurch.org.
Again, Anglican Watch lauds the efforts of the protestors, who provide a much-needed service to a denomination that often is about feel-good, content-free, milquetoast faith.
We encourage protestors to be in touch if we can help in any way. Additionally, anyone interested in connecting with the protestors is welcome to contact us.
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