I’ve spent much of the evening (when I should have been marking papers) drafting a careful response to the latest spasm of political shellfire between warring camps of Episcopalians. I’m not posting it now, because I don’t think it reaches a publishable adequacy in respecting everyone whom I want to address. I can’t say what I need to say within terms predefined by a conflict I didn’t choose. The short answer: maybe Paul was onto something when he said, “to have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be defrauded? But you yourselves wrong and defraud — and believers at that.” “If, however, you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another.” “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves.”
Way too much of the most heated rhetoric on this issue simply reproduces mutatis mutandis the least edifying volleys from the other side. So since I can’t convincingly differentiate my message from partisan megaphone monologues, it’s better not to fight the megaphones. It hurts, though, to see people grasping at the power to injure others, not seeing how in so doing they injure themselves. I hope that no one gets what they want out of this fight, lest in winning someone kill that which we all most prize.
Posted by AKMA at January 26, 2004 09:57 PM | TrackBackI agree with you. It is a shame that this ever caught the attention of the national press. We should have taken care of this within the communion. Lawsuits between churches are just freaking wrong.
The sad part is, neither side is free from guilt here, either. While most of the legal action and some of the more bitter actions have come from the Griswold camp, the alliance camp has seemed to seek out press attention where it *really* isn't needed.
Perhaps with this new alliance of churches, staying within the ECUSA, we can go back to working things out among ourselves, without having a press contigent showing up at every convention.
Posted by: Phillip Winn at January 27, 2004 09:52 AMAh, but perhaps some good comes out of even the negative coverage. Because of the press, people are thinking, and some are thinking seriously, about a theological issue. Which ever side they come down on, at least they are taking a side, shining the light of Scripture on the secular culture.
We can only plant seeds-- God grants the growth.
hello from Rod
Posted by: Rod Kratochwill at February 20, 2004 02:52 PM