Episcopal whining

The triennial General Convention of the Episcopal Church gathered July 5 – 12 2012 in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Much of what General Convention did was entirely boring, e.g. adopting a new budget, consenting to the election of new Bishops, thinking about selling our expensive H.Q. in New York City, setting up a committee to review our structures (yawn!).

General Convention also approved liturgical rites: for the blessing of same sex relationships (walking on eggs), and suggesting (but not enshrining) prayers at the death of a pet.

The popular media seized upon the idea of blessing same sex relationships, and prayers upon the death of pets to signify the “death of the Episcopal Church”.

For instance, a fine Episcopal layman named Jay Akasie wrote a scathing article about our Church for the Wall Street Journal. The article was sadly inaccurate,

Then the Roman Catholic journalist Ross Douthat tore us apart in his New York Times editorial.


I believe that Jay Akasie and Ross Douthat got it partly right and mostly wrong,

But their articles have evoked responses from various Episcopalian bloggers: Bishops, Priests, Deacons, and lay people.

I have read a huge amount of weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth as these bloggers have “taken on” Mr. Akasie and Mr. Douthat.  I have read so many words in defence of the Episcopal Church as an institution.

My response is “get over it”.  If we, as Episcopalians choose to do business in the public square, then we should stop whining when the public media speaks of us unfavourably.
In fact we would do well to respond in accordance with the teaching of Jesus as recorded in Luke 6.


6:26 | "Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets.
6:27 | "But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,
6:28 | bless those who curse you, pray for those