tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10326675.post7455023239012342378..comments2024-02-15T03:32:25.686-05:00Comments on Preludium, Anglican and Episcopal futures: "Why I love the Episcopal Church," a sermon, and reflections on one for whom love was not enough.Mark Harrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06871096746243771489noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10326675.post-15974532573406204342014-06-24T08:35:58.345-04:002014-06-24T08:35:58.345-04:00Bishop Dyer's pronouncement (quoted in the ser...Bishop Dyer's pronouncement (quoted in the sermon) seems incredibly flawed. An annual sermon on why I love Anglicanism (in its broadest sense) or why I love the Church (without denominational qualifiers) seems reasonable, but my own experience of TEC, ACNA and the Church of England is akin to Faulkner's remarks concerning his home state of Mississippi (you don't love because, you love despite). Institutional realities always come up short because the people who run those institutions are inherently flawed and only get anywhere through the efficacy of Grace. <br /><br />Most of the great Anglican divines rarely spoke of the Church of England or the Protestant Episcopal Church because these were simply national labels for a set of universal theological principle. <br /><br />I know I've said this in the past, but I do find interesting the assumption that appears to prevail in TEC that ACNA congregations are defined solely by exclusion. It certainly never seemed to be the case with certain of the congregations that I knew in Pittsburgh (the only place for which I can speak with authority), at least when it came to the homeless, poorer high school students, or those in prison. <br /><br />The reality is surely that every Christian community has its outcasts and its marginalized and is better or worse at identifying them and trying to improve that situation. <br /><br />It's also the case that there are points on which every Christian community does not feel that it can compromise for the sake of the order. It's true in TEC and it's true in ACNA. We would all be better off if we started with that premise and went on from there.Jeremy Bonnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16915767119353670952noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10326675.post-3244547389771738092014-06-05T22:38:32.616-04:002014-06-05T22:38:32.616-04:00Saint Peter's is blessed to have Larry, Carlyl...Saint Peter's is blessed to have Larry, Carlyle and you too! Thank you all so much for caring for our community while I was on sabbatical. Blessings!Jeff Rosshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17103700821191651653noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10326675.post-13836011573977399902014-05-30T19:54:09.439-04:002014-05-30T19:54:09.439-04:00Thank you for reprinting Larry's sermon here. ...Thank you for reprinting Larry's sermon here. Good stuff, that. Well done, my brother.<br /><br />As for Gregg, I confess that I put on my asbestos sneakers, strolled over to Viagraville and read his essay. I couldn't help shake the feeling that if he had just landed in an "orthodox" Anglican Church that could attract young couples with children, he would have stayed. It all seemed to boil down to where his 9 year old daughter was happy. <br /><br />Didn't have anything to do with the fact that churches that are formed around the concept of excluding people are really only attractive to crabby old men and women who like to yell, "Get off my damn lawn!"? Nah! <br /><br />Even so, I wish him well. And, we'll keep the porch light on for him.Elizabeth Kaetonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06787552280232329081noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10326675.post-61684499772833949032014-05-30T12:11:57.350-04:002014-05-30T12:11:57.350-04:00Life is messy, why shouldn't the Church reflec...Life is messy, why shouldn't the Church reflect all that is in life however messy,in times of sorrow and joy, disagreement and even sometimes just boring but in a comfortable way - we are truly within the Cosmos! Great sermon to read more than once.Christina Brennan Leehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08010750265041698257noreply@blogger.com