News from the Diocese of the Rio Grande

This past Saturday, while visiting a friend who lives in the University area, he mentioned his Episcopalian neighbor next door had told him that her Church was "closing" on Sunday and that it was "because the national church was denying that Christ died for our sins." He wanted to know if it were true. Given that the rector of a nearby parish had recently left for Anglican fields more to his liking, and recognizing his similar rhetoric from past St. Mark's on the Mesa newsletters, i asked if she might be referring to St. Mark's, the nearest TEC parish and he confirmed that was the church she attended.

Since i would expect to have heard through other channels if one of the larger parishes in Albuquerque was closing, my assurances were given that her church was highly unlikely to be closing. Entirely false was her claim that the national church denies that Christ died for our sins. Detractors of our Presiding Bishop, Katharine Jefferts Shori, have lately been purposefully and deliberately trying to twist a speech she gave at the General Convention in order to make that claim and bolster their desire for schism.

Upon arriving home Saturday evening i checked St. Mark's website, which highlighted no changes that i noticed except that the interim Bishop for our Diocese, +Frey, was now listed as the priest in charge. i assumed +Frey was listed because of last month's departure of St. Mark's rector.

i don't put a great deal of stock in the accuracy of what his neighbor told him but in retrospect she obviously knew something about what was going to occur the following day.

This statement posted by the Diocese Standing Committee today:

Bishop Frey Appointed Priest in Charge of St. Mark's on the Mesa
September 28, 2009 - 10:17 AM

The Episcopal Diocese of the Rio Grande is pleased to announce that the Right Reverend William Frey has accepted a temporary appointment as Priest- in- Charge of St. Mark’s-on-the-Mesa Episcopal Church in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Bishop Frey will preach and celebrate during the regularly scheduled 8 AM and 10:30 AM services on Sunday, October 4, 2009.

Bishop Frey currently serves as Assisting Bishop for the Diocese. He previously served as Bishop of the Diocese of Colorado from 1972-1990, and Dean of Trinity School for Ministry from 1990 to 1996. Along with his wife Barbara, the Bishop will reside in Albuquerque during his tenure as Priest in Charge. Bishop Frey will serve until a long term Priest-in-Charge can be in place. He will then resume his normal duties in the Diocese.

Bishop Frey will be assisted by the Reverend Beth Noland who has served as deacon at St. Mark’s for four years. For more than 25 years Beth has served both the Diocese and the national church in various capacities. She was ordained to the Holy Order of Deacons in 2001. Beth and her husband Chuck have resided in Albuquerque since 2005.

On Sunday, September 27th, the congregation of St. Mark’s received the news that several clergy and members of the congregation of St. Mark’s had decided to leave St. Mark’s-on-the-Mesa Episcopal Church to form Christ the King Anglican Church. The Rev. Roger Weber will serve as Priest in Charge.

Services at St. Mark’s on- the-Mesa Episcopal Church, 431 Richmond Place, will continue as currently scheduled. An up to date schedule can be found on the church’s website: www.stmarksonthemesa.org. Come and be renewed by this beautiful worship experience at St. Mark’s-on-the-Mesa Episcopal Church, Sunday, October 4th.

Gaydar Gun: Granny Get Your Gun!

MetaReligion

i've added a new site to Mad Hare's blog list: MetaReligion

An interfaith blog article aggregator, the site pulls content from across the spectrum of beliefs, from Atheists to Unitarians, with the goal of "bring[ing] together the best of religious, spiritual and interfaith blogging."

Their etiquette statement:

This is a place for discussing different religious beliefs and practices.

It is intended for friendly discussion to enable people to learn about religions other than their own. It is not for polemics or proselytising.

The best way to achieve this is to try, where possible,to confine yourself to explaining your own religion and beliefs (or lack of them). One of the main things to be avoided is telling other people what they believe, since they can speak for themselves and explain their own beliefs.

Example: Underestimating Stupidity

Kirk Cameron is Douchetastic

If you've not heard of has-been Kirk Cameron's latest bright idea for evangelism, this hella cool lady lays it out for you.

Frisbee Dog - Whiplash the Jack Russell Terrier

This morning my JRT, Flapjack, demanded to watch some YouTube videos. This was was by far his favorite today.

President Obama: Warm Wishes for Rosh Hashanah

A classy and articulate interfaith message. How refreshing coming from a US President.

Back in Black

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Back in Black - Angry Outbursts
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Healthcare Protests

Sinead's Hand

This Irish commercial makes it clear just how foolish it is to make marriage equality for LGBTs a ballot issue.

More On (moron, get it?) Saturday's Rightie Temper Tantrum

You really, really must check out this blog post from The Wild Wild Left. Seriously. This woman has more cojones than an entire brothel full of Republican Senators & Congressmen. But be forewarned, she reports the vitriolic rhethoric of teabagging protesters sans editing.

A foretaste:

We were at the widest part of the valley in which the pond lay, where moving through the crowd was impossible, as they swooned at the stage across the water. I looked down at Jake and said, "We'll cut around the back here, this is pointless." I cut up toward the alleyway behind the buildings on Main Street and made our way to the eastern side. I felt like breaking one of the flag-wavers poles and staking them, letting the blood spatter the "Muslim Terrorist wants to kill your Gramma" signs. I knew 10 would rise where one had fallen. This was now looking like a Ralph Steadman painting of a bad acid trip by Hunter S Thompson. The other side was mostly greedy yuppies, skinhead racists and terrified old people. We were now on the primo turf, with the imported astroturfers. If you wanted to picture nazi brownshirters, this was your image. They were shoulder to shoulder creaming themselves in a mass hysteria delusion of having again won something. There was no way through.

Yes, I had seen the buses travel down Grand River all day, through the windows of my workplace, and knew they had imported astro-turf to call grass roots. I had just never imagined there were so MANY of the stooopid. So many of them. These were the hard core, indoctrinating my neighbors into what may well become a civil war. Indoctrinated into believing lies, calling for Obama's impeachment. Row upon row of pre-printed signs, not hand scrawl, with Obama as the Joker, Obama as a Muslim, Kill the Bill, so many I cannot even name them all.

I couldn't help but think it only a matter of being poor losers. This is what happens to a generation of spoiled children, who have gotten a trophy for every event, made every team, and had 8 years of getting their way.

This was more than Racism. This was a National Tantrum of the Neo-cons. They could not stand that they LOST. This was a tantrum embodied and exhorted by the Becks and Limbaughs, whose names they listed as "Next President" or "Real Americans."

This was finely crafted machine, employed and created by the Right Think Tanks to try and unify their base, the only way they knew how: Fear and Loathing. They despise losing, and will do anything to win. Beckclone country. Employees of the think tanks.

The Rev. Frank Wade Speaks Sensibly

In the most recent General Convention of the Episcopal Church our House of Bishops and House of Deputies passed many resolutions, among them resolution D025, which Rev. Wade discusses. As usual, minor tempests in the Anglican teapot have arisen in the aftermath of the Convention.

Among those who do not consider themselves to be part of the progressive majority in our Church there continues to exist a loudly vocal minority who believe D025 (and other actions taken at GenCon) is just another indication of how far our Church has gone astray. Since GenCon, the outcry of this minority within the conservatives' rank has been even more shrill than ever, as they add it to the pile of false justicification they make for schism and absconding with the silver.

In this video, the good Rev. Wade sensibly outlines what D025 is and the context we find our Church in, as D025 relates to the rest of the Worldwide Anglican Communion.

The Rev. Wade Frank Wade has served as an Episcopal priest for almost 40 years. The 2009 General Convention of the Episcopal Church was his twelfth as a deputy, and his second as Chaplain to the House of Deputies. No one else has ever served in that role twice. He has written several books, including The Art of Being Together: Common Sense About Life Long Relationships (available from Forward Movement Press).

The Reverend Boy Speaks Up & Odds-n-Ends

It's been five months since he last posted, but my favorite NYC aspirant for Holy Orders, The Reverend Boy, is back to blogging. Yay!

Closer to home, my friend (and our parish's lead Verger) Randy was recently given a 'go-ahead' to explore the next steps in fulfilling his call to the diaconate. That wonderful news for Randy and those supporting his commitment to ministry!

Yesterday was 'Parish Life Sunday' at St. Michael & All Angels, a day in which the many various ministries of our parish are out and about, sharing news and looking for those interested in adding their own efforts to existing parish programs. i took a deep breath and added my name to the 'Servants of Worship' list as willing to volunteer as a lector and a new pair of hands for the Altar Guild. Why do i have the feeling that Randy's going to assign me to Altar Guild for the 7:30am Sunday service? ;-) Time for another deep breath.

Give me an open mind, O God, a mind ready to receive and to welcome such new light of knowledge as it is thy will to reveal to me. Let not the past ever be so dear to me as to set a limit to the future. Give me courage to change my mind, when that is needed. Let me be tolerant to the thoughts of others and hospitable to such light as may come to me through them. Amen.

by John Baillie, published in the New Altar Guild Book by Barbara Gent and Betty Sturges

The Moron Militia

Typically i'm sympathetic to underdogs and to minorities. However, the 50K who gathered in DC over the weekend for a festival celebrating psychological projection garner no compassion from me. It's hard to see Christ in folks who promote lies and hatred through their children:

Here's the sign he was holding:

Ellipses over at The Elliptical Press has posted a video of another ignorant attendee explaining his perspective.

Their delusions are tragic since in many cases i suspect they would be direct beneficiaries of the liberal policies they falsely malign. Instead they embrace the cynical & mendacious rhetoric of those who seek to capitalize on their fears and gullibility.

Letterman - Breyer's Ice Cream for Heterosexuals

Looking at Double Standards

Ever notice that when a liberal reasonably criticizes a conservative policy stance there are loud cries from the right about "attacking" Republicans, but when someone from the right rabidly attacks a liberal policy stance they're just criticizing?

Another reason to love where i live

Yesterday when returning home around sunset after going to the movies i passed a couple by our house out for an evening walk...with their goat. i don't know if it was a billy or nanny goat, but it wasn't on a leash and was walking slightly behind its humans with a very dignified and happy look on its face. Picture this against a backdrop of the Sandia Mountains reflecting a gorgeous sunset. Just charming!

For the love of...sectarianism?

From Ship of Fools:

I was walking across a bridge one day, and I saw a man standing on the edge, about to jump. I ran over and said: "Stop. Don't do it."

"Why shouldn't I?" he asked.

"Well, there's so much to live for!"

"Like what?"

"Are you religious?"

He said, "Yes."

I said, "Me too. Are you Christian or Buddhist?"

"Christian."

"Me too. Are you Catholic or Protestant?"

"Protestant."

"Me too. Are you Episcopalian or Baptist?"

"Baptist."

"Wow. Me too. Are you Baptist Church of God or Baptist Church of the Lord?"

"Baptist Church of God."

"Me too. Are you original Baptist Church of God, or are you Reformed Baptist Church of God?"

"Reformed Baptist Church of God."

"Me too. Are you Reformed Baptist Church of God, Reformation of 1879, or Reformed Baptist Church of God, Reformation of 1915?"

He said: "Reformed Baptist Church of God, Reformation of 1915."

I said: "Die, heretic scum," and pushed him off.

Who would Jesus flip off?

Shamelessly lifted from MadPriest:

A man was being tailgated by a stressed-out woman on a busy boulevard. Suddenly, the light turned yellow just in front of him. He did the right thing, stopping at the crosswalk, even though he could have beaten the red light by accelerating through the intersection.

The tailgating woman was furious and honked her horn, screaming in frustration, as she missed her chance to get through the intersection, dropping her cell phone and makeup.

As she was still in mid-rant, she heard a tap on her window and looked up into the face of a very serious police officer. The officer ordered her to exit her car with her hands up.

He took her to the police station where she was searched, fingerprinted, photographed, and placed in a holding cell. After a couple of hours, a policeman approached the cell and opened the door. She was escorted back to the booking desk, where the arresting officer was waiting with her personal effects.

He said, "I'm very sorry for this mistake. You see, I pulled up behind your car while you were blowing your horn, flipping off the guy in front of you, and cussing a blue streak at him.

"I noticed the 'What Would Jesus Do' bumper sticker, the 'Choose Life' license plate holder, the 'Follow Me to Sunday-School' bumper sticker, and the chrome-plated Christian fish emblem on the trunk.

"Naturally...I assumed you had stolen the car."

Comparing Apples to Oranges: an Anglican Primer

The Reverend Canon Mark Harris, an Episcopal Priest in Delaware and member of the Executive Council of the Episcopal Church, dissects how faithful Anglicans/Episcopalians of a liberal bent are pigeonholed by some of our brothers & sisters from the ecclesial right.

You know how it works: Its the old compare apples to oranges trick. Only the trick is being played on us.

It starts by some one, say Bishop Nazir-Ali, in a Guardian article, contending that "... there’s a double jeopardy – on the one hand an aggressive secularism that seeks to undermine the traditional principles because it has its own project to foster. On the other is the extremist ideology of radical Islam, which moderate Muslims are also concerned about." He seems so, so...English. A worried cleric, an articulate and oh, so classy way about him. Worried about aggressive secularism and radical Islam. Sounds worrisome.

Very quickly the "aggressive secularism" gets identified with certain liberal forces in Anglicanism. "...he said he would continue to support them (orthodox Anglicans) as they try to stop more churches “capitulating” to modern culture by permitting homosexual clergy or blessing same-sex unions.

“We now have people in the US but not only there who believe things about God, about salvation, about marriage and about human sexuality that seem to be another religion."

So suddenly, it is not aggressive secularism, but regular paid up Anglicans who have capitulated to modern culture (i.e. secularism) and are actually "another religion."

So there we have it: liberal Anglicans are another religion, Islam is another religion. The two are identified as the dual horrors to be dealt with. (Except maybe by moderate Islam, which might be tolerated, but just). A pox on them both.

True Christians and True Anglicans are against those awful religions, Anglicans in cultural captivity and Muslims in radical captivity. Anybody alarmed by radical terrorism claiming Islam as their base can now extend their fear quotient to include liberal Anglicanism which then becomes the terrorism for the so called "orthodox."

Of course the logic is rot.

Amen, brother.

Read the rest of the article at Preludium, the Rev. Canon Harris' blog.