Friday, July 10, 2009

Funny or sad?

The State of the Church report in the hands of all the Bishops and Deputies at the Episcopal Church General Convention notes widespread conflict and an inability to talk across factional lines as just two of several major denominational problems - "crises," to use the Presiding Bishop's own word.

So check out Resolution A040:

Resolved, the House of [Bishops or Deputies] concurring, That the 76th General Convention, commend to the attention of the President and Congress the hope of the Palestinian people for a single sovereign state, independent of the State of Israel, and created from territory in the West Bank and Gaza, with Jerusalem serving as the capitol of both Israel and Palestine, and urges the Administration's immediate and continuous engagement with representatives of Israel, Palestine, the Arab League and other countries in the region to achieve a comprehensive and enduring peace in the region and in the world.

Just one of almost 400 (four hundred) resolutions on every topic under the sun, most of which scatter a few "Jesus" words like pixie dust over strict moral orders from General Convention to the world.

But Jesus spoke some words quite clear about this aspect of the Convention:

"For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?" Jesus, the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 7:2-4)

h/t Sarah Hey


6 comments:

mousestalker said...

I'd rather laugh than cry, so I tend to mock these sorts of resolutions.

One of the reasons the lefties have won the church is that these resolutions drive away delegates who actually wish to serve the Episcopal Church.

These smug little societal criticisms were notably absent from the ACNA convention.

poppy tupper said...

Well, I came here again to answer your accusation of cowardice, but I find you've run away by closing comments on that thread. You sad, frightened little man.

Undergroundpewster said...

The resolution is in support of an independant Palestinian state. I can't see how TEC can support the resolution while at the same time denying the independance of the Dio of Pittsburgh, San Joaquin, Fort Worth, etc...

Undergroundpewster said...

O.T.

I am not sure what poppy meant by "little". Have you been on a diet?

Anonymous said...

It's simple. TEC is not only no longer a Christian Church, it is anti-semetic as well.

TLF+ said...

Ugg, last post full of typos... here's corrected version:

Poppy - Sorry, did not have access to the computer 'til now and you are probably asleep at this hour or doing something more fun than blogging. Hope you will have a look at the comment I posted before closing the other thread:

1) After a post from someone supporting me, I felt that we were simply restating arguments already offered.
2) I opined that maybe I needed to be more appreciative of what you were saying about your style of humor.
3) I asked that we think about ways that we might, as Christians all around, deal with some of our misunderstandings and differences.

U.P. intersting that you caught that... it was the second post in about a week in which someone LGBT or at least enthralled w/ LGBT attacked my "manliness." So I guess once insults about intelligence or mental stability get stale, that is the next effort to insult.

I'm a 50+ man, FWIW. Certainly not what I was, physically, 30 years ago in the Army. But I'm infinitely more manly now than I was then, if by that we mean sticking with important things and sacrificing for others. If manliness is about looking good in leather gear, no, I guess I don't pass that standard or some other notion of pubescent sexuality.