episcospeak
ORTHONY A fellow CNY priestblog
http://orthony.blogspot.com/
Double Standard
"Kill Bill," "Pulp Fiction," Killing Zoe" and whole host of other gratuitously violent Tarrantino films have been hailed by many critics and pundits as existentialist classics--films that explore random violence in the context of a world without meaning. The extreme violence mixed with chic comedy in these films is met with adulation and praise by all but conservative secular and religious leaders who have called on Hollywood to tone it down and have been repaid with accusations of censorship.
And yet the same people who celebrate Tarrantino's bloodlust seem suddenly to have seen the light. Knocked to the ground on the way to Damascus, they have come face to face with the bloody Lord Jesus in his Passion and have been collectively turned into Victorian prudes. Fanning themselves, gasping for air, struggling not to faint, they get back to their feet aghast at the
gore and decry Mr. Gibson's uncivilized display.
The double standard here is so obvious that it is hardly worth pointing out. Gratuitous violence intended to celebrate the utter meaninglessness of life is "artistic." Violence intended to point viewers toward objective Truth (in this case that sin is obscene with obscene consequences)
is "pornographic" to borrow from James Carroll's review.
No doubt about it. Had Gibson included scenes of Jesus engaging in homosex orgies or having relations with Mary Magdalen, the violence of The Passion would have been greeted with critical acclaim and joy throughout the land.
Matt Kennedy+
"Dialogue" in the Diocese of CNY
These two posts just came through on our diocesan webforum:
Dear Diomail Subscribers,
As your bishop and the one called by God to be chief pastor of the
Diocese of Central New York, I am calling all of us to a Lenten time of
prayer and fasting. Specifically, I am calling us who subscribe to
diomail to fast from any postings or dialogue on the subject of human
sexuality.
As I hope you know, I am committed to having a diocese that will not
only honor and respect diverse opinion and theological perspective among
us, but also and especially the people who hold those positions. At the
same time, as I have spoken to and heard from many of you holding
diverse perspectives, it has been indicated to me that some of the
postings have made it almost impossible for you to continue to listen
well. I believe that for our spiritual health and well-being we need a
break in order to pray, to regain perspective and balance in our
conversation. It has taken on an almost manic feel that I believe is
destructive to all and does not serve Christ or one another.
While the issues around human sexuality are important to us and, I
believe, to God, by dealing almost exclusively with those issues we are
in danger of the sexualization of the Christian Gospel. My hope is that
we will use diomail to have conversations about our mission as the Body
of Christ in this diocese, how we as a Church can be the passionate
presence of Christ to one another and our communities, and to share how
we are engaging these questions to be the faithful people of God sharing
the Good News of God with those who may not know of God's desire to
engage us as his beloved.
MY EXPECTATION THEN IS THAT STARTING ON ASH WEDNESDAY AND ON THROUGH
EASTER DAY, DIOMAIL WILL NOT BE USED FOR POSTINGS ON THE VARIOUS ISSUES
CONCERNING HUMAN SEXUALITY. (Caps original to the text)
May you know the riches of God's grace in your time of prayer and as you
plumb the depths of the Cross and Resurrection as to what it calls forth
in your life and the life of your parish community.
Peace in Christ,
+Skip Adams
Bishop
_______________________________________
POSTED RESPONSE FROM TONY SEEL+:
Today is my last day of posting until after Lent. I have been told that
it is a necessity that I not post during Lent. I think that gag orders
are fascist tactics, but I am not in a position to ignore this demand.
Apparently dialogue doesn't include the Diocese of Central NY receiving
news of what is going on in the Anglican Communion, expect when it comes
from official sources.
I have started a weblog where I will be posting articles. It can be
accessed through the home page of my parish, St. Andrew's, Vestal:
www.standrewsvestal.org
Other good sources of non-Pravda filtered news include:
titusonenine (another weblog)
and
virtuosity (a website)
Of course, these folks have their biases as we all do, but I find that
getting more than one source is a better way to receive information. At
least they seek to report what is going on, whereas ENS does not report
much that doesn't support the current reigning ideology in ECUSA.
My own Lenten hope is that ECUSA repent of its unbiblical actions, ask
forgiveness for ignoring the rest of the Anglican Communion, and return
to orthodox faith and practice.
Tony Seel+
Excerpts from
The New Episcopal Dictionary
Community: A diverse (see "diversity" below) gathering
of "human beings" (see below) dedicated to "tolerance"
(see below) and the unconditional "expression of love"
(see below).
Diversity: A blessed state of "community" (see above)
that can only be acheived through "dialogue" (see
below).
Dialogue: To harangue, belittle, and mock those
opposed to the theological legitimization of
homosexual behaviour until the reactionary dolts fall
into line.
Expression of love: Any sexual encounter--especially
applicable to homosexual sex.
Fully Human: A being who "expresses love" (see
"Expression of love" above). One can only be fully
human if one can engage in "expressions of love" (see
above).
Human Being: A living entity defined exclusively by
sexual orientation. There are homosexual, bisexual,
and heterosexual human beings. To oppose the exercise
of human sexuality in accordance with a given human
being's sexual orientation is to deny that the said
person is "fully human" (see above).
Intolerance: Only applicable to those opposing the
theological legitimization of homosexual behaviour.
One is "intolerant" when one does not respond properly
to "dialogue" (see above).
Sensitivity Training: The place where the "intolerant"
(see above) are sent to learn "The Gospel" (see below)
so that they might participate in the "community" (see
above)
Tolerance: One is "tolerant" if one promotes
homosexual behavior and supports continued "dialogue"
(see above) with those who oppose it.
The Gospel: Jesus was a 1st century wandering peasant
cynic who came to affirm "human beings" (see above)
and to build up his followers' self-esteem, assuring
them of God's unconditional approval of their every
"expression of love" (see above).
The Rev. Matt Kennedy
In the paper this morning
The following article came out in today's Binghamton Press and Sun. Anne and I are quoted toward the end of the article along with Fr. Tony Seel of St. Andrew's, Vestal NY.
http://www.pressconnects.com/monday/news/stories/ne022304s70055.shtml
Diversity and Division
Episcopal clergy at odds over vote on gay bishop
BY VALERIE ZEHL AND WILLIAM MOYER
Press & Sun-Bulletin [Binghamton, NY]
While two local Episcopal priests have pulled away from the church
hierarchy over the consecration of an openly gay bishop, other Southern
Tier rectors remain solidly behind the decision.
Now, months after the General Convention voted to make the Rev. Gene
Robinson the church's first homosexual bishop, those rectors say it's time
for healing within the worldwide Anglican community.
"The way the decision was made was the way all our decisions are made in
the Episcopal Church, in a democratic way," said the Rev. Mark Giroux,
rector of St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Chenango Bridge.
"I'm personally supportive of the decision," he added. "I feel as though
the arguments being used by those who oppose this decision are similar to
those used against women, or going back earlier still, against those of
color."
The church's top governing body consecrated Robinson last November as New
Hampshire bishop. He is a divorced father who lives with a same-sex
partner.
The action ignited a firestorm of controversy within the worldwide Anglican
church, which has 77 million members. About 22,500 members are on the rolls
at 100 Episcopal churches in the Central New York Diocese, which covers an
area from Alexandria Bay near Canada, south to the New York-Pennsylvania
border, east to Utica and west to Waterloo.
But the consecration isn't a volatile issue for some local Episcopalians.
"Some think this issue is critical, others think it's less critical," said
Don Carlin, who has been a member of St. Andrew's in Vestal for 30
years. "For me right now, it's not critical."
Others said the decision just shows the Episcopal Church's diversity.
"About 13 years ago I made a conscious choice to begin attending the
Episcopal Church," said Karen Van Kleeck, who goes to St. Mark's in
Chenango Bridge and sits on its vestry.
"Part of my reasoning is that the belief system is based on tradition,
Scripture and reason," she said. "People who are black, white,
evangelistic, gay, straight -- we are all welcome in that church."
Van Kleeck said she has no problem with Robinson being a bishop. But she
believes the church did things backward. By Anglican tradition, she said,
an unmarried person who has a sexual partner wouldn't be welcome to live in
the rectory and lead a parish. "So until they change tradition, we're speaking out of both sides of our mouth," she said. But some local rectors remain upset by Robinson's consecration.
The Rev. Anthony Seel resigned as dean of the 10-parish Binghamton
district. He remains pastor of St. Andrew's, while the Very Rev. Noreen
Suriner of Trinity Memorial Church in Binghamton now serves as dean.
And the Rev. Anne Kennedy, assistant rector at the Church of the Good
Shepherd, has asked Central New York Diocese Bishop Gladstone B. "Skip"
Adams III to stop paying her salary. Kennedy works with her husband, the
Rev. Matthew Kennedy, who is Good Shepherd's rector. But she said the
diocese paid her for work in the Binghamton parish and for other Episcopal
ministries.
"Fundamentally, I resigned because of the bishop's position on this issue,"
Anne Kennedy said. "Part of my trouble with the bishop is he voted directly
for (the consecration)."
Seel and Anne Kennedy have sent letters to Adams indicating their position.
Neither the bishop nor his assistant were available for comment last week.
Local parishes of many denominations often show their dissent with higher
church decisions by withholding the money they are expected to give for
regional or national ministries.
Episcopal parishes are required to give an assessment and a pledge that
represent about 15 percent of the church's income, Matthew Kennedy said.
He doesn't intend to pay Good Shepherd's full assessment to the diocese.
Kennedy has given church members the choice of using their money to pay the
assessment or keeping their offerings within the parish. Many have chosen
to keep their pledges in the parish, he said.
Seel said St. Andrew's vestry voted to send a portion of its assessment to
the diocese. But some parishioners indicated they want their offerings to
remain in the parish, he said.
Seel and the Kennedys intend to stay in the Episcopal Church. But the
rectors don't attend the monthly meeting of the Episcopal clergy group in
the area.
St. Andrew's joined the American Anglican Council, which has declared
itself in "impaired communion" -- a broken relationship -- with the
Episcopal Church in the United States.
"(After) the bishop's vote at general convention, I felt like I didn't want
to be getting money directly from him and I felt he didn't really want to
be giving it to me," Anne Kennedy said. "I feel he has walked away from
historic orthodox Christianity, and I find that really grievous."
Added Matthew Kennedy: "We have not made the decision to leave the
institutional framework of the Episcopal Church or this diocese. We're not
ready to leave the institution yet, but we feel the institution has left
us."
He won't predict the denomination's future. "We don't really know what the Episcopal Church, what the diocese will look like five years down the road," he said. "But it seems increasingly clear to me the two positions are irreconcilable."
End
Returns and revelations
Well, it's been a long time. No excuse, just been overwhelmingly busy. Things in the diocese are heating up and getting interesting. One of my collegues, Fr. Tony Seel, has been silenced. Other Episcopal priests in the district are in communication with his disgruntled parishioners in direct violation of canon and the Bishop has paid a visit to this same group. Another orthodox priest in N. Syracuse is in even more trouble (more about this in a month). Things are tightening. The next few months are going to be fun.
One more thing: I am going to let you know who I am. I read a post on NRO's blog "The Corner" a few weeks ago criticizing the cowardice of anonymous bloggers. I think they have a point. In fact I felt ashamed of my own lack of courage. My name is Matthew M. Kennedy. I am rector The Church of the Good Shepherd in Binghamton, NY in the Diocese of Central New York.
Returns and revelations
Well, it's been a long time. No excuse, just been overwhelmingly busy. Things in the diocese are heating up and getting interesting. One of my collegues, Fr. Tony Seel, has been silenced. Other Episcopal priests in the district are in communication with his disgruntled parishioners in direct violation of canon and the Bishop has paid a visit to this same group. Another orthodox priest in N. Syracuse is in even more trouble (more about this in a month). Things are tightening. The next few months are going to be fun.
One more thing: I am going to let you know who I am. I read a post on NRO's blog "The Corner" a few weeks ago criticizing the cowardice of anonymous bloggers. I think they have a point. In fact I felt ashamed of my own lack of courage. My name is Matthew M. Kennedy. I am rector The Church of the Good Shepherd in Binghamton, NY in the Diocese of Central New York.
