LAODICEANS

from Midwest Conservative Journal by The Editor

I guess it’s an indication of how far the religious tradition into which I was baptized and which my mother loved until the end of her days has fallen away from me that I can’t seem to work up the disgust about the Rev. James Simons that I once could:

"The Rev. James Simons, a theologically conservative Episcopal priest who remained in that church after most of his fellow conservatives in the Diocese of Pittsburgh left it, has been elected to an important post in the national church.

“I will bring a conservative perspective from my own theological viewpoint, which I suspect is part of the reason I was elected,” he said."

No doubt. Look up the term “window dressing” some time, Jim.

"The Rev. Simons, a nationally known leader among conservative Episcopalians, stunned people on both sides of a rift over biblical theology when he didn’t follow Bishop Robert Duncan out of the church in 2008."

Jim Simons is “a nationally-known leader among conservative Episcopalians” in much the same way that this site is the go-to site for Anglican news and commentary despite what those posers over at Stand Firm tell you. Funny. I thought Ann Rodgers was in the top echelon of religion reporters.

"The Rev. Simons said he wants the council to understand that many theological conservatives want to remain in the Episcopal Church. He is willing to do outreach to those who are considering leaving.

“I have deep and abiding friendships in those dioceses and would be willing to do whatever I can to be an agent of reconciliation and healing,” he said."

Yeah, Jim. Sure. Here are some selections from Jim’s “State of the Fake Diocese” report that he delivered to the Special Convention of the Fake Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh. See if you can spot how theologically “conservative” Jim is.

"As we seek to rebuild the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh, we are not starting with a clean slate. As we move forward we carry the burden and scars of our recent past history. In short, we have developed a culture over the past several years that has not been one of grace and charity. We bring with us patterns of behavior which sought to categorize and judge others by what were in many cases arbitrary measures. We have not thought the best of each other and we have assigned motives for others’ actions, often without speaking to that person or seeking to obtain accurate information. It was a culture of fear and control, and many in this room, including myself, cooperated in the creation of that culture. It was a culture of throwing stones, and I stand before you now to say, “Today that culture ends.”

"Patterns of behavior have been established, many unconsciously, and we need to give each other permission to stop and say, “No, that’s they way we used to treat each other. We’re not doing that anymore.” We’ll need to re-evaluate every aspect of our lives and ask the question, “Is this the way that Jesus would have us behave and treat each other?” We will make mistakes, and there will be false starts. There will be more hurt, but if are willing to be vulnerable to one another and believe the best of each other, the old patterns will begin to melt away and we can move ahead with grace and charity.

"Lastly, and I hesitate to use this word because it is so misused, diversity needs to be a hallmark of our common life together. But this is not easy to achieve and will not be brought to fruition simply by our trying to be more diverse.

"This brings me back to where I started: we can only do this when we abandon the patterns of behavior to which have become accustomed. We must be in conversation, seeking to understand each other and when possible to rejoice and embrace the diversity God has blessed us with.

"This is not to say that there are no boundaries and that everything is necessarily acceptable. But the church is broader than we have allowed it to be here and we need to work at creating a healthy environment that fosters appropriate diversity.

"Our old culture would now start to throw stones. It would “Google” the Bishop’s name and begin to collect writings and voting records, it would be mistrustful and suspicious. It would dwell on the deficits and not the benefits. Perhaps some from whom we are separated will do this.

"We need to not do that. Rather, we need to trust that those who have been raised up to leadership have everyone’s best interest in mind and that this is not just a human answer to a situation but a godly one as well. We need to see this appointment as God’s way of moving us forward, to recognize it as another stone we gather in the rebuilding of our common life."

In other words, keep your mouth shut and accept whoever we tell you to accept. And if we send you a priest or a bishop who regularly quotes from the Koran or who replaces the Cross on the altar with a statue of Vishnu or Ganesh, then maybe that’s what “God” wants. Anyhoo, we’re ordained and you’re not so stick a sock in it.

I don’t agree with Anglican liberals but at least I respect them. If John Wilkins ever makes it to town and we manage to hook up, dinner and the first few rounds are on me. Same goes for Frank Griswold, Jim Naughton, Katharine Jefferts Schori or Gene Robinson. And I’m not joking.

People like Jim Simons, on the other hand, just make me sick.