RAISING THE BAR
The Underground Pewster thinks that this Katharine Jefferts Schori sermon is her worst ever. That may very well be true (although I have faith that the Presiding Bishop can always top herself). But I would go a step further. In any list of the worst Christian sermons of the last 2,000 years, this crapfest has got to be in the top ten:
We live with the continuing tension between holier impulses that encourage us to see the image of God in all human beings and the reality that some of us choose not to see that glimpse of the divine, and instead use other people as means to an end.
Kate, of course, refers to those of you who keep insisting that the Creator of the universe means what He says.
We’re seeing something similar right now in the changing attitudes and laws about same-sex relationships, as many people come to recognize that different is not the same thing as wrong.
It’s not the same thing as right either. But if it’s different than what God says is right, it’s wrong. On the other hand, if it’s exactly the same as what God says is wrong, it’s wrong. That grade-school logic lesson is on the house, Presiding Bishop.
For many people, it can be difficult to see God at work in the world around us, particularly if God is doing something unexpected.
Like letting Episcopalians think that they can determine what God’s laws should be if He would just listen to the wise counsel of Episcopalians.
It’s right here where Kate goes completely off the rails. How badly? Let’s just say that I’ve probably read and commented upon more Frank Griswold sermons than anyone and Frank has never written ANYTHING as idiotically awful as the following; compared to Katharine Jefferts Schori, Frank is Charles Spurgeon. Strap yourselves in, kids, because this is going to be one hell of a wild ride.
There are some remarkable examples of that kind of blindness in the readings we heard this morning, and slavery is wrapped up in a lot of it. Paul is annoyed at the slave girl who keeps pursuing him, telling the world that he and his companions are slaves of God.
Acts 16:16-19:
Now it happened, as we went to prayer, that a certain slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much profit by fortune-telling. This girl followed Paul and us, and cried out, saying, “These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation.” And this she did for many days.
But Paul, greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And he came out that very hour. But when her masters saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to the authorities.
She is quite right. She’s telling the same truth Paul and others claim for themselves. But Paul is annoyed, perhaps for being put in his place, and he responds by depriving her of her gift of spiritual awareness.
Kate? This poor girl’s “gift of spiritual awareness” was the result of demonic possession. So I suppose that Paul was “annoyed” for the same reason that Jesus shut the mouths of the demons whenever they started to proclaim to the world who He was. Having your identity in Christ proclaimed by agents of Satan is bad for business.
Paul can’t abide something he won’t see as beautiful or holy, so he tries to destroy it. It gets him thrown in prison. That’s pretty much where he’s put himself by his own refusal to recognize that she, too, shares in God’s nature, just as much as he does – maybe more so!
No. It’s not possible. She did not just say that. No college-educated person should be able to say something that stupid and no Christian should be able to say that at all. Let me go back to the link and see whether Kate actually…oh sweet mother of God, the woman actually uttered those words.
You know what you just did, don’t you, Presiding Bishop? You just said that something Satanic was a gift from the God of Heaven. And not only a gift from God but something beautiful and holy that Paul was wrong to “destroy.”
Kate, this poor girl was DEMONICALLY POSSESSED, you particularly egregious dolt!! So if I were you, I’d Google the phrase “blasphemy against the Holy Spirit” some time. And then I’d start being honest for a change and stop referring to myself as a Christian.
I’d also look into learning to read and accepting the idea that if you don’t like what words mean, you can’t just arbitrarily decide that they mean something more to your liking. Most people figure that out when they’re about seven but better late than never, Kate.
The amazing thing is that during that long night in jail he remembers that he might find God there – so he and his cellmates spend the night praying and singing hymns.
Acts 16:25-31
But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed. And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself. But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, “Do yourself no harm, for we are all here.”
Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
An earthquake opens the doors and sets them free, and now Paul and his friends most definitely discern the presence of God. The jailer doesn’t – he thinks his end is at hand. This time, Paul remembers who he is and that all his neighbors are reflections of God, and he reaches out to his frightened captor.
If by remembering “that all his neighbors are reflections are reflections of God,” you mean not wanting the poor man to kill himself before he’d heard the Good News, then yeah, you’ve pretty much nailed it. Otherwise, that’s just stupid.
This time Paul acts with compassion rather than annoyance, and as a result the company of Jesus’ friends expands to include a whole new household. It makes me wonder what would have happened to that slave girl if Paul had seen the spirit of God in her.
Since Paul freed her from a demon, I imagine she hung around Paul a lot and probably became a Christian. Which is something else you might want to look into.
On second thought, don’t bother with that last one. No one can come to Christ unless the Father draws him to the Lord Jesus and I doubt that the Father is going to be drawing you much of anywhere any time soon.
As I write this, most of the people who commented on Her Satanic Majesty’s “sermon” are as appalled by this abomination as I am. A few names even in Sardis and all that.
We live with the continuing tension between holier impulses that encourage us to see the image of God in all human beings and the reality that some of us choose not to see that glimpse of the divine, and instead use other people as means to an end.
Kate, of course, refers to those of you who keep insisting that the Creator of the universe means what He says.
We’re seeing something similar right now in the changing attitudes and laws about same-sex relationships, as many people come to recognize that different is not the same thing as wrong.
It’s not the same thing as right either. But if it’s different than what God says is right, it’s wrong. On the other hand, if it’s exactly the same as what God says is wrong, it’s wrong. That grade-school logic lesson is on the house, Presiding Bishop.
For many people, it can be difficult to see God at work in the world around us, particularly if God is doing something unexpected.
Like letting Episcopalians think that they can determine what God’s laws should be if He would just listen to the wise counsel of Episcopalians.
It’s right here where Kate goes completely off the rails. How badly? Let’s just say that I’ve probably read and commented upon more Frank Griswold sermons than anyone and Frank has never written ANYTHING as idiotically awful as the following; compared to Katharine Jefferts Schori, Frank is Charles Spurgeon. Strap yourselves in, kids, because this is going to be one hell of a wild ride.
There are some remarkable examples of that kind of blindness in the readings we heard this morning, and slavery is wrapped up in a lot of it. Paul is annoyed at the slave girl who keeps pursuing him, telling the world that he and his companions are slaves of God.
Acts 16:16-19:
Now it happened, as we went to prayer, that a certain slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much profit by fortune-telling. This girl followed Paul and us, and cried out, saying, “These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation.” And this she did for many days.
But Paul, greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And he came out that very hour. But when her masters saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to the authorities.
She is quite right. She’s telling the same truth Paul and others claim for themselves. But Paul is annoyed, perhaps for being put in his place, and he responds by depriving her of her gift of spiritual awareness.
Kate? This poor girl’s “gift of spiritual awareness” was the result of demonic possession. So I suppose that Paul was “annoyed” for the same reason that Jesus shut the mouths of the demons whenever they started to proclaim to the world who He was. Having your identity in Christ proclaimed by agents of Satan is bad for business.
Paul can’t abide something he won’t see as beautiful or holy, so he tries to destroy it. It gets him thrown in prison. That’s pretty much where he’s put himself by his own refusal to recognize that she, too, shares in God’s nature, just as much as he does – maybe more so!
No. It’s not possible. She did not just say that. No college-educated person should be able to say something that stupid and no Christian should be able to say that at all. Let me go back to the link and see whether Kate actually…oh sweet mother of God, the woman actually uttered those words.
You know what you just did, don’t you, Presiding Bishop? You just said that something Satanic was a gift from the God of Heaven. And not only a gift from God but something beautiful and holy that Paul was wrong to “destroy.”
Kate, this poor girl was DEMONICALLY POSSESSED, you particularly egregious dolt!! So if I were you, I’d Google the phrase “blasphemy against the Holy Spirit” some time. And then I’d start being honest for a change and stop referring to myself as a Christian.
I’d also look into learning to read and accepting the idea that if you don’t like what words mean, you can’t just arbitrarily decide that they mean something more to your liking. Most people figure that out when they’re about seven but better late than never, Kate.
The amazing thing is that during that long night in jail he remembers that he might find God there – so he and his cellmates spend the night praying and singing hymns.
Acts 16:25-31
But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed. And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself. But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, “Do yourself no harm, for we are all here.”
Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
An earthquake opens the doors and sets them free, and now Paul and his friends most definitely discern the presence of God. The jailer doesn’t – he thinks his end is at hand. This time, Paul remembers who he is and that all his neighbors are reflections of God, and he reaches out to his frightened captor.
If by remembering “that all his neighbors are reflections are reflections of God,” you mean not wanting the poor man to kill himself before he’d heard the Good News, then yeah, you’ve pretty much nailed it. Otherwise, that’s just stupid.
This time Paul acts with compassion rather than annoyance, and as a result the company of Jesus’ friends expands to include a whole new household. It makes me wonder what would have happened to that slave girl if Paul had seen the spirit of God in her.
Since Paul freed her from a demon, I imagine she hung around Paul a lot and probably became a Christian. Which is something else you might want to look into.
On second thought, don’t bother with that last one. No one can come to Christ unless the Father draws him to the Lord Jesus and I doubt that the Father is going to be drawing you much of anywhere any time soon.
As I write this, most of the people who commented on Her Satanic Majesty’s “sermon” are as appalled by this abomination as I am. A few names even in Sardis and all that.
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