The Middle?
There's a new program being run in Episcopal
Parishes around the country. In some cases, it is the first Adult Education
program that has been offered at these parishes in a long time. That's a good
thing, right?Well, it seems like a
good idea. The program, however, is concerning. Like the organization, the
program has the name "Via Media" , a reference to the Elizabethan compromise which attempted to steer
Anglicanism down a middle road between Roman Catholicism and Protestantism.
Unfortunately, this new Via Media isn't really about a middle-road at all. The
people behind Via Media, and this program in particular, are from what used to be
considered the far left of the Episcopal Church. For instance, Susan Russell,
who is the executive directory of "Claiming the Blessing" , an organization whose
goal is to promote same-sex blessings and full inclusion of active gays and
lesbians in all orders of priesthood and aspects of Church life, and Michael
Hopkins, former president of Integrity , the well known gay and lesbian lobby
of the ECUSA. The rest of the list pretty much rounds out the usual suspects,
including several people associated with "The Witness", a progressive religious
publication, with folks like Barbara Harris and John Chane on the Board of
Directors.Now this agenda, decidedly
not in what was the mainstream of the Episcopal Church (leaving aside what is
mainstream Anglican) the last time I was there, is being marketed to well
meaning Episcopalians as Via Media - the middle way. 25 dioceses are currently
using this program, now. It pains me to know that there are many good, decent
folk being led astray by this. Whatever happened to truth in
advertising?
Posted: Wednesday - February 07, 2007 at 09:24 PM
