A Little Rant, If I May...

With permission of the one being quoted below...

This falls under the category of sad, unnecessary division and disappointment in South Carolina:

So the other day, a fine Christian woman from our (TEC) congregation recently became engaged to a fine, Christian fellow. Some friends of hers who belong to churches in the (Non-TEC) Diocese of South Carolina asked her (and so she passed along the question to the clergy here at St. George's), and I quote: "I was told that some of my friends [from congregations in the non-TEC diocese] would be uncomfortable at best, and not supposed to attend, at worst [a ceremony that occurs in a TEC church]."

                                                       Let that sink in for a moment.

My goodness, what are these people being told? I heard someone who used to be a colleague (I still consider us brothers, even if he doesn't) twice say that TEC people subscribe to a "different religion". I couldn't disagree more. But even at that, do you really want to go there? I hope these people don't have any Jewish friends because they might be "uncomfortable at best, and not supposed to attend, at worst", their friends' children's bar and and bat mitzvahs. In the famous words of the Sunday Night Football broadcast crew...."COME ON, MAN!" I am sure these people would not feel uncomfortable, but rather amazed and enthralled, at a Jewish ceremony. But is a TEC church so far afield that to attend would be participating in something that is even more different than Christianity is from Judaism? Is a TEC congregation so awash in evil that to step inside would render one "unclean"? Or has the vilification of all that is TEC now taken so deep a root in the non-TEC psyche that reconciliation or even conversation is not now possible?

I continue to be saddened and disappointed that there is this strong undercurrent of division in the Body. As a deeply devout Christian in TEC, I want to know who told her that, and who has been filling their heads with this tripe? God have mercy on us.

CH+