28 JULY 2019, LETTER TO THIS EDITOR
The Betterments hearing has stirred up a lot of response from this blog's readers. The emails keep coming in, and I appreciate every one. Yesterday's letter elicited a great deal of response as it raised the issue of eviction. Can the Church side forcibly remove the officers illegally occupying the 29 parishes that are property of the Episcopal Church? If so, should the Church use eviction? Here is another thoughtful letter to this editor. This write asked to remain anonymous:
Letter to the editor:
For TEC to keep what is rightfully and legally ours, we are forced to play by the rules within the legal system. As usual, culture and politics play into a system which should be intrinsically neutral, and as always, wealthy conservatives wanting to maintain the status quo control the system. As you have stated many times, this schism has little to do with theology. It has everything to do with the entitlement of the Charlestonian aristocracy. If politics were not involved, this situation would have been legally resolved a long time ago. The DSC never had a strong case to begin with, from any perspective.
Christ would not be proud of this schism. There is no grace in this type of lawsuit, nor in the schism, itself. It is shameful that any Christian group would be destroyed by issues of social justice and self-righteousness. The leaders of TEC have showed nothing but humility and grace in their handling of this situation, but on occasion, uncharacteristic aggressiveness is required in defense of what you are. I have more recently asked myself if the Episcopal Church is how I want to identify as a Christian, and my conclusion is that, as long as I am affiliated with any church, this is where I belong. I keep remembering what brought me back to the Episcopal Church was not being told I needed the church, but that the church needed me.
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Thank you very much writer, for this heartfelt and thoughtful note. The Episcopal Church in eastern South Carolina is in its greatest crisis since the Civil War. If the Church ever needed its people, it is now, in this dark hour. To paraphrase Churchill, generations from now, people will look back and say this was their finest hour.
We need to stop every so often and remind ourselves of what this schism is all about. The people who led the majority of the old diocese out of the Episcopal Church did so because they opposed equal rights for and inclusion of all homosexuals and women in the life of the church. Thus, the fundamental issue at stake in the war between the two sides today is human rights. The Episcopal Church is fighting for the principles that all people are created in the image of God and that it is the job of the church to protect and promote the dignity and respect of every human being. The independent diocese is fighting to keep homosexuals and women from places of power and influence, that is, to protect the traditional white patriarchy. DSC institutionalized homophobia in a Draconian "Statement of Faith" (drawn up by a panel of white male clergy) of 2015 and sexism by joining the Anglican Church in North America which excludes women from offices of authority. In our weariness, we must not lose sight of the cause for which the Church fights--human rights.
We need to stop every so often and remind ourselves of what this schism is all about. The people who led the majority of the old diocese out of the Episcopal Church did so because they opposed equal rights for and inclusion of all homosexuals and women in the life of the church. Thus, the fundamental issue at stake in the war between the two sides today is human rights. The Episcopal Church is fighting for the principles that all people are created in the image of God and that it is the job of the church to protect and promote the dignity and respect of every human being. The independent diocese is fighting to keep homosexuals and women from places of power and influence, that is, to protect the traditional white patriarchy. DSC institutionalized homophobia in a Draconian "Statement of Faith" (drawn up by a panel of white male clergy) of 2015 and sexism by joining the Anglican Church in North America which excludes women from offices of authority. In our weariness, we must not lose sight of the cause for which the Church fights--human rights.
I am grateful for all of the emails I have received, especially those of the last few days. Now, we want to know what you think. If an Episcopalian in eastern SC, why are you staying with the Church when it might have been easier to go along with the secessionists? Let us hear from you. If you want your note posted, say so. If you want anonymity, let me know. If you just want to vent without publication, feel free. Send to the email address above.
