ALABAMA'S BEAUTY PAGEANT
On Saturday, 4 January 2020, the Diocese of Alabama held its "Walk About" of the four candidates for election as bishop coadjutor. Find a video of the four hour marathon here .
This event amounted to a long, very long, beauty pageant. Missing were only the swimsuits, evening gowns, and false tears of joy. The four candidates got soft ball questions and gave mostly same type responses, pleasing generalities. I doubt the audience learned very much from it. Here is my take on what happened in the Walk About:
Each candidate was given 50 minutes to answer canned questions. The first several came from the Standing Committee. The same questions were posed to each of the
candidates. When one candidate was on stage, the other three were sequestered so they could not hear the questions or the responses. The SC questions were trivial: What is your favorite Bible verse, What is your favorite hymn, What is your favorite part of the liturgy, etc.? There was little in the questions that hit on substantial issues of the diocese now or in the future.
After the SC questions, the emcee drew out of a bowl questions written by members of the audience. They did not have much substance either. There was no chance for the audience to ask questions orally. There was no chance for the audience to speak with the candidates personally. It was all a staged performance. There was an emcee who directed everything. Each candidate got to make an opening and closing statement. They were what one might expect---to give electors reasons to vote for them.
Although most of the talk was not substantial, all four candidates said they were fine with allowing local parishes to decide on whether to allow same-sex marriage. The standing policy of the diocese is that. It is up to the rector and the vestry. However, the candidates varied in their attitudes toward same-sex marriage while none came out opposed to it.
The selection of a bishop is, after all, a political event akin to a secular political campaign. The electors are the clergy and delegates from each of the 87 local churches. They will choose a bishop coadjutor by majority vote. No doubt there will be a lot of campaigning between now and the day of the election.
The election is set for January 18, 2020, 1:00 p.m., at the Cathedral Church of the Advent, Birmingham. It will be live-streamed.
Now, back to the beauty pageant. There was one remark that set off alarm bells to me. Only one candidate mentioned this. The other three said not a word about it. The Rev. Raulerson said that the Cathedral of the Advent had held a discussion with all four candidates on the day before the Walk About (Friday the 3rd). That is all he said about it. Why he said this remains a mystery. Why the other three avoided it remains a mystery.
This is bothersome for numerous reasons. First, why was Advent given special access to the four candidates and the other 86 local churches were not? Why was this withheld from the public? Who at Advent interviewed the candidates? Staff, parishioners? Why did the four candidates participate in this? Did Bishop Sloan approve of this in advance? if so, what was his reasoning for it? Most importantly, what did the Advent people say to the candidates and what did the candidates say to the Advent people? The rest of us in the diocese have a right to know what the candidates said before we vote for any one of them. The most unsettling aspect of all of this is why the candidates felt they needed to do this. We, the members of the diocese, need some explanations before the election on the 18th.
Now, about the candidates personally. All of them were attractive, personable, and articulate people. Any one of them would make a good bishop. And, since this was a beauty contest, personality meant a lot. They all "won" on that level. They could all be "Miss Congeniality."
The Rev. Aaron Raulerson was up first. Interesting person. Imagine your ideal next door neighbor. Born and raised a Southern Baptist he was drawn to the Episcopal Church as a young adult. He never looked back but plunged head long into the ordained ministry of his newfound religion. No one could know Alabama better. This son of doctors is a native of Brewton AL (virtually a suburb of my hometown, Pensacola) he has spent practically his whole life in the state serving churches in the south, Black Belt, and now, north. I doubt that any of the other three candidates have the depth and breadth of experience in this state. Moreover, in his talk, he emphasized "relationships." All in all, Raulerson gave a charming presentation and the audience seemed warm to him.
The Rev. Evan Garner was next up. He was an energetic, ebullient, talkative man, the sort you would love to have coffee and bagels with. I think he could converse well on anything. He emphasized ministries, admirably. He also made a point of his evangelical orientation saying more than once we are about making disciples. It seemed to me he favored a vertical approach to religion.
One question from the audience for the Rev. Garner did involve an issue of substance, for a change. The question was about his relationship with the Cathedral of the Advent. Everyone knows Advent has had a somewhat strained relationship with the diocese. It is virtually an evangelical island often at odds with the bishop and the rest of the diocese over theology and issues in the national church, particularly on sexuality. In his remarks, Garner had emphasized his life connections to Advent. In response to the question, he said "I don't anticipate it will have much influence [on me]." He did not elaborate on that. On the issue of same-sex marriage, he said it was possible for a parish to disallow it and still remain an important part of the diocese (I took that as a nod to Advent.)
One question from the audience for the Rev. Garner did involve an issue of substance, for a change. The question was about his relationship with the Cathedral of the Advent. Everyone knows Advent has had a somewhat strained relationship with the diocese. It is virtually an evangelical island often at odds with the bishop and the rest of the diocese over theology and issues in the national church, particularly on sexuality. In his remarks, Garner had emphasized his life connections to Advent. In response to the question, he said "I don't anticipate it will have much influence [on me]." He did not elaborate on that. On the issue of same-sex marriage, he said it was possible for a parish to disallow it and still remain an important part of the diocese (I took that as a nod to Advent.)
The Rev. Dr. Glenda Curry was the next up. She was by far the most impressive on administration having been the head of a four-year university (Troy University at Montgomery) for years. Having been involved in state universities for many years myself, I can tell you Curry' experience in Alabama academia would make her an excellent diocesan administrator. Her approach, she said, would be "listening," respecting differences of opinion, and working to keep unity in the church, all admirable thoughts.
The concern about electing Curry really has nothing to do with her personally. Indeed, it is time for Alabama to have its first female bishop, and she would be a good one. The problem is that Episcopal Church canons require a bishop to retire at the end of the year in which he or she turns 72 years old. Curry would be starting at age 66. This means in a few years, Alabama will have to repeat the two-year-long process of selecting a new bishop. This situation is not fair to her. It is not fair to Alabama. I would argue it is not fair at all. Who came up with this mandatory retirement anyway and what were the reasons? Federal judges serve for life. The pope serves for life, (although most RC bishops have to retire at 75). Anyway, the discussion about mandatory retirement is the subject for another day. Right now, it is an issue in AL that the electors will have to ponder whether they want to or not.
The Rev. Allison Liles was up last. Philosophically, I fell in love with her right away. She has devoted her life to all the right progressive causes. She was director of the Peace Fellowship. She was a great advocate of rights for gays in the church. She talked about efforts of racial reconciliation, and so forth. It was all music to my ears. It seemed to me she had a horizontal approach to religion. Moreover, she was the only candidate who uttered the work "schism." All the others danced all around it. Liles is presently serving a little survivor congregation in the schism ravaged diocese of Ft. Worth. She talked about the terrible human costs of schism. She had a golden opportunity to elaborate on this. I wish she had. Of all the four candidates, she knows the best why Alabama must avoid schism. I just wished she had talked more about that.
So, looking back over these four really good candidates, I wondered how they might fit into the needs of the diocese today and in the near future. In my opinion Alabama needs a continuation of the model leadership we have had for decades, that is, non-partisan moderation and devotion to the national church. No one could live up to the example of the great Henry Parsley, but all should aspire to do that. I do not know, but wonder if some people might see two of them as too partisan, one to the right (vertical) and one to the left (horizontal), that is, too far from the moderate mainstream traditional in this diocese. I wonder too if age might be a factor, however unfairly, with one. These are just some of the factors the communicants of the diocese of Alabama ought to contemplate in the next few days before the election. It's a hard choice.
So, looking back over these four really good candidates, I wondered how they might fit into the needs of the diocese today and in the near future. In my opinion Alabama needs a continuation of the model leadership we have had for decades, that is, non-partisan moderation and devotion to the national church. No one could live up to the example of the great Henry Parsley, but all should aspire to do that. I do not know, but wonder if some people might see two of them as too partisan, one to the right (vertical) and one to the left (horizontal), that is, too far from the moderate mainstream traditional in this diocese. I wonder too if age might be a factor, however unfairly, with one. These are just some of the factors the communicants of the diocese of Alabama ought to contemplate in the next few days before the election. It's a hard choice.
At any rate, the Walk About left me feeling as if the people in Alabama do not quite appreciate the reality of schism all across the Episcopal Church. It is as if a couple of doors down in the neighborhood the oldest and grandest house (SC) is ablaze and sending burning embers onto our roof. Yet, all we want to talk about is our favorite Bible verses, our favorite hymn and the like. If our house catches fire, none of that will matter. We will be in survival mode. Now is the time to face the profound issues that could lead to schism. Now is the time to work to keep divisions from worsening. The starting place is the recognition that a reality exists. I did not hear that in the Walk About beyond the few words from Liles. I found this concerning and disappointing.
Having studied and written about the schism in the Episcopal Church in South Carolina for seven years now, I can assure the people of Alabama, I can assure the four candidates, schism in this diocese is the last thing anyone should ever want. It will devastate the church here as it has in South Carolina, Ft. Worth, and three other places in America. This problem will not be solved by holding beauty pageants.
Having studied and written about the schism in the Episcopal Church in South Carolina for seven years now, I can assure the people of Alabama, I can assure the four candidates, schism in this diocese is the last thing anyone should ever want. It will devastate the church here as it has in South Carolina, Ft. Worth, and three other places in America. This problem will not be solved by holding beauty pageants.
