NOTES,  23 JULY 2021

Welcome, blog reader on Friday, July 23, 2021. It has been a week since I lasted posted a blog piece. Time to check in on the crises we have been following.

PANDEMIC. We are now in the third surge of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the last few weeks, there has been a rise in new cases, hospitalizations, and deaths, particularly in our southern states. In the last two weeks, South Carolina has seen a 192% jump in new cases, 110% more hospitalizations, and 48% rise in deaths due to the coronavirus. Alabama reported a 311% jump in new cases and a 92% rise in hospitalizations. SC has a low rate of fully vaccinated people, at 40%. AL continues to have the very lowest rate of all 50 states plus DC, at 33.9%. Although most Alabamians over the age of 65 have been inoculated, the majority of people 17-65 have defiantly refused the vaccine. 

With the new surge of the plague in Alabama, and the notoriety of low vaccinations, Alabama has been in the national news lately. Dr. Brytney Cobia, a physician in Birmingham, has been on the news networks with her heartbreaking experiences of treating the dying. Find an article about her here . The Governor, Kay Ivey, has also been in the national news as her temper boiled over yesterday at people who choose risk of death over vaccination. Find an article about her here . For Ivey, and for the state, the chickens are coming home to roost. From the start, the governor and legislature regarded the plague as a political and not a health issue. In one of the reddest states in the union, they played a dangerous game of politics and now they see they are losing. It was a deadly mistake. No wonder the governor is overflowing with frustration.

School will begin a few weeks in Alabama and many other states. We can expect the present third surge to get worse, much worse in the next few months. 

SCHISM IN SC. To my knowledge, there has been no news from the SC Supreme Court. We have no choice but to continue waiting for the court to respond to the Episcopal Church's appeal of Judge Dickson's outrageous order. Your guess at how long this is going to go on is as good as mine.

THE ADVENT. The clergy and staff of the Episcopal Cathedral of the Advent, in Birmingham AL, are gradually implementing the Covenant made between the vestry and the bishop. The general idea is to return worship and programs to the pre-Pearson era. This primarily means returning to the liturgies in the Book of Common Prayer and restoration of financial support to the diocese. As I watch the videos of the Sunday morning services from the Advent, I am looking for several changes: the return of the reserved sacrament to the Ambry since the Sanctuary Lamp is lit (the lamp should not be lit otherwise); the return of the elements to the altar for consecration in the Eucharist (the bread and wine should not be on another table far away); and the return of the Episcopal Church flag to the nave. I expect these will happen in time. Right now, the tenor is, wisely, to go slowly on the restorations. I do not know what is going to happen to the hootenanny band.

This week, the Advent posted an FAQ about the Covenant. I found it disappointing. It is unfortunate in that it strikes the wrong chord in terms of tone and content. I do not see how this FAQ helps in the healing, unity and restoration that is the need of the moment. The attitude is still adversarial in that is mostly about the differentiation of the two and a strong defense of what has set the parish apart from the diocese all these years.

The theology in the FAQs is dubious, at least questionable. For instance, in item #3, we find "We are not born children of God but sinners." In my Bible, we are children of God. In Genesis 1:27 we read,"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." In the Genesis stories, God gave man the knowledge of good and evil and the free will to choose between the two. He also gave humans dominion over creation. Humans are are not little gods and are not born perfect and in that sense are "sinners," but they are still made in the mage of God with the ability to do good and to fight against evil in the world. The problem with evangelical Christianity is that it cannot seem to get beyond the sinner/salvation point and arrive at man as God's representatives on earth with a mission to do his work. Regrettably, the FAQs show this problem and use it to differentiate the parish from the diocese. (For more discussion of "the Image of God," see this article. )

I doubt that the FAQs matter much anyway. The important point that really does matter is that the clerical and lay leaders of the Advent have recognized the need to restore a good relationship with the wider Episcopal Church, and that is cause for great rejoicing. The interim dean, Craig Smalley, is doing an admirable job in a difficult situation. We all should pray for him and the others, and support the parish leadership as they guide this congregation in its journey of faith.

Meanwhile, summer moves along and my garden is as robust and lush as ever. We have had a great deal of rain and moderate temperatures. High summer means crepe myrtle in the south. Here is Tuscarora:

 Clethra alnifolia 'Ruby Spice." Plant in a semi-shady spot where one can enjoy the sweet aroma in summer. Excellent choice for an easy to grow, medium size deciduous shrub.

The abelia family of shrubs is excellent for the home garden. This is Abelia 'Rose Creek'. It is thriving in this sunny spot.

Eastern Black Swallowtail butterfly feeding on the abelia bush. I have lots of butterflies in my garden. As with the birds, I provide them with plenty of natural food and sources of water.While birds may prefer the bird bath, butterflies like water on the ground, and so I place bowls of water here and there. Of course, I put mosquito pellets in the bowls.

This Tiger Swallowtail butterfly is equally fond of abelia. 

So, life moves on and we move with it. The sun shines, the rain falls, the plants give us their color, the birds their songs, and the butterflies their beauty. Our crises are still with us and probably will be for some time to come. Meanwhile, we should bear in mind our mission to be God's people in the world even as we endure crisis on crisis, some of which were man-made and some not. Peace.

NOTES,  16 JULY 2021

Greetings, blog reader, on Friday, July 16, 2021. We have been following several topics lately; and it is time to check in on each of them to see what, if anything, is happening with them. 

PANDEMIC. COVID-19 is still very much a part of our lives. After reaching a high point in January, the numbers of cases and deaths gradually declined in the U.S. until this month. July is seeing a new surge. Much of this has to do with vaccine reluctance. Three vaccines have been freely and widely available to the American public in the past six months. Yet, more than half the population has not been vaccinated. In fact, as of today, 48.2% of Americans have been fully vaccinated. Part of the low number has to do with the cut-off at age 12. Most of that low number, however, has to do with vaccine reluctance. Our southern states have the lowest rates. In South Carolina, only 40% of the population is vaccinated. Of all 50 states and D.C., Alabama is last, at just 33.4% (even Mississippi is higher!). That means well over half of the residents of Alabama are refusing to get vaccinated. I, for one, am completely baffled at why people are refusing. When I ask, I get one excuse after another, and they are just that, excuses. There is no rational reason for a person to risk dreadful suffering and death rather than taking a shot to prevent such. What is it with us southerners? I am at a loss.

SCHISM IN SC. Nothing new from the courts. All papers are now in at the South Carolina Supreme Court. We are waiting on the SCSC to do one of several things: decide whether to bring in a fifth acting justice, schedule a hearing, and issue a written decision. It seems to me the longer we go without word about a hearing, the less likely we are to get a hearing. The issue before the SCSC is the Church's appeal of Judge Dickson's order of 2020. Dickson overruled the SCSC decision of 2017 and ordered the local properties to remain in local hands. The SCSC decision had recognized Episcopal Church ownership of 29 of the 36 parishes and the Camp. So, in essence, the SCSC will decide who owns the properties, the breakaways or the Church side. All we bystanders can do now is wait. We should be used to that by now as time moves toward nine years since the schism. Common sense says the SCSC will uphold its own integrity and reassert its decision of 2017, but then, as we have learned by experience, one cannot always expect common sense to prevail. The schism is part of a much larger culture war going on in the world, and the court judges are not immune to it, as we see all the time from the U.S. Supreme Court.

Meanwhile, life moves on in the two warring camps. The new "Anglican" diocese is in the early stages of finding a bishop to replace Mark Lawrence. We know for sure the new bishop will not be a woman or an open homosexual, not in the white patriarchy of the ACNA. In the ACNA a new bishop has to be approved by two-thirds of the bishops of the ACNA. 

In the Episcopal Diocese of SC, the consents are in for the bishop-elect, Ruth Woodliff-Stanley. The majority of bishops and standing committees sent in their consents within just half the time (120 days) allotted. The new bishop will be ordained and consecrated the XV bishop of the Diocese of South Carolina at 11:00 a.m. on 2 October 2021 at Grace Church Cathedral in Charleston. I would like to attend but I expect it will be a bit crowded. Perhaps they will have overflow accommodations. On November 13, the EDSC will hold its 231st convention. 

THE ADVENT. After a couple of tumultuous months at the Episcopal Cathedral Church of the Advent, in Birmingham AL, matters seem to be settling down there. The previous dean has departed the Advent, and although he invited parishioners to follow him into a new church of his own design, there does not appear to be a stampede out. He gave a long interview to al.com and has appeared on a couple of podcasts. I have been informed by a reliable source Pearson is not considering buying the Shades Valley Presbyterian property. However, he has said repeatedly he plans to set up a new church in the Birmingham area.  

The Rev. Zac Hicks, the Presbyterian Canon for worship at the Advent, is still on leave. He is the one who denounced Rite I in the BCP as "anti-Christ." One can only wonder about his future at the Advent. 

Meanwhile, the interim dean, the Rev. Craig Smalley, is working to implement the Covenant recently made between bishop Glenda Curry and the Advent. This will mean return to worship services in the BCP and to regular financial support. And, this means Pearson's "Our Liturgy" will be phased out. (Let's hope the hootenanny band gets the boot too.)

On the whole, we have many reasons to rejoice as we look around us. In spite of the persistent virus and vaccine reluctance, the pandemic is declining in America. People are out and about with a vengeance. The schism in SC will be settled in the courts one day even though we cannot know the future. The two parts of the old diocese are moving on with new leadership, making the best of an unfortunate situation. Life at the Advent is the calm after the storm. In all of these, we should not jump to conclusions. We are still in the long, dark tunnel we have been enduring for a long time now, but the light at the end is brighter than ever. 

Every so often, I miss being in old Charleston and so I bring out my sweetgrass baskets to conjure up fond memories of the place (years ago I was a librarian in the South Carolina Room of the public library). Fortunately, I know the names of the artists who made these. The largest one is by Dorothy Brown, the others by Nancy German. These are not just baskets, they are works of art, and I'll bet the ones in the Smithsonian are no better than mine. Peace. 

 

EVANGELICALS AND THE YOUNG

The recent PRRI study (see blog post of 11 July) revealed two important factors about White Evangelical Christians in America: they are rapidly declining as a percentage of the American population (23% in 2006 to 14.5% in 2020), and they are the oldest group studied (median age, 56). These two factors suggest a critical failure of the Evangelicals to attract young people. Evangelicals would be defined as the "born-again" Christians as the Southern Baptists, Assemblies of God, and most of the megachurches. The Anglican Diocese of South Carolina is also in this camp.

Why are young Americans turning away from Evangelical religion in droves? That is a good question that may have a number of answers. Here is a thoughtful essay on what might be the factors involved in this: Why Some Younger Evangelicals are Leaving the Faith .

Studies show that young Americans are overwhelmingly in favor of protecting and extending human rights, such as marriage equality and transgendered rights, equality for women, and racial justice. They are very much on the progressive side of the contemporary culture war. Meanwhile, many Evangelical churches attached themselves to the conservative camp of the culture war, some of them becoming virtual arms of the Republican Party (80% of Evangelicals voted for Trump in 2016 and in 2020). As I have said on this blog more than once, it is fatal for churches as institutions to attach themselves to political bodies (e.g., catastrophic mistake of the Catholic Church in France before the Revolution). This is the grave mistake some Evangelicals made and are still making in American life. This is certainly a major reason why so many young people are fleeing the Evangelicals.

Young people's attachment to progressive attitudes does not bode well for the breakaway contingent in South Carolina. A denomination that was founded to keep open homosexuals and women from having equality and inclusion will hardly be a magnet for young people, even in conservative South Carolina. This could be a major reason for the drastic and relentless decline in the Anglican diocese's communicant numbers. A church that does not attract young people is a church without a future. The future does not look good for the ADSC any more than for the Evangelical churches in general. 

 

THE DECLINE OF 

THE WHITE AMERICAN EVANGELICALS

Before the schism of 2012 in South Carolina, the schismatic-prone diocesan leadership aggressively and repeatedly promoted several major assertions among the faithful. These claims were meant to give reason for people to support the coming break from the Episcopal Church; and in that regard they worked well. Most churchpeople in the pre-schism diocese bought these promises without question. In time after the schism, however, it became clear these assertions were false, partially false, or serious exaggerations of the truth. One major untruth was the claim that the diocese was a sovereign and independent entity that could leave the Episcopal Church at will (the federal court overruled that in 2019). Another was that the people could leave the Episcopal Church and take the property with them (the SC Supreme Court overruled that in 2017). Yet another was that the Episcopal Church was dying ("a comatose patient on life support," according to Mark Lawrence) because of its "liberal" changes, and that "orthodox" religion would flourish. Just as the others, that claim turned out to be wildly erroneous.

The people who left the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina in 2012 formed a new religious entity known as the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina. The ADSC has experienced a serious loss of active membership since the schism and this is borne out in their own published statistics. In the annual parochial statistical reports, a "communicant" is a person who attends church at least once a year. If we look at the 50 local congregations of the parishes and missions that went along with the schism of 2012, here is what we find for their communicants:

2011---21,993 (2011 was the last full year before the schism of 2012)

2014---16,361

2015---15,556

2016---13,877

2018---12,126

2019---11,457

This is a decline of 10,536 communicants between 2011 and 2019, a fall of 48%. In other words, the ADSC churches have about half the number of communicants they had before the schism.

All of the large parishes of ADSC lost significant numbers of communicants after the schism. St. Helena's, of Beaufort, declined from 1,737 in 2011 to 827 in 2019, or more than half. St. Michael's, of Charleston, fell from 1,847 in 2011 to 926 in 2019, or about half. St. Philip's, of Charleston, dropped from 2,677 in 2011 to 1,370 in 2019, also about half. Even the supposedly fastest growing congregation, Church of the Cross, in Bluffton, slipped from 1,701 communicants in 2011 to 1,631 in 2019.

Meanwhile, as the breakaway group was losing members steadily, the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina saw the opposite occur after 2012. It gained members ever year after the schism, for a total of a 22% rise.

Bottom line---the pre-schism assertion of the diocesan leaders that "orthodox" religion would flourish in membership while the Episcopal church would shrivel turned out to be wrong. In fact, the opposite occurred. Of the five dioceses where the majority of people voted to leave the Episcopal Church, four (Pitt., Quincy, San Joaquin, SC) have seen drastic membership declines. Only one (Ft. Worth) has show any increase and that is because it has taken in many local churches beyond the geographical boundaries of the old diocese.

Now comes a major new scientific study that shows a serious decline among White Americans who identify as Evangelical Christians. Everyone would agree that the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina is in the Evangelical camp along with the likes of the Southern Baptists, Assembles if God, and most of the "non-denominational" megachurches. 

On the contrary, it is the identification of the White Mainline Christians that is on the rise. Mainstream denominations would be the likes of the Episcopal Church, the United Methodist Church, the Presbyterian Church USA, and the Evangelical Lutheran Church. It is true that these denominations have lost members over the last half-century, but the conventional wisdom that these were fatally doomed to extinction has turned out to be way off base. 

The monumental new study is "The 2020 Census of American Religion" by the PRRI (Public Religion Research Institute). Find it here .

Look at Figure 2 of the study. This chart of trends from 2006 to 2020 among White people is most revealing of changing religious identifications of Americans. White Evangelical Christians declined from 23% of the U.S. population in 2006, to 14.5% in 2020. This is close to half drop in the last 14 years. White Catholics dropped from 16% in 2006 to 11.7% in 2020. Identification as White Mainline Christians went from 17.8% of Americans in 2006 to 16.4% in 2020. However, from 2016 to 2020, the percentage rose steadily from 12.8% to 16.4%. This makes it the only demographic in the chart to be rising in recent years. Thus, while fewer White Americans are now identifying as Evangelicals, more are identifying with the Mainline churches. Other charts in the study deal with non-White populations. 

The number of White Americans who identified with no religious affiliation arose from 16% in 2006 to 23.3% in 2020. However, there was actually a down shift from a high of 25.5% in 2018 to 23.3% in 2020. So, while White Mainline identity moved upwards in the last few years, the "nones" declined along with the Evangelicals. In fact, if we look at only the last few years, the only line moving upwards is that of the White Mainline. All the others are falling.

The takeaway from all this is that Evangelical (people who self-identify as "orthodox," Born-Again, Biblical, etc.) religion among American Whites is in relentless decline. On the other hand, at least in the last few years, more and more White Americans are identifying with the Mainline churches (e.g. the Episcopal Church). 

There are two points of caution with this. In the first place, the study does not delve into the reasons for these changes. Why are Americans turning away from Evangelical religion and toward the Mainline churches? And secondly, the data of the past do not necessarily predict the future although long-term trajectories should not be dismissed as meaningless.

For a thoughtful review of the meaning of the data in this study, see the article by Dana Butler Bass, "America is No Longer as Evangelical as it was---and here's why." Find it here .

It is entirely clear that the idea that Evangelical Christianity would grow in membership while the Mainline churches would continue to decline was false. The scientific data we have now prove otherwise. Thus, one of the main pillars on which the schism in South Carolina was built was made of clay and not stone. The leaders of the pre-schism diocese led most people of the diocese to believe certain claims that we now know to be hollow. The promise of growth was one of them. 

 

REFLECTIONS ON THE PEARSON INTERVIEW

All the talk around the Advent nowadays is about "the Pearson article." On July 4, 2021, reporter Greg Garrison posted on al.com, "'The Advent has changed': Andrew Pearson on why he left Advent Cathedral, dealing with the diocese, starting an Anglican church in Birmingham." To say it has caused a stir around Birmingham would be an understatement. 

Find the article here  .

The article is a long piece in which Garrison gave Pearson all the room he wanted to expound on his side of the story quoting him at length. There was no effort at journalistic investigation to verify assertions, or even other interpretations. The author gave no remarks from anyone else. Apparently, Pearson took this perfect opportunity to unload. He did. In essence, he blamed everyone else for the situation at hand.

Again, I must emphasize that these are my own opinions. I speak for no one other than myself.

These are the main issues I see in the article:

WHY DID PEARSON RESIGN AS DEAN?

Pearson said he was asked to leave. 

He says he was asked to leave.

"I was asked to resign."

Whether Pearson was fired, we would have to get from the wardens and the vestry. At the moment, the only public statement we have from them is the April 28, 2021, "Letter from the Wardens," that went out to the parish. The letter was from the two wardens, John Hargrove and Jay Ezelle. They clearly implied that Pearson voluntarily resigned:

"With significant sadness, the Vestry of the Cathedral Church of the Advent has accepted the resignation of Andrew Pearson as our Dean and Rector. Andrew has discerned that the ongoing tensions he feels serving in the Episcopal Church makes him no longer able to serve as the spiritual leader of the Advent."

Pearson gave no details or evidence to support his claim of being fired. I know of no evidence that he was asked to leave. From what we know now, it appears that his resignation as dean was by mutual agreement.

WHAT LED TO THE RESIGNATION?

Pearson emphasized three factors, first and foremost the Covenant, then the liturgy, and the financial issue with the diocese.

"After 30 years of straddling through all these issues [e.g., sexuality], the Advent has made a fairly definitive decision to be an Episcopal Church full-stop," he said. "Two lawyers from Advent and two from the diocese came up with the idea of a covenant, which I was against."

The problem here is that the Advent is and has always been an Episcopal Church. It cannot be otherwise. The last several bishops of Alabama all gave the Advent a very wide latitude to self-identify as an evangelical church, even to the dubious points of unauthorized liturgies and hiring non-Episcopal clergy (to oversee worship!). The implication that the diocese was heavy handed or intolerant of the Advent's rights is not borne out by the historical facts.

Another aspect of the falling out was over the liturgy. The Covenant required the Advent to "transition" out of "Our Liturgy" which Pearson had introduced for Holy Communion and Morning Prayer. Bishop Sloan had agreed to allow Pearson to use "Our Liturgy" several years ago. "Our Liturgy" is not in the current Book of Common Prayer. The BCP has all of the approved rites for use in Episcopal Churches. Conservative evangelicals often use Rite I of the BCP which is very close to the 1928 prayer book. (It was Rite I that Zac Hicks denounced as "anti-Christ".) So, to Pearson the Advent should have remained free to use unauthorized liturgies of its own choosing. The bishop thought not and the vestry agreed with her. Apparently there was a big division between Pearson and the vestry on forms of corporate worship in the Advent (which Hicks' shocking video did nothing to change). Hopefully, Bishop Curry will give her view of the liturgy issue in the Covenant.

Then there was the money issue. The Covenant required the Advent to eliminate the "Advent Only" box on the pledge card. To Pearson this was unacceptable:

"If somebody designates their giving, you have to honor that...has anything really changed in the Diocese of Alabama that would make us feel good about taking 'Advent Only' off. Of course, the answer is that Diocese hasn't changed, but with this covenant, the Advent has changed."

The "Advent Only" box appeared several years ago as a way of reducing parish contributions to the diocese (it may have been introduced by Pearson in 2017). The obvious purpose of such would be to show parochial opposition to the diocese, and by extension, the Episcopal Church. Every diocese relies heavily on parish contributions for its financial well-being. A parish is expected to contribute a certain percentage to the diocese. As the largest parish, the Advent's reduction had an out-sized impact on the administration and programs of the diocese.

Pearson implied that the Advent Only giving had been going on a long time, originally approved by Bishop Parsley (Bp. Alabama, 1999-2012): 

"The Advent has never done any teaching on how people should give," Pearson said. "We left it to people to pray through and decide. That was an agreement we made when Henry Parsley was the bishop."

I contacted Bishop Parsley to ask about this. He responded and gave permission to quote him:

"What he said is misleading. After the election of Gene Robinson as Bishop of New Hampshire there was unrest at Advent and it needed a pastoral response. The temporary agreement we made was expressly and specifically that 'Advent only' giving would not be invited or placed on Advent pledge cards. Diocesan giving would remain unchanged but it was understood that if members on their own insisted that their giving not be shared with the national level we would honor that for a period of time as a temporary pastoral accommodation. After I retired it was very disappointing to learn that this had been changed and 'Advent only' giving was invited and encouraged."

All of this goes back to the institutional  nature of the Episcopal Church. It is hierarchical and not congregational. A local church is not an independent unit. It is an integral part of the diocese which is an integral part of the national church. The idea that people can support the local parish only and not the diocese and larger church is in conflict with the nature of this denomination. Thus, it is the "Advent Only" provision that was in deviation from the institutional norm, not the Covenant's removal of the provision. The bishop was right to put into the Covenant the elimination of the "Advent Only" choice. Apparently, this was something Pearson could not countenance.

WHAT ROLE DID THEOLOGICAL DIFFERENCES PLAY?

Clearly, this was very important in Pearson's ultimate decision to leave. After all, on the day after he resigned, he joined the Anglican Church in North America. It seems that Pearson had a highly Vertical view of religion. This was at odds with the increasingly Horizontal attitude of the Episcopal Church.

Pearson said he was very uncomfortable with the Episcopal Church's emphasis on Jesus as the way of love.

"That [the way of love] is part of Christianity, but that's a deficient view of who Jesus is and what he came to do."

In Pearson's Vertical view, Jesus was God's sacrifice for the salvation of lost souls. Personal salvation is the whole issue. Saving individual souls is what the church is all about.  

In Horizontal religion, personal salvation is the starting place not the ending place. What is the purpose of salvation, only to save the individual from damnation? That would be a selfish, and dead end, or to use Pearson's words, "a deficient view." A Horizontalist would say personal faith is immature until it flowers into action to make a better world. God created human beings to be his agents in the world. The person of faith is the person of God whose mission is to do His work in the world. Therefore, the true Christian must indeed follow the way of love.

We can conclude that theological differences were highly important in Pearson's choices.

WHAT WERE PEARSON'S RELATIONS WITH THE BISHOPS OF ALABAMA?

Pearson had little good to say about bishops Parsley, Sloan, and the current diocesan, Glenda Curry. One should hope to hear from all of them about their reactions to what Pearson had to say about them. No one else should dare to speak for them.

In fact, it was Bishop "Kee" Sloan who had allowed the controversial changes Pearson had made, as in liturgy and pledging. Sloan was diocesan from 2012 to 2021. In reality, Pearson owes his life at the Advent to a highly tolerant and supportive Sloan.

Concerning Sloan, Pearson made a strange statement implying Sloan was open to the Advent leaving the diocese:

"Kee Sloan had reached out to me to say would the Advent be open to mediation," Pearson said. "One of the options was Advent's departure from the Episcopal Church."

I do not know what Pearson means by this. Under Episcopal Church law, a parish cannot leave the diocese and church. The Dennis Canon specifically prohibits such. 

Pearson put a lot of blame on the bishops. To Pearson, they suppressed the necessary freedom of the parish:

But [Bishop] Curry was determined to pull Advent back in line, he said.

The main issue was Advent had to conform, he said.

"At the end of the day, it was an issue of, and she articulated this and so did Kee, that if the Advent wasn't going to change, then there was no place for us in the Episcopal Church," Pearson said. "There needed to be a greater degree of conformity."

A parish in the Episcopal Church has to conform to a certain amount in order to be in the Church. The facts show that the bishops of Alabama gave the clergy of the Advent a great deal of space to follow their own understanding of evangelical religion. This has been borne out very clearly in the new Covenant. Obviously Pearson believed that the "conformity" in the Covenant was unacceptable. 

CONFORMING TO THE ANGLICAN WORLD

While Pearson opposed the Advent conforming to the diocese and the Episcopal Church, he went on and on in the interview about why the Episcopal Church should conform with the wishes of the majority of Anglicans in the world. It is true that most Anglicans in the world today are in Third World countries that adhere to highly conservative social and cultural values. GAFCON (Global Anglican Futures Conference) was created to oppose the social reforms of First World countries, particularly the Episcopal Church in America. GAFCON and its sexist and homophobic allies in the U.S. created the Anglican Church in North America, in 2009, to replace the Episcopal Church. The ACNA was set up to keep women and open homosexuals from equality and inclusion in the life of the church. It rationalizes these reactionary stands in Vertical religion.

WHAT ARE PEARSON'S PLANS FOR THE FUTURE?

Pearson left the Episcopal Church and is now a priest in the Anglican Church in North America, the American branch of GAFCON. There are several ACNA churches in the Birmingham area.

Pearson said he is going to plant a new ACNA church in Birmingham:

"I am in the process of working with others to plant a new church in Birmingham," Pearson said.

Who will be invited to this new church? According to Pearson it will not be "angry" Adventers:

"No one wants to plant a church with a bunch of angry Adventers," Pearson said. That would be a terrible idea."

Terrible, really? It was not terrible when Pearson sent out a letter to selected "Friends" in the Advent, on May 17, 2021. He wrote:

"Later in the summer, we will begin to gather weekly to pray and discern what the Lord is doing, and we hope you will prayerfully consider joining us. In the interim, Lauren and I will make ourselves available for one-on-one meetings..."

(BTW, rumors abound that Pearson is looking to buy the Shades Valley Presbyterian Church property in Mountain Brook. I have been told on good authority that he is not looking to buy the property.)

CONCLUSION

This article does give us an expansive view of Pearson's take on his experiences at the Advent and his plans for the future. What we need now is the other side of the story and this should come from the sources, namely the wardens and vestry of the Advent and the present and past bishops. Pearson has put a great deal of blame on them and they need to speak for themselves. If Garrison will not publish interviews of them, they should find ways to get their sides of the story out to the public.

A highly important truth that I learned while studying the schism in South Carolina is the importance of dominating the public perception of matters. He who controls the public message controls the public. In SC, the schismatic-prone leaders of the diocese operated a highly efficient, and ultimately successful, propaganda machine. It overwhelmed the field. They misinformed and misled the majority of the people to the effect of schism. The importance of dominating the public message is a lesson that the church leaders in Alabama ought to take to heart. 

In this case, the departed dean is still stirring up resentment. It is all rather sad really, especially since he left the Advent on at least superficially good terms. What are his motives now for lashing out? I hesitate to talk about motives because no one can really know what is in another's heart. However, since Pearson is now working to establish a new congregation, I think we can draw a reasonable conclusion.

Our concern now should not be about Pearson. He has left the Advent. I think we can wish him well. He has made his choices and he will have to live with them. He is a young man gifted in many ways.

Our concern should be for the welfare of the people of the Advent. For the last twenty-five years, they have gone through a lot. The deans tried all along to move them from the mainstream of the Episcopal Church. I imagine that, in the end, the disruptions and tensions were altogether too much for the majority of the congregation. They decided the hostility had to end and peace had to reign. Hence the new Covenant. 

The Advent is in a difficult place now as it moves to sorting out how to apply the Covenant to parish life. From my perspective, the parish is in good hands. We should all have faith that peace, order, and stability will return and better days are ahead.   

REFLECTIONS ON THE COVENANT BETWEEN 

THE ADVENT AND THE BISHOP

On June 23rd of this year, the authorities of the Episcopal Cathedral Church of the Advent and of the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama signed a "Covenant Between The Rt. Rev. Glenda Curry As Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama and the Cathedral Church of the Advent." Find the text of the Covenant here .

Here are my thoughts about the Covenant and its context. I must emphasize first that these are my own opinions and that I speak for no one else.

Vertical and Horizontal Religion

Before looking at the Covenant itself, it is helpful to scan the context, or background, of it. And, I have to start by returning to my theory of vertical and horizontal religion as this is most fundamental to the understanding of the need for this covenant. 

The differences between Vertical and Horizontal religion begin with one's understanding of the nature of the human and the divine and the relationship between the two. Vertical starts with a dim view of human nature. Man is born in sin and is by nature thoroughly corrupt and lost. God is the opposite, all perfection. The being of God is seen as a body in the space beyond somewhere as an anthropomorphic object, like us only greater. Man's only hope is to unite with this all-powerful being who offers salvation through the Gospels. Taken to the extreme, this becomes idolatry since man alone cannot reach perfection. Religion becomes a practice of appealing to this lofty deity for his favors. So, the purpose of religion is individual salvation which is a gift of the deity. In Vertical, nothing else matters but one individual and one God (who is up there somewhere). The nature and purpose of religion is the salvation of corrupt man by a perfect God. Evangelical Christians generally hold a Vertical view of religion. The Advent self-identifies as evangelical.

Horizontal starts with a more benign view of human nature. Man is born in the image of God and has the knowledge of good and evil. He has free will to choose right and wrong. God, instead of a finite being in outer space, becomes the transcendent force of life in the universe. The Horizontal approach starts with a bonding between man and God and then moves into the social application of that. Since man is in the image of God and can do good, it becomes his mission to do God's work in the world, in other words, to right the wrongs all around us. This is also called the Social Gospel. 

Vertical and Horizontal, even in the simplistic forms above, are not mutually exclusive. It is a matter of degree. All Christianity has both and the tension is always there. To the Verticalists, nothing else matters but individual salvation. Social action is peripheral and not integral to religion. Indeed, man's meddling in society can become an impediment to true religion which they hold as God being in control of all things. On the other hand, Horizontalists view the Vertical as immature religion that focuses only on the self. Unless this selfishness broadens out to social action, it is dead (faith without works is dead).

In the 1950's, the Episcopal Church started turning from Vertical to Horizontal religion, a move that continues to escalate. TEC came to champion civil rights for African Americans. It also brought in a new prayer book with more democratic and inclusive liturgies. Moreover, it granted to women full equality and inclusion into the life of the church. Then, it came to champion the same for open homosexuals. 

The Diocese of Alabama continued in the mainstream of the Episcopal Church as the mother church developed more and more along Horizontal lines. For instance, when TEC adopted same-sex marriage in 2015, Alabama followed along. 

The Advent was a mainstream parish when it was designated the cathedral of the diocese in 1981. Then, it began to divert from the mainstream of the church and the diocese, in the mid-1990's. Three deans of the Advent, all from the distinctly Vertical lowcountry of South Carolina, moved the parish more and more into a Vertical identity making it more and more at odds with the broader Episcopal Church. This diversion reached a crescendo in the last few years under the Rev. Andrew Pearson who introduced many changes including a non-prayer book version of corporate worship.

The Episcopal Church is Hierarchical

The Advent is not an independent church. It is a parish of the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama which itself is part of the Episcopal Church. The Episcopal Church has been legally recognized as an hierarchical body by the federal court (Charleston, 2019) and state courts, e.g. SC in 2017 and Texas in 2020. The governing body of TEC, the General Convention, makes law for all of the church, applied equally. Below the GC is the diocese. Below the diocese is the parish. Every Episcopal parish is under the authority of the diocesan bishop and the General Convention. It does not and cannot exist separately from these.

One law of the Episcopal Church is the Dennis Canon. Under this, a local parish may hold the deed to the property but does so only with the Episcopal Church and the diocese as the trustees. Under the Canon, if a congregation leaves the Episcopal Church, the trustees automatically become the owners of the property. In other words, a congregation cannot leave the Episcopal Church and take the local property with them. If the trustees become the owners, they may transfer the deed to a local congregation that is loyal to the Episcopal Church.

Under Episcopal Church law, the Advent is part and parcel of the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama. If individual parishioners want to leave for elsewhere it is their freedom to do so. We have freedom of religion in this country. However, the people who leave cannot take the church property with them.

Bishop Glenda Curry has authority over the Advent. It was gracious of her to make this Covenant. She did not have to do it.

The Covenant

Basically, the Covenant bolsters the place of the Advent in the Episcopal Church while allowing the parish to retain a measure of Vertical religion. 

The important points of the Covenant:

1. Affirmation of the Role of the Advent as the Cathedral and as a Member of the Episcopal Church.

This is a given.

2. Peaceful Relations Between the Diocese and the Advent.

This recognizes the Vertical identity of the Advent. Questionable phrase:  This peace can best be achieved by allowing the Advent to express its theology and conduct its ministries as it is so led by God.

So, God leads the Advent but not the diocese? Who get to decide if it is God's leadership? Problematical down the road.

3. Theological Expression.

Bolsters the Vertical:  the historical mission of the Advent...has been to proclaim the freeing power of the Gospel and to make disciples where God has placed the Advent.

The Bishop affirms and agrees that the Advent will have the freedom to express its theology and conduct its ministries in a manner consistent with the above-described theological expression. 

The Advent has always been free to express itself within the very broad bounds of the Episcopal Church. However, even the this broad church has bounds.

4. Agreement on the Advent's Use of Rite I of the 1979 Book of Common Prayer.

The Advent will "transition" out of Pearson's Our Liturgy into sole use of the Book of Common Prayer. 

Very important point---the Advent may only use liturgies approved by the General Convention.

5. Safe Environment for Theological Expression.

Another given. However, specifically calls on the Advent to return display of words and emblems of identity to the Episcopal Church.

 

6. Calling of Clergy.

7. Development of Clergy.

The bishop says she will accept "qualified" candidates for ordination and that she will not exclude candidates from certain unnamed (Trinity School for Ministry, in Pennsylvania, and Beeson, at Samford Univ.?) seminaries.

A bishop always has control over ordinations.

8. Pastoral Integrity with Regard to Diocesan Covenant and Financial Stewardship.

With # 4, this is the most consequential part of the Covenant because it returns the Advent to a commitment to support the diocese. In recent years, the Advent had reduced its financial support of the diocese even thought it is the largest parish of the diocese.

It specifically requires the Advent to remove its "Advent Only" box on its pledge form. However, the rest of the section is rather vague implying one can give to the diocese without giving to the national church. 

So far, so well and good. However, there is this under # 16:

The Advent and the Bishop further recognize that actions of the General Convention of The Episcopal Church and/or any actions by future Bishops of the Diocese that are contrary to the spirit or text of this Covenant may affect and alter what is enumerated herein.

This seems to be an escape clause but is left vague. Who is to decide what constitutes "contrary"? Anyway, this provision is irrelevant since, as I have said, the Advent is subject to all of the resolutions of the General Convention. It cannot pick and choose what it will and will not recognize. The same goes for the diocese.

CONCLUSION

The Covenant is a great accomplishment for both the Advent and the bishop. For Bishop Curry, it is a tour de force that may well become her most important legacy. After a quarter of a century of drifting away from the mainstream of the Episcopal Church, she has gently nudged the Advent back toward the center. She has restored Episcopal identity, Episcopal prayer book worship, and significant financial support. On the other hand, the Advent gained a great deal too. The Covenant protects the certain self-identification of the parish as a Vertical island in a Horizontal diocese and church. 

Interesting to note that four of the six people who signed the Covenant were lawyers. I am certain they knew, better than I, that this is not a legal document. It is replete with ambiguities and apparent contradictions that would not stand well in court. But legality is not the point here. The point is that it is a friendly agreement of good will and on this it succeeds wonderfully. Everyone who had a hand in this should be thanked by everyone else.

The biggest winners in all of this are the people of the Advent. After decades of rising tensions, tumult, and divisions, they can now return to the peace, order, and stability to which they are entitled as the good people they are. This is cause for rejoicing. The Covenant is done.

[NOTE to reader. I had originally planned to include remarks on Pearson's interview in this blog piece. However, since this part on the Covenant ran on too long, I will wait and make another posting on what Pearson had to say. I have plenty to say about that too.]

PEARSON GIVES HIS SIDE

The Rev. Andrew Pearson has given a long interview to al.com about his reasons for leaving the Advent and his views of the future and other matters. Find it here .

One needs to stress that this is Pearson's view of things. Although awfully tempting, I do not want to dissect his interview today as it is a holiday and we all need to be enjoying downtime. I will just say a lot of people at the Advent and the diocese will not be happy with his remarks and will have different views of what happened. I will return with my comments about Pearson's assertions soon. I think it best we not deal with this today. Let's just enjoy Independence Day at the moment.

I am certainly enjoying this day and the beautiful weather we are having. Let us take a pause and enjoy the beauty of God's creation all around us. Here are photos from today.

Jacksonville, Alabama, from Chimney Peak atop Mount Choccolocco. The center of the picture is the Jacksonville State University campus. The tall building near the middle, with the gleaming white roof, is the University Library (12 floors).

On a walk path in the smaller side of my garden. Shrubs on left are hollies, on right Photinia. The small tree on right is Corkscrew Willow.

Along a walkway in the larger part of the garden. Lush growth is the result of copious amounts of rain and mild temperatures. The banana trees already reach ten feet. The Louisiana Palmetto is in full bloom. Birds feast on the black berries.

Balloon flower (Platycodon) is a no-care and never-fail perennial. Every garden should have this.

Another easy perennial is Red Hot Poker (Kniphofia).This one is fading out. It bloomed well even though it is getting too much shade. It does best in full sun.

Yet another beautiful perennial is Butterfly Bush (Buddleja davidii). Thus one, "Harlequin" has passed its prime of bloom but will continue to flower until frost. The palmetto is "McCurtain." It is from McCurtain County, in southeastern Oklahoma. It too is in flower.

A corner on the smaller side of the garden. Weeping mulberry tree (Morus alba) is an attention-getter.  Boxwood on right and jasmine, on trellis. On left, the upright is Spartan Juniper.

I hope you enjoy this Independence Day. Did we ever need it more? I do not think so. We are enjoying our independence in more ways than one this year.

I have a great deal to say about both the Covenant and Pearson's interview. I need to collect my thoughts well before I post them on the Internet. As Gen. MacArthur, I shall return (hopefully much sooner than he did). 

SHADES VALLEY PRESBYTERIAN TO SELL ITS PROPERTY TO PEARSON?

On yesterday, I reported that the Rev. Andrew Pearson, the ex-dean of the Episcopal Cathedral Church of the Advent, in Birmingham AL, had announced the creation of a new church which he has named "Grace Church Birmingham." The church's website, and Facebook pages, did not provide a physical address of the new church.

It is interesting to note that the Shades Valley Presbyterian Church is now seriously considering selling their property. Find their newsletter article about it here  . 

Apparently, the congregation, and budget, of SVPC have declined too much to  maintain the church and its property. The pledge total for 2021 was just $255,605, hardly enough to keep up even a small church. The newsletter said the congregation would probably stay in the present property until the end of 2022 and then would most likely merge with another PCUSA church nearby.

Anyone who knows anything about this area would know how prominent and valuable the SVPC property at 2305 Montevallo Road is. It is near the intersection of U.S. 280 (a main artery of Birmingham) and Montevallo Road, a stone's throw from the English Village, in Mountain Brook, the "uppest" upscale retail district in the Bham area, and probably in all of Alabama. Mountain Brook is the per capita wealthiest municipality in AL. SVPC is also very near the Birmingham Zoo and the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. The land alone of SVPC must be worth millions. Then there is the handsome and impressive church structure. I have no idea what the asking price for this place would be but one can be certain of an eye-popping amount. Zillow lists the 2020 assessed value of the property at $3,869,700.  

If Pearson is thinking about buying this property, he has a year and a half to come up with a financial arrangement. Of course, he would have a handy advisor in Mrs. Pearson (Lauren) who is a Certified Financial Planner and head of  Somerset Advisory, in Bham. Still, it is hard to imagine how a new start-up congregation could come up with even a down payment on such a pricey place.  

One other interesting fact to point out is that St. Peter's Anglican Church, the most successful of the ACNA congregations in the Bham area, is just down the road from SVPC, at 3207 Montevallo Road, in the old Mormon property. This means there would be two ACNA churches within about a mile.

So, if Pearson does have an eye on the SVPC property, it is wise of him to start building a congregation now. It seems to me it will take a church of several hundred people to occupy and keep up this property. 

Pearson has invited his "Friends" at the Advent to join him, and Lauren, as they move to build a new congregation of his own particular design. Since the adoption of the Covenant at the Advent, "Grace Church Birmingham" will be quite distinct from the Advent. Certainly, there will be people at the Advent who will join him. How many remains to be seen.

Right now we know two things: Pearson has set up a new church without a physical address and the Shades Valley Presbyterian congregation is tentatively planning to sell their property. 

Meanwhile, we will keep our eye on the happenings at Shades Valley Presbyterian. We shall see if Pearson's new church will find a home there.

In the end, the sale of the property is the choice of the people of the Shades Valley Presbyterian Church. Given the long and fervent devotion of these people to the Social Gospel, one can only wonder whether they would surrender their property to a denomination devoted to discrimination against gays and women. 

PEARSON ANNOUNCES NEW CHURCH

The Rev. Andrew Pearson, formerly the dean of the Episcopal Church Cathedral Church of the Advent, in Birmingham AL, has announced on social media his new church. He is calling it "Grace Church Birmingham." 

Find info about it here .

One may also find info about it on the Facebook pages of Lauren Saddler Pearson and the Reverend Andrew Pearson.

Since Pearson has become a part of the Anglican Church in North America, this would be an ACNA church. There are already several ACNA churches in the Birmingham area, most notably St. Peter's, of Mountain Brook. Apparently, Pearson expects his "Friends" from the Advent to bolt the Advent and join him.

I could not find a physical address for the new church. Apparently, it does not have one.

So, what kind of church will this be? It does not take much imagination to know. It is clear on the website:  strict adherence to the 39 Articles (Calvinist); 1662 prayer book ("Our Liturgy" at the Advent), and the Jerusalem Declaration. The JD was an agreement in 2008 of anti-Episcopal Church forces (GAFCON and its allies in the Americas) to form a sexist and homophobic alliance to oppose the Episcopal Church. This led to the formation of the Anglican Church in North America in 2009. The ACNA was set up by this socially reactionary alliance with the purpose of replacing the Episcopal Church as the legitimate branch of the Anglican Communion in the United States. ACNA was created to prevent active homosexuals and women from having equality and inclusion in the church. This remains its goal. Pearson's new church will be an ACNA church.

The ACNA is not in fact an Anglican church although the word is in its title. The dictionary defines "Anglican" as one in communion with the Archbishop of Canterbury. The Episcopal Church is is communion with the ABC. The ACNA is not in communion with the ABC. The Archbishop has said repeatedly he is not in communion with the ACNA. So, Pearson has on his website a statement that is a factual error:  The relationship to the Archbishop of Canterbury, although historically important, does not define Anglicanism in our day and age. Au contraire, Rev. Pearson. It definitely does define Anglicanism. Your new crowd is not in the Anglican Communion; and people who follow you along should recognize that fact. Honesty is the best policy. 

So, now we know that Pearson left the Advent to start his own church. We know too that he sent a letter, on the day after he left, encouraging his "Friends" at the Advent to follow him. Only time will tell how many of them will follow the lead and where he will take them.

_____________________________

NOTE. I am working on a commentary on the new Covenant between the Advent vestry and the bishop having returned home from a ten day break. I will post soon my thoughts on the new agreement. Not today, it is my birthday (78).