Canon Robinson refuses to keep quiet. Is this a good thing?
Well, look at these excerpts. The Washington Post reports, you decide.
The Rev. V. Gene Robinson, who is awaiting consecration as the Episcopal Church's first gay bishop, charged yesterday that the campaign against him is funded by a few major conservative donors with a broader political agenda. . . .
"Of course it worries me that a few extremely conservative individuals, for political reasons of their own, are trying to manipulate the people of the Episcopal Church," Robinson said in an interview.
"What I find so sad and alarming about that is that the people who are being manipulated, many of them, are faithful, wonderful, lifelong Episcopalians who are in genuine distress and grief and confusion and anger over my election and upcoming consecration -- and I really believe they are being taken advantage of by these conservative forces who have an entirely different agenda, and I think that's unconscionable," he said.
So, let me see. Conservatives do not have the capacity to discern the truth about these matters, but can only be manipulated by rich right wing donors. Right. How patronising.
Well, it seems that two primary donors for this anti-Robinson movement are one Richard Mellon Scaife and a Howard F. Ahmanson, Jr. Scaife, as we all well-know, "is also a major funder of the Heritage Foundation and who bankrolled American Spectator magazine's $2.4 million 'Arkansas Project' to investigate President Bill Clinton." Ooooooh! Dum dum DUM dum.
Ahmanson, however, must be the devil incarnate. He "has been among the largest donors to California Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom McClintock and to the Chalcedon Foundation, a California-based religious movement that calls for a theocratic state enforcing biblical law." (Cue discordant symphony music) EEEEANHH!! EEEEANHH!! EEEEANHH!! Puh-lease! Conservative equals Republican equals Taliban. Yep. We're thinking rationally here.
But despite this Machiavellian right wing conspiracy, though the whole world is lined up against him, Robinson is rising above his victimization:
"I am feeling very resolved in my own mind and heart that God is asking me to move forward with this," he said. . . .
"They said 'if' I'm consecrated, I would say 'when' I'm consecrated, the Anglican Communion will be in a state of crisis. I think that's true. But that doesn't say whether or not it's a good or a bad thing," he said. "The church has dealt with many crises and, I would say, has grown from them many times."
That's right. God's telling Robinson to do this. Robinson to all the worldwide Anglicans: "Nyah. Nyah."
But such heroic defiance is not without its emotional toll:
Yet Robinson expressed bitterness about the involvement of donors who are not Episcopalians.
"There is no question in my mind that this would have been a controversial thing without them, but with their funding it gives that opposition a voice that is not commensurate with the numbers of people who are feeling this way," he said.
Ah, that's right. If we could only keep this "in house," using the moneys of Christian men and women who disagree with us in ways they don't approve. It's okay for us to use their money how we will. But it's just plain not fair that outside donors help these opponents financially. Yeah. We get it.
Robinson and his supporters have lost touch with reality. They have split the Anglican Church. They are losing money. They are facing the consequences. And it just isn't fair. They should be able to accomplish their innovations and still have all the money and perks.
Tell that to all the traditional Episcopalians who have had their priests defrocked and their properties taken away.
Posted by Clifton at October 24, 2003 01:06 PM | TrackBackYes, isn't it just terrible how all of these hateful, orthodox-supporting outsiders are making a mockery of a revisionist coup? The lesbigay agenda has triumphed, and since "majority defines the will of the Spirit" is the new motto of the "christian" elite (and I use the term "christian" very reluctantly) the faithful who only desire to maintain their long-held beliefs should at least have the courtesy to roll over and play dead.
But the money that is spent by 815 (or the Diocese of New Hampshire, or Integrity, or Claiming the Blessing) is somehow different - it reflects people seeking justice, fairness - and the removal of the concept of "sin" so they can continue their lifestyles without the guilt of thinking that, for some peculiar reason, God disapproves. You remember God - that "white male stereotype" who is so badly out of touch with reality!
I checked with a friend who gave me some info on ahmanson, not that people really seem to be concerned with the facts, but here goes:
-- The AAC does NOT support the Christian reconstructionalist philosophy -
as clearly illustrated in our statement of faith, A Place to Stand. As the
Pittsburgh-Post Gazette itself reported, and we knew already, neither do the
Ahmansons.
-- Yes, we do receive charitable gifts from the Ahmansons. Our gifts come
from a wide variety of donors - individuals, parishes, dioceses and
foundations. We are grateful for the support we have received.
-- None of these supposed "allegations" are new - they have been recycled
many times and hold no water.
-- The bottom line is that this is yet another tired and deeply paranoid
attempt to fabricate a "vast right wing conspiracy" in the Episcopal Church.
We've heard it all before, and there's no doubt we'll hear it all again.
-- This entire story is the creation of a questionable man named Jack Taylor
of Texas whose most recent exploit was sneaking into Christ Church Plano and
inserting unauthorized printed materials into their Sunday bulletins. The
materials used a pirated AAC logo (which is federally trademarked) and were
fraudulently printed on AAC letterhead. So lets consider the source here.
-- The AAC is proud of our relationship with the Institute on Religion and
Democracy (IRD). We are working cooperatively, as separate 501c3
organizations, to unashamedly proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ. That
makes some people nervous - but so did Jesus.
I would, in fact, worry about where the money comes from. The money that comes from some liberal parts of the world is - very regularly - used to blackmail those conservatives who, sadly, rely on such funds for their efforts. The money from the far right could, in the future, be used to hijack the Gospel.
Having said that, neither the COnservatives nor the Liberals in this one should get any message from us except, "Come Home to the fullness of the faith".
Posted by: Huw Raphael at October 27, 2003 07:51 AM