Is the Episcopal Church a frothing water feature? Foaming attractively for the amusement of shoppers in the mallspace of American religion but going, ultimately, nowhere?
Here’s the Dean of Virginia Theological Seminary, Ian Markham, gushing from General Convention about the Episcopal Church:
“So why is this General Convention going to be historic? It is because we offer a “product” that our age needs and wants; the immediate cultural war is coming to an end; and we now have leadership in the Church that is ready to be imaginative about our programming for the future. I am confident that in 50 years’ time, the General Convention of 2015 will be the moment that historians identify as the turning moment in the fortunes of The Episcopal Church.”
This is Markham foaming about culture:
“now The Episcopal Church is where the majority of Americans are (especially the younger demographic). Large evangelical megachurches are very aware of how they will alienate the young if they are too overtly hostile to the inclusion of gays and lesbians. Being pro-gay is good in modern America; and as we have seen with the Supreme Court decision last week, the affirmation of equality embedded in the American story from its founding finally reaches our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters.”
Right on, Ian. All the secular liberals and the people that just don’t care are going to start flocking to your gay church. Really? Just like they did with the ordination of women? Maybe you remember how that was going to fill the pews, and dismally didn’t.
The Episcopal Church has lost over a quarter of its worshiping attendance in the last decade, some 200,000 people. Let’s see if Markham’s froth and foam will turn that around.
Your Pal,
The Lone Star Parson
This article first appeared at the Lone Star Parson and is reprinted with the author’s permission.
