Mission seems to involve a lot of ranting.

I am beginning to understand why this woman choose Squids as her subject of study. The pull she must have felt when she realized there was a species that so reflected her inner core must have been one of the all time greatest epiphany this world has ever know.

The grasping tentacles, the mitre shaped head, the jet propulsion. But best of all the ink, great black clouds of ink to obscure and confusion predators. Oh perfect.

The only other thing that even comes close to being a KJS avatar is Jello and even the most indulgent of colleges is not going to let you do a dissertation on that.
Though perhaps some TEO seminar could work it into a Theology of The Episcopal Church course somehow.

Oh barf!

Does this mean that we’re also all complicit in drug running, prostitution and vote buying? I mean, this dollar bill I’m looking at may have gone through the hands of one of those folks (well, maybe not a druggie if it’s only a single.) I’m starting to get VERY worried.

As Tom said – Barf!

So “mission” now includes stumping for political candidates, as well as voting? I guess blogging about politics qualifies too, right? This sort of “meaning inflation” reminds me of when I was an Anglican, and there was a fad for christening every dinky little activity in the church some sort of “ministry”. Altar guild, coffee hour, handing out bulletins at the door, extinguishing candles – you name it, it was dignified with some sort of “ministry” title. The rest of us were relegated to the “attendance ministry” I guess.

The money quote: “It’s not a matter of the church endorsing candidates, which is inappropriate for many reasons — not least because” it would endanger our tax exempt status.

When your endowment has dropped by 30% you have to start watching those pennies. That’s the Episcopal definition of ‘stewardship’.

…what at the end of the day, is the difference between the Episcopal Church and the Lions Club?

The average attendance at Lions Club meetings is higher.

The mission of the church is quite simple: Making disciples of Jesus Christ. It was the mission of the early church, the church of the Reformation, the numerous evangelizing missionary movements, and the new Anglican Province, once it materializes.

That Dr. Jefferts-Schori doesn’t even know the mission of the Church is an indictment on her leadership, but even more on her priestly formation. The people responsible for training her in the faith embedded this gobldy-gook in her somewhere. Those people’s sins are the greater.

-Jim+

One other difference, Bovina: at the Lions Club meeting there are likely to be a higher percentage of Christians.

As to the racial imbalance in prisons and the tearing apart of black families, a far greater cause than slaver has been the Great Society and its liberal policies. The KKK could only wish to do as much harm to black people as liberals have done.

It’s not a matter of the church endorsing candidates, which is inappropriate for many reasons

Except, of course, for the bishop of New Hampshire, who’s endorsement of Sen. Obama would be acceptable.

Right?

Another thing Bovina: The Lions Club is apt to have adult leadership.

Let’s not all get too cynical here. Our [Canadian Anglican] church has been providing salary support [currently about $17,000 annually] to a medical doctor and his family from our congregation who has been working in Angola for 30 years. Last week we agreed to support a young woman who is a recruiter/mobilizer for Wycliffe Bible Translators – we’ll be giving her about $3 grand annually.

God’s work among the nations takes many forms, and even among the dozen or more people our church supports, I yearn for them to be more involved with sharing God’s good news of their sinfulness and his redemption.

I’ve become challenged by the concept of unreached people groups – where there is no existing church among a tribe or cultural/linguistic group. I think that’s where the cutting edge of mission is. UPG, not MDG.

Kate was doing fine until she got onto the slavery rant. When will liberals stop making excuses for people’s willfully stupid and sinful behavior and start lobbying for personal responsibility?

Kate, as a Christian, should know about fallen human nature. But she was obviously not taught that doctrine along with the many other Christian doctrines that were not taught at her seminary. Or if they were taught, she cut class that day.

Such typical liberal drivel!

“Because one doesn’t need to be a Christian in order to do good works. Non-Christians and entirely secular groups accomplish much in this world that is noble and praiseworthy.”

I’m sure there were fine Molech worshippers who did fine things for their community.

In between sizzling the young fry, of course.

First, in answer to your last line: EXACTLY! Our parish’s young people make a mission trip to an Indian reservation or to Appalachia every year. They work really hard, from what I hear. But Mass, or times of prayer and Adoration? Not so much. No evangelizing, unless in the past when our saintly young priest would witness by his example and draw them with him (alas, he was promoted to another parish). I know some parents are a little uneasy about the WHY of the trips, but never had the words to say why – I think you nailed it.

I was thinking as an aside: Schori studied squids. One interesting thing about squids is that they have ENORMOUS nerves (ganglia, specifically, which makes them very easy to study, observe and experiement upon, truly a boon to science). But what a perfect totem for her, She of the Enormous Nerve!