Clarification "Signs of Hope, Signs of Despair"
The post "Signs of Hope, Signs of Despair: was written under considerable pressure, as was noted at the time of posting—as is this one. Friday is my last day in Alaska. But an email today alerted me of the need for clarification.
The post was written as a protest against the abysmal ignorance of sitting bishops of Christian history, theology and psychology, the fundamentals on which Christianity stand or falls. It was written to support a bishop-elect who seems to support these fundamentals (as opposed to the fundamentalism revealed by some of his detractors who advocate atonement/appeasement theology).
However, I must clarify that I do not know Thew Forrester personally. The email I received today suggests that he is a "consummate careerist" but if this is the case, how, then, is he different from any other American candidate for bishop of the past 30 years? Careerism, perhaps not by that name, is now. repellently, taught in seminary; at least Forrester has taken steps to hold such a tendency in himself in tension with his meditation practice, whether or not it this practice is integrated. At least he knows there is a problem.
I have just been re-reading Gerald May's "Care of Mind, Care of Spirit." What a glaring mirror it holds up to the Episcopal Church, to its bishops and its schisms, in terms of the degree to which it has succumbed to the values of "this world" and "the flesh", i.e., the lust for power, and all the ills that issue therefrom! At least Forrester appears to know there is a problem, which is more than can be said for a lot of clergy.
The post was written as a protest against the abysmal ignorance of sitting bishops of Christian history, theology and psychology, the fundamentals on which Christianity stand or falls. It was written to support a bishop-elect who seems to support these fundamentals (as opposed to the fundamentalism revealed by some of his detractors who advocate atonement/appeasement theology).
However, I must clarify that I do not know Thew Forrester personally. The email I received today suggests that he is a "consummate careerist" but if this is the case, how, then, is he different from any other American candidate for bishop of the past 30 years? Careerism, perhaps not by that name, is now. repellently, taught in seminary; at least Forrester has taken steps to hold such a tendency in himself in tension with his meditation practice, whether or not it this practice is integrated. At least he knows there is a problem.
I have just been re-reading Gerald May's "Care of Mind, Care of Spirit." What a glaring mirror it holds up to the Episcopal Church, to its bishops and its schisms, in terms of the degree to which it has succumbed to the values of "this world" and "the flesh", i.e., the lust for power, and all the ills that issue therefrom! At least Forrester appears to know there is a problem, which is more than can be said for a lot of clergy.
posted by Maggie Ross at 11:26 pm
3 Comments:
Hi, just a note to say that I discovered your blog a few days ago, and am enjoying it a lot.
Hi Maggie:
There is one word from you i have been carrying these past few days: "careerism" in ministry. Do you have any longer post expounding your thought on this?
Careerism isn't a word I normally use; I was quoting the email. However, it's a frequent theme. On this blog see "Praying with our Feet" January 2006, "Why the Church is Dying" starting in the spring of 2007, and "Nonne: Are Feminists Asking the Wrong Questions?" starting in the autumn of 2007. A liturgical remedy is proposed in "A Rite for Contemplative Eucharist" in January, 2006. I thought I had posted "The Seven Devils of Women's Ordination" but evidently I haven't, probably because it is more specific to UK problems, but will begin doing so next week. Thanks.
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