That's My Church!

Newly-installed High Priestess Katherine Schori Jefferts begins her reign of Big Tent Episcopalianism by issuing diktats against bishops unwilling to toe the new Party Line.

I have to admit that I simply can't get riled up over the question of female clergy, the subject at issue between Her Presiding Bishopressness and the Bishop of San Joaquin. (After all, the Missus and I were married by a female college chaplain all those years ago.) However, as Mrs. P deftly notes, that HPB, given her own history, should be taking the position that nobody has the right to mess about with established Church Doctrine in order to promote their own views on theological issues, displays in her a breathtaking want of logical consistency. I'd add that it also shows crust of monumental proportions.

But heck, the Winter Palace has been stormed successfully and the Tsar's family is as good as shot, chopped up and thrown down the mine shaft. HPB can afford to change fronts now. And after all, isn't the first act of a successful revolutionary always to try and link himself back to the traditional source of authority, the better to establish his legitimacy as the new defender of that authority?

Oh, and I love Her Grace's concluding line:

I stand ready for conversation and reconciliation. May God bless your deliberation.

In the Orwellian world of Leftist politics, I've noticed that "conversation and reconciliation" usually means "fall in with our position now, Comrade, or there's a nice firing squad waiting for you."

Heh. As I've said previously, I actually welcome the elevation of Schori Jefferts because I believe her radical agenda will hasten the Church's ultimate schism from the Communion and force each parish to decide where it really stands. For many, including my own, I think this is the only thing that will shake us out of our current, unhealthy theological complaisance.