[ASAP] St. David's on Sunday

[Michael Hamlin]

Thanks for the update, Paula.  Gosh, I find this whole thing to be very
frustrating. It sounds like he's not going to budge at all.

On Mon, Dec 14, 2015 at 6:50 PM, douggmurphy--- via ASAP <
asap at mail.prichard.tv> wrote:

> Thank you for sharing.
> Doug Murphy
>
> ------------------------------
> *From: *"Joyce Peacock via ASAP" <asap at mail.prichard.tv>
> *To: *"Paula" <paulacwade at hotmail.com>
> *Cc: *asap at episcopallists.com
> *Sent: *Monday, December 14, 2015 6:10:54 PM
> *Subject: *Re: [ASAP] St. David's on Sunday
>
>
> Thanks so much for sharing this, Paula.
>
> Joyce
> St Ann's
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On Dec 14, 2015, at 5:37 PM, Paula via ASAP <asap at mail.prichard.tv> wrote:
>
>
>  Dear ASAP:
>
>
> At St. David’s on Sunday, there was very spirited questioning of the
> Bishop regarding the marriage policy, with apparent unanimity in the room
> in support of marriage equality. (It was a packed room, with many polite,
> grey-haired mainstream-as-you-can-find West Nashvillians expressing their
> views.)  I believe this surprised him.
>
>
> Having been warned that he would likely talk for a long time about other
> things and leave as little time as possible for this issue, he was twice
> requested to address parishioners’ concerns about the policy before time
> ran out. He gave a long and legalistic description of the General
> Convention action, explaining it as merely a change to gender neutral
> language in a trial liturgy – not as the important and longed-for change
> that it is. Asked a second time to address parishioners’ concerns, he
> couldn’t hold off any more.
>
>
> Specifically he was asked why his policy was so hard line, giving no
> latitude for priests to minister according to their conscience. His answer
> was that the Convention had specifically voted for Bishops to determine
> what was best in their Dioceses. Nothing else. Left implicit was that this
> was up to him and this is his decision.
>
> He was asked many times to explain WHY he chose to impose such a harsh
> restriction, and never went beyond the above. On further questioning, he
> did say that his personal belief is that marriage requires a man and a
> woman. Asked at that point why he felt that belief was enough to justify
> denial of a sacrament, he didn't address the question.
>
>
> Several members spoke to the pain this decision has caused for their
> families, and others chimed in to the effect that it pained all of us – it
> is not an “us and them” issue. He said there was pain on both sides and
> that he wasn’t able to measure and compare people’s pain.
>
>
> He was asked to address concerns that this policy will make it difficult
> for the Diocese to attract and retain priests, as St. David’s (and other
> parishes) are in a search for a new rector. He responded that he didn’t
> think it would be a problem and that two recent calls had been completed
> recently at Otey Parish and another church on the Mountain, attracting
> priests that do not agree with him on the marriage issue.
>
>
> He was asked why there is no allowance for conscience, and said that his
> decision was in line with his duty to “guard the unity, faith and
> discipline of the church”. He also said that the people of the Diocese “are
> all over the place on this issue” but that the policies of the church are
> not determined “by polls”.
>
>
> I wish we had had time to ask about alternative Episcopal oversight, but
> we did not. By now you get the tenor of the exchange.
> I hope this is helpful in some way.
>
>
>
> Paula.
>
>
>
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