Some traditionalist Episcopalians have urged their fellows to redirect
their giving away from "liberal" parishes and dioceses. These folks
have sown the wind — and we’re all likely to reap the whirlwind.
Take, for example, the 2003 Advent letter of the American Anglican Council (which for all practical purposes seems to have morphed into the so-called "Network"). The letter urged conservatives to withhold year-end money from politically-incorrect dioceses and parishes. It continued with a thinly-veiled request that its readers inflict as much year-end fiscal damage as possible on parishes that didn’t hold the "proper" views:
And
what about year-end financial giving? You and I are accountable to God
for our tithes and offerings and where we place them. Most churches
receive about 1/4 of their yearly income in the five weeks between
Thanksgiving and December 31. If your parish is orthodox, you need to
help make sure that they receive the necessary financial resources to
continue proclaiming the Gospel. If your parish is theologically
liberal, then I would encourage you to redirect your giving (bypassing
your local church) ….
(Emphasis added.)
This year, I’ve been reading how many different Episcopal parishes and dioceses — but not just liberal ones — are coming up short in their annual budget discussions. Consider my own, very-conservative parish:
- Our parish clergy are for the most part strictly orthodox, and outspokenly so.
- All
(I believe) of our diocese’s bishops and delegates voted against the
Gene Robinson consecration at General Convention 2003. - Our diocesan bishop was one of the signatories
to the “minority report” that came out of the recent House of BIshops meeting concerning the Windsor Report.
You’d think that, if any parish would be immune from parishioners’
withholding or redirecting funds, mine would be at the top of the list. To quote the late John Belushi: "But noooooooooo!" The results of our parish’s 2004-2005 stewardship campaign were very
disappointing. If my former vestry colleagues can’t raise more money, they’re going to face
some tough budget decisions.
I’m not sure what to make of all this, other than to think it’s a pity.
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