“Better Than This” – Meaning What, Exactly?

The Rev. Dr. Kendall Harmon, host of the traditionalist TitusOneNine blog, criticizes the Episcopal Church’s response so far to the Windsor Report, and makes it clear what he wants the church to do:

A compromise on a compromise is not a compromise. [Emphasis original]  This is what the Episcopal Church’s leadership is trying to do: exercising very considerable caution instead of implementing a moratorium; sitting in judgment on other’s work instead of weighing our own actions, elongating the process instead of seeing General Convention 2006 as the very end of the road; and, finally, evading clear choices by the false construction of new alternatives.

At the end of the day it is all about the same thing: avoiding solving the massive problem that we bear the major responsiblity for creating, and rebelling against the call of mutual submission and interdependent life.  One prays hard for better than this–KSH.  [Emphasis added]

The Rev. Susan Russell, a liberal who cheerfully accepts the title “Archlesbian of the Episcopal Church” bestowed upon her by some traditionalist bloggers, responds thusly:

I’ll agree wholeheartedly with the Canon Theologian on one thing: one certainly DOES pray hard for better than this.  *  *  *  The “better than this” I’m counting on is the faithful mainstream of the Episcopal Church to finally say “enough is enough,” affirm the actions of General Convention 2003 and confirm our commitment to continue to stay at the table no matter who chooses to walk away.  [Emphasis added]