On the recent silliness

I have not commented on the schismatics and their Province of What-We-Don't-Know. I don't have much of anything to add at this point.

The neo-Donatists have been determined to leave for a very long time. My opinion is that they should have left a long time ago. They will be happier outside the Episcopal Church and the Episcopal Church will be more able to focus on mission and ministry without their antics.

I believe any break in the body of Christ is a sad thing and worth avoiding if one can. But when people are determined not to live and worship and work with one another, splitting is better than destroying each other. Somewhat like divorce - not a happy thing but sometimes necessary and better than a marital hell.

When I left the American Baptist Churches I did not take any of the property. I stopped calling myself the Reverend because my ordination vows there included leaving honorably when I no longer considered myself a Baptist. They don't view ordination the same way we do, but I did not continue presiding at Eucharist until my new church ordained me. It was heart-breaking agony to lay that aside, but I did. Just saying.

Even if an overwhelming majority of the members of a diocese choose to leave, they leave as individuals. To say otherwise is canonical nonsense. There has been a lot of nonsense bandied about.

To the many good people who have "gone out from among us," I wish godspeed and fruitful, faithful ministry. To a few, the ones in purple, I say quite frankly, good riddance. You have tried to turn yourselves into martyrs and heroes and you are neither.

You are not as big a deal as you suppose. You were not persecuted, you were not forced to believe something you don't believe, you were not kicked out, you chose to leave. So just do it. Oh, you have. Thank God. In any case, we will all be happier living under separate roofs.

I have been longing for the schism to be over with. I have long believed it to be unavoidable. There are worse things on this earth than divorce. Do it. Deal with it. Get on with life. Everyone will be happier.
--the BB