LD Episcopal Blog Posts

A Teenager’s Sermon

2013-05-01T06:53:19Z

As a teenager, I gave a sermon in my Presbyterian church. I have posted it on my blog for readers to make of it what they will. You can find “A Teenager’s Sermon” at http://blog.deimel.org/2013/05/a-teenagers-sermon.html.

Best regards,
Lionel
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Click to Help Repair Washington National Cathedral

2013-04-29T13:45:55Z

Partners in Preservation is sponsoring a competition in the D.C. area for preservation grants. Washington National Cathedral is seeking $100,000 to do what is necessary to remove the safety netting inside the building that was erected after the 2011 earthquake. My latest post, “Click to Help Repair Washington National Cathedral,” encourages readers to vote for the project on the Web to assure that the cathedral “wins” the competition with such sites as Mount Vernon. You can read my post at http://blog.deimel.org/2013/04/click-to-help-repair-washington.html.

Best regards,
Lionel
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Time to Sign Up

2013-04-23T12:08:37Z

The Pittsburgh diocese has now issued a call for volunteer participants and facilitators in the sexuality dialogue. The call is a bit confusing, but nevertheless important. I hope that many will answer the call. My take on the matter can be read in my post “Time to Sign Up,” which you can read at http://blog.deimel.org/2013/04/time-to-sign-up.html.

Best regards,
Lionel
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Lionel Deimel’s Web Log

Scots Engage Marriage Questions Seriously

2013-04-21T15:02:19Z

The Scottish Episcopal Church has published an excellent report (called an “essay“ for some reason) on the subject of marriage. This effort is so much more helpful than the report recently issued by the Church of England. In my latest post, “Scots Engage Marriage Questions Seriously,” I briefly discuss the SEC report and urge visitors to read it. You can find my post at http://blog.deimel.org/2013/04/scots-engage-marriage-questions.html.

Best regards,
Lionel
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Lionel Deimel’s Web Log

The Ground Game

2013-04-21T10:48:24Z

My blog has returned to addressing contemporary events after a couple of posts looking back at events in Pittsburgh. “The Ground Game” asks if the detractors of The Episcopal Church aren’t better at public relations than are The Episcopal Church and its dioceses. I don’t know that I can explain this state of affairs, but I argue that we should do something to change it. You can read my post inspired by the support for Mark Lawrence and his followers by East African bishops at http://blog.deimel.org/2013/04/the-ground-game.html.

Best regards,
Lionel
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Democracy in the Diocese of Pittsburgh (Revision)

2013-04-15T08:30:30Z

I have made some minor corrections to my last post, “Democracy in the Diocese of Pittsburgh.” I left the impression that Bishop Duncan spoke to the rectors of the parishes involved in the lawsuit against him after the convention. Actually, he did so before the day’s business. I have also included a link to the canon the bishop invoked. The thrust of the post has not changed, but I thought that I should call attention to these changes. The post, as before, can be found at http://blog.deimel.org/2013/04/democracy-in-diocese-of-pittsburgh.html.

Best regards,
Lionel
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Lionel Deimel’s Web Log

Democracy in the Diocese of Pittsburgh

2013-04-13T22:37:43Z

My latest post follows up on the events of 2004 in the Diocese of Pittsburgh. The boldness of Bishop Duncan was not fully apparent in my last post. In “Democracy in the Diocese of Pittsburgh,” I explain what Progressive Episcopalians of Pittsburgh did about the attempt to suppress resolutions at the annual convention. The convention had more surprises than any of us not in Duncan’s inner circle could have anticipated. You can read my post at http://blog.deimel.org/2013/04/democracy-in-diocese-of-pittsburgh.html. The task force considering polity changes for The Episcopal Church should take note.

Best regards,
Lionel
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Remembering the Bad Ol’ Days

2013-04-12T17:59:04Z

I ran into a 2004 essay from the Rev. Dr. Harold Lewis today. It was written just before the 2004 annual convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh. I write about this essay, “Conventional Wisdom,” because Harold nicely illustrates one of the ways in which former bishop Bob Duncan controlled what went on in the diocese. You can read “Remembering the Bad Ol’ Days” at http://blog.deimel.org/2013/04/remembering-bad-ol-days.html.

Best regards,
Lionel
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Was León’s Sermon Inappropriate?

2013-04-06T11:54:47Z

Since I don’t watch Fox News or regularly read conservative blogs, I was slow to learn that conservatives were outraged at the Easter sermon delivered by the Rev. Dr. Luis LeÃ³n, the rector of St. John’s Church. The Obama family had attended an Easter service at the Episcopal church across the street from the White House, and conservatives took umbrage at a passage in the sermon about “the captains of the religious right.” My first impulse was to attribute the anger to the usual right-wing paranoia. Challenged on the matter by a friend, however, I decided to investigate whether there was any reason for anyone to take offense at the sermon. In my post, “Was LeÃ³nâs Sermon Inappropriate?” I discusses the controversy and attempt an objective evaluation of it. The sermon did, in fact, contain a slap at the religious right, but it was not fundamentally a political sermon. You can read my post, which contains links that help explain the origin of the controversy, as well as a link to audio of the sermon itself. I offer my own view on the sermon, but you can decide for yourself whether you think anything inappropriate happened at St. John’s Church on Easter morning. You can find my post at http://blog.deimel.org/2013/04/was-leons-sermon-inappropriate.html.

Best regards,
Lionel
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Whither the Sexuality Dialogue?

2013-04-02T14:48:27Z

The human sexuality dialogue in the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh is moving forward, but perhaps not very rapidly. Some people are getting upset at the lack of information about the process. More significantly, churches in the process of calling new rectors are worried about who they can call or how candidates will respond to the current uncertainty in the diocese. In my post “Whither the Sexuality Dialogue?” I discusses these and other issues. You can read it at http://blog.deimel.org/2013/04/whither-sexuality-dialogue.html.

Best regards,
Lionel
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Lionel Deimel’s Web Log

South Carolina Update

2013-03-30T07:37:40Z

On March 28, 2013, Episcopalians in South Carolina filed responses and counterclaims to the state lawsuit brought by Mark Lawrence’s breakaway diocese. My post, “South Carolina Update,” discusses the new filing and offers useful links to the document and to information about it. You can find my post at http://blog.deimel.org/2013/03/south-carolina-update.html.

Best regards,
Lionel
Lionel Deimel’s Farrago
Lionel Deimel’s Web Log