A Christmas Card Greeting A letter from a former parishioner who presently is living in the South Dear Hartshorn, This fall I visited Savannah for the first time. Sunday morning I walked to ___ Episcopal Church which was right around the corner from my hotel. Scary experience. I listened with horror as the Rev. XXX told the congregation the Bible should be taken just as it is written … no interpretation, no discussion. Then, with white robe flowing, he came down from the pulpit to address the upcoming election. He said there was but one issue that the congregation should be concerned with (and it surely wasn't preemptive war). Ah, you guessed it - abortion. He also took a couple of shots at same-sex unions. And he went from there. Farther and farther out with each word he spoke. When he finished, I decided for the first time in my life that I was in an Episcopal Church where I simply could not take communion. When I got home, I wrote a three-paragraph letter asking how he could ignore the consideration of preemptive war (among other things) when he spoke to his parishioners. In response, I got a totally unglued three-page (single-spaced) letter about the evils of abortion. What have I learned? I have learned that an inclusive, compassionate church is not to be taken for granted. I have learned that all priests do not see everyone as a child of God. I hope to have a greater appreciation of those who do and of the wonderful diversity that is St. Augustine's. … I look forward to visiting some Sunday before too long.
Copyright © 2005 St. Augustine by-the-Sea
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