After taking a break from following GA online to do some work in the yard, I came into the house to find a text message from a friend.
Him: "Did you hear the news about the vice-mod?"
Me: "no"
Him: "She resigned...instead of becoming a distraction."
I wish I could say I was shocked by the news. I am not. I feared when she was elected that pressure would be brought to bear from those who oppose her actions to have her removed or disrupt the Assembly. It seems that has come to pass. What a sad turn of events.
I can understand that some may have been troubled or even offended by the election of the Vice-Moderator in light of her officiating a legal same-gender wedding earlier in the year. For some people this is an act that makes her unsuitable for office. Our polity certainly allows for that opinion and for that opinion to be heard. The time for voicing that concern is in the balloting. Each commissioner is given an equal chance to voice his or her opinion on the suitability of the candidate with his or her vote.
That a minority of the church would, through background chatter and thinly veiled threats of disruption of the assembly, seek to overturn the legitimate election of a Vice-Moderator is sad and reflects an unhealthy understanding of what the church is.
Consider the same circumstance in a local context. If, after a pastor is properly called and installed, a minority of a congregation began plotting to disrupt the life of the church and undermine the pastor, would the COM not step in? Would any of us consider that congregation to be anything but in crisis? Is there any circumstance when that minority might be seen as anything but disruptive and divisive?
There are deep divisions in our church and we need to take that seriously. Playing petty political games behind the scenes is unacceptable. Those who have forced this issue have diminished themselves and the church. These anonymous voices would do well to take a page from the woman they tried to run down. She resigned with grace and dignity that showed a love for the church. If nothing else, perhaps her witness will be a lesson to those whose vision is so narrow and myopic that they cannot see beyond their own limited horizons.
I am sad about this result, but given the tenor of so much the last few years I am hardly surprised.
A good assessment as far as I can see, but I would really like to have some of these blog posts, tweets, and hate mail for myself. I am very sorry that Rev. McCabe felt attacked. I respect her decision to resign, though it saddens me, and the assembly needs to move on with its business... but we also need to have these comments dragged into daylight to evaluate whether they were genuine bullying and if so to properly name them as such to stem such behavior in the future.
ReplyDeleteI agree. Most of what i have seen have been third hand screen shots of comments. We do have a problem with bullying in the church. Disagreement is fine and so is spirited and even occasionally heated debate, but ad hominem attacks are way way out of bounds. From what I understand, again this is not first hand other than her letter of resignation, this was not policy or theological disagreement but character assasination. That should be unacceptable.
ReplyDelete