Alice Linsley On Bishop Lipscomb & The American Way
Bishop Lipscomb and the American Way
Alice C. Linsley

Bishop Lipscomb has encouraged members of his diocese to refrain from participation in a significant public forum: the religious blog. The Bishop should know better than to try to curtail the American love of debate. Blogs serve the church much as the colonial tracts served the American Revolution. Some writings on the blogs have been as influential as the Federalist Papers in shaping opinions and some comments have been as inflammatory as the most provocative revolutionary propaganda.

The public debate in colonial America acted as pitocin to the birth of our nation. It was aided by faster printing presses. Today the Anglican blogs are aiding birth of a different revolution. Almost hourly the headlines change at Titusonenine, StandFirm, and Drell’s Descants. Here readers find news, comments, information and personal reflections that help them to gain perspective on The Episcopal Church and the greater Anglican Communion. Similarly, the colonial tracts made it possible for people to scrutinize King George’s policies and decrees in a new light. As Greg Griffith wrote, “It’s no secret that many bishops - orthodox as well as revisionist - rue the day the blog was invented, mainly because it takes away so much of their control of the information about this debate.”

Bishop Lipscomb should be concerned about controlling information. Information in the wrong hands can destroy an empire. Bishop Lipscomb clearly recognizes that the Episcopal diocese over which he has jurisdiction is inflamed and on the edge of revolution. Blogging only makes matters worse, especially for revisionists and for bishops in power, even orthodox bishops. The cyber debate has served as a call to arms and the fighting forces are now arranged on the field. The uniformed army of the Episcopal empire is well equipped while the militia looks rather ragged and forlorn, but if history has a truth to teach us, it is that those who fight for their homes fight hardest. Fighting for their homes, orthodox parishes across the country have gained ground in recent weeks and it appears that the battle may be turning.

the rest at Drell's Descants