The Bishops' Chauffeurs.

I painted this painting, The Bishop's Valet, several years ago. Little did I know that my brother, the Rev. Charles Erlandson, and I would one day be driving Anglican bishops around to airports, luncheon meetings, etc.



I had the first such opportunity, in May 2004. I was to drive (then) Canon Bill Atwood to the AAC's A Place to Stand - Michigan conference. Of course, since that time Atwood has been consecrated bishop!

Then, last summer, I was privileged to give Bp. Paul Hewett (Diocese of the Holy Cross) a ride to and from the Detroit Metro airport, so that he could attend the St. Michael's Conference for Youth.

Just this past week, my brother had the opportunity to chauffeur and have lunch with Abp. Valentino Mokiwa of Tanzania! I guess that trumps me, an archbishop and all.

It makes me think that, in my retirement, I would like to build kool kustom kars (like the bubble-top in my painting) for Anglican bishops (only the good ones!!!) to drive around.

The Pathetic Weakness of the Episcopal Religion.

There's always been something, beneath the level of my conscious mind, that bothers me about The Episcopal cHURCH ... and it has nothing to do with human sexuality. In fact, it doesn't even have anything to do with Scriptural Authority.

It was this article by Quin Hillyer that alerted me to what it was ... that, and the other catch-phrases today's Episco-pagans like to use. Hillyer's article stated, in part:

Go to the national church website, and the site map doesn't even include the word "Creed" -- not Nicene, not Apostles' -- because almost nothing in the national church seems focused on internal spiritual beliefs. To quote one of the site's featured mini-essays (a highly representative example), "It's not about having answers as much as it is about engaging a story ..."

Would you hire a plumber who told you upfront, right on his website: Plumbing is not so much about stopping leaks, as it is about engaging drainwater?

No, you would not.

Here again from Episcopal Life (which is an oxymoron, when you think of it), is the Presiding Bishop's take on the literal Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead:

Asked about the literal story of Easter and the Resurrection, Jefferts Schori said, "I think Easter is most profoundly about meaning, not mechanism."

There it is again ... The Episcopal cHURCH is not about answers, not about facts, or mechanisms or Creeds ... no, those are too hard to manipulate to TEc's evil ends. No, TEc is all about squishy meaning, it is about "engaging a story", it is about "living into the contradiction".

I don't know about you, but I'm tired of hearing this crap about "living into" this or that, about engaging a story, about myth-over-mechanism, of crafting my own faith, and writing my own life narrative! I'm hungry for a God who will Sovereignly swoop down and ravish a sinner like me, so that I will be changed into a mighty reflection of His own strong glory!

And there it is, the hidden thing that bothered me about the Episcopal religion: It is just so pathically, damnably weak!

Here is a brief spy shot from the gym locker room ... 14 weeks out from my bodybuilding contest:

The Episcopal church would not be in such a mess ...

The Episcopal church would not be in such a mess if, in her seminaries, the Faith once delivered to the saints ... was guarded by ... Deacon Payne!

Best short summary of The Episcopal Church today ...

From my friend Christopher Johnson at MCJ.



By the way, for any of you still in The Episcopal Church who cannot figure out the answer to the last question posed by Mr. Johnson, here's a small hint:

GET OUT OF The Episcopal church NOW !!!

Proxy Car Going Well ...

The results for the first round (Egg, Switzerland) of the slot car Thingie Proxy Race have not yet been posted, but apparently the Anglican Beach Party entry (middle car above) has done okay. It received no penalties for illegalities, and received a pretty glowing report from the Race Director, being chosen as one of his 3 favourites to drive (out of 34 cars in the 1/24 Fast & Scratchbuilt category):

So relaxing to drive you forget how fast it is proving all those good handling techniques...