June 13, 2006
GC 03
GC 03 13vi06
Beloved:
An avid reader all excited about GC 2006 writes, “Two things I most remember about Columbus are — the city cops pulling the plug on Frank Zappa during his concert because they thought he was obscene and Larry Flynt, of Hustler magazine fame, buying a huge mansion in the wealthiest neighborhood in Columbus almost across the street from the most exclusive girl’s school in town.”
It’s culture, is Columbus. James Thurber was born here.
Wandering through and grabbing a snack in the Hall of Exhibits has its moments. Some guy keeps playing “Amazing Grace” on an alto sax polished to a fare-thee-well, but very much out of tune. Tennessee (as in diocese-that-can’t-elect-a-bishop) is well-known for its electile dysfunction. My press badge reveals my origin so I get stopped a lot. Never for an autograph, but always for What’s the matter with us we can’t make decisions? I always tell the wrong people what’s really wrong and one of them took me in hand and prayed practically the same prayer we’ve been praying for the last six months. Nobody seems to wonder if maybe the answer is “Bishop Shmishop.”
The House of Deputies “first legislative day” (that’s today) is being spent mostly on organization and certification and greetings and adoptions of special orders. They got so exhausted they took four hours for lunch. The House of Bishops has a resolution supporting “Biblical Literacy” proposed by the Diocese of Vermont and linked with three commemorations — the UK’s abolition of slave trade bicentenary (1807-2007), the 230th anniversary (1777-2007) of Vermont’s (first in the nation) abolition of slavery, and the 175th anniversary of the election of Vermont’s first bishop, John Henry Hopkins, who wrote about the biblical basis for supporting slavery. Slavery (and a lot of other malaprops) are the result of biblical illiteracy, hence the obvious connection. Got it? Next thing you know a couple of hundred years from now we’ll figure out something about gays and lesbians and the Bible. Go for it, Vermont.
In ran into Canon P D Quirk down the hall looking at the lace cotta exhibit. He asked Why are they passing all those resolutions about slavery and vermouth. He seemed to be shaken more than stirred. We stepped aside into the Convention Chapel for a calming exercise exorcism.