Mea Culpa or Mea Fastus?

 As many Anglicans and conservative Christians have seen in the past couple of weeks, there is a cognitive dissonance between what is correct, and what is personally acceptable; summed up in the ongoing case of Rev. Calvin Robinson.  

As I have touched on previously in Rev. Robinson's case, the situation of what transpired was centered entirely around his determined trolling of leftist, liberal ideologues, and their mistaken notions that everyone who thinks other than what they think is a Nazi/ fascist.  While Robinson's actions in and of themselves hold no true transgression against sense or a desire for conversation; they do transgress one of the most important duties of any ordained cleric: which is to defend the church against those who would destroy it, and to protect the people of God entrusted to our care.  While Robinson's actions have had the desired outcome he wished for in the secular scene (inspiring conversation, to some extent); they have had a negative outcome for the church and the people of God, as well as the pro-life movement itself, who asked for him to speak at their national summit.   While it is not Robinson's fault that the liberal factions consider conservative values and faith to be fascist or nazi-ist; it is also true that Robinson's actions have actively invited fury and hatred against the church and her people, by his trolling of the intolerant left.   It is one thing to make a stand to defend the faith or divine Truth, however making a stand simply to troll the opposition and cause their hatred to ignite into a firestorm against those you are obliged to defend in the faith; that is an error which cannot be so easily cast aside as a simple misunderstanding.  

When Rev. Robinson came to the US from England, he came with quite a bit of political and social baggage, from his years as a political firebrand in the United Kingdom.  In the span of 2 years he has changed church jurisdictions 3 times; being ordained in 2 different ones and then licensed as a pastor in the third, and subsequently removed most recently.  Now I would be loathe to mock anyone's faith journey to ordained ministry in the church, however Robinson's journey does seem to be inextricably linked to his political ideals, rather than his faith guiding his political views.  I will not condemn a man who seems to be a man of sincere convictions; however one is increasingly left to question whether his convictions so loudly professed, are inspired by sincere faith, or simply pride from his intellectual and secular formations.  In my years as a priest, I have come across any number of equally boastful and loud clergy of various degrees, all proclaiming to be speaking 'truth to power'; and demanding that their voice must be heard on politics because of their place in the church.  We have seen that with Marianne Budde, the bishop-ette of Washington, DC.    However, is the content of our discourse what is true, or merely the fact that it is ourselves who are presenting it?  That is the question.

Rev. Robinson, by his most recent actions in using his public identity and following to attack the church that he has been removed from, has demonstrated that his faith is not based in an immutable truth held by the church, but rather his own defining of truth.   Many of us have had stories where we have been mistreated or even removed from a church because of a situation wherein we believe we were wronged; however we do not engage in public attempts to discredit or harass the clergy and leadership of those churches.  The true Hallmark of a Christian is that we are able to pass through the sufferings of this life and build a better world for ourselves and others on the other side of them; not that we should descend into the proverbial mud-pit and sling filth at others to make them look bad.  

Could the church have handled Robinson's case differently?  Certainly. 

However it must be noted that the seriousness of willfully inviting hatred and violence against the people of God for the sake of one's political allegiances; is a sin against both God and neighbor.  The church was entirely within their right to remove a cleric who was publicly inciting the hatred of people against the church; though perhaps there could have been more effective discourse between the leadership and Rev. Robinson.  

Pride is a destructive thing.   It makes us feel invincible.  It lifts us up by our ego and makes us feel that we and we alone can see the truth in the world.  It leads us to view ourselves as the consummate victim, never erring on our own part; and that we are always the ones wronged in all cases.  In that, Robinson and his liberal opponents share common ground. 

Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.  Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.  (Proverbs 16:18-19)

Here Endeth the Lesson.