About Money . . .

Most of my good readers know that I do not think the Episcopal Church and similarly apostate denominations are tenable places for the orthodox. However, I do respect those orthodox who, because of their ecclesiological convictions, stay in and work for reform and do not undermine those whose convictions compel them to leave. As I lamented in my first post of the year and as Matt Kennedy and others lament, mutual respect and cooperation between the two groups is breaking down. It should not be so.

Therefore, I hesitate to give instruction to those orthodox who are staying in. However, I think it’s needful to remind all about the importance of not allowing your contributions to be used for evil. If someone is careless in this matter, then they will likely be participating in apostasy and all its vile offspring. In the Episcopal Church, they will likely be participating even in the persecution of the faithful, backed by absurd spin, of course.

Sadly, it’s not enough simply to write on your checks “for parish use only” as spelled out here. Please do check out that link for some of the logistical issues of restricted giving.

I will opine, however, that unless your parish is also restricting their giving or is at least sympathetic to the practice, your efforts to keep your giving from being used for evil may be in vain as “Adam 12” (from comment 2 on the link) found out:

I asked that none of my parish pledge go to my diocese a few years back, and the rector quietly assured me this would not happen. But what in reality did happen was that the same full diocesan pledge was paid by the parish, only by other parishoners whose pledges were “taxed” at a higher rate.

There are any number of ways uncooperative churches can subvert restricted giving. Still, turning off the money spigots to apostasy can make a difference as evidenced by the spectacle the TEC Diocese of Virginia is making of itself.

So I plead with my orthodox friends still in the Episcopal Church and other mainline denominations: please be diligent to ensure your contributions are not funding evil.

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MORE: In looking at the Diocese of Virginia situation, Still on Petrol notes:

Bishop Lee seems possessed of a certain level of desperation these days, as reflected in his unprecedented complaint about insufficient giving from parishes in his Diocese. Instead of demanding more money, should Bishop Lee not be addressing WHY giving is down? Could it be, hmmm, that people object to the Diocese going $2 million in the hole SO FAR in the Virginia Eleven litigation, with a long way to go? Could it be that Virginia Episcopalians are not happy that the Diocese knuckled under to PB Schori and instituted litigation in violation of its own policies and protocol and its stand-still agreement with the eleven parishes? The way the Episcopal hierarchy has thrown its collective weight around without one whit's of interest in what its membership thinks has resulted in a situation where the pew potatoes are voting with the only weapon at their disposal - by withholding giving to the church.

But quite a weapon it is, apparently.