Well, it's a dubious distinction, to be sure.Over at that terrible, horrid neo-puritan, quasi-orthodox, conservative evangelical, mean-spirited, hateful, but positively squirrely blogsite "Stand Firm in Faith," they are holding something they call the "Anglican Blog of the Year Awards" and, well, I've just learned (and I'm deeply, deeply embarrassed to admit) that I have been nominated in the category of "Best Reappraising Blogger" - along with such luminaries as the Lesbian Diva of The Episcopal Church, the Rev'd (but mostly silly) Susan Russell, the enormously gifted and talented Jim Naughton of the Episcopal Diocese of DC, the Rev'd (but amazingly articulate and astute) Terry Martin of "Father Jake Stops the World", one of my heroes in the church, long-time buddies and fellow jail cell mate (it's a long story), the Rev'd (but mostly incredibly intelligent) Mark Harris of Preludium, and the incredible, awesome, amazing Simon Sarmiento of "Thinking Anglicans."
Someone just tipped me off to the vote results thus far:
Best Reappraising Blogger
(269 votes cast)
An Inch at a Time (Susan Russell): 16
Telling Secrets (Elizabeth Kaeton): 18
Daily Episcopalian (Jim Naughton): 26
Fr. Jake Stops the World (Terry Martin): 67
Preludium (Mark Harris): 13
Thinking Anglicans (Simon Sarmiento): 129
Now, hear me clearly: I am NOT ... NOT... DECIDELY, POSITIVELY NOT encouraging your vote - in any category - for anyone.
You will notice that I have not posted their URL. If you really want to visit that site, you'll have to find them on your own.
Please, please, please . . . stay AWAY . . . stay FAR, FAR AWAY from this poisonous toxicity.
Besides, it will only encourage them.
But, if you simply can't resist, do heed Quean Lutebelle"s (Louie Crew) advice: Be sure to wear your best asbestos, high heeled tennis shoes as you walk among those flames of Hades. A Kevlar (bullet proof) vest, as dey say in parts of Noth Joisey and most parts of Brooklyn, "voidn't hoit."
This is only to confess to you, my friends and readers, my failings as a blogger. I have - quite obviously - sinned.
Mea culpa, Mea culpa, Mea Maxima Nissan Stanza.
My "secrets" have been, apparently, quite "telling". To paraphrase Sally Fields, of "The Flying Nun" fame, "They hate me, they really, really hate me!"
Oh, they'll deny it - and, in fact, protest quite strenuously that they don't, but if you were (and again, I'm NOT encouraging this) to go to that heinous web site and 'google' my name, you'd be able to tell, in less than a nanno second, that they doth protest too much.
Their hatred of anything that does not fit neatly into their wee, teeny-tiny little boxes of faith or definition of God or Jesus or the Holy Spirit or the Church is a putrid stench that disturbs the nostrils of God and insults the vast intelligence of the Almighty Creator.
I really don't know what to say. I'm deeply, deeply ashamed of this nomination and, at the same time, I confess, profoundly curious about what this really means.
Clearly, they don't know about Lisa and "My Manner of Life." Or, "Episcopal Majority." Neither do they know about MadPriest across the pond. Or, Katie Sherrod's brilliant, "Desert's Child." Or, Michael Hopkins'"From Glory Into Glory." Or, Ann Fontaine's "Sea Shell Seller" Or, Tobias Hollar's "In A Godwardly Direction." Or, "Thinking Anglicans" Or, "Anglicans Online." Or, the ever entertaining and stimulating "Louie Crew's Current Natter." Or, for that matter the always brilliant Dylan Bruler's amazing blog, "Sarah Laughed."
I've only begun to list some of the bright and challenging and incredible stars in the Progressive Anglican Skyline. There are so many more - and you won't find a shred, not one iota, of venom in any one of them.
Ah, more's the pity.
If those nasty "Bottom Feeders" (You know what? Calling the kettle beige, as it were, and naming that truth is what REALLY earned me this nomination. Think about THAT for a second, boys and girls!) stopped reading me for two and a half seconds and spent more time with the intelligentsia and cognoscenti of the Progressive Movement, they might not be so nasty.
Oh, we are such a broken, wounded Body of Christ - as naked and vulnerable as the Babe in the Manger whose saving grace we yet await to come into the very heart of the enterprise of being The Episcopal Church in the Anglican Communion.
Ora pro nobis.
Well that's it. I'm in a mega-huff now.
ReplyDeleteThere will be no Christmas at St. Francis, this year!
Oy, vey, and some of us are just "also ran!"
ReplyDeleteCongratulations, Elizabeth -- I think. Is this like the fundie bishops voting for Jefferts Schori?
Karen,
ReplyDeleteWell, from one Jersey girl to another (although, I'm not REALLY a Jersey girl, I'm a true-blue New Englander, having been born in MA and ordained in ME), I fear that your no doubt well-intended suggestion has been co-opted by the "nasty boyz" at SFiF.
I do, from time to time, read T19 because at least there are "elfs" there who screen the posts for appropriateness as well as accuracy.
SFiF would do well to consider doing the same.
I also subscribe to TLC and read the AAC and CANA websites, for example, for the same reasons you monitor liberal/progressive blogs.
BTW, if you haven't already noticed, the terms "reappraiser" and "reasserters" represent the language of the heat of the conflict. I don't know any liberal/progressive person who doesn't find this insulting, if not annoying.
If you want your good intentions to be taken seriously and as legitimate, I strongly suggest that you stop using those terms - at least to liberal/progressive folk like me - who, BTW, is considered very conservative by many of my liberal friends.
The level of paranois and martyrdom runs so deep at SFiF that they really think that "Bottom Feeder" (a political and psychological term - see Freidman's Fables) is an example of "venom" rather than accurately descriptive.
Indeed, this exchange is a rather stellar example.
As soon as I saw the nominations, I knew it was only a matter of time before either Greg or Matt would exploit the issue for all it was worth - and, they have done just that.
They excell at dragging stuff from other people's webs, taking stuff out of context, and then taking absolute delight in the venom that spews forth from their readership - all, I suppose, in service of keeping the pot stirred up while simulataneously increasing their ssitemeter count.
That is the very definition of a Bottom Feeder.
So, thanks, but no thanks, my sister, for the nomination. I'm sure your intentions were very good, but you have been used.
No surprise. These boys are ruthless and relentless - as well as quite pathetic and transparent - in their desperate need to "win."
And, you know, I don't hate them as Grace suggests. That takes too much energy. Much more than I have to give as a very busy parish priest.
As hard as I once worked for reconciliation of these forces in the church, and as much as I hope that might still be possible, the only place I can put my energy these days is in the hope that they leave The Episcopal Church - sooner rather than later - for the health of their souls as much as for the soul of the church.
A blessed Christmastide to you, Karen.
May the New Year find you in a church which nourishes your soul and gives you strength and courage to do the work God has given you to do.
Well, Elizabeth, you could run a similar popularity contest over here and have a category "Most Hateful Reactionary Homophobic Right-Wing Blog", just to see whether StandFirm, T19, CaNN, or MCJ (or even some darkhorse) was the most detested by your readership. Turnabout is always fair play, you know.
ReplyDelete"Turnabout is always fair play"???
ReplyDeleteGee, Craig, and, from which Gospel would this be?
I guess I'm going to have to break down and get me one of those KJV of the bible.
Apparently, a great deal DOES gets lost in the translation.