Well, the virtueless are at it again. As with most things spiritual, Mr. V has announced that Mr. John David Mercer Schofield has decided to retire! That is correct, you all heard it and you do not need to wash your ears out -- according to the blogster Mr. Schofield announced during the second convention of the Anglican Diocese of Something that he is going to retire in 2011.
Let's see now, many years ago Mr. Schofield (with Mr. Wantland) announced the formation of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America. About 6 or 7 years ago Mr. Schofield announced, in a pastoral letter to all the parishes of the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin that he would never leave the Episcopal Church. A couple of years ago he announced that he had gone nowhere but that the Episcopal Church had left him. And then two years ago, he announced that it was not he who left but the Episcopal Church, rather he was forced to leave because his Standing Committee and all the people of the diocese made him do it. Then he announced that he was still a part of the Anglican Church. Then he announced that nothing had changed. Then he announced he was going to Lambeth. Then he announced he was not deposed but rather he had resigned from the House of Bishops. Then he announced that the entire diocese belonged to him and the Province of the Southern Cone. Then he announced that the entire diocese belonged to the "new" Anglican Church of North America. So what we have had from Mr. Schofield are lies and lies and damn lies! Should we believe him when he says he is retiring? Well, 70 has come and gone and he has not retired yet. I believe what he wants, what he craves, is for everyone in the diocese to tell him, "Oh no, John David, we love you so much we do not want you to retire. We want you to stay in office forever! We cannot go on without you. Who will protect us from the big bad TEC?" His ego craves it and let's face it, he has not had much good news. his court cases are about to come completely unravelled, his parishioners refuse to financially support his folly any longer, his parishes are returning to the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin at an alarmingly faster rate each month, the diocese is broke and cannot get to any of the frozen assets and quite frankly, he needs someone to stroke his ego.
Ultimately the gambit is if I win the court cases then I stay on and I am more powerful than ever. The more likely scenario is that he is going to lose the entire diocese (facilities wise) and all will return to TEC leaving him and his cohorts with bupkis. He will then retire and blame all the mishaps on Bill Gandenberger and Van Mcalister.
Actually, I betting he will retire when hell freezes over. Think about that analogy in relation to JDS, gives one chills!
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