Getting Political
Matt Kennedy+

“Politics and church don’t mix.” If I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard someone mouth these words I’d have a lot more money than I have now. And, of course, to the extent that politics is dirty, underhanded, deceptive, and cheap, church and politics do not mix.

And yet, so long as fallen human beings are charged with stewardship of the Church, “politics”, the art of creating, moving, or changing corporate consent, will be part of it.

Unfortunately, even in the church politics can be dirty. Take the hit piece against the orthodox bishop of Albany published Sunday in the Times Union. So very interesting that something this low, skewed, unsubstantiated, and nasty would come out just as Albany is gearing up to elect her coadjutor. The rest


Raymond Dague writes about the Albany Times Union article:

The Albany Times Union recently ran a major exposé-type article of a purported scandal in the Albany diocese. If you read this piece carefully, you will say, as they did in that old Wendy’s commercial years ago, “Where’s the beef?” The piece is presented as sort of a journalistic muckraking scandal, yet when you read it, there is no scandal. The piece could have just as well been entitled “Diocese of Albany Sells Some of its Unneeded Property to Build Retreat Center.” Is it any surprise that a church might do this? I don’t know if the Spiritual Life Center ever had a hard time making payroll, but if it never had such financial stress in its history, it would be extraordinary. All not-for-profits struggle these days to run their operations.

The silliest shot at the Albany SLC is the cheap comments that there is a spiritual healing ministry. Last time I checked the Gospels, Jesus had a healing ministry. So why is it news that His church has a healing ministry in Albany? This is a scandal story without a scandal.