The Episcopal Priest, Rev. Gary R. Hall, is the Dean of the Washington National Cathedral. I expected him to be liberal as he has been outspoken concerning his support of gay marriage and gun control. I mean, hey, he’s an Episcopalian, whaddya’ expect? But I was truly surprised by something in Sally Quinn’s profile of Rev. Hall at On Faith.
Check it out:
I don’t want to be loosey-goosey about it,” he says, “but I describe myself as a non-theistic Christian.”
And he goes on to expand on the concept.
“Jesus doesn’t use the word God very much,” he says. “He talks about his Father.”
Hall explains: “Where I am now, how do I understand Jesus as a son of God that’s not magical? I’m trying to figure out Jesus as a son of God and a fully human being, if he has both fully human and a fully divine set of chromosomes. . . . He’s not some kind of superman coming down. God is present in all human beings. Jesus was an extraordinary human being. Jesus didn’t try to convert. He just had people at his table.”
Now, I’m not the brightest guy in the world but this Episcopalian priest just said he didn’t really truck with Jesus’ divinity, right? Right?
He said the Episcopal Church has to change with the time but he bemoaned, “We’re in a period where people under 50 don’t see the church as a credible place to explore their questions about God.” Hmmm. Wonder why.
HT Mark Tooley wrote an excellent piece on this interview at Juicy Ecumenism.
August 8, 2013 at 11:59 am
In the same article, he says he thinks he was chosen as Dean because of his position on gay marriage (he'll hold gay weddings in the National Cathedral) and gun control. That's right. Chosen as DEAN of the National Cathedral because of his positions on gay marriage and gun control. The Episcopal Church makes fewer and fewer claims to seriousness as a church every day. Seriousness as a defender of the Democratic Party Platform though? They've got that one covered…
August 8, 2013 at 1:25 pm
That structure is not the national cathedral because we do not have a national church. Given its organizational origins, only straining at charity enables one to call it a cathedral.
Hey, Google is not urging me to generate an electronic profile today! Whatever you did, Mr. A, it worked! Thanks!
August 8, 2013 at 1:45 pm
If you call yourself a Reverend but don't believe in God then you're a fraud – pure and simple.
August 8, 2013 at 2:06 pm
Where does gun control come into it? Is there something I missed in the Catechism of the Catholic Church about the right to bear arms?
August 8, 2013 at 2:58 pm
Maybe it's the Irish in me but I'm compelled to ask- what do you expect from a denomination that was founded by an adulterous, murdering, multiple-marrying English king?
August 8, 2013 at 3:05 pm
Rather curious. Though I am focusing on the Old Testament these days I can swear I remember Jesus speaking many times "The Kingdom of God is at hand!" If I remember right, then Jesus spoke of God plenty, and that's just the tip of the iceberg.
August 8, 2013 at 3:21 pm
"We have this cartoon in America where you grow up, get married and stay the same person,” he says. “For the church to say, ‘No sex before marriage,’ is not realistic,” he argues, explaining that he has married at least 500 couples, only about five of whom did not live together beforehand."
And see there? Just because he is in favor of gay "marriage" doesn't mean he wants to re-define marriage. But he does…
August 8, 2013 at 3:28 pm
I believe the building where this guy works was damaged by an earthquake some years ago. It's high time for another one!
August 9, 2013 at 6:30 pm
This is pure modernist pantheism, straight out of Teilhard de Chardin. This guy ceased being Christian some time back.
There actually a few decent, believing episcopals left, but I don't know how they remain in a sect that promotes an arch-heretic like this to such an incredibly visible and influential post. I really have to question, I guess, how much they really do believe, to remain in a sect this lost.
August 9, 2013 at 7:41 pm
Hey, the article says he started in Comedy writing. It just fails to point out that he switched to stand-up.