Loading ...Claim: Episco-Buddhist bishop replaced New Testament with Koran
flockwoodThis story just gets stranger and stranger. Kevin Lee Genpo Thew Forrester, the bishop-elect of Michigan’s upper peninsula, reportedly replaced the New Testament reading with a reading from the Koran during one of his Episcopal church services.
(For newcomers to this story, Thew Forrester, adopted the name “Genpo” after going through a Buddhist lay ordination ceremony. He says the new name means “way of universal wisdom” although I’ve been unable to independently verify that. According to another Buddhist leader, it means “mysterious dharma.”)
Several bishops and diocesan standing commitees have already opposed Thew Forrester’s candidacy.
April 5th, 2009 at 12:29 pm
I think the reporting on this guy by the “Stand Firm” web site, a web site operated by the schismatic right wing Anglicans, is very biased. The problem with Anglicans, even conservative ones, is that they are very smart and tend to make their points in a way that appears fair, but in this case, in my view, is not.
First, this was a special service with a guest preacher who is a Muslim. As the introductory part of the bulletin says:
“Because of Dr. Mowafy’s keen interest, extensive reading, and personal experience as an Egyptian-born American Muslim, he is very frequently
sought as a presenter and guest columnist on subjects relating to political and religious issues of war and peace in the Middle East.”
I have heard portions of the Koran read at my parish in Lexington, along with portions of Hebrew works not contained in the Bible, as well as non-canonical Christian texts like the Gospel of Thomas. We also sometimes include readings from the Apocrypha, which every other Protestant denomination considers non-canonical. So, this is hardly an anomaly. The only thing that makes it controversial now is the fact that we’re at war with Muslim extremists, and of course that Bro. Genpo is up for bishop.
Second, the headline that suggests that Bro. Genpo “substituted” the Koran for the New Testament isn’t exactly accurate, either. The traditional Episcopal communion service includes two readings, not three. One of these must come from the Gospel, and the other may come either from the Old Testament or from some portion of the NT other than the Gospels. Occasionally all three texts are read at a service, but usually it’s only two. Here, they read the OT passage and the gospel, and added the bit from the Koran, which appears fairly bland to me.
The thing everyone should legitimately jump on this guy for is using an offbrand translation of the New Testament for the gospel reading. I have to give Stand Firm credit for pointing this out, though of course they went overboard in their criticism.
Finally, I think characterizing Dennis Genpo Roshi, the guy who says that Genpo means “mysterious dharma” as a “Buddhist leader” is a bit misleading, too. From what I can tell from his and others’ internet sites, he is a guy who had developed some form of quack method to reach enlightenment in one hour, for which he will charge you $150, which is less per hour than most lawyers charge, and they don’t promise enlightenment. Quoting him as an authority on Buddhism would be like quoting Peter Popov on the definition of the Holy Trinity.
The fact is that the Episcopal Church has always had dialogues with Jews, Muslims, and Buddhists. I think we can learn from them, and I’m glad that at least one priest is open to doing so.
April 5th, 2009 at 2:36 pm
The blog headline sure grabbed my attention. What would it mean to “replace” Christian scripture with Islamic? How does that make sense? Is it even possible for any individual to change the canon by fiat? I was glad to see that our über-trad friends at StandFirm were clearer in their headline: “Bishop-Elect Forrester Replaces New Testament Reading with Quran Passage”. Replacing scripture versus replacing a reading– those are different things.
Like Caleb, after seeing a more complete set of facts it’s hard to figure out exactly what one should find offensive here. How many churches follow a strict order of worship with three readings of scripture, each from a designated section of the Bible? And if there are fewer than three, then must it mean that some heretic has deleted real scripture and elevated something else to the same status? It sure looks like someone is trying hard to create a controversy out of little or nothing.
One more thing. Why “Episco-Buddhist” instead of “Buddho-Episcopalian”? Or better yet, Buddho-curious Episcopalian?
April 6th, 2009 at 10:30 am
If the Presbyterians ever tried this (which they’d probably be too dull to do) we could call them Pres-Budh-terians.