The Rev. Kevin Thew Forrester, bishop-elect of the Diocese of Northern Michigan, is seeking to clarify his lay ordination as a Buddhist. In a prepared statement, Fr. Forrester said that “lay ordination has a different meaning in Buddhist practice than in the Christian tradition. The essence of my welcoming ceremony, which included no oaths, was a resolve to use the practice of meditation as a path to the truth of the reality of human suffering. Meditation deepens my dwelling in Christ-the-healer.”
In an interview with the Marquette Mining Journal, Fr. Forrester denied that he was a practitioner of two faiths.
“There’s one faith and it’s Christianity,” he said. “The gift is that that faith is deepened by my meditative practice and I’m eternally grateful to Zen Buddhism for teaching me that practice and receiving me as an Episcopal priest.”
Fr. Forrester, rector of St. Paul’s, Marquette, Mich., and ministry development coordinator for Northern Michigan, was a member of the search committee which selected him as the only candidate to lead an episcopal ministry team. He was elected on the first ballot during a special convention on Feb. 21 with 88 percent of delegate votes.
In an article in the February 2004 edition of The Church in Hiawathaland, the diocese’s newspaper which is edited by Fr. Forrester’s wife, Fr. Forrester wrote that he had received “lay ordination” and that he now “walk[ed] the path of Christianity and Zen Buddhism.”
Before he can be consecrated, Fr. Forrester must receive consent to his election for a majority of standing committees and bishops with jurisdiction. The Rt. Rev. Bruce Caldwell, Bishop of Wyoming and a consultant to the search committee which nominated Fr. Forrester, wrote an open letter in support of Fr. Forrester that was sent to standing committees and bishops.
“I have known and worked closely with Kevin for over a decade and I am convinced that he is a person of strong Christian faith, a thoughtful theologian and a voice of advocacy for baptismal ministry which is much needed in the church,” Bishop Caldwell said. “In my opinion, he will have no difficulty as a bishop guarding the faith and unity of the church.”
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3 Comments
What's the big issue here? Living Church seems to be waging a witch hunt against Fr. Forrester for doing nothing more unusual than teaching meditation techniques that have been used by Christian leaders for centuries. As a spiritual discipline they may not be to everyone's taste, but surely there is nothing objectionable about a bishop using them.
As for his use of "unapproved" Eucharistic rites, the Prayer Book provides an outline for celebration of Holy Eucharist under special circumstances that clearly allows flexibility when the local conditions make that appropriate.
Finally, the notion that a single candidate in a bishop's election is unacceptable and that "mutual ministry" cannot be applied to the episcopacy -- while generally valid -- seem to lose their applicability in the case of a tiny diocese that is no larger than some mid-size churches.
Tiny Diocese indeed! Mr.Marshall should be reminded that there were 3800 members in the Diocese when Bishop Tom Ray began hyping Mutual Ministry back in 1983. He, Bishop Jim Kelsey and now Thew Forrewster have presided over a 50% decline in membership to a current claimed level of 1900 members. ASA is down to 700 across the Diocese. That figure is probably padded by including mid-week services so the 1900 figure is more than problematic.
When you combine Mutual Ministry, Zen Buddhistism and the rump approval of Thew Forrester in a one person "election" little wonder the Diocese is on a path to becoming a cult dressed in Episcopal clothing. In Thew Forrester's own words predict bankruptcy of the Diocese within 7 years. Under his guidance that event will surely occur sooner than his 7 year prediction.
Oops, bad typo! Should have read:
bankruptcy of the Diocese within 7 years."
"In Thew Forrester's own words
Bruce Marshall's stance that KGTF is doing nothing more than "teaching meditation techniques" is off the mark. The first problem raised was the manner in which it which his election was planned and took place. The Chair of the Standing Committee, Mrs. Lippert,proudly claimed that 88% of the delegates voted for him. Little wonder that happened, they saw to it delegates were hand picked KGTF supporters.
It wasn't until people began dicussing the "election" on the internet that his Zen Buddhist convictions came to light, something that had been soft peddled or not mentioned by his supporters until public scrutiny exposed it to the light of day. That scrutiny is what has brought KGTF's theology, his sermons, his teachings, his unauthorized revision of Prayer Book services and management practices to light.
Mr. Marshall's rationale that the Prayer Book allows for innovations is built on a shaky foundation. In my humble opinion that proviso addresses special ocassions, not an ongoing practice that the St. Paul's congregation is subjected to week after week. The unchallanged fact the St. Paul's Vestry had to force KGTF to bring the Nicene Creed back should be taken as an indication that all is not not seen through rose colored glasses there.
I am reminded of another blog wherein a former member of St. Paul's, one of 40 that have left the congregation, wrote of his own experiences. He was a deacon in the MM team but came to the conclusion it would be best to take a leave of absence from his duties. KGTF issued a dictum to him that his LOA would be of 6 months duration. At the end of the 6 months he issued another order to the individual requiring his presence at a meeting where he (KGTF) and members of his committees would question him about what his intentions in respect to St. Paul's would be. The meeting would also require him to explain why he was blogging on the Internet in a manner that cast the Diocese and its officers in a poor light. One might speculate that KGTF has a compelling need to control all aspects of Diocesan life and demands total adherance to his viewpoints alone.
Yes, Mr. Marshall, Northern Michigan is indeed a small Diocese, one that has been self-destructing ever since MM came into being 25 years ago under Bishop Ray's tutelage. KGTF's approach is its final death knell. Others have suggested the Diocese be split in two sections, the western half to become part of the Diocese of Fonf Du Lac. the eastern half assigned to the Diocese of Eastern Michigan. Such action wouldn't eliminate KGTF, et al, from continuing their mischief in Marquette but it would reign in KGTF and place him under appropriate supervision. Should KGTF not want to be part of such a solution let him leave and form his own church elsewhere.