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Special Report
The Zen Episcopalian
A Buddhist bishop for the Episcopal Church?
The modern Episcopal Church always strives to stay ahead of the latest fads. In recent years it has dealt with its first openly homosexual bishop, its first Islamic priest, and its first Druid priest. Now it might be on the verge of electing its first Buddhist bishop.
Kevin Thew Forrester, who is ordained both as an Episcopal priest and as a lay Zen Buddhist, was elected bishop by the Diocese of Northern Michigan (the Upper Peninsula) in February. He is also known as “Genpo,” or “Way of Universal Wisdom.” A majority of Episcopal bishops and diocesan standing committees now must consent to his election by July. The 2003 election of actively homosexual Gene Robinson as New Hampshire’s bishop has already fueled schism within the Episcopal Church and the global Anglican Communion. Would a Buddhist bishop add to the division, or merely be an anticlimax?
“I have been blessed to practice Zen meditation for almost a decade,” Forrester has explained. “About five years ago a Buddhist community welcomed me as an Episcopal priest in my commitment to a meditation practice — a process known by some Buddhists as ‘lay ordination.’” He further opined: “Literally thousands of Christians have been drawn to Zen Buddhism in particular because, distinct from western religions, it embodies a pragmatic philosophy and a focus on human suffering rather than a unique theology of God.”
Forrester, who is 51 and has been an Episcopal priest since 1994, insists Zen Buddhism is compatible with his faith. “It’s not a matter of holding two faiths. There’s one faith and it’s Christianity,” he told a local Michigan newspaper. “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.” Forrester insists that his faith allows him to be “open to receive the truth and the beauty and goodness, and the wisdom from the other religious traditions of the world, and to be in dialogue with them.”
The diocese to which Forrester has been elected bishop has only 27 churches, has lost 30 percent of its membership, and now has fewer than 2000 souls, fewer than 700 of whom actively attend church. But consent to his election by the Episcopal Church will elevate him in the global Anglican communion, whose more than 800 bishops preside over nearly 80 million communicants. An Anglican bishop in Nigeria or Sudan may preside over many tens of thousands of members and arduously commute, sometimes by bicycle, across many hundreds of miles of dirt roads. Small, liberal, and affluent dioceses in the U.S. can afford to be more esoteric in their selection of bishops, who have fewer responsibilities.
According to a Diocese of Northern Michigan statement, Forrester was “drawn into the Christian-Zen Buddhist dialogue through centering prayer and his desire to assist persons in their own transformation in Christ.” He has practiced Zen meditation for nearly 10 years and, “with marvelous hospitality, the Buddhist community welcomed him in his commitment to meditation practice as an Episcopal priest.”
An Episcopal theologian who assisted the Northern Michigan Diocese in its election similarly explained that “Buddhism is a set of practices similar to Christian practices about meditation and awareness and compassionate living.” She insisted Zen Buddhism could be “practiced without detriment to doctrine” and there are “a number of bishops” in the Episcopal Church who “engage in and have experience of Buddhist practices of mediation.” So if his election is confirmed, Forrester apparently will not be alone among the bishops.
Forrester’s confirmation by most Episcopal bishops may be less than automatic. Even several non-conservative bishops have publicly opposed him. Bishop of Southern Ohio Thomas Breidenthal says he’s concerned not so much about the Zen Buddhism as about Forrester’s seeming denial of the Christian understanding of salvation.
“According to Thew Forrester, Jesus revealed in his own person the way that any of us can be at one with God, if only we can overcome the blindness that prevents us from recognizing our essential unity with God,” Breidenthal noted. “The problem here is that the death of Jesus as an atonement for our sins is completely absent, and purposely so. As I read Thew Forrester, nothing stands between us and God but our own ignorance of our closeness to God. When our eyes are opened, atonement (not for our sins, but understood as a realization of our essential unity with God) is achieved.”
The Southern Ohio bishop worried that Forrester’s teaching “flies in the face of what I take to be the conviction at the heart of our faith tradition, namely, that we are in bondage to sin and cannot get free without the rescue God has offered us in Jesus, who shouldered our sins on the cross.” Breidenthal observed that Forrester’s sermons, once publicly available on his home congregation’s website, have recently been removed.
Of course, most of Forrester’s sermons had already been downloaded by countless curious Anglicans. The Arkansas Democrat Gazette wrote extensively about Forrester’s theology, reporting that the proposed bishop “denies that Satan exists,” “doesn’t believe God sent his only-begotten son to die for the sins of the world,” “says that the Koran is sacred,” and altered the Apostles’ Creed, all while aspiring to become a “successor to the Apostles.”
The Gazette quoted Forrester’s Buddhist abbot fondly remembering when the Episcopal priest “donned ceremonial garb, kneeled with his hands in a praying position, took Buddhist vows and received his new dharma name” of Genpo.
Early this month, the Seattle Episcopal priest who professed also to be a Muslim was defrocked by her bishop. In 2005, a Pennsylvania Episcopal priest who had been outed as a Druid (he belonged to the Order of Bards, Ovates, and Druids) was forced to resign by his bishop. Having rejected Muslim and Druid priests, will the Episcopal Church now affirm a Buddhist bishop? We’ll know this summer.
About the Author
Mark Tooley is president of the Institute on Religion and Democracy in Washington, D.C. and author of Methodism and Politics in the Twentieth Century. You can follow him on Twitter @markdtooley.
Pingback| 4.24.09 @ 7:39AM
The Zen Episcopalian links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Paul D| 4.24.09 @ 7:41AM
The Episcopal church has been hemorraghing members for a long time now. It makes me wonder where they are getting the money to continue in existance?
John W.| 4.24.09 @ 9:38AM
Leave them alone. The modern Episcopal "Church" is a social club, so who cares?
John W.| 4.24.09 @ 9:38AM
Leave them alone. The modern Episcopal "Church" is a social club, so who cares?
Gill O’Teen| 4.24.09 @ 9:41AM
If Joseph Ratzinger would only seek Buddhist enlightenment, we’d finally have a new answer to the ancient question, “Is the Pope Catholic?”
stmichrick| 4.24.09 @ 9:42AM
And why not a Buddhist Episcopalian?
I expect that the first Man/Horse nuptials will take place in an Episcopal facility.
stephanie| 4.24.09 @ 9:51AM
I don't see what the problem is with this. prayer, meditation, is this just about how you label the action?
stmichrick| 4.24.09 @ 10:00AM
Peace, Stephanie.
Other members of the flock may have more traditional expectations of their faith.
This is kind of like having Jackie Mason speak at the Southern Baptist Convention.
Tim| 4.24.09 @ 10:15AM
Good grief.
Pingback| 4.24.09 @ 10:21AM
Freaky Friday « Cypha’s Circle links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Austin Scott| 4.24.09 @ 10:22AM
Episcopalians often sneer at "store-front" churches and "mega-churches" for their vulgarity and soi-disant "bishops." But behold a whole diocese with Sunday attendance lower than many single churches. Having a whole diocesan structure and bishop for this smattering of people is absurd.
Michael Tomlinson| 4.24.09 @ 10:29AM
This is what happens when a Christian church is taken over by people who think and act like Barack Obama.
The Good News Christ's Church will prevail even branches of it die. (DHS please note I'm a Christian, veteran, gun owner, pro-life and oppose BO's agenda.)
J David| 4.24.09 @ 10:52AM
Hello "Mystery Babylon"! How many more days until the antichrist is revealed?
J Jo| 4.24.09 @ 12:37PM
Prayer and meditation are fine as long as you are allowing God to guide you and the Holy Spirit to work within you. It is when you believe that your actions alone without reliance on God's grace can bring you salvation is where the conflict arises. The beauty of Jesus's death on the cross and resurection is that he did all the work for us. Without him we will never be good enough to find salvation as we are inherent sinners. Relying on ourselves to get to heaven was not God's plan. If that was the case, then Jesus would not have had to die on the cross and therefore, his death is in vain. Instead, we must rely on the Holy Spirit to work through us and to help us lead a life pleasing to God. This comes through trust in God grace, not anything WE, ourselves, can do.
Anneke| 4.24.09 @ 12:43PM
If Episcopalians find alternate religions so attractive, why don't they just convert and be done with it? Why pretend to call yourself a Christian when you think Buddhism, Islam, et al are equally relevant or have more appealing meditative or social practices? What, you don't have the courage to stand before God and say I'm not a Christian? Christianity in name is not Christianity in faith.
Michael L. Hauschild| 4.24.09 @ 12:49PM
I'll take transcendent meditation over a fatwa every time. That is, of course, unless you rotting dog infidels are messing with us Methodists. Start that and I am going to unleash a John Harding jehad on your blasphemous asses.
Michael L. Hauschild| 4.24.09 @ 12:54PM
Sorry, Westley. Was that Freudian?
Big Leo| 4.24.09 @ 1:02PM
Militant Methodism is definitely the religion of the future, Michael H. First we reform Methodism-- then, tomorrow the World.
David T.| 4.24.09 @ 1:09PM
I am so sad for my beloved Episcopal Church. The problem started thirty years ago with the ordination of women. This was the slippery slope. Not that women have no place in the church--they certainly do, but their role is subordinate to the man's. Now we have gays and muslims and druids and buddhists--and look who's leading The Episcopal Church? Feminists have destroyed a once bold and strong denomination.
Tim S| 1.16.10 @ 6:39AM
It is very sad. I had the option to leave and I did. I thank Him every day because of what I found after I left. I am a cradle Episcopalian and it was hard to leave. There are other denominations out there that do follow traditional Christianity. I am a stronger Christian for leaving.
JP| 4.24.09 @ 3:36PM
"..I'll take transcendent meditation over a fatwa every time. .."
Islam is the fastest growing religion in Asia. Steadily radical Isalm is replacing Budda. Thailand has a bloody insurrection in thier southern provinces; this will surely spread to Vietnam and Burma. The Philippines is in the same boat.
In Asia, Budda is oh so 20th Century. Islam is he future there. Transcendental meditation went the way of the 8-track.
Tina| 4.24.09 @ 9:22PM
My Church has been hijacked by lunatic leftists! The formerly ultimate "conservative" branch of the Apostolic communion has become a front for the far left wing. Given the moon-bat that is the current Archbishop of Canterbury, aligning with the Anglicans is pointless. People that profess to be Christians need to become more vocal about staying true to the foundations of Christianity, without the PC BS. It isn't about choose the precepts you choose ...it is all or nothing. Politics has no business in Religion and vice-versa.
LGF| 4.24.09 @ 9:30PM
Stimichrik,
Hey! (Hay?) Man/ horse nuptials might not be a bad idea. My horse is much nicer and much more reliable than most of the people I know. But I am already married (to a woman, actually). So for the Episcopal Church to marry us all, would we call it polyanimalry?? All things considered, gay marriage is better than morose marriage. But the Episcopalians ARE getting a bit ridiculous. Not to mention non-Christian. I guess Obama is right, we no longer are a Christian nation. But I don't think that that is necessarily "progress."
Dr. Keith DeBoer | 4.24.09 @ 11:48PM
I thought some readers might also enjoy this letter from Sister Carol Wirtz of Anthony New Mexico and her experiences with Transcendental Meditation ". I have been a Catholic Sister for twenty-two years and have been practicing Transcendental Meditation for fourteen years. I have found this technique to be very beneficial in different aspects of my life. It has helped calm and focus my mind during times of stress as well as in everyday life. I have also noticed physiological effects such as less muscle tension, more relaxed breathing and just overall greater awareness. In addition, there have been many scientific studies to support the benefits of Transcendental Meditation.
Since Transcendental Meditation is not a religion nor is it taught as a doctrine, it does not interfere or conflict with my Catholic Christian faith. In my years of practicing this technique I believe it has enhanced my prayer and Christian life."
Sister Carol Wirtz lives in Anthony, New Mexico
wanumba| 4.25.09 @ 12:00AM
Hah.
1) "I am a jealous God and ye shall have no other gods before me." Actually, a very simple test. If one has trust in God, no other gods are necessary. If one doesn't have faith in God, then one looks for cover in many religions and many gods. This guy simply doesn't have any faith whatsoever in the Triune God. But, the pay must be pretty good to be a worthless bishop instead of say, a dentist, who actually is a productive and useful member of society, and there's something satisfyingly destructive to try to corrode other people with his own egotistical disbelief, so he stays.
2) This is Barnes and Noble/Borders bookstore Buddhism, lovely package, mellow colors and conveniently next to the green tea boxes, yoga books and mats for sale. Far rather deal with a real Buddhist from say, Burma or Tibet than the mushy American naval-gazing poseur brand. Ya know, the places where monks are getting the crap beat out of them and would welcome some real solidarity and real help, like a Rambo, not wafty me-me-me types who intone one-ness, but are just elitist self-absorbed sissies.
GC| 4.25.09 @ 2:35AM
I really only have two comments about the Episcopal church.
1) Back when "The Passion of the Christ" was in movie theaters, one of the running jokes about today's crop of Episcopalian bishops was that one of these bishops had come out and denounced the film as being "blatantly pro-Christian." A joke for sure, but in such humor, there is often a kernel of truth.
2) I recall reading somewhere that the USA has become a popular missionary destination for African Episcopalian priests, since they now consider the American Episcopalian Church to be a led by bunch of heathens who have lost their faith and lost their way.
I'm a Roman Catholic, BTW :)
Pingback| 4.25.09 @ 9:55AM
Episcopal “Church” Elects Buddhist Bishop? | Conservative Heritage Times links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
jammyman| 4.25.09 @ 10:08AM
There is no conflict between meditation and religion. I have been doing TM for years and have nothing but good effect from the twice-daily practice. It reduces stress, keeps me healthy and happy. And it is completely effortless to do, and so simple to learn. And what I also like about TM is that there are over 600 studies showing how good it is for my mind and body. Have a look at the web site www.TM.org for all scoop on the Transcendental Meditation program.
Richard Baker| 4.25.09 @ 10:24AM
If TM were just a form of meditation then all well and good. However, the Buddhist then uses it to deny the central tenets of Christianity which is not all well and good. Who then is this guy serving?
wanumba| 4.25.09 @ 2:12PM
There is a fundamental difference between meditation practiced by Buddhists (and other similar religions btw) and the prayful state of the Judeo-Christian adherents, and is specifically warned about in the scriptures. Meditation techniques instruct to EMPTY the mind and spirit, but prayer is to FILL the mind and spirit with the Word of God.
As in the parable of the man who cleaned out his house of all evil, leaving it empty, then left the doors wide open. The roaming evil spirits came right back inside and installed themselves, and the man was worse off than he was before.
EMPTY and FILL cannot be reconciled. They are 100% opposites. It's one or the other, but it can't be both.
Gill O'Teen| 4.25.09 @ 8:46PM
wanumba, You wrote that "EMPTY and FILL cannot be reconciled. They are 100% opposites. It's one or the other, but it can't be both. " I don't know about that. I just made a bottle of fine Kentucky Bourbon EMPTY, and now my belly has been FILLed. Cheers!
Roy| 4.25.09 @ 9:48PM
RE:GC: Same seems to be true in our own Catholic church, I've seen quite a few African priests..maybe not to this extreme, though.
PHILLIP BERNAL| 4.25.09 @ 10:06PM
Another stupid, drug-addled baby boomer.
wanumba| 4.26.09 @ 1:28AM
Gill O'Teen
hee hee. Was it GK Chesterton who, with a nice glass of sherry said "If God hadn't intended us to eat trout He wouldn't have made it taste so good."
cheers!
And yep, interestingly, African and other Third World pastors and priests are bringing real faith back into mushy churches. A reverse ... missionaries went to Africa to preach the gospel, (the "White Man's Graveyard" thanks to malaria - the missionaries knew when they agreed to go that they would survive about two years ), now the descendents of the original converts are increasingly missionaries back to the lost-their-way-countries.
Gill O'Teen| 4.26.09 @ 2:33PM
wanumba, I'm not familiar enough with the works of Chesterton to know whether or not that statement can be attributed to him. But my carnivore son uses similar logic to tease his vegan sister.
wanumba| 4.26.09 @ 4:54PM
Gill O'Teen
Yikes! I hope you come back to read this.
If your daughter is a Vegan as in no animal proteins at all, eggs, meat or milk, be aware that VEGANISM IS SLOW SUICIDE. Vit B is only found in animal products, and the first casualty of B deficiency is irreversable nerve damage. Increased injuries, low stamina etc are warning signs the body isn't as strong as it should be. Stresses like sports or illness will tip a low functioning, but borderline body into a crisis as the body needs more healthy inputs to repair and heal itself. Kwashiorkor is the extreme form of protein-calorie deficiency, usually only associated with Third World poverty and food disruption caused by war conditions, but now being manifested in the USA in Vegans, who tend to be girls. A protein-calorie-B deficit hits growing children the worst as their need for building foods is greater than a stable adult. Veganism is most popular amongst the teenager girls whose growing bodies require good nutrition for a healthy adulthood.
I worked with kwashiorkor and marasmus kids for two years , and was shocked to discover several girls on our daughters' sports teams who were literally falling apart from the added stress of not even that tough training. ALL were vegans and vegetarians. One had to be taken off the field by ambulance mid-game with tingling and numbness in her extremities: nerve damage - permanent. Symptoms subsided after eating meat, eggs and milk for a week, no medications. College health units are reporting kwashiorkor cases, ALL vegans, usually girls. Full-blown kwashiorkor is awful. The entire body is puffy with edema, as the body tissue breaks down and leaks fluids. The sufferers are listless and very very hard to restore as their deteriorating intestines cannot process the food coming in any more.
Save your daughter!!
Martin| 4.26.09 @ 6:51PM
Can we really be surprised if this priest is elevated to the office of bishop? The most prominent episcopal bishop in the media for years was John Shelby Spong, an apostate, who wrote widely read books denying the virgin birth, the bodily resurrection of Jesus, and any other "supernatural" miracle in the Bible.
In the DFW area, several congregations have left the episcopal communion and become Roman Catholic or Eastern Orthodox. I pray for a spiritual renewal within the Anglican community.
Gill O'Teen| 4.26.09 @ 7:53PM
wanumba, I did come back and certainly appreciate your post at 4/26/09 at 4:54 PM. I have discussed her dietary habits with my daughter, but she insists that everything is under control. I guess she’s not a true vegan, I'm not hip to all that terminology, because she will eat cheese. I think she also eats eggs and drinks milk, but I’m not sure. I will cut and paste your remarks into my next e-mail to her. Thanks for your concern. I do appreciate your efforts on her behalf.
Best regards!
Gill
wanumba| 4.27.09 @ 1:29AM
Gill O'Teen
last word! vegans are the extremists: no meat, no milk, no eggs. vegetarians are grouped by whether they eat fish,eggs,or milk. But, beware! The gir l mentioned above was NOT a vegan or a vegetarian. She was allergic to milk, hated the cafeteria egg product and skipped the crappy meat, so while at school she ate like a vegan even though she wasn't one. Vegetarians had the same problem: many were lactose intolerant so no milk products, hated the fake eggs, so no milk, no eggs and no meat, just like a vegan without declared to be one. Girls tend to cut corners more than the guys do, so it takes some digging to find out exactly how they are really eating when away from home.
Good luck! and good night!
Pingback| 5.5.09 @ 4:07AM
» Fue Delta Phi links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
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oes tsetnoc blog
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Trackback| 12.13.09 @ 10:47PM
nh credit repair, on nh credit repair, links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
poptropica | 4.9.10 @ 8:18PM
I’ll have a Poptropica full written walkthrough very soon, but in the meantime, here are some answers to some of the frequently asked questions about Mythology Island. Having trouble? Post a question in the comments and I’ll try to answer it!
Getting Hercules to Help You Poptropica
Hercules won’t help you until you have all five items from Zeus’ quest. Once you have the five items, bring them to Athena. Zeus will appear and steal them. The big jerk! Once this happens, talk to Athena and she will tell you that Hercules will help you. You’ll need to have the magic mirror from Aphrodite because Hercules doesn’t want to have to walk. He’s so lazy!
Getting the Hydra Scale poptropica
You can see how to do this in the videos, but basically you need to jump up when the Hydra is about to strike. He will rear one of his heads back to attack and his eyes will bulge out. poptropica
When this happens, jump up in the air and then try to land on top of his head. That head will get knocked out. When all five heads get knocked out, the Hydra will be asleep and you can click on him to get one of the scales. poptropica
I’ll have a full written walkthrough very soon, but in the meantime, here are some answers to some of the frequently asked questions about Mythology Island. Having trouble? Post a question in the comments and I’ll try to answer it!poptropica
Getting Hercules to Help You
Hercules won’t help you until you have all five items from Zeus’ quest. poptropica
Once you have the five items, bring them to Athena. Zeus will appear and steal them. The big jerk! Once this happens, talk to Athena and she will tell you that Hercules will help you.poptropica
. You’ll need to have the magic mirror from Aphrodite because Hercules doesn’t want to have to walk. He’s so lazy!
Getting the Hydra Scale
You can see how to do this in the videos, but basically you need to jump up when the Hydra is about to strike. He will rear one of his heads back to attack and his eyes will bulge out.Poptropica When this happens, jump up in the air and then try to land on top of his head. That head will get knocked out. When all five heads get knocked out, the Hydra will be asleep and you can click on him to get one of the scales. poptropica
blackberry tips | 5.9.10 @ 2:56AM
i think modern Episcopal Church will do the best for this issue..