Just how crazy have the Anglican wars become?
You know things have gone a bit nuts when one of the hot stories of the week in conservative Episcopal circles (or is that Anglican circles now?) was whether police in Colorado Springs would investigate the motives (theological, political or otherwise) of any 18-year-old youth who tried (oh the humanities) to do a hit job on a leading conservative priest.
Did you miss this story early last week? Alas, I have no updates to offer. Here is the top of the story in the Colorado Springs Gazette:
The Grace Episcopal Church controversy took a bizarre turn ... when a man barged into the 9 a.m. service, hurled a cream pie at the Rev. Don Armstrong and dashed out without saying a word.
The pie thrower didn't get far. Several parishioners chased him for several blocks, apprehended him near Palmer High School, then hauled him back to the church for Colorado Springs police. Marcus Hyde, 18, faces misdemeanor charges of harassment, trespassing, criminal mischief and disrupting a lawful assembly, police Sgt. Vince Niski said. Hyde was cited and released at the scene.
Armstrong was delivering a sermon titled "Of Christian Love and Charity" when Hyde burst through the side door closest to the pulpit, said church member Tim Chambers, who wrote about the incident on his blog at tbc.livejournal.com.
The priest ducked behind the pulpit to avoid the attack, but was able to get a good wiff of the missile. He testified that it was a banana-cream pie.
The attacker declined comment, seeking input from his attorney.
Don't you wish this event had taken place in New York City so that the headline writers for the New York Post could have taken a crack at it? Anyone want to click Comment and take a stab at Post offering on this topic?
Still, the Rocky Mountain News did give it the old tabloid try: "Pie-ty a no-show in church fracas -- Springs faithful concerned about security at services."
Dear readers, please let me know if there is a breakthrough in this investigation.
The art makes no sense, but I wanted to use it anyway, since I could not find anything involving liturgical vestments and banana-cream pies.