More on Montvale: Dissidents continue to lose

The St. Paul’s Montvale dissidents have again made a mess of things, even as they continue to display a remarable lack of insight. That’s the word of court officials and others close to the matter, following an abortive effort at court-ordered mediation.

”The dissidents just don’t get it. They think mediation involves them getting what they want, with no regard for anyone else,” said one person. “The effort was doomed to fail, right from the start.”

As a result, the criminal trespass case against the defendants is moving forward. Our hope is that the judge will stop second-guessing efforts like the Lombard Mennonite Peace Center mediation attempt. The latter, which is far better equipped to assist faith communities in conflict versus other mediators, pulled the plug when it became apparent that the dissidents’ position was both unreasonable and untenable.

Meanwhile, Rusty Miller’s ludicrous “heterophobia” lawsuit has been dismissed. No surprise there, as the courts cannot adjudicate internal church matters. Nor is there a tort of homophobia.

We also note that Miller’s pleadings made two things clear:

1. There is a huge streak of homophobia among the dissidents.
2. They are utterly clueless. Indeed, Miller’s lawsuit was one of the most downright dumb and poorly written pro se pieces we have seen, and it made the dissidents look even more stupid than they already look.

For the record, we would be a lot kinder about Miller’s antics if his motives were good. But this was an effort to use the courts to oppress church loyalists, and we have no sympathy. Mix in the appalling, misogynistic conduct of Joe Wahler, and the dissidents look hateful, childish and clueless — a toxic mix if there ever was one.

We also note with amusement that apparently Wahler doesn’t like the attention his comments have drawn. His Instagram account is now private, which is hardly conducive to pulling in new business. That begs the question: If he is good with ugly rhetoric of this sort, why doesn’t Wahler have the backbone to own it?

Anglican Watch supports the loyalists in the church and Pastor Jill Williams, and continues to stand with them. We reject the appalling behavior of the dissidents.