Charleston, SC, December, 2014
Tim Dwight and I attended the December 20 basketball game at the College of Charleston and did a couple of days of sightseeing. Here are some of my pictures from the trip. On the next page are some of Tim's.
We stayed at the Embassy Suites, right next to Francis Marion Square. We could see the Christmas tree in the center of the square from our room window. Smaller trees had been decorated by school children.
On Sunday morning we attended a service at St. Michael's Episcopal Church. The church was lovely; the music was great; and even the congregational singing was really good. The sermon incuded an explanation of the Virgin Birth that seemed to avoid the Incarnation. Not exactly what I wanted to hear on the Sunday before Christmas. I had never heard it explained quite that way, but I think it may be some flavor of docetism. It's hard to say on that small a sample. I thought maybe it was a way of maintaining the doctrine of Original Sin without going the Roman Catholic route of needing an Immaculate Conception. There were also three baptisms of infants. They used the regular Rite II service from the prayer book, but the rector gave an explanation that did not include any hint of baptism as a sacrament. It sounded more like when Baptists "dedicate" babies. I believe one can hold a high sacramental view of baptism, including Prevenient Grace, and still have an evangelical view that children accept a faith of their own and a relationship with Jesus Christ as they mature.
After I got home, I found out that the church is part of the group that pulled out of the Episcopal diocese there. So I don't know if those ideas are idiosyncratic to that preacher or are characteristic of that movement. Anyhow, I heard fine sermons on Christmas Day and Christmas Eve back in Davidson, and you came here to look at photos and not for a theological tirade, so we now get back to our regularly scheduled program.
On Sunday afternoon we went to see the Hunley, the actual submarine, not a model, as it soaks in a solution to clean it up. The bodies have been removed and buried in a place of honor. This coin was among the artifacts found in the ship.