Day: July 10, 2009

Over the past few days, the well-organized and attentively led commission had reached with prayer towards consensus. Members of the commission had initially approached the Title IV revisions with a mixture of skepticism and hope – recognizing the influence that disciplinary canons have over the life of our cherished communities and leadership, especially during periods of their greatest vulnerability and deepest hurts.

Over the last 24 hours, the House of Deputies of the Episcopal Church has conducted a well-designed, extremely respectful and entirely public reconsideration of a controversial piece of legislation: B033. At this hour, the House of Bishops decided to go into executive session tomorrow to discuss the same issue in private.

The frankly bizarre assertion that B033 somehow “worked” as it ought – that it enabled us as a Church to retain a seat at the tables of influence in the greater Communion, and that it somehow brings us towards a healthier state of affairs – was soundly and succinctly contradicted by other members of House. They replied quite simply that relationship in the Communion cannot be bought or codified by resolution.

By Jim Naughton The House of Deputies goes back into a Committee of the Whole this morning at 10 a. m. Pacific time to hear

Bishop Gene Robinson continues to express concern about the possibility that the House of Bishops may be unwilling to work with the House of Deputies:

The wittiest moment of the hearing came from the Rev. Rick Fabian who explained that Lord Chesterfield opposed building the railroad “because it would encourage the lower classes to travel needlessly” and that, similarly, the greatest threat to the church comes from straight youth who support same-sex unions in overwhelming numbers.

The Rev. Sue Carter of the Diocese of Michigan is blogging about the General Convention for Ruth Gledhill and the Times of London.

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