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.
Nine days ago, Lisa Fox revealed the names of six of the eight members of the anonymous panel of theologians that the House of Bishops’
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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“My name is Gene Robinson and I serve the people of New Hampshire.” He says he couldn’t do his job without the support of his partner and soon to be husband Mark. He says any married bishop would say as much. Given that, why deny a GLBT bishop that kind of essential support.
Deputy Earnie Bennett, a priest from the Diocese of Central Florida, said the one-on-one conversations the Deputies participated in this afternoon was, “one of those places where I think the Episcopal Church is at its best.” We caught a glimpse a little of the promise that each of us saw as well as the difficulties that confront us as we continue to deal with these stories.