Eyes on the floor: B033 and Elephants

By Richard Helmer

As the retrospective on the origins of B033, passed by the 75th General Convention in 2006, was delivered to the House of Deputies this evening by the Committee on World Mission, it struck me again just how much the Windsor Report has become the elephant in the living room of The Episcopal Church, if not the whole Anglican Communion.


It’s been pointed out elsewhere that the Windsor Report is just that: a report.

Sometimes elephants are inflicted on living rooms from the outside by a greater power. Sometimes they are given power simply by the people meeting in the room. Given the way the Anglican Communion is structured, with great autonomy given to each church, it seems that there is no “greater power” to inflict this elephant in our collective living room; resolutions of Primates, the Anglican Consultative Council, and assertions by the Archbishop of Canterbury notwithstanding.

So the choice before the 76th General Convention is whether or not to continue to give power to the Windsor Report – to continue to empower the elephant.

B033, as emphasized by presentations to the House, has no expiration date. So does the elephant live forever?

Or does Christ?

The House of Deputies, in special session, began this evening discussing, deputy-to-deputy, the following:

1. What is your story with respect to resolution B033?

2. What is our story as a Church with respect to resolution B033?

3. What is God calling us to do now?

We continue in special session for discussion tomorrow.

And we’ll see what happens to the elephant in the coming days following this conversation.

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Additional material from the evening news conference from Jim Naughton:

Deputy Emily Morales, a priest in the Diocese of Puerto Rico, read the five options presented to the deputies.

1. Take no action

2. Reaffirm b033

3. Disavow

4. Move beyond by reaffirming title 3 canons

5. New statement affirming full participation.

Deputy Ernie Bennett, a priest from the Diocese of Central Florida, said he thought the discussion of the three questions Richard mentions above was, “one of those places where I think the Episcopal Church is at its best.” He said his conversation partner and he came from “very different viewpoints and dioceses with very different cultures.

“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. I was moved by his story, and I think he was moved by mine.”

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