The Day after the Happy Day 


ECUSA apologizes for ordaining an openly gay bishop, but a proposed moratorium on gay bishops fails in the House of Deputies. History being made as we write! 

I've been following the blog, General Convention—My Take, by Matthew Owings, a member of my parish who is in Columbus, Ohio at the General Convention of The Episcopal Church in the United States of America (ECUSA) as a Delegate. It's been fun to vicariously experience this gathering through Matt's eyes, and it's also been painful, because gays and lesbians, as usual, are being used as a touchstone of divisiveness and hatred (well, less than full-lovered). You remember, of course, when your big brother lied to mom and you got punished, how that felt. Well, on a grown-up scale, it still can hurt when a faction of a Christian church proposes to offer your kind on a stick as a peace offering those who claim that the Church has strayed too far from God's path.

Yesterday, I wrote of my joy and hopefulness that ECUSA has elected a progressive woman bishop to a nine-year term as its presiding bishop. Today, I am still hopeful from that move. It's clear to me that the more women in leadership positions that we have in this nation and on this earth, the better of we all will be. (But not to get out of balance in the other direction!!) Clearly, if women were more in charge, it is doubtful that so many wars would be fought. Why do I say that? Because, frankly, as a group, women care more about children than do men. I won't argue that one, but just think about it, and then draw your own conclusion. Who would ever wage a war where children were dying if they truly cared about them? Who would DARE to do a cost-benefit analysis of how many civilian casualties are tolerable in order to achieve militaristic goals if they cared about people?

I could go on listing the good qualities of women, their inherent social skills, their tendency to use collaborative modes of work, and yes, their estrogen. I think there is still way too much unbridled testosterone in the world. We guys really need training to help us know when and where to use it. Don't get me wrong. I like my testosterone, but I have met the enemy, and it is too much of that good thing.

But today, here we are, seeing how ECUSA is dealing with the Windsor Report. For those of you who don't know what that is (if there are still any left), here is how a USA Today article described it. In the huge wake of the election as bishop three years ago by the Diocese of New Hampshire of Gene Robinson, an openly gay man living in a committed same-sex relationship, "a special report from the worldwide Communion, called the "Windsor Report," asked the U.S. church to put an indefinite moratorium on choosing any more gay bishops and allowing priests to bless same-sex unions and called for an expression of "regret" for breaking the bonds of fellowship that are the Communion's only ties."

According to Matt's blog, today ECUSA begin completing its response to the Windsor Report. A resolution was passed by the House of Deputies apologizing to the Anglican Communion for "straining the bonds of affection" of the worldwide church because of the elevation of Gene Robinson to bishop. But then, will wonders never cease, according to an ABC news report, "Episcopal clergy and lay delegates Tuesday rejected a demand from fellow Anglicans that they temporarily stop electing gay bishops, leaving little chance the proposal could be revived at a national church meeting." At the time of this writing it is not clear what the final action of the HOD will be regarding the Windsor request for a moratorium on work towards liturgies for or blessing same-sex unions. But ECUSA has taken a decidedly progressive turn.

I sincerely hope that folks like Robert Duncan, Bishop of Pittsburgh, and leader in the move to restore a more traditional face to ECUSA, will not bolt and run. After all, he was expecting the progressives to once again put aside their beliefs and wait another three years. Simple justice demands that we be willing to extend those courtesies that we expect or demand from others. Most people are predicting a rupture in the American Church. Some dioceses, including the Diocese of Texas, are in the process of requesting affiliation with more conservative churches worldwide. We will just have to wait and see what happens.

I hope the Anglican Communion stays in dialog, for if we do not do that, we have given in to the dark forces of fear. Fear, I believe, is not of Christ, Love is. Separating fearfully may be all that we can manage, and that itself calls for compassion. But these are not the bold, brave moves that we Christians are called upon to make. Duncan has pointed out, perhaps with some merit, that we have two completely different churches in the progressive and conservative wing of ECUSA. The conservatives really believe that the Bible records the Will of God that women will not serve in certain church leadership positions, and the unrepentant homosexuality is a sin. If we listen to them, they will tell us in detail their stories to support this. The progressives believe that Christ can live and thrive adequately in any human body, and in particular, that the gift of leadership and right living does not fall only toward the heterosexual male. They equally will tell their stories.

We need to listen to each other's stories, people. It is not the stories we tell, but rather, if and how we tell the stories that matters. We must tell them with love, and we must tell them to each other. There are so many good Christian causes we COULD be helping each other with, if we would just grow a little tolerance: peace, the elimination of hunger, the more equitable distribution of the world's resources, the teaching of Christ's love for us all.

Let's do these things. And let's do them together. 

Posted: Tue - June 20, 2006 at 04:28 PM          

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