The Bishop is at it again

We use SiteMeter to track visits to the ‘Grok (darn, I gotta figure out why it isn’t showing at the bottom of the page…sigh….add it to-do list).  One of the aggregator sites, NH News Links, linked to us so I went on over to see what story they had linked to (Doug’s post about upcoming stuff).  On working down the page, I saw a number of posts about Bishop Gene Robinson and his decision to enter in a civil union here in NH (here, here, and here).

You gotta love the Internet and blogs – go looking for one thing and find something interesting everywhere you go when you least expect it.

Anyways, the ‘Grok has done a bunch of posts on the decline of the "mainline" Protestant churches, including the Episcopalian church, as they seem to be turning, in my opinion, from a spiritual gospel to a more socially / culturally oriented theology (here, here, here, here, and here among others).

It seems that Bishop Gene Robinson has decided to insert himself into the news.  He announced to BBC while in London that he was going to consummate a civil union with his partner.

(London) The only openly gay bishop in the worldwide Anglican Church has unveiled plans for a civil union with his longtime partner, unleashing an attack by church conservatives who call it a publicity stunt.

[snip] 

The timing would bring it just weeks before bishops from around the world are to meet in London for their once-a-decade meeting called the Lambeth Conference.

[snip]

"I am certainly not doing that to rub salt into anyone’s wounds, but no one should expect me to penalize me and my partner when these rights are being offered,"

Call me skeptical, but to announce this before one of the most important meetings of the Anglican Church when he single handed has thrown his church into such turmoil?  This could have been done afterwards, or even after the first of the year.  Does he really think that this helps his cause? 

[snip]

Robinson first raised the possibility of entering into a civil union when he testified in April before a New Hampshire committee hearing leading up to the vote that passed the law.

He has made it no secret that this is one of his signature issues.  Not necessarily in word but certainly in deed.  No, his emphasis has not been on healing, not on winning souls, not on stemming the decline in his church membership.  It is my opinion that he has used his position for his own purpose.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, the titular leader of the worldwide denomination has been trying to keep the Church from splintering over Robinson’s election in 2004.

While Robinson will be allowed to attend the Lambeth Conference, Williams will not allow him to participate or vote.

A similar restriction has been placed on bishops consecrated in the US by Akinola.

On one level, Williams has done the right thing – putting both antagonists "into the penalty box".  However, this does not solve the problem – in watching words in the media, it is clear that Robinson is not going to stop his crusade.  And given the sin that Bishop Akinola sees being paraded by a church leader, neither will he stop in his admonishments.

At a more important level, Williams may be guilty of the more serious "sin" – a lack of leadership.   There is a wrong in process in his church, a serious sin.  And he delays making the decision in dealing with it. 

Despite claims by the dissident faction that they are not seeking a schism of the worldwide Church when leaders gather next year for their once-a-decade meeting bishops representing almost half of the denomination’s 77-million members will be absent. (story)

Last month the steering committee for the Global South Primates, made up of churches mainly in the developing world and the most conservative in the worldwide Anglican Communion, said last month its bishops will boycott the meeting because the Episcopal Church, is allowed to participate. 

On Thursday Akinola issued a statement saying the "the moment of decision is almost upon us" about whether Anglican conservatives and liberals can stay together.

It matters not whether a formal schism has occurred – one already has.  No amount of PR  of spinning can cover this up. 

"We earnestly desire the healing of our beloved communion but not at the cost of rewriting the Bible to accommodate the latest cultural trend," Akinola said. "We cannot turn away from the source of life and love for a temporary truce."

And this drives Liberals and gay activists bonkers – the refusal to migrate to a social gospel from an absolute morality of the Bible. 

While the above story from 365gay was pretty much fairly straight (intended!), this one from Church Times shows its conservative slant.

Tangent:  The Church Time says this about itself:

The Church Times was started to campaign for Anglo-Catholic principles, which it did with vigour and rudeness.

Anyways, right out of the shoot, the Bishop plays….get ready…..wait for it…

THE Anglican Communion’s only openly gay bishop, the Rt Revd Gene Robinson, the Bishop of New Hampshire, will use a BBC broadcast next week to undermine the Communion’s carefully crafted compromise that distinguishes between homosexual orientation and practice. The Bishop says that the distinction is dishonest.

He will also accuse his African critics of being like old-style US racists in their attack on lesbians and gays.

…THE RACE CARD!!  Nice, very nice.  Then he goes on to sack the Roman Catholic Church:

“Second of all, very few people are called to celibacy, certainly not a whole category of people.”

“I love the Anglican Church, and I value the Communion, and I will do everything short of standing down to benefit the Communion, but I will not reject God’s call to me.”

When asked if he should have stepped aside for the sake of the unity of the Communion, as did the then Canon Jeffrey John after he had accepted the call to be Bishop of Reading, Bishop Robinson says that God had constantly called him to offer himself as bishop, and had never once gone back on that call. He had resisted because he knew it would be controversial, but God had nagged at him to act.

There’s more in all three articles – I urge you to read them for yourself.

For me, there is one sad fact that stands out: Gene Robinson has used his position (and now celebrity) to advocate for himself – his values and his needs.  He has put himself ahead of the church that he is supposed to lead.  He has fractured his church, not only here in NH, not only in the US, but around the world.  I believe in my heart that he has not put God first, his Church first, but himself first.  He has seemingly has no compunction in wielding the heavy sword of strong language against those that dare use the best rule for judging Christian behavior – the Bible.

In keeping his needs foremost, millions are suffering.  His own fellow Bishop John (above) stepped aside rather than to cause division (which was the right thing to do).

I certainly disagree with him theologically.  There was a time in my life when I was a Deacon in my local church (no, I am not an Episcopalian).  When it became apparent that my family needed me more, that I was causing a problem with my fellow Deacons in not being able to concentrate on my responsibilities with them, and according to Scripture (1 Timothy 3:12, Titus 1:6; Titus 3:10), I resigned, as in that setting, controversy was not the right avenue to pursue.

He should have declined.  The Episcopal Church should not have declined – to act promptly.

Actions and decisions have consequences.  So does inaction.