Baby Blue and Stand Firm (links to the right) have extensive coverage of the recent move by the Diocese of Virginia to recognize and provide liturgies for same-sex marriages. The Resolution:
RESOLVED, that the Diocese of Virginia recognizes our responsibility to respond to the pastoral needs of our faithful gay and lesbian members in a spirit of love, compassion and respect, and in doing so seek to fulfill our baptismal commitment to respect the dignity of every human being; and be it further
RESOLVED, that accordingly the 214th Annual Council of the Diocese of Virginia affirms the inherent integrity of and blessededness of committed Christian relationships between two adult persons, when those relationships are "characterized by fidelity, monogamy, mutual affection and respect, careful, honest communication, and the holy love which enables those in such relationships to see in each other the image of God." (Resolution 2000-D039 of the 73rd General Convention of the Episcopal Church).
There are already new liturgies available at the DioVA website (linked from Baby Blue), in two versions. Obviously, this has been going on for a long time. While there is much consternation from many commenters over "how could this have happened?" when DioVA has been long considered a signature moderate parish among TEO, it appears from this corner that Bishop Peter Lee has been in the hip pocket of the High Priestess for at least since he followed her orders and reneged on a stand-still agreement to negotiate with the Virginia Eleven. Strategically, if you're the High Priestess, what better place to do this, where you've been getting your butt kicked in Court, but you still want to flex your ecclesiastical muscle? And, what better place to serve notice that the LGBT agenda is forging ahead? If this happens in California, New Hampshire, D.C., New York, or any one of several other Dioceses,the response would be "no surprise." But do this in DioVA, and the orthodox are stunned.
Why not wait and do this sort of thing at General Convention, as everyone expects to happen? Several reasons come to mind, including that
- with the Virginia Eleven out of the way, Virginia was ripe for the taking.
- Or, was 815 trying to maintain the fantasy that the Diocese is the primary ecclesiastical body, not the national church, regardless of the moves of Metropolitan Schori? Once several Dioceses have made similar moves, whether by Resolution or by Bishop's fiat, then GenCon 09 becomes a vehicle for "bringing consistency" among the Dioceses.
- Also, the folks at 815 could be using this as a trial balloon, letting out the liturgies and everything, to gauge response and deal with any objections they deem relevant, before Gen Con 09.
- Could it also be that this move, coming from DioVA, is planned to "smoke out" other orthodox Dioceses prior to GenCon so the High Priestess knows from whence her opposition will come, with Pittsburgh, Ft. Worth, San Joaquin, and Quincy out of the picture? For example, how will DioSC respond?
I would agree with Greg Griffith's comment that it is a waste of time to talk about how this will affect Rowan Williams, or any one of several other Anglican groups, think tanks, etc. The reality is, it simply doesn't matter what they think. TEO is going forward, full speed ahead in its agenda to fully embrace the LGBT cause, Holy Scripture be damned. They're not going to wait around for any Covenant Process, nor are they going to legitimately "listen" to anything that would remotely slow them down or be seen, in their eyes, as any form of concession to orthodox Christianity.
I would also agree that it is a waste of time to argue about "what if" the Virginia Eleven has stayed around to fight this? Many "inside strategists" would argue that the orthodox should stay and fight these changes, rather than abandoning it to the revisionists. Might it have delayed this happening in DioVA? Maybe, maybe not. It might have changed the vehicle by which change came, but they could not have stopped Bp. Lee from "approving" such liturgies for individual churches. One way or another, in most places they're in charge and going to do their LGBT thing whether we like it or not. IMNSHO, the Virginia Eleven and others have merely been more prescient in their view of where TEO is going, and have taken their stand and gotten out somewhat late, but not too late, until after 815 finishes the task of making TEO an unrecognizable universalist social club with pretty buildings.
"Schism"? In reality, it happened a long time ago. It happened probably before "Look at Me" Gene was consecrated, and before Metropolitan Schori was elected. These two individuals are merely the inevitable place TEO has reached in its evolution from a mainline Christian denomination to the ludicrous Bible-denying mess it has become The departure of Dioceses and formation of the Anglican Church in North America cannot be seen as negotiating ploys to get TEO to compromise, because that is in all likelihood an impossibility. They need to be considered as serious, permanent acts by the great mass of moderate-to-orthodox people who remain within TEO due either to inertia, their "edifice complex" of love for their buildings, or simply because they are unwilling or unable to take a harsh, realistic look at what the national leadership of TEO, with the complicity of the majority of its Bishops, has done.
So am I "shocked" that this happened? Not really. It is not hard to see where TEO is going, and that it is going quickly. Where will be the next place to fall? That is unknown to most of us and perhaps only known to 815's strategists. But (to steal from Obama's inaugural) "know this": TEO already does not resemble the great church she has been since the time of Elizabeth. TEO does not even resemble a Christian denomination; remember ++Mouneer Anis' great speech at the HOB meeting in New Orleans: "You are not practicing a religion I recognize" or something like that? TEO refuses to acknowledge Jesus as "the Way, the Truth, and the Life." And TEO does not follow its own rules, but is held in sway to the whims of the harpie it mistakenly elected Presiding Bishop.
Staying inside to fight them may seem like the righteous thing to do for many people, but I would hope they would ask themselves what it is they are fighting for, because the Episcopal Church of their memories is already virtually gone. Even on the slim chance of defeating the revisionists, will they have so devastated the name "The Episcopal Church" that it will never recover from its present ignominy? I suspect that is so. Too many people I know think of TEO as nothing more than "the gay church" and as more is known, the less they think of it. My sister, a Methodist, was utterly shocked to hear that TEO financially supports the Center for Reproductive Rights; her response was, "that's like supporting murder." Perception is so much a part of our society, right or wrong, and the perceptions created by 815 are not good, not for practicing Christians, and not good for growing the denomination and making it healthy and vibrant.
If only there was a good reason to disagree with you.
Posted by: Scott+ | January 30, 2009 at 06:46 AM