More Colours of TEC - Can the Inquisition Be Far Off?

Following on the heels of the vote of the HOB for the deposition of Bishop John-David Schofield and Bishop Suffragan William Jackson Cox, Comrade Brezhnev PB Schori and the Politburo House of Bishops today continued their mean-spirited assault on orthodox clergy when they (1) charged 80-year old retired Bishop of Quincy Edward McBurney with canonical violations, for his pastoral visitation of a California church affiliated with the Province of the Southern Cone without the permission of the Episcopal Bishop of San Diego; and (2) announced the intention to seek the deposition of Bishop Bob Duncan in May 2008 rather than September 2008.

The strategy seems to be clearer now.  TEC is moving to create a situation where the Lambeth Conference invitations of these Bishops are placed in jeopardy if they are, by this summer, no longer officially considered Bishops in the Episcopal Church.  In so doing, they are putting pressure on Canterbury to withdraw the invitations to these, and presumably other, Bishops just as he has declined to send one to Gene Robinson.  Pitching quite the ecclesiastical fit in Texas, aren't they?

The mean-spiritedness found a new low in the situation of retired Bishop McBurney.  Leaving aside the question of whether he even needed permission to visit a non-TEC church from a TEC Bishop, +McBurney is presently trying to deal with an adult child who is said to be close to death when he gets this blow to the chops from his brethren in the HOB.  This plainly illustrates the evil being done within TEC - all this Godly man tried to do was provide some pastoral care, when invited to do so, to an Anglican congregation not affiliated with TEC.  TEC apparently believes its Bishops have endless geographical jurisdiction, not limited to TEC parishes.  +McBurney's reward from TEC?  Canonical charges.  With this kind of response, are we then supposed to believe that the so-called "Episcopal Visitors" plan holds any hope for realistic ministration to the orthodox?  Hardly.

As for +Duncan, Comrade Brezhnev PB Schori would like nothing more than to prevent him from attending Lambeth, if he even intends to go after GAFCON.  Although she has to "poll" the HOB in April for permission to move the process up to May, is there any doubt she will receive approval?  Never mind the three senior Bishops who refused to sign off on his inhibition because Pittsburgh has not yet formally left - Comrade Brezhnev PB Schori will do what she can to extract her pound of flesh from anyone who dares oppose her plans.  I almost shudder to think of her fury when she did not get to inhibit +Duncan - I picture something along the lines of the Wicked Witch from Wizard of Oz, although I'm having a hard time casting the flying monkeys just yet.

If this is how TEC does "reconciliation", I would hate to see what happens when they really get mad.

I wish these Bishops would simply refuse to grace her maneuvers with any response.  Why would they want to fight for the opportunity to commune with ol' Broccoli-Brains anyway?  The HOB has long since proven itself to be a virtual kangaroo court in terms of realistically enforcing the Constitution and Canons, clearly and repeatedly choosing only to enforce against those who oppose the liberal agenda.  Those among their kind who publicly attack Christianity and the Word of God skate free, and those who conceal things such as sexual abuse are tolerated for years until caught with their hands in the cookie jar.  But let a clergy-person step outside the TEC agenda and try to minister, much less lead, the orthodox in their quest for true Christianity, and the S.S. Squid runs out the guns and goes to battle stations.  Why bother to serve as a foil in their little stage play when TEC is becoming so completely irrelevant anymore?

Comments

[mark slaw]

I agree that there is an agenda re: bishop Duncan, but disagree that it is limited to preventing his attendance at Lambeth. More to the point, 815 has been jolted by the departure of San Joaquin, and is seeking to prevent another diocese from leaving. If they can inhibit and/or depose +Duncan before the annual diocesan convention, they can effectively prevent the diocese from departing for the Southern Cone or some other more conservative province of the Communion. It's all about timing, and power, and 815 is being brutal about both.