Bishop John Lipscomb to leave the Epsicopal Church for Rome

It is nice to see someone willing to make sacrifices for that in which they passionately believe and to take the high and ethical road of living out their choice. Bp. Lipscomb joins several other Episcopal Bishop's who have made this decision. I honor the man for his integrity. It is hard for me to understand why Bishops would make this choice however for the sake of unity when one of the things they sacrifice are their beliefs and actions which are contrary to Roman Catholic doctrine, particularly the acceptance that all their priestly acts and acts as Bishops are null and void as Rome had steadfastly claimed Anglican orders invalid.

An Open Letter to the diocese of Southwest Florida from Bishop John Lipscomb

November 20, 2007,
Dear Friends in Christ,

I have communicated to the Presiding Bishop my request to be released from my ordination vows and the obligations and responsibilities of a member of the House of Bishops. I have taken this step in order to be received into the Catholic Church. Through a long season of prayer and reflection Marcie and I have come to believe this is the leading of the Holy Spirit and God's call to us for the next chapter of our lives. We are grateful to our brother in Christ, the Most Rev. Robert N. Lynch, the Bishop of St. Petersburg, for his openness to our request and for his prayerful support.

I was blessed to grow up in a Christian home where I was given the gift of a deep love for the Lord Jesus Christ and a reverence for God's revelation of his love and redemptive purpose in the Word written, as well as the Word made Flesh. I was blessed to be brought into the family of the Episcopal Church 40 years ago. I have a deep love for the sacramental life, most especially the Eucharistic sacrifice through which God continues to pour his grace into our lives in the Word that needs no words.
I will be forever grateful for the opportunities I had to serve this faith community as a deacon and priest. I am most grateful for the opportunity you, the people of the Diocese of Southwest Florida, gave me to serve as your bishop and to participate in the life of the Anglican Communion. You made it possible for me to share in the mission of God that can never be bound by geographical or political barriers.

I believe God is now calling us to continue our ministry to serve in the healing of the visible Body of Christ in the world. I am convinced our Lord's deepest desire is for the unity of the Church.

Marcie and I will never have the words to express to you the depth of our gratitude for the support you gave us during my medical leave and for the joyous celebration of the ministry you allowed us to share with you that brings to a close my ordained ministry in the Episcopal Church. We will pray for the continued health and vitality of the Diocese of Southwest Florida.

The following prayer by Thomas Merton speaks more eloquently than we can find possible at this moment. Marcie and I have experienced an abundance of God's grace throughout our lives, and we continue to trust God in the future, which continues to unfold for us:

My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself and the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it. Therefore I will trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.

An appalling lack of integrity

I am shocked by the lack of integrity in the House of Bishops latest missive.

I was momentarily impressed by the honesty of the HOB in admitting what we all knew, namely that B033 was speaking of gays and lesbians.

I was unimpressed by the duplicity of the statement:

"We proclaim the Gospel that in Christ all God's children, including gay
and lesbian persons, are full and equal participants in the life of
Christ's Church."

in light of the sacrifices they seemed to be willing to make of others while wandering around at the foot of a cross that most of them are conveniently not on.

The truth of the matter is that by their statement they clearly are not treating gay and lesbian persons as "full and equal participants in the life of Christ's Church."

A little honest and integrity of admitting that they are willing to not allow the full and equal participation of gays and lesbians in the life of the church as a sacrifice in an attempt at unity would have at least been a dose of refreshing honesty and no less distressing (to me at least) than what they did.

Here is the statement from the HOB:

The House of Bishops Responds To The Primates

House of Bishops of The Episcopal Church
New Orleans, Louisiana
September 25, 2007

A Response to Questions and Concerns Raised by our Anglican Communion Partners

In accordance with Our Lord's high priestly prayer that we be one, and in the spirit of Resolution A159 of the 75th General Convention, and in obedience to his Great Commission to go into the world and make disciples, and in gratitude for the gift of the Anglican Communion as a sign of the Holy Spirit's ongoing work of reconciliation throughout the world, we offer the following to the Episcopal Church, the Primates, the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC), and the larger Communion, with the hope of "mending the tear in the fabric" of our common life in Christ.

"I do it all for the sake of the Gospel so that I might share in its blessings." 1 Corinthians 9:23

Introduction

The House of Bishops expresses sincere and heartfelt thanks to the Archbishop of Canterbury and members of the Joint Standing Committee of the Anglican Consultative Council and the Primates for accepting our invitation to join us in New Orleans. By their presence they have both honored us and assisted us in our discernment. Their presence was a living reminder of the unity that is Christ's promised gift in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Much of our meeting time was spent in continuing discernment of our relationships within the Anglican Communion. We engaged in careful listening and straightforward dialogue with our guests. We expressed our passionate desire to remain in communion. It is our conviction that The Episcopal Church needs the Anglican Communion, and we heard from our guests that the Anglican Communion needs The Episcopal Church.

The House of Bishops offers the following responses to our Anglican Communion partners. We believe they provide clarity and point toward next steps in an ongoing process of dialogue. Within The Episcopal Church the common discernment of God's call is a lively partnership among laypersons, bishops, priests, and deacons, and therefore necessarily includes the Presiding Bishop, the Executive Council, and the General Convention.

Summary

* We reconfirm that resolution B033 of General Convention 2006 (The Election of Bishops) calls upon bishops with jurisdiction and Standing Committees "to exercise restraint by not consenting to the consecration of any candidate to the episcopate whose manner of life presents a challenge to the wider church and will lead to further strains on communion."

* We pledge as a body not to authorize public rites for the blessing of same-sex unions.

* We commend our Presiding Bishop's plan for episcopal visitors.

* We deplore incursions into our jurisdictions by uninvited bishops and call for them to end.

* We support the Presiding Bishop in seeking communion-wide consultation in a manner that is in accord with our Constitution and Canons.

* We call for increasing implementation of the listening process across the Communion and for a report on its progress to Lambeth 2008.

* We support the Archbishop of Canterbury in his expressed desire to explore ways for the Bishop of New Hampshire to participate in the Lambeth Conference.

* We call for unequivocal and active commitment to the civil rights, safety, and dignity of gay and lesbian persons.

Discussion

Resolution B033 of the 2006 General Convention

The House of Bishops concurs with Resolution EC011 of the Executive Council. This Resolution commends the Report of the Communion Sub-Group of the Joint Standing Committee of the Anglican Consultative Council and the Primates of the Anglican Communion as an accurate evaluation of Resolution B033 of the 2006 General Convention, calling upon bishops with jurisdiction and Standing Committees "to exercise restraint by not consenting to the consecration of any candidate to the episcopate whose manner of life presents a challenge to the wider church and will lead to further strains on communion." The House acknowledges that non-celibate gay and lesbian persons are included among those to whom B033 pertains.

Blessing of Same-Sex Unions

We, the members of the House of Bishops, pledge not to authorize for use in our dioceses any public rites of blessing of same-sex unions until a broader consensus emerges in the Communion, or until General Convention takes further action. In the near future we hope to be able to draw upon the benefits of the Communion-wide listening process. In the meantime, it is important to note that no rite of blessing for persons living in same-sex unions has been adopted or approved by our General Convention. In addition to not having authorized liturgies the majority of bishops do not make allowance for the blessing of same-sex unions. We do note that in May 2003 the Primates said we have a pastoral duty "to respond with love and understanding to people of all sexual orientations." They further stated, "...[I]t is necessary to maintain a breadth of private response to situations of individual pastoral care."

Episcopal Visitors

We affirm the Presiding Bishop's plan to appoint episcopal visitors for dioceses that request alternative oversight. Such oversight would be provided by bishops who are a part of and subject to the communal life of this province. We believe this plan is consistent with and analogous to Delegated Episcopal Pastoral Oversight (DEPO) as affirmed by the Windsor Report (paragraph 152). We thank those bishops who have generously offered themselves for this ministry. We hope that dioceses will make use of this plan and that the Presiding Bishop will continue conversation with those dioceses that may feel the need for such ministries. We appreciate and need to hear all voices in The Episcopal Church.

Incursions by Uninvited Bishops

We call for an immediate end to diocesan incursions by uninvited bishops in accordance with the Windsor Report and consistent with the statements of past Lambeth Conferences and the Ecumenical Councils of the Church. Such incursions imperil common prayer and long-established ecclesial principles of our Communion. These principles include respect for local jurisdiction and recognition of the geographical boundaries of dioceses and provinces. As we continue to commit ourselves to honor both the spirit and the content of the Windsor Report, we call upon those provinces and bishops engaging in such interventions likewise to honor the Windsor Report by ending them. We offer assurance that delegated episcopal pastoral care is being provided for those who seek it.

Communion-wide Consultation

In their communique of February 2007, the Primates proposed a "pastoral scheme." At our meeting in March 2007, we expressed our deep concern that this scheme would compromise the authority of our own primate and place the autonomy of The Episcopal Church at risk. The Executive Council reiterate our concerns and declined to participate. Nevertheless we recognize a useful role for communion-wide consultation with respect to the pastoral needs of those seeking alternative oversight, as well as the pastoral needs of gay and lesbian persons in this and other provinces. We encourage our Presiding Bishop to continue to explore such consultation in a manner that is in accord with our Constitution and Canons.

The Listening Process

The 1998 Lambeth Conference called all the provinces of the Anglican Communion to engage in a "listening process" designed to bring gay and lesbian Anglicans fully into the church's conversation about sexuality. We look forward to receiving initial reports about this process at the 2008 Lambeth Conference, and to participating with others in this crucial enterprise. We are aware that in some cultural contexts, conversation concerning homosexuality is difficult. We see an important role for the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) in this listening process, since it represents both the lay and ordained members of our constituent churches and so is well placed to engage every part of the body in this conversation. We encourage the ACC to identify the variety of resources needed to accomplish these conversations.

The Lambeth Conference

Invitations to the Lambeth Conference are extended by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Those among us who have received an invitation to attend the 2008 Lambeth Conference look forward to that gathering with hope and expectation. Many of us are engaged in mission partnerships with bishops and dioceses around the world and cherish these relationships. Lambeth offers a wonderful opportunity to build on such partnerships.

We are mindful that the Bishop of New Hampshire has not yet received an invitation to the conference. We also note that the Archbishop of Canterbury has expressed a desire to explore a way for him to participate. We share the Archbishop's desire and encourage our Presiding Bishop to offer our assistance as bishops in this endeavor. It is our fervent hope that a way can be found for his full participation.

Happier News

I'm happy to pass on that the Church of Nigeria has exposed this as a misquote and repudiated the statement. The original news agency has apologized for making this attribution.

This is very good news indeed.

Sad news indeed

UPI had recently run a story (http://www.upi.com/AfricaMonitoring/view.php?StoryID=20070902-831713-6007-r) in which the Anglican Bishop of Uyo, Rt. Rev. Isaac Orama, has condemned the activities of homosexuals and lesbians, and described those engaged in them as "insane people''. He goes on to state that "Those who practice them are insane, satanic and are not fit to live because they are rebels to God's purpose for man."

I hope and pray that UPI has it wrong this time. To me it is unthinkable for someone who calls himself a Christian and a Bishop of the Anglican Communion to make such hateful statements.

If this story is true, surely Jesus is weeping.

Pick and choose

There is an excellent commentary by the Rev. Bob Edgar, a former member of Congress from Pennsylvania, in Episcopal Life Online. He comments on how easy it is for people to basically cherry pick verses in the Bible to support their own positions while being willing to ignore other verses. Here is a small quote from the start of the article:

Let's talk about immigration. But first, here's a word from our sponsor, the God of Abraham, Sarah and Hagar, Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob and Rachel and Leah.

"When an alien resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the alien. The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God." (Leviticus 19:33-34)

That seems pretty clear. Don't you think?

There are half a dozen similar verses in the Hebrew Scriptures. But Americans who are so riled up over this immigration situation seem to ignore these words.


I encourage you to read the rest of this thoughtful article here.

How do they do it?

Since it has been six months since my last post I'm left wondering, how in the world do they do it? I see many parish priests seeming to have time to post at what seems to me to be an unachievable level. However I will attempt to do better.

Episcopal Election for South Carolina

Well the news is out that the Presiding Bishop's office has ruled the consents lacking and Mark Lawrence's election is not confirmed.

This is sad indeed. Sad mostly because the actions taken to pass B033 contributed to this. Although the Standing Committee of the Diocese of Alaska voted in favor, I felt compelled to vote against as I have several others since B033. This was one of the very reasons I was against B033 and voted against it as well. It sets up a level of scrutiny not generally used in our tradition.

Sadder still are those who voted for B033 and lack the courage of their convictions to carry it out.

I'm sure Jesus weeps over it all.

Some reflections

How often have you been told or thought or perhaps told or thought that a member of your family had their priorities all wrong. I certainly sometimes think that is true, but in my own life and in the life of the wider church. Our priorities are messed up big time. A prime example of this was the recent primates meeting in Tanzania. The primates of the Anglican Communion gathered together at great expense for five days. And what did they spend the vast majority of their time talking about for those five days? Sex.

Seven of them refused to share communion together due to the presence of our Presiding Bishop. If fact, they couldn’t even agree to get together for a picture! Now some of you might be thinking, so who really cares about the primates or the Anglican Communion anyway, what really interests me is St. Peter’s. After hearing about this meeting I might well agree with you!

Children are dying every day of starvation and of completely treatable diseases. Did they spend five days talking about that? Nope. People are murdering others for what they believe for because of the tribal affiliation or because of their religious belief. Did they talk about that for five days? Nope. Wars are being fought in several places in the world. Did they talk about that for five days? Nope.

I find myself in agreement with Bp. Chane of the Diocese of Washington who said: “I am deeply distressed that the Primates spent so much time discussing the internal life of the Episcopal Church and devoted so little attention to the woeful state of our global community. The Gospel summons us to a unified effort against the spread of HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, hunger, poverty, human rights violations, the degradation of women and children and the behavior of corrupt governments. Yet the Primates continue to behave as though quashing dissent on issues of human sexuality were the central calling of the
Christian faith.[1]

It has to be enough to make Jesus weep.

---

[1] The Right Reverend John Bryson Chane, Bishop of Washington, pastoral letter dated
February 22, 2007

Primates meeting

Well the primates meeting is all done. And there seems to be some weeping on both sides of the issue. This seems to be a situation where no one on either of the extremes will be satisfied. I however am gratified to see that TEC remains a steadfast part of the Anglican Communion not so much because my life depends on it, but because I see it as a triumph for the middle way. Surely Jesus was weeping over the fact that 7 primates felt it ok to boycott communion because our Presiding Bishop was present. That sort of exculsivity is not what Jesus taught. I'm sure he was weeping over those kinds of attitudes.