On "As the Anglican World Turns": An Epiphany During Lent

It's Friday and I'm catching up on all the "As the Anglican World Turns" news I missed this week getting my actual work done. So here are a few updates and some reflections:

First of all, my email included this "Google Alert"

Central Florida Bishop and Gay Executive Council Member Face Off Over Glasspool
Virtue Online
John W. Howe, and Bruce Garner, a gay Executive Council TEC member, faced off on the Bishops' and Deputies' list over the election of Mary Glasspool, ...

My, my, my -- I thought to myself. I thought there was a confidentiality agreement for those subscribed to that list! So I went and double-checked and -- sure enough -- at the end of every post to the House of Bishops and Deputies list (fondly referred to as "HoB/D") was this pretty clear reminder:

Unless this message is clearly in the public domain, e.g. a press release, it may not be redistributed without its author's permission.

(Remarkably unambiguous statement for Episcopalians, don'cha think? We probably don't even need a Special Committee from the House of Bishops to unpack this one for us!)

All of this prompted what I thought was a "retweetable" response from Colorado Deputy Lilith Zoe Cole -- which I post here with her (of course) permission:

The irony is that some (who paradoxically insist that a covenant would help) refuse to abide by the courtesies to which they have agreed as members of a community.

Which prompted me to say both "Amen" and "So what's up with that?"

And then I had an epiphany. In Lent. (Go figure.) Check out this rather extraordinary post by Kendall Harmon over at Titusonenine:

Kendall Harmon: A Personal Plea to Blog Readers in this Time
Posted by Kendall Harmon

I don't often do this, but it would mean a lot to me if you would not simply read, but read, think and pray about this entry.

"I've always been impressed that we are here, surviving, because of the indomitable courage of quite small people against impossible odds." ~ On the English people

Of course, said Gandalf. And why should not they prove true? Surely you do not disbelieve the prophecies, because you had a hand in bringing them about yourself? You don't really suppose, do you, that all your adventures and escapes were managed by mere luck, just for your sole benefit? You are a very fine person, Mr. Baggins, and I am very fond of you; but you are only quite a little fellow in a wide world after all! -- (J.R.R. Tolkien's character) Gandalf

The Lord of the Rings is about how men, including the humblest of men, choose to act in the face of moral urgency and engulfing peril. It is about the power of humility, the wisdom of mercy, the glory of self-sacrificial valor, the false glamour of evil, the workings of grace, and above all, the necessity of faith.

Put more plainly, LOTR screenwriter Phillippa Boyans says it's about goodness -- an idea that leaves many moderns skeptical and confused. "We come from a generation that has never had that question put to us," she said in an interview. "It was put to the generation of World War I. It was put to the generation of World War II. 'What are you prepared to do?' 'Are you going to hold on?' 'Are you going to keep going?' 'Do you have to live?' 'Is this a world worth fighting for?' All of this is in there." --Rod Dreher

I will take comments, but only ones that wrestle with the content here and its call for courage, faith and hope. Many thanks--KSH

So here's the epiphany part. I think this is a genuine window into the worldview of those -- like Kendall Harmon -- who find themselves on the other-side-of-the-aisle on issues of inclusion. For them, it's not about wrestling through differences and finding compromises in order to come to consensus and accommodate as broad a range of perspectives as possible within the container of Anglican comprehensiveness that calls all people into communion with God and with each other.

It's a face off between Good and Evil.

And they're the Good Guys. Up against "Capital E" Evil. And therefore, all bets are off. When you're defending the Alamo of Orthodoxy, the gloves are off, the rules don't apply and what you do or don't do -- the truth you tell or don't tell -- the confidences you breach and the colleagues you betray are all in the service of The Absolute Truth ... which you have and the Bad Guys don't.

Whether it's posting emails from a confidential list to a polemic blog or perpetuating disinformation about the Episcopal Church in the national news media, it's all good ... because it's all FOR the "Capital G" Good they're fighting for.

And that, my brothers and sisters, doesn't just "make the heart sad." It should make the heart, soul and body scared -- because rabid absolutism is as dangerous in South Carolina as it is in South Yemen.

Here endeth the epiphany!

A Day Late and a Shamrock Short ...

... but here's the St. Patrick's Day Levity I had PLANNED to post yesterday ... and got too busy doing the Alleluia, Alleluia thing about Mary's consents.

Anyway ... here ya go:

GO, Team Jesus!!

I just LOVE this!
.

News and commentary round-up on consents to the election of Mary Glasspool

Let's start with CNN.com ... which ran this headline:

Episcopal Church confirms first openly lesbian bishop

The Episcopal Church confirmed its first openly lesbian bishop on Wednesday, six years after its first openly gay bishop took office.

"I am profoundly grateful for the many people ... who have given their prayers, love, and support during this time of discernment," Bishop-elect Mary Douglas Glasspool said after learning she'd won support from the majority of her church's standing committees and diocesan bishops.

The post had received 13 comments when I checked the site, promoting me to add #14:

As an Episcopal priest in the Diocese of Los Angeles who voted for Mary Glasspool and looks forward with great joy to her consecration and the work we will do together here, I wanted to quickly comment and note that while we rejoice in our new bishop we recognize that there remains within our larger Christian family a broad diversity of perspectives on human sexuality in general and homosexuality in specific.

If there are those who genuinely want to understand how the Episcopal Church has come to embrace the full inclusion of gay and lesbian people in our life and work, I commend to them a document called "To Set Our Hope on Christ" - available online line or through our national church offices. Good people of deep faith my end up disagreeing with us about our conclusions, but I believe it is fair to ask for respect for our process ... as we rejoice in this step forward as a church that embraces all people equally as members of God's human family.

Other news reports included:

The Guardian (UK)
Los Angeles Times
Episcopal News Service
New York Times

Commentary on the blogs lined up along "usual suspect lines:"

Mark Harris on PRELUDIUM:

The reason to celebrate, dear friends, is that the Church in all its bumbling ways, elected someone bishop who is faithful, talented and loves people in and out of the Church. The electors and those giving consent saw past the idols and saw the reality and they were not stopped by the idols at the door.

Scott Gunn on Seven Whole Days:

If one is going to object to the ordination of GLBT persons, the basis must be on grounds other than a (fictitious) fixed tradition. Any casual reading of church history reveals a slow-moving stream in which the waters of tradition are constantly refreshed. The essentials of the faith that we teach (e.g. Christ’s resurrection or the power of the Holy Spirit) ought not to change, but the church has constantly and slowly revised its teaching on any number of second-order matters.

Elizabeth Kaeton on Telling Secrets:

Woo-HOOOOO!

And Bishop Sutton from The Diocese of Maryland:

Today is a great day for the cause of justice and the ministry of reconciliation in The Episcopal Church. We have received word from the Presiding Bishop’s Office that the consent process has been completed for the election of the Rev. Canon Mary Douglas Glasspool as Bishop Suffragan in the Diocese of Los Angeles.

I rejoice that a majority of Bishops and Standing Committees have seen in Canon Glasspool what we have experienced in the Diocese of Maryland: that she is an exceptionally gifted pastor, administrator and spiritually-centered leader who will prove to be an outstanding member of the House of Bishops. While I know that many of our brothers and sisters cannot rejoice at the news of her election as a matter of conscience – seeing it as a moral issue and not a ‘rights’ issue – I do pray that the whole Church will be open to the Spirit’s guidance as we all move forward together in light of this historic event. I believe that the time is now for us to remove old barriers and recommit ourselves to welcoming all of our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Faithfully yours,
The Rt. Rev. Eugene Taylor Sutton
Bishop of Maryland

And then there was the "other side of the aisle:"

Kendall Harmon on Titusonenine:

I am saddened but not surprised by today’s news. This decision represents not simply a change in doctrine, nor a single change in practice, but an established pattern of common life. It is contrary to the teaching of Holy Scripture and the mind of the church catholic.

Since the Archbishop of Canterbury said this choice raises “very serious questions…for the Episcopal Church and its place in the Anglican Communion” one would have hoped that at least the bishops would have waited until they were gathered at their upcoming House of Bishops meeting to discern prayerfully their response together. They instead sought to embrace a way of life which the church through the Bible has always understood to be forbidden. Therefore the tragic damage the Episcopal Church has recently caused the third largest Christian family in the world will continue in the future, hurting our collective witness and grieving the heart of God.

[Bless his heart. I can never read Kendall on these issues and not remember standing next to him in Minneapolis on a live-CNN feed with Susan Candiotti asking the questions -- including this one to Kendall: "Canon Harmon, what exactly is it about homosexuality that is going to split the church?"

Kendall rose to the occasion by reaching deep-into-his-canon-theologian-resources and responding: "Homosexuality is like trying to put milk in a car. It just doesn't work."

And I can still see Susan Candiotti's face -- and it looked like "Huh?????"]

Moving on, Lambeth Palace was "not amused" -- in a statement emailed on March 18th:

It is regrettable that the appeals from Anglican Communion bodies for continuing gracious restraint have not been heeded. Following the Los Angeles election in December the Archbishop made clear that the outcome of the consent process would have important implications for the Communion. The Standing Committee of the Anglican Communion reiterated these concerns in its December resolution which called for the existing moratoria to be upheld. Further consultation will now take place about the implications and consequences of this decision.

And the AAC -- David Anderson's bunch -- sent this out (also by email):

"What this means is the majority of The Episcopal Church's leaders - down to the diocesan level throughout America - are exercising no restraint as requested by the Archbishop of Canterbury and the primates of the Anglican Communion. Despite pleas to the contrary, they have given their consent for a partnered lesbian to become a bishop, not just for Los Angeles, but for the whole church. Unfortunately, this comes as no surprise because The Episcopal Church, at its General Convention this summer, voted in favor of allowing dioceses to determine whether they will conduct same sex blessings using whatever rites they deem appropriate. Even if The Episcopal Church should eventually decide to sign an Anglican Covenant, it has shown time and time again that it will not abide by traditional Christian and Anglican Communion teaching on marriage and sexuality."

But here's my favorite. It came via email from a colleague who reads the comments over at Stand Firm ... something I gave up for Lent. Here's what someone calling themselves "The Beat" had to say

"Lord have mercy. The deed is done. Macbeth has killed the king. Anakim has gone over to the dark side. The 30 pieces of silver have exchanged hands. Sayid has murdered Gorgen.

[And we're the ones that are supposed to be the Drama Queens!]

Finally, on this more positive note, I want to share this comment on Facebook:

i'm from cleveland, tn and just got off the phone with a friend in greenville, tn. these victories don't just build hope for us in the south; they also remind us that soon, the wave of acceptance will hit us too!

And let all God's people say: AMEN!

Details on May 15th Diocese of Los Angeles Ordinations in Long Beach

from The Episcopal News website

Los Angeles Bishop J. Jon Bruno invites all in the Diocese to the May 15 rites of ordination and consecration set for two new bishops suffragan, the Rev. Canon Diane Jardine Bruce and the Rev. Canon Mary Douglas Glasspool.

“I encourage everyone in the diocese and the wider community to come and share in this historic celebration,” the bishop said in announcing the Saturday-afternoon rites. “Plan now to get there early, find your seats, and feel the wave of the Holy Spirit as it moves across the room.”

Seating for at least 9,000 will be available at the Long Beach Arena, where doors will open at 12 noon. A celebration gathering featuring music and dance will begin at 12:30 p.m. and the liturgy itself is set to begin at 1:30 p.m.

The timing is intended to “give you plenty of time to get to Long Beach, get your cars parked, go out and have lunch, and then come back to the Long Beach Arena for the service,” the bishop said. Ample parking, priced at $10 per car, is available at the adjacent Long Beach Convention Center.

“We will have all of our diocese’s ethnic diversity and all of our multicultural facets represented during the time that we are together, especially at the opening and closing of our gathering,” the bishop said. “It will be exciting to watch our new bishops as they celebrate Eucharist together in three different languages.”

Bruno said he looks forward to welcoming the Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, Presiding Bishop and Primate of the Episcopal Church, who will officiate at the service. “I’m excited to have her with us together with all the other bishops.”

More details here ...

No turning back

When I made my Cursillo weekend in 1989, I learned a whole bunch of songs that weren't in the 1940 Hymnal I grew up with ... OR in the Hymnal 1979 we were still getting used to.

One of them was "I have decided to follow Jesus."

And while it hasn't replaced "Ye watchers and ye holy ones" or "Immortal, invisible, God only wise" on my Hymnody Hit List, there's something about the simplicity of its message that sticks with me still -- long after the echoes of De Colores have faded and the palanca has been packed away.

I have decided to follow Jesus.
No turning back. No turning back.

Deciding to follow Jesus -- I've decided -- is a little bit like Coming Out.

While you can never really go "back into the closet" once you've come out, you find you have to keep coming out ... over and over again ... in transaction after transaction ... relationship after relationship ... conversation after conversation. You have to make choices about how open -- how honest -- how truthful you can afford to be.

It's an ongoing process -- this coming out thing.

When you decide to follow Jesus, there may be "no turning back" -- but there are plenty of excuses for not moving forward: I need more time. More study. Another small group. Another Bible Study, Rector's Forum or online discussion group. And then of course there's soccer practice, grocery shopping, bills to pay, tax stuff to get organized for April 15th, dogs to get to the vet, kids to get to school ... the "stuff" of ordinary life that gets in the way.

And if we as individuals have a long list of things that get in the way, then the church as institution has a longer list-of-lists. We need more time. More study. More round table discussions. Another Theology Committee, Special Convention or online blog site. And then of course there's the stewardship campaign, rummage sales, parochial reports to get organized by May 1st, Vacation Bible School to organize and the Christmas Pageant to rehearse ... the "stuff" of ordinary church life that gets in the way.

It's an ongoing process -- this following Jesus thing.

And then. Every once-in-awhile. It happens.

To us as People. And to us as Church.

We reach a point where the promise of following where Jesus leads us outweighs all the reasons to stay put. And the voice of Jesus saying "follow me" drowns out all the voices telling us to "go back." And we take that one step. And then another. And then one day we find ouselves somewhere we never imagined we'd be -- serving the Good News of God in Christ Jesus in ways we would never have asked for or imagined -- no matter how many times we read Ephesians 3:20 at the end of Morning Prayer.

And that's where we are right now. This day. This hour. This moment in time in the history of the Episcopal Church.

We've decided to follow Jesus. And there is no turning back.

We've been "coming out" as a church for a couple of decades -- from promises of "full and equal claim" to "homosexual persons" in 1976 to the inclusion of sexual orientation in the non-discrimination canons in 1994 to the acknowledgement of same-sex relationships in 2000 to the election of +Gene Robinson in New Hampshire in 2003 to the call for the development of liturgical resources for blessing same-sex union and marriages and the election of Mary Glasspool in Los Angeles in 2009

And today -- March 17, 2010 -- the rest of the Episcopal Church said "Amen" to what the Holy Spirit did in Riverside CA last December by consenting to that election.

No turning back. Alleluia. Alleluia.

And while we celebrate this milestone -- while we look forward to May 15th and the ordinations of Diane and Mary as Bishops in the Church of God -- while we give thanks for all that has "brought us thus far on the way" -- let's make sure we don't confuse not turning back with continuing to move forward.

The year of the Lord's favor will not be realized until there are no strangers at the gate, no outcasts on the margins, no single member of the human family left wondering if the Good News of God's inclusive love includes them. And that includes those outside the Episcopal Church who see her election as a sign that maybe -- just maybe -- if there's room for her in the House of Bishops there might be room for them in the pew.

We have the chance right now -- this day -- this hour -- this moment in time to transform our inclusion activism into intentional evangelism. To tell the good news of a church that welcomes all -- celebrates all -- includes all -- in the work of turning the human race into the human family ... proclaiming release to the captive ... liberation to the oppressed ... good news to the poor.

Because we've decided to follow Jesus. And we're not JUST not turning back.

We're moving forward -- into God's future.

.

Integrity Press Release on Glasspool consents

from Walking With Integrity

Integrity joins with the Diocese of Los Angeles in celebrating today's announcement that sufficient consents have been received from both Standing Committees and bishops with jurisdiction to the election of the Reverend Canon Mary Glasspool as a bishop suffragan. We look forward to the May 15th ordination service where Canons Bruce and Glasspool will become the 16th and 17th women bishops in the history of the Episcopal Church and to the work and witness they will offer on behalf of the gospel, not only for the Diocese of Los Angeles but for the whole church.

"Integrity continues in its commitment to turn the resolutions of General Convention into realities on the ground for Episcopalians in every diocese," said the Reverend David Norgard, Integrity President. "Today's affirmation of the election of a superbly qualified candidate as a bishop in the Episcopal Church is good news not just for those who work for the fuller inclusion of the LGBT baptized, but for the whole church."

"Today the Episcopal Church said 'Amen' to what the Holy Spirit did in Los Angeles in December when we elected Mary Glasspool," said the Reverend Susan Russell, chair of the Diocesan Program Group on LGBT Ministry and Integrity's immediate past president.. "I've never been prouder to be an Episcopalian or a daughter of the Diocese of Los Angeles--where we are ready to turn this election into an opportunity for evangelism."

"Integrity is part of a nationwide campaign called 'Believe Out Loud'--resourcing congregations to explicitly welcome LGBT people into their work and witness" said Louise Brooks, Integrity's Communication Director and a resident of the Diocese of Los Angeles. "We are proud to be partners with those across this church and across the country committed to working on both national and local levels for full inclusion. And we believe the election of Mary Glasspool will be an inspiration, not just to those working in our churches, but to those standing outside of them wondering if they are truly welcome. The answer is, "Yes--come and see!"

"As openly gay and lesbian people become a common and unremarkable aspect of the cultural landscape," said Norgard, "more and more bishops will ordain LGBT persons, more vestries will elect them to serve as rectors, more congregations will elect them to vestries, and most importantly, altar guilds will be setting up weddings for two grooms or two brides. We are past the turning point and the forecast for full inclusion in the Episcopal Church is brighter than ever before."

The ordination service for the new bishops suffragan will be held on Saturday, May 15, 2010 beginning at 1:30 p.m. in the Long Beach Arena in Long Beach CA. For more information, contact:

Louise Brooks
Director of Communications, Integrity
tvprod@earthlink.net
626-993-4605