From a letter to the editor in the local paper:

I was saddened and appalled, but not surprised, by the vindictive and mean-spirited language Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori used in her sermon on Saturday.

Alluding to Bishop Mark Lawrence as a “tyrant” and comparing him to “citizens’ militias deciding to patrol … the Mexican border for unwelcome visitors” was unconscionable.

And to say, “It’s not terribly far from the state of mind evidenced in school shootings, or in those who want to arm school children, or the terrorism that takes oil workers hostage,” was despicable.
That any Christian, much less a presiding bishop, would use such invective and incendiary words says more about the speaker than the person she is attempting to vilify.

However, she is the same person who has spent over $22 million to sue churches over their property, who refused to sell a church back to its congregation and instead sold it to a Muslim organization, and who sued beloved, retired bishops because they challenged her authority.

It is not surprising that the fruits of Bishop Jefferts Schori’s leadership of TEC are a significant decline in members, controversy and confrontation with the majority of the Anglican Communion, and financial problems resulting in the need to sell prized land in Manhattan.

“They Will Know We Are Christians by Our Love” has been a favorite hymn of mine for over 50 years.

It is also a good barometer of a person’s Christian character. The language used by Jefferts Schori from the pulpit is as unloving and un-Christian as it gets.

Still, as one who believes in a forgiving God and in spiritual transformation, I will continue to pray that TEC and Jefferts Schori may be inspired and imbued with the Holy Spirit and in the process may rise above petty name-calling and invective and embrace the love of Christ in what they say and do.

Dr. Peter T. Mitchell

Broad Street

Georgetown

I will take comments on this submitted by email only to at KSHarmon[at]mindspring[dot]com.

In our supposedly “secular” culture, the Church of England seems to have succumbed to the idea that theological ideas do not matter very much, and this may bespeak a deeper malaise even than the current crisis itself. Young people are turning back to the Church, longing for spiritual and intellectual bread; by and large stones await them, even despite a most promising new generation of young priest-scholars (women and men) who are beginning to rise through the ecclesial ranks. Perhaps in a generation things will be different.

But for the moment the Church has in effect signed its own theological death warrant. At the end of this summer, amid a new storm of fury about a confused conservative amendment to the Measure (astonishingly backed by both Archbishops to placate the defectors), I was invited to address the House of Bishops on “the theology of women bishops.” I made the following three points, and stand by them:

we cannot compromise on the historic theology of the bishop as locus of unity;
we must return afresh to our distinctively Anglican notions of reason and tradition to solve this crisis, not lapse into rational incoherence; and
we must resist in the Church the supervenience of bureaucratic thinking (with all its busy political pragmatism) over theological and spiritual seriousness.

I offer here just a brief further expansion on each of these points.

Read it all.

What has caused the rust? The easy answer: the church lost the gospel. Waves of pragmatism, liberalism, and “Anglo-Catholicism” (a blend of Roman Catholicism and Anglicanism) have swept through the church, leaving wreckage in their wake.

But the actual cause is slightly more subtle. Anglicans still talk about the gospel, a lot. And mission. And even about being evangelical—the new archbishop self-identifies as an evangelical, though he certainly wouldn’t recognize the definition of the term Don Carson and Tim Keller give in TGC’s Gospel-Centered Ministry booklet.

The denomination never lost the words. But it lost the biblical content. In order to keep unity among people who differ over essentials, Anglicanism has increasingly emptied key concepts of their content. So you can sit in a room with 10 Anglican ministers and talk for half an hour about “the gospel” without ever defining the term and always knowing there are probably ten (or eleven!) different views.

Read it all.

Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori doesn’t play by the rules. Specifically, she and her Council of Advice decided that the Bishop of South Carolina had renounced his orders as a bishop without following the canons, or laws, of the church. For example, the church’s canons state that in order to renounce your orders, one must do so “in writing.” The Bishop of South Carolina never wrote the Presiding Bishop, or any one for that matter, claiming to renounce his orders. This is just one example of the current state of lawlessness in The Episcopal Church. Canon Phil Ashey reflects on these recent events in this week’s Anglican Perspective.

Watch it all.

After the General Synod failed to give Final Approval to the draft legislation on the ordination of women to the episcopate, I had hoped for a period of calm, prayer and reflection all round; and perhaps some sense of regret, on the part of the proponents of the Measure, that they had not got the legislation right. Of course, as we now know, this was very far from the case: instead, a media furore, and a sense from some quarters that those who had voted against the Measure need to be punished in the future for daring to step out of line.

We need to say very clearly, that we understand, and deeply regret, the pain, hurt and anger felt on the part of many women clergy and their supporters; that we value the huge contribution of ordained women to the life of the Church of England; and that we recognise the gifts which God has given in and through their ministries.

However, we also need to challenge some errors and misunderstandings which have been widespread since the vote was taken….

Read it all.

Read it all.

During my career that included being president of two church-related liberal arts colleges, an insightful faculty member at one of the colleges called the relativist philosophy sweeping across campuses as a “diverse like me” mind-set. Diversity is great as long as it includes all those who agree with a certain postmodern worldview….

Where is diversity with fellowship and communion? Where is affirming the image of God in persons who disagree? Where is welcoming with abundant and radical hospitality? Where is the church broad enough to embrace within its communion every living soul? Where is the tiny space we worked so hard to find so that we could remain in TEC?

That tiny space to stand on principle and belief has become a razor’s edge of hypocrisy, severing a tie that should have remained. That tiny space has been eliminated by a “diverse like me” mind-set in a dysfunctional polity. And the Episcopal Church, the original and legitimate Diocese of South Carolina, the Anglican Communion and God’s kingdom on Earth will be the worse for it.

Read it all.

At an uncongenial hour, I find myself on Radio 4’s excellent Sunday programme, telling Ed Stourton that I can’t imagine that Justin Welby has ever thrown a bread roll in a restaurant in his life. Others were discussing the new Archbishop of Canterbury’s churchmanship, but there isn’t a serious issue that I’m not prepared to overlook when I’m at the BBC ”“ just call me George “Entwistle” Pitcher.

What I was really trying to say is that Archbishop-elect Welby isn’t an Old Etonian in the Boris Johnson and David Cameron tradition. He’s about as far from the Bullingdon Club of Boorish Hoorays as it’s possible to be. Well, as far as Cambridge is from Oxford, anyway.

But it made me wonder, in the early hours of Sunday on national radio, if I was indulging in a gratuitous and offensive stereotype of Etonians.

Read it all.

Why in the world, then, would the “remain Episcopal” group, consisting of some twelve parishes in the Diocese, want to get off on such a wrong foot under South Carolina law? The answer is plain, no matter how much they may try to disavow it, and play the innocent: they are wholly subservient to their captain, and that captain is Katharine Jefferts Schori, the Chief Outlaw of the Episcopal Church (USA).

It is only with her recognition, aid and support that these others could go down such a lawless path of their own. Inspired by her example, they have impersonated the Diocesan office in two emails, misused the corporate seal, and pretended to be who they are not under South Carolina law. This is, of course, all pursuant to, and in order to further yet again, 815’s Grand Strategy for dealing with dissident dioceses, as spelled out by 815 itself and discussed in this earlier post.

As the ACI article carefully explains, the …[Presiding] Bishop’s outlaw strategy in South Carolina is not just invented from day to day; it is self-contradictory, and will result in embarrassment in the courts. On the one hand, 815 is acting as though the Diocese has not left, but has only had all of its positions suddenly become vacant — and it is going about the process of filling them with new people.

But on the other hand, the actions in South Carolina being taken by the Presiding Bishop are canonical only if there is no longer a Diocese there, but only patches of raw territory waiting to be organized as a new diocese. So which is it?

Read it all.

Read it all.

I am in Auckland, NZ, at the 15th meeting of the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC15). The agenda moved into high gear today with presentations on “The Bible in the Life of the Church” (BILC), the Network for Interfaith Concerns (NIFCON) Report “Promised Land?”, an Anglican Communion resource for addressing Israeli-Palestinian relations, and the Inter-Anglican Standing Commission on Unity, Faith and Order (IASCUFO) report on The Instruments of Unity.

I believe that the discussion on BILC revealed an important major conclusion that tips the hand of the ACC’s leadership: that the process of how Anglicans interpret scripture is as important as the substance of scripture. Two conclusions will follow from this premise: (1) Context reigns supreme in how people interpret, and in the diversity of interpretations that flow from diversity of contexts NO interpretation is better than another (a point made by the preselected TEC leader of one of the small groups), and (2) There are no “limits” on faithful interpretation (point made by the preselected Church of England rep from another reflection group).

In this discussion, initial enthusiasm for the affirmation of Bible study gave way to sharp differences over the language in the proposed resolution, and then to frustration that there was not enough time to consider the resolution.

Read it all.

Williams did however say in his interview that, because of growing demands, “I suspect it will be necessary, in the next 10 to 15 years, to think about how that load is spread; to think whether in addition to the Archbishop of Canterbury there needs to be some more presidential figure who can travel more readily”, who “has the support of the primates of the Anglican Communion” and “would have an executive role to implement what they decide”.

There are echoes of the controversial Covenant he had pushed for which would have bolstered the power of the primates over provinces other than their own, threatening “relational consequences” for those which failed to obey. This was rejected by the majority of dioceses in the Church of England and elsewhere, but it would appear that another drive for ‘unity’ is planned.

However, most of the overseas archbishops who have pushed hardest for disciplinary structures would be highly resistant to any interference in their own provinces, a recipe for further splits if any ‘president’ did not entirely do their bidding. Having an international leader could also be disastrous for the Church of England, already facing a sizeable drop in involvement in recent decades.

Read it all.

The last 12 months has seen a significant development in the Anglican Communion. National Anglican Churches (Provinces is the technical term) have begun to hold significant large gatherings of all Anglicans in their area along with international guests from other parts of the Communion.

This is part of the “celebration” level of church gatherings which can be classed as “cell” ”“ or home groups, “congregation” ”“ what most of us experience on Sundays and “celebration” ”“ everyone getting together in an area or region. Churches in Oxford have done this for the last seven years with “Love Oxford” when many churches shut their doors on one Sunday and all meet together in a central outdoor location. English dioceses have occasionally done this by taking over a football stadium. Gatherings such as Word Alive, Bible by the Beach, Spring Harvest, New Wine and Keswick are also such celebrations….

Read it all.

Not a week goes by (even in August) when the Unscripted team can’t dig up some interesting news. Kevin and George discuss the…(recent developments) with AMiA and the turmoil at Pawley’s Island. They also reveal some Crown Commission secrets, Anglican Job Postings and Affinity Dioceses. Peter Ould talks about an Englishman trying to sell more books and Allan gives some interesting history about leaving and staying in TEC at the same time.

Watch it all.

While a decline in the size of the church is unfortunate, I’m fairly certain that truly liberal Christians are unconcerned.

Many liberal churches, even conservative churches that fall under traditional denominational labels (Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, Lutheran) have seen declines in membership. Bloggers and commentators are scrambling to figure it out. Can we blame the sexual revolution? Busy, two-career families that have no time for church? Consumerism, materialism, multiculturalism and relativism? Mega-churches?
But in decline, and perhaps only in decline, can churches re-discover the true ministry and mission of Jesus, which was to be radically tolerant and helpful to those who are poor, sick, outcast and marginalized.

Read it all.

Read it all.

Whilst the British Government seem to be considering easing some sanctions against Mr Mugabe and his personal allies, I am not convinced that the time has come to weaken international opposition to the President of Zimbabwe’s irresponsible, undemocratic, lawless, and at times brutal regime. I certainly won’t be placing an order for a new clerical collar at Wippells just yet.

We cannot allow Robert Mugabe off the hook. When I cut up my clerical collar, I said I would not put it on again until Mr Mugabe had gone from office ”“ we need to stand in solidarity with the people of Zimbabwe and not forget the abuses and exploitation they have suffered at the hands of that administration.

The reason given by Her Majesty’s Government for this ”˜step change’ in relations with Zimbabwe is the work going in to drafting a new constitution for that country. The recent meeting of European Union foreign ministers, which agreed to lift these restrictions on Mr Mugabe’s colleagues, have made this decision dependent only upon whether a ”˜credible’ referendum is held on the new constitution. Perhaps if they had read the draft constitution they might have taken a different view.

Read it all.

[Bishop Seabury Church]…is not alone in its decision to withdraw from the Episcopal fold. For decades there have been increasingly impassioned and heartfelt disagreements within the Episcopal community with respect to Christianity and the proper interpretation of the Bible.

The rip in the fabric of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America began tearing at least as far back as the 1960s when California Bishop James Pike decided the Holy Trinity did not exist and there was no Virgin Birth. Heresy charges were invoked against Bishop Pike but there was no will to move forward. For whatever reason (perhaps Pike’s beliefs were quietly shared) the church failed to reprimand the obstinate bishop….

Read it all.

Read it all.

Read it all.

While I tend toward the progressive side in this controversy, I am not persuaded by either analysis. My own sense is that we face a crisis of credibility. For those especially under 40, the Episcopal Church (and its companion churches and faith traditions) no longer seems a credible place in which to engage God, learn to pray or to give ourselves in ministry. We seem, to those outside us, exclusive and opaque.

Those of us who love the traditions (and habits) of institutional Christianity might feel somewhat wounded by the seeming disinterest in the practices we have come to live by. But if the Episcopal Church is to thrive in the 21st century, it must do three things. It must develop a clear, missional identity. It must project that identity outward and invite people into it. And it must take seriously the needs and concerns of those who come toward us and adapt to the new life and energy they bring.

Read it all.

Read it all.

I experienced profound pride as my bishop was interviewed on CNN and gently explained the position of the Church and some of the pastoral implications of a decision that Convention had taken that would have a direct impact on me. I watched as a democratic deliberative body wrestled with deep theological and pastoral issues on the nature of the Church, its sacraments, and its mission. I watched in awe as members of the official youth presence, including our own David Kilp, stood to address the House of Deputies and Convention commissions and committees with passion, conviction, carefully crafted arguments, and all with aplomb. At their age, I could NEVER have done what I watched them do. And they did it with love for the Church. It gave me hope.

Read it all.

How could anyone attend General Convention, where soaring worship, beautiful music and uplifting preaching marked daily worship, and note only the size of the Presiding Bishop’s crozier? And to pick two pieces of legislation out of more than 400 pieces presented (and then to mischaracterize one of them) is grossly unfair.

At this convention we decided to embark upon significant changes in our Church’s structure, agreed to trial use of a same-sex blessing policy and passed substantive resolutions in a variety of areas of our common life. Failing to address any of these key topics is to have missed the lede.

Read it all.

…as a Christian theologian, I believe that the soundness of theological teaching does indeed manifest itself over the long run. That doesn’t imply that the churches should teach only what has been handed down from long ago; the church has changed its mind, and the church has erred, not only in their living and manner of ceremonies, but also in matters of faith. There is no way to guarantee that you’re not off-base. On the other and, if you adhere to what millennia of the saints have taught and believed, you’re a least somewhat less likely to be found in error than if you decide that you’re going to think it all up on your own, taking as fundamental a set of political and philosophical ideas developed over the last couple hundred years. The Enlightenment wasn’t A Bad Thing, but neither was it the dawning of the messianic era. If there’s something you want to identify with Jesus, or Christianity, then your argument is stronger if you can actually give numerous reasons for making that identification; and the more such reasons that you can provide, the stronger the theological argument. And if you want to repudiate a great deal of what is plausibly associated with Jesus and Christianity, it’s not unreasonable for people to question the extent to which your enterprise is still ”˜Christian’.

Read it all.

Earlier generations of liberal Christianity, according to Gary Dorrien at Union Theological Seminary, were led by men who had a “deep grounding in Bible study, family devotions, personal prayer and worship.” Their calls for reform were made in the context of a belief in “a personal transcendent God . . . the divinity of Christ, the need of personal redemption and the importance of Christian missions.”

That’s the liberal Christianity that helped produce the civil rights movement, for example. We owe this tradition a debt.

So what are we – especially we evangelicals – to make of the decline of the mainline churches? Dr. Timothy George, Chairman of the Board here at the Colson Center and Dean at Beeson Divinity School, has written an excellent article about this and we have it for you at BreakPoint.org. He issues a powerful call to spiritual vitality, theological integrity, humilty, and most of all, prayer.

Read it all.

In a sense, this was probably to expected. Just view the language now used around issues of sexual identity. Whereas gay and lesbian ”” or even just gay ”” was once considered fine it is now necessary to add a whole bunch more of sexual identities.

The simplest is LGBT ”” lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender ”” but it is not uncommon to see LGBTTIQ ”” lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, transsexual, two-spirited, intersex, queer and questioning.

Use these terms enough and no longer is it right question why these various groups are being jammed together ”” even though being transgender has nothing to do with being gay and I still have no idea how two spirited became a category. The decision that they are related comes from interest groups and not common sense. And now politicians, journalists and social scientist feel obliged to repeat this litany as if it was the law of the land.

This is nothing to do with liberalism but with group-think.

Read it all.

Last updated 6th August 2012 at 7:30 p.m. EST [This post will be remaining ‘sticky’ at the head of this page – new posts are below sticky posts]
[For a Quick Guide and continued posts on Same Sex Liturgy as well as posts on Communion without Baptism and Transgender Resolutions see below]
SAME SEX LITURGY RESOLUTION A049 PASSED

Latest Developments [Updated 6th August 2012]
A prayer for the bishop and clergy of the Diocese of South Carolina who met on 25th July 2012 is here. Bishop Lawrence’s report of that meeting is here. A parish letter sent to Bishop Lawrence during General Convention is here

On 6th August 2012 a Member of the Standing Committee of the Anglican Communion, charged with overseeing the operation of the Anglican Communion Covenant, Bishop Ian Douglas approved the holding of gay weddings and blessings by clergy in the Diocese of Connecticut in solidarity with the Bishop of New York.

more below in the Quick Guide

Latest Posts
[*NEW] *Bishop Ian Douglas, Communion Standing Committee Member, Undertakes Same Sex Marriages [6th August 2012]
[*NEW] *(Moultrie, Georgia, Observer) St. John’s leaves Episcopal Church over theological rift [6th August 2012]
[full list of posts is now continued below the fold and is being updated regularly]

Responses from South Carolina
[*NEW] *Kendall Harmon””In an age of Angst and Anxiety, Be Mindful that The Lord will Provide [6th August 2012]
*What one South Carolina Parish Wrote Bishop Mark Lawrence During General Convention 2012 [2nd August 2012]
*Bishop Lawrence Meets with Clergy of the Diocese of South Carolina Following General Convention [31st July 2012]
[*NEW] *(Local Paper Faith and Values Section) Mark Lawrence””Church needs to be clear in its teaching [29th July 2012]
*[Lent & Beyond] A Prayer for the Diocese of South Carolina [25th July 2012]
*Bucking National Trend, Diocese of South Carolina Experiences Growth in 2011 [18th July 2012]
*On Short notice, Bishop Mark Lawrence Summons South Carolina Clergy to Talk about Gen. Con. 2012 [18th July 2012]
*Bishop Mark Lawrence’s Letter to the Diocese of S.C. to be read in all parishes Sunday morning [15th July 2012]
*Kendall Harmon Interviewed by The World Today about the recent General Convention [15th July 2012]
*South Carolina Differentiates Itself from Actions of 77th General Convention [12th July 2012]
*The deputation of South Carolina have released a statement this afternoon [11th July 2012]
*Kendall Harmon’s response to the GC 2012 Passage of Rites of Blessing for Same Sex Unions [10th July 2012]
*The South Carolina Deputation Statement on Passage of Rites of Blessing for Same Sex Unions[10th July 2012]

Quick Guide to Same Sex Liturgy Resolution AO49 [Regularly Updated]
Passed by the House of Bishops on 9th July 2012 with 111 for, 41 against, 3 abstentions. The Resolution in this final form was sent to the House of Deputies for consideration. Doubts about the procedure for approving these ‘provisional’ rites have been expressed by commenters Allan Haley here, The Living Church here, Anglican Ink here and Professor Seitz here and here and in this Christianity Today article

On 10th July 2012 the House of Deputies also passed the resolution voting by orders – Laity: 78% [86 yes, 19 no, 5 divided] and Clergy: 76% [85 yes, 22 no, 4 divided]. The final conformed resolution is here, a pdf of the official version is here and the resulting approved Liturgy for Blessing Same-Sex Relationships is here.

Protests have followed by 12+ bishops in the Indianapolis Statement, 30 deputies supported a statement read to the House of Deputies, and there have been further statements by the South Carolina delegation, Canon Theologian Kendall Harmon, and on 11th July 2012 the bishop and most of the deputation departed, and this Statement was issued. On 13th July 2012 the Standing Committee of the diocese of Central Florida issued this Statement and the Albany Bishops and Deputation this Statement.

On Sunday 15th July 2012, Bishop Mark Lawrence issued a pastoral letter to be read in Diocese of South Carolina churches reported in The State and Allan Haley comments here and there is a prayer here

On 19th July 2012, Bishop Mark Sisk of New York authorized clergy to officiate at same-sex marriages both in a religious capacity and as agents of New York State. On 20th July ACI released an analysis that Resolution A049 is legally, theologically and constitutionally flawed and made outside the constitutional authority of General Convention. On the same day the Global South Primates released a Communiqué noting with great sadness the passing of Resolution A049 authorizing ‘a liturgy for blessing same-sex unions’ and confirming their ‘disappointment that The Episcopal Church has no regard for the concerns and convictions of the vast majority of Anglicans worldwide’.

Among those issuing pastoral letters or other statements saying they will not approve or permit Same Sex Blessings under Resolution AO49 in those dioceses are the bishops of South Carolina, Albany, Central Florida, Dallas, Florida, South Dakota, Springfield, Tennessee, Western Louisiana, and [with qualification] Northern Indiana who has made alternative arrangements and Alabama who nevertheless voted for them, and it is not clear where Upper South Carolina stands [please advise us of any updates on your bishops]

A prayer for the bishop and clergy of the Diocese of South Carolina who met on 25th July 2012 is here. Bishop Lawrence’s report of that meeting is here. A parish letter sent to Bishop Lawrence during General Convention is here

On 6th August 2012 a Member of the Standing Committee of the Anglican Communion, charged with overseeing the operation of the Anglican Communion Covenant, Bishop Ian Douglas approved the holding of gay weddings and blessings by clergy in the Diocese of Connecticut in solidarity with the Bishop of New York.

Posts on Same Sex Liturgy Resolution AO49 Continued from Latest Posts above
*Saint Francis in the Fields, Harrods Creek, Kentucky, responds to General Convention [2nd August 2012]
*An interview with Bishop “Holly” Hollerith (Southern Virginia) regarding blessing same sex unions [1st August 2012]
*Christopher Benson””Toward A Better Conversation about Same-Sex Unions among Christians [1st August 2012]
*Peter Moore on the Importance of How we Treat and Describe Other Christians [1st August 2012]
*Rector and Vestry Resign at Saint John’s in Moultrie, Georgia [31st July 2012]
*Alex Sanders and Peter Moore Debate the Inevitability of Same Sex Marriage (I) [29th July 2012]
*Communion Partner Participants Report on the Global South Mission Conference in Bangkok [26th July 2012]
*Bishop Howard: Same Sex Blessings not to be Authorized in the Diocese of Florida [26th July 2012]
*Dr Timothy George: Beware the Well Worn Path [26th July 2012]
*A Letter from Bishop Scott Benhase to the Diocese of Georgia [26th July 2012]
*Bishop John Bauerschmidt: no plans to authorize same sex blessings in the Diocese of Tennessee [25th July 2012]
*Bishop Duncan Gray: Same-sex blessings not to be held in the Diocese of Mississippi [25th July 2012]
*Bishop Jake Owensby reports to the Diocese of Western Louisiana on General Convention [25th July 2012]
*Dean Limehouse of Advent Cathedral Alabama responds to General Convention [23rd July 2012]
*[Birmingham News] Episcopal bishop says yes to same-sex blessings, but not in Alabama [23rd July 2012]
*Bishop Greg Brewer’s Pastoral Letter to the Diocese of Central Florida [22nd July 2012]
*Bishop Ed Little’s Pastoral Letter to the Diocese of Northern Indiana [22nd July 2012]
*Communiqué of the Global South Primates Bangkok, Thailand, 20 July 2012 [20th July 2012]
*[ACI] Same Sex Blessings: What Did General Convention Do? [20th July 2012]
*Bishop Mark Sisk: Gay Marriage Authorized ignoring Constitution and The Book of Common Prayer [20th July 2012]
*(ABC Religion and Ethics Report) America’s most influential church on the brink of collapse [20th July 2012]
*(CEN) The Episcopal Church endorses temporary local option on same-sex blessings [20th July 2012]
*(NBC News) Is liberal Christianity signing its own death warrant? [20th July 2012]
*(The State) Talks continue as potential split in SC Episcopal diocese looms [19th July 2012]
*Bishop Stanton’s Pastoral Letter to the Diocese of Dallas [19th July 2012]
*Anglican Unscripted Episode 45 [19th July 2012]
*The Bishop of Upper South Carolina Writes about General Convention [18th July 2012]
*Bishop who leads Central Gulf Coast Episcopal diocese will bless gay unions [18th July 2012]
*Beaufort County Episcopal church reactions vary to bishop’s letter on same-sex blessings [18th July 2012]
*(CNS) General Convention 2012 Decisions “a huge obstacle on the path to Christian unity” [17th July 2012]
*Western Mass. Episcopal clergy to bless, but not wed, same-sex couples [16th July 2012]
*Fort Worth parish protest over GC Indianapolis [16th July 2012]
*Diocese of Missouri Deputation””Telling our story [15th July 2012]
*Key Page for Finding out the Final Wording and Status of All General Convention 2012 Resolutions [15th July 2012]
*(RNS) Reaction mixed to Episcopal Church’s approval of same-sex rites [15th July 2012]
*An Article on the situation on the ground in East Tennessee after General Convention 2012 [15th July 2012]
*The Presiding Bishop Visits La Crosse, Wisconsin [15th July 2012]
*A Look Back to 2009: Philip Jenkins on TEC and the Communion””Their Separate Ways [15th July 2012]
*The Bishop of Fond Du Lac on General Convention 2012””Same Sex Blessings [15th July 2012]
*(Local Paper Faith and Values Section) Episcopal diocese officials object to recent church actions [15th July 2012]
*Allan Haley””Bishop Mark Lawrence Addresses His Diocese Following General Convention [15th July 2012]
*(Diocese of Albany) Chip Strickland on the last day of General Convention 2012 [15th July 2012]
*(The State) South Carolina Episcopal bishop blasts national church [15th July 2012]
*Ross Douthat””Can Reappraising Christianity [especially as practiced in Mainline Churches] Be Saved? [15th July 2012]
*(Orangeburg, S.C. Times and Democrat) S.C. Episcopal representatives denounce same-sex blessing rite [15th July 2012]
*Ryan Anderson reviews Debating Same-Sex Marriage by John Corvino and Maggie Gallagher [15th July 2012]
*(Tulsa World) Oklahoma Episcopal bishop will consult with diocese on same-sex unions [15th July 2012]
*The Episcopal Church: Liturgy for Blessing Same-Sex Relationships [14th July 2012]
*[Christianity Today] Episcopal Church Approves Same-Sex Blessing Rites [14th July 2012]
*The Bishop of Arizona responds to the WSJ Article on General Convention Posted below [13th July 2012]
*A Letter from the Rector of Truro Anglican Church on General Convention 2012 [13th July 2012]
*Statement of the Albany Bishops and Deputation in response to General Convention 2012 [13th July 2012]
*(WSJ) Jay Akasie on General Convention 2012””What Ails the Episcopalians [13th July 2012]
*A Statement from the Deputation of the Diocese of Central Florida on General Convention 2012 [13th July 2012]
*(Living Church) An Action of Solidarity in the House of Deputies [12th July 2012]
*Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island Statement on the Blessing of Same-Sex Relationships [12th July 2012]
*(ENS) South Carolinians have ”˜grievous concern,’ over General Convention actions [12th July 2012]
*Episcopal Church passes same-sex blessings, Houston area church to offer new rite [12th July 2012]
*(KQED) What the Episcopal Same-Sex Union and Transgender Resolutions Mean for Californians [12th July 2012]
*Todd Wetzel’s Anglicans United Report on the House of Bishops debate on Same Sex Blessings [12th July 2012]
*(York Daily Record) Local pastors respond to Episcopal church approving same-sex unions [12th July 2012]
*Allan Haley””Diocese of South Carolina Fed up with General Convention [11th July 2012]
*(RNS) Reaction mixed to Episcopal Church’s approval of same-sex rites [11th July 2012]
*(CSM) Episcopal approval of same-sex blessings: Will it hurt church’s global ties? [11th July 2012]
*(Anglican Ink) 12 bishops say no to Same Sex Blessings [11th July 2012]
*(Seattle PI) It’s official: Episcopalians ratify same-sex “covenants” [11th July 2012]
*The Episcopal Bishop of Texas on Same Gender Blessings Vote(s) at GC 2012 [11th July 2012]
*Bishop Christopher Epting on Recent General Convention Developments [11th July 2012]
*(ENS) Same Sex Union Blessing rite authorized for provisional use from First Advent [11th July 2012]
*(USA Today) Episcopal Church approves same-sex blessing rite [11th July 2012]
*(BBC) US Episcopal Church approves same-sex blessing service [11th July 2012]
*(NY Times) Episcopalians Approve Rite to Bless Same-Sex Unions [11th July 2012]
*The Bishop of Bethlehem on Today’s Decision””Same Gender Blessings Resolution [10th July 2012]
*Statement of Integrity on Today’s Decision””Episcopal Church Authorizes Same-Sex Blessings [10th July 2012]
*Friends calling for prayer regarding The Episcopal Church and General Convention – Lent and Beyond
*Kendall Harmon: About Today and How to Receive the [Same Sex Liturgy] Resolution that will Pass [10th July 2012]
*Allan Haley Analyzes the Bishops Vote Yesterday, Showing its Violations of their own Governing Rules [10th July 2012]
*A Living Church Article on Yesterday’s Debate and Vote in the House of Bishops on Same Sex Liturgies [10th July 2012]
*(Reuters) Episcopalians set to be first big US church to bless Same-Sex marriage [10th July 2012]
*(ENS) Bishops vote to approve resources for same-gender blessings [10th July 2012]
*(Anglican Ink) House of Bishops endorses “provisional” same-sex blessing rites [9th July 2012]
*Finally Tweaked Version of Same Sex Liturgy Resolution A049 as Passed by the House of Bishops Today [9th July 2012]
*ENS Article pre Bishops Vote”””˜Blessing of a Lifelong Covenant’ recommended for provisional use [9th July 2012]
*(AP) Episcopal bishops OK trial same sex blessing service; full church backs transgender ordination [9th July 2012]
*Episcopal Bishops Pass Same Sex Union Blessing Liturgy Authorization Overwhelmingly [9th July 2012]
*Live Twitter Feed (one of them) on the current House of Bishops debate on Same Sex Liturgies [9th July 2012]
*(SF) Sarah Hey””Why The Same Sex Trial Liturgy Will [Very Very Likely] Pass [9th July 2012]
***Important*** New Text Version of Same Sex Blessing Resolution A049 (as Amended in Commitee) [9th July 2012]
*Chicago Consultation””Nightly Update for General Convention 2012 on July 7 [9th July 2012]
*(ENS) General Convention PBLCM Committee hears testimony on same-gender blessings liturgies [8th July 2012]
*Hearing Tonight on Res. A049: Authorize Liturgical Resources for Blessing Same-Gender Relationships [7th July 2012]
*(Detroit Free Press) Episcopal Church losing members as it strives for inclusion [7th July 2012]
*(Indianapolis Star) Sexuality among key issues Episcopalians will confront at General Convention [7th July 2012]
*(Boston Globe) Episcopalians review a new rite for Same Sex unions [7th July 2012]
*Upper South Carolina Episcopal bishop not ready to endorse same-sex blessings [5th July 2012]
*(Phil. Inquirer) Episcopal Church leaders set to consider blessing rite for same-sex couples [5th July 2012]
*The Bishop of Milwaukee’s Thinkpiece on Same-Gender Unions on the Eve of GC 2012 [5th July 2012]
*NW Penna. Bishop Will Bless Same Sex Unions if General Convention 2012 gives the Go Ahead [5th July 2012]

COMMUNION WITHOUT BAPTISM RESOLUTION [CO29]
*An Important Anglican Ink Article on the House of Bishops Communion w/o Baptism Discussion [13th July 2012]
*New Text of Communion Without Baptism Resolution [C029] as Amended and Sent Back to HoD [12th July 2012]
*Resolution C029 on Communion for the Unbaptized Passes House of Deputies on a vote by orders [11th July 2012]
*Whats Happening with the Communion of the UnBaptized? [10th July 2012]
*(Diocese of Texas) William Treadwell on Communion w/o Baptism: Pastoral Theology vs. Doctrine [8th July 2012]
*TEC Gen. Con. 2012 Evangelism Commission rejects Communion of the Unbaptized outright [7th July 2012]
*An Interesting Blog Post from July 2007””How widespread is Communion Without Baptism? [7th July 2012]
*(ENS) ”˜Water first, or table?’ Committee hears ”˜open table’ testimony [7th July 2012]
*Res. C040, Called “Open table” resolution, but really Communion for Unbaptized, Has Hearing Today [7th July 2012]

TRANSGENDER RESOLUTIONS [D019] and [D002]
*(World) Expressing themselves””Episcopal Church votes to allow transgendered clergy and church ldrs [14th July 2012]
*Mark Tooley””A Transgendered Episcopal Church [11th July 2012]
*Living Church on the gender Identity Resolutions Debate in the H of Deputies Yesterday [10th July 2012]
*Jeffrey Walton””Activists for TEC’s New Theology Hail Victories at Episcopal Convention [10th July 2012]
*(AP) Episcopal bishops OK trial same sex blessing service; full church backs transgender ordination [9th July 2012]
*A Living Church Article on Yesterday’s Debate in the House of Bishops on Gender Identity [9th July 2012]
*(Reuters) U.S. Episcopalians move closer to allowing transgender ministers [8th July 2012]
*Both Transgender Resolutions Pass House of Bishops, Both South Carolina Bishops Speak Against [8th July 2012]
*Resolutions D002 and D019 Pass the House of Bishops [8th July 2012]
*Chicago Consultation (II)-Transgender People and the Church’s Transformative Mission [7th July 2012]
*Chicago Consultation (I)””Nightly Update for General Convention 2012 on July 6 [7th July 2012]
*(Reuters) Episcopalians debate transgender issue in Ministry [6th July 2012]
*Sarah Lawton offers Reflections on Resolutions D002 and D019 for General Convention 2012 [5th July 2012]
*The TransEpiscopal Blog on General Convention 2012 [5th July 2012]
[*NEW] * [6th August 2012]

Read it all.

Things at the General Convention, from a certain perspective, certainly didn’t look good. My fellow deputies ”” I admit to serving as an elected member of this naughty assemblage ”” endorsed pretty much the same menu that hooked Episcopal appetites during the wild and woolly ’60s. We’re a church whose worship and formularies presuppose the ancient Christian truths; except the way we have come lately to express these truths often makes it seem our principal interests are “social justice,” cultural diversity and the liberalization of sexual norms.

We slammed “colonialism,” patted the Palestinians on the head, urged new government programs to create jobs, called for a carbon-unfriendly energy policy and instructed priests desirous of doing so to confer the church’s blessing upon same-sex unions. I mean, are we the churchy version of The New York Times editorial page or what? Can’t you see millions of Americans beating our doors down to hear us address the worst of modern anxieties ”” family disintegration, the loss of meaning in life, the burgeoning of government supervision and control over daily existence?

Actually, that’s not what the church itself, at a slightly less exalted level, was saying. A report by the Standing Commission on the Mission and Evangelism of the Episcopal Church noted bleakly….

Read it all.