From here:
We as a search committee feel confident about our process which was thorough and intentional, and in which we listened intently for the Holy Spirit. The discernment process we followed is fully outlined here. We acted in full accordance with the Constitution and Canons of the Episcopal Church and the Diocese of Minnesota.
We fully stand behind each of these candidates as possessing extraordinary gifts for episcopal ministry. We also see each of them being a good fit for our diocese, bringing a variety of delightful and profound gifts to share at this stage in our life together.
The three candidates are:
The Rev. Mariann Budde Rector, St John the Baptist Episcopal Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota;
The Rev. Bonnie Perry Rector, All Saints Episcopal Church in Chicago, Illinois;
The Rev. Brian Prior Rector, Episcopal Church of the Resurrection in Spokane Valley, Washington.
Read it all and follow the links to the biographies.
Better sooner than later ……
May the Diocese choose wisely, and may consents be given if appropriate.
Well, if Bonnie Perry is elected and gets consents, it would end for all the question of whether D025 actually constituted a breach of the moratoria… and the “it’s not been breached until it’s breached” argument!
Re: Bonnie Perry:
[blockquote]I have served as the vicar and rector of All Saints Chicago for almost 17 years. Initially, I was charged with helping resurrect a church on the verge of closing. Today, All Saints is the
tenth largest parish in our diocese, with a diverse congregation whose average age is 38. Our growth is tied directly to our focus on outreach, radical hospitality, stewardship and evangelism….[b]The Rev. Susan Harlow, my partner now of 22 years, and I moved to Chicago in 1992.[/b][/blockquote]
Well that didn’t take long.
(A little off topic) – Imagine Minnesota finalizing its slate of candidates and then doing the Biblical thing: Rolling Dice, thus giving the Spirit a true opportunity for influence. Hey, its as fair as a one candidate election, but probably won’t square with our beloved polity.
The stat page for All Saints, Chicago is here: http://tinyurl.com/ktnjl5 Like the other infamous All Saints, there is a down tick in 2007. Let us hope that declines continues so that more aren’t exposed to the deception.
The diocese of Minnesota has had its attendance fall 16% from 2002 to 2007, 5% last year alone. They have announced draconian cuts. Churches are closing – including all the historically black churches. The “gay is OK” ain’t working.
That being said, I am routing for Ms Perry. We need the clarity. I wonder about the election process? It would be extremely divisive for the national church – promising yet more negative headline after negative headline. (What lemmings.)
Bonnie Perry’s parish in Chicago was the first parochial visit for Mrs Jefferts Shori after her election as PB.
[blockquote]
That being said, I am routing for Ms Perry. We need the clarity.
[/blockquote]
There would be insufficient clarity because most of the Scriptural texts that some understand as barriers do not apply to women.
But there’s PLENTY of clarity from Holy Scripture regarding ordaining someone living in open sexual sin as an “overseer.” I, too, want to see the Jacobin wing of TEC push the institutional liberals to walk down the broad road their logic leads them. Then ++Rowan will be faced with a true fait accompli, and (hopefully) no further room for obfuscation or fudge.
I also vote for clarity; enough of the talking out of both sides of the mouth by 815. The next consecration of a non-celibate gay will certainly come; let it be now.
Hey Susan–we’re rootin’ for your gal.
[blockquote]There would be insufficient clarity because most of the Scriptural texts that some understand as barriers do not apply to women. [/blockquote]
Romans 1, anyone?
[Comment deleted by Elf. Comments addressed to commenters which are ad hominem will be deleted.]
As it happens, we’re studying Romans at the moment and I’m well aware of the next chapter. While I am hardly sinless, I do understand Paul’s animadversion about sin that is embraced as non-sin, much less unrepented of, and what the consequences are. It would seem that TGC has arrived at that point, no?
John, you confuse correction with judgment.
as I understand it judgment pertains to pretending to know the fate of one’s soul. The actions of a person may be judged as wrong (Wilkins would it be wrong for me to join the KKK? I think so), though we don’t know if that means the person is condemned to hell. Even the likes of Hitler, Stalin, etc.
that anyone thinks “the identifying characteristic of Christian churches is a casual hatred of gay people” is a testament to their ignorance and little else. I am so weary of this homophobe canard the liberals keep tossing out there at any and every opportunity.
Among the ridiculous number of untruths circulating among the TEC leadership, one is that TEC has been honoring B033 since the 2006 General Convention. But TEC hasn’t honored the spirit of B033, numerous comments to the contrary notwithstanding. There were finalists in non-celibate same sex partnerships for bishop in three elections in the 2003-2006 period (in Chicago, California, and Newark). All in all there were four such episcopal finalists in total.
You don’t nominate someone, much less make them a finalist for a position, if you are exercising “restraint” and the person in question clearly violates said standard for “restraint.”
So here we have number five, another example of the lack of restraint and defiance, as well as the further seeking to put facts on the ground for the new theology and practice of TEC.
In addition to this, TEC has not been and is not honoring the call for a moratorium on the liturgical recognition of non-celibate same sex partnerships.
(sarcasm) So when a parent punishes their child for disobeying their directions, does s/he display a “casual hatred of” the child? Oh, you say mine is a false analogy? Because active homosexuality isn’t disobedient of God’s command? I see. So you’re just denying what the Bible says, not that God’s love toward his children, including those in his Church, is a parental and correcting, not a sick and enabling, love? Thanks for the clarification. (/sarcasm)
Alert blog readers may recall the New York Times interview with Gene Robinson in which he spoke to this subject:
Could people stay on the topic of the Minnesota Episcopal election and not get sidetracked responding to John Wilkins. Many thanks.
I mourn for a (Christian) Church that has KJS as their first-among-episcopal-equals. I mourn for a (Christian) Church that has her as a bishop, or even in holy orders. I mourn. This leads some people, who are truly seeking to follow God-in-Christ, and who are not in denial of their own sins nor looking for affirmation of their own selfish desires, astray from the flock and from the Shepherd.
Anyone who may have been gleeful at the outcome of GC06, I cannot agree with you. Anyone who might support the election and consecration of an unrepentant sinner, I cannot agree with you.
Clemmitt
IMO, none of the three candidates is suitable for the office of Bishop.
Bonnie Perry I know right well. She and Susan celebrated their “wedding” (her word, not mine) directly under the nose of the previous bishop of Chicago. Interestingly, a few days ago, before this announcement, my husband said, “the next bishop elected will be Bonnie Perry.” Certainly she “deserves her reward” for all her hard work to bring the Episcopal Church to where it is today. I would be surprised if she isn’t elected and approved.
However, can anyone help us out here. I am a little ignorant. Brian Prior wrote: “Through
 it
 all,
 I 
have 
been 
beyond
 blessed
 to
 share 
the 
last 
22 
plus 
years 
with 
my 
“camp
 friend†
Staci 
Hubbard 
Prior, 
who 
is 
smarter, 
much 
more 
attractive, 
and 
to 
my 
great 
envy, 
at t
imes
 even 
funnier 
than 
me.


We 
share 
our 
lives
 with 
two 
gregarious 
high 
school 
aged 
boys….”
Who and of what “gender expression” (the new PC phrase around the HoD) is Staci Hubbard Prior? Is “camp friend” a euphemism or the gay pun it could be…? Just wondering.
well, what’s better here, to elect Bonnie Perry and have clarity (but tacitly encourage disobedience) or not elect her and have muddy waters but at least restraint? hmmmmm.
I stopped by All Saints once in 2006, because it was the closest parish to my apartment. The “sermon” delivered by Perry was a fifteen minute diatribe against the Bush administrarion.
It wasn’t the fact that the content was directed against Bush, the war, homophobia, neo-conservatism, and fundamentalist Christians that got under my skin. I had just attended an anti war rally the week before with some friends (though to be true it was mainly to heckle the guy with the megaphone. me, not my friends, who were trying very hard not to look like they were with me at the time. But I digress), and as a reformed Baptist (small “r”, big “S”, but whether or not the “S” comes before or after the “B” all depends on whether or not you can believe for five seconds the wine at Cana was grape juice. I never could) I could certainly understand someone wanting to vent against the excesses of some of our more intolerant brethren.
What offended me was this coming from the pulpit, during liturgy, with no Scripture cited to back it up, no invocations of the most tasty portions of the Prophets against injustice toward the poor and alien, and no appeal whatsoever toward the Gospel or toward Christ as being the solution. The sermon was started with a mock prophetic “Woe, to thee, a shameful nation” approach, but mock-biblical was the only biblical content to be found. She did make sure to praise her parish for it’s great liberalism and tolerance, and the Episcopal Church for allowing her two gay deacons (I wouldn’t have known had she not told us, they weren’t dressed in some flashy, sequin deacon vesment with rainbow lining, so I want no accusations about making assumptions) to move toward ordination in the priest-hood.
Other than that the liturgy was very low-church, there were no deviations from the Prayer Book, practice and procedure were followed at every level, and the people were quite friendly.
Put me right off on women priests though.
As to attendance, the church was a small one from my Southern perspective, seating maybe 80 comfortably (100 including a choir, which I don’t remember if they had one or not), with the place maybe 2/3 full that particular Sunday.
On a side note, the neighborhood surroundong All-Saints itself is quite interesting as the only churches in the Ravenswood/Lakeview/Wrigleyville area in Chicago that don’t sport rainbow flags are the Catholic (Roman and Greek respectively). The most orthodox “protestant” group operating in the area, to my knowledge, would be the Jesus People, USA (yes, they still exist).
Thanks, Kendall, for your rather vehement comment #15, with which I’m in full agreement. I just wish you’d mount your soap box and preach more often. After all, it’s your blog, and many of us would [b]LOVE[/b] to hear more from you.
I’m just curious if you’d be willing to share more of what you refer to as [i]”the ridiculous number of untruths circulating among the TEC leadership.”[/i] It might make an interesting and instructive thread topic, if you’d be willing to post a list of such widely circulated falsehoods.
Anyone want to place bets that with TWO openings for suffragan bishops in Los Angeles, when the slate for that election in LA is soon released there will be at least one candidate who is, like Bonnie Perry, an out-and-proud-of-it gay or lesbian priest? Which will add yet further confirmation that there never was any real moratorium or restraint on electing another homosexual bishop. Back in 2006, in order to help get their invitations to Lambeth 2008, the leaders of TEC just wanted to create the plausible appearance of cooperating with the Primates’ call for such restraint.
You’re right, Kendall, it always was a farce. A cynical, shameless, and deplorable farce.
David Handy+
[blockquote]
I’m just curious if you’d be willing to share more of what you refer to as “the ridiculous number of untruths circulating among the TEC leadership.†It might make an interesting and instructive thread topic, if you’d be willing to post a list of such widely circulated falsehoods.
[/blockquote]
Hear, hear!
I think this could be helpful if the items were posted one at a time, with intervals between them long enough to allow each item to be played out before the next is raised.
[blockquote]
You don’t nominate someone, much less make them a finalist for a position, if you are exercising “restraint†and the person in question clearly violates said standard for “restraint.â€
So here we have number five, another example of the lack of restraint and defiance, as well as the further seeking to put facts on the ground for the new theology and practice of TEC.
In addition to this, TEC has not been and is not honoring the call for a moratorium on the liturgical recognition of non-celibate same sex partnerships.
[/blockquote]
TEC operates democratically. Given that, the failure of individuals here and there to observe B033 restraint does not indicate that the restraint has been breached.
And, by the way, I suspect we saw that restraint operating in the case of Northern Michigan.
#26, the church is not a democratic institution it is the body of Christ. Its main unit in our self-understanding is the diocese. What you are referring to is NOT the “failure of individuals” but the failure of whole dioceses who could easily have exercised more restraint if they really cared about the concerns of the worldwide communion. National leadership, furthermore, could have exercised more persuasive authority in this area if it was a priority for them. It is therefore also a national failure on the part of TEC.
If a diocese had a diocesan standard for rectors of parishes, what would people think if a parish had two of five finalists who were living in violation of said standard? Do you think people would be impressed if they responded to expressed diocesan concern by saying, yes, but we didn’t actually call that person to be rector?
#27,
1. The (whole) Church is indeed the body of Christ. Many decisions in The Episcopal Church, in particular those concerning who is to be a bishop, are made democratically.
2. A diocese in The Episcopal Church under the Constitution of General Convention is a creature of General Convention that has no free-standing existence.
really #28? so Gen Con. is financially responsible (a guarantor) to the dioceses? Hardly. This mentality of “Gen Con is the ultimate authority yet someone else pays the bills” is such utter baloney. And of some dioceses (notably SC) pre date Gen Con, as you’re well aware…..