There has been new controversy across the worldwide Anglican Communion since the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles elected Rev. Mary Glasspool, a lesbian, as assistant bishop. If her election is confirmed by a majority of dioceses within the Episcopal Church, she would become the second openly gay bishop in the denomination, which has been wracked with division over homosexuality. The Episcopal Church is the US branch of the 77-million-member Anglican Communion. In July 2009, the Episcopal General Convention overwhelmingly approved a measure affirming that gays and lesbians are eligible to become bishops.
After the vote, Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly managing editor Kim Lawton asked Los Angeles Episcopal Bishop Jon Bruno how he would explain the vote to Anglicans around the world who oppose gay bishops, and what message he hoped it would send to gays and lesbians.
It is not about context it is about the authority of Scripture. This of course lies at the heart of the division. We are people with utterly different conceptions of Christology, revelation, authority and spirituality. For decades the Holy Scriptures have been simply an historical document for an increasing number of people in TEC. Similarly Jesus of Nazareth as revealed in Scripture has been separated from some king of Christ event persona rather than being “the invisible God made visible.”
Thus we end up with different religions in the same church using the same words with utterly different meanings.
Bruno has no clue about what I am saying as he cannot connect to what lies behind it. I am dismissed usually and a fundamentalist and bigot as I really do believe in the Living Lord Jesus, crucified, risen and returning. He is the Lord of the Church and not the bishop of LA. The Holy Scriptures are, according to our formularies, “God’s Word written.” They are authoritative because God speaks through them as his chosen form of revelation along with Jesus as the WORD. The Scriptures tell us what the Jesus said and did and the teaching of His apostles. They record the living history of the People of God from the first and God’s self revelation to them. If a question of the Holy Spirit’s leading comes up then it must be confirmed in the Holy Scriptures. My wish and prayer for Bruno is that he might actually believe what he professed at this ordination concerning the Scriptures – “the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the Word of God, —”
In the face of the juggernaut that is TEC leadership at this time and these events that spiral into polarization that leaves less and less room for reconciliation, what to do? “As for me and my house – we will follow the Lord.”
[blockquote]In July 2009, the Episcopal General Convention overwhelmingly approved a measure affirming that gays and lesbians are eligible to become bishops.[/blockquote]
Yes. This is exactly what they did. Yes, this is exactly what happened.
Why, then, do people like Bonnie Anderson and the other bureaucrats continue to get away with their disingenuous claims that no real changes were made, and we did nothing more than simply “move on?”
Why, then do the remaining “conservative” TEC bishops continue to pretend that it is all business as usual?
I cannot help but hope that this event, at least, will cause people to face and deal with some real clarity about where we really are.