Two years after the Episcopal Church voted to allow the blessings of same-sex unions, Milwaukee’s bishop has opened the door for blessings to take place in his diocese.
But the new rite, created by Milwaukee Bishop Steven A. Miller, will be available only to those couples already married by civil authorities, and only in churches where the vestry, or parish council, signs off on its use.
The decision, outlined by Miller in a letter to clergy dated Aug. 29, appears to be a compromise between the personal convictions of the bishop, who has criticized the rite approved by the national church as deficient, and most of the clergy in the diocese, who had been pushing for him to allow its use locally.
As always there is always something thrown in to try to saound moderate. For instance,
[blockquote]”Clergy wishing to offer the rite would need a two-thirds majority vote of their vestry.”[/blockquote]
Since most Episcopal churches have to beg for people to serve on the vestry, and since most of that begging is done by the rector, it should be no problem for a progressive priest to clinch a 2/3 majority vote.
Another technique used by bishops who which to create a moderate facade is to appoint a task force, shifting responsibility away from the bishop, and this bishop did just that.
[blockquote]last year, he asked his Standing Committee to study and offer recommendations on the issue.[/blockquote]
Interestingly, in spite of the fact that there did not exist a 2/3 majority of parishes in favor of ssb’s, they are moving forward,
[blockquote]The committee reported its findings to Miller in July. Of the 43 parishes that responded to questions about the rite, 24 said they supported it. Eight said they did not, and 11 said they were in a “middle ground” with a range of divergent views on the subject.[/blockquote]
Episcopal bishops like this one are too spineless to come out and say and do what everybody knows they are going to do. Instead they drag things out, defusing the issue through time and attrition. I think they believe this minimizes the losses. They are mistaken, for in the long run it just sharpens the auger and speeds the screw as it digs deeper into the ground towards its ultimate destination.
These days, and for the future, ECUSA bishops are/will be chosen for their thinking on the “new gospel.”
Anyone who expects anything different to be happening is dreaming.
#1 “it just sharpens the auger and speeds the screw as it digs deeper into the ground towards its ultimate destination” seems to point to an infernal destination indeed. 🙁