A month ago, the world’s Anglican bishops flew off to London, hoping to do something to keep the world’s third largest Christian family from falling apart over the ordination of an openly gay bishop in New Hampshire.
But as the bishops return to their dioceses around the world, the plight of the Episcopal Church, and its parent Anglican Communion, remains as muddled as ever. With conservatives contending that the denomination is moving toward schism and liberals arguing that the denomination is stabilizing, the path forward is unclear.
Bishop M. Thomas Shaw, head of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts, said in an interview upon his return from London that he will continue to ordain gay clergy, which he called “pastorally important.”
He also said that local priests will continue to bless same-sex marriages, although Shaw said that those priests are doing so on their own and that “I haven’t authorized anybody to do anything.”
As for whether he would follow up on his earlier intention to push for ending the moratorium on gay bishops and allowing church recognition of same-sex marriage when the Episcopal Church meets at its General Convention next year, Shaw said he would now wait until he meets with all the American bishops next month to decide how he will proceed.
Sigh, I wish bishops could just be honest about what they are doing and would quit with the semantic games. This “I haven’t authorized anyone to do SSBs†while saying priests are free to do that on their own isn’t fooling anyone anymore. I wonder how +Shaw can sleep at night saying he hasn’t authorized SSBs in his diocese, when in fact, he has.
Yes, and Bishop Shaw is a Conservative. Sure, and I have a bridge you might want to buy!
Will wonders never cease?
Thank God for clarity
The picture of compliance. And for a hierarchical church, it’s amazing the things that can happen that a bishop–even a “conservative” like Shaw–simply is unable to control.
Gee, it’s not like a bishop can inhibit a priest or anything . . . wait a minnit . . . haven’t there been a bunch of priests inhibited lately just for doing stuff their bishop felt was against the best interests of the church? So if Windsor and Lambeth have already said SSBs are against the best interests of the church, then +Thomas can just inhibit them!
Hey, i’m glad we have this spot where we can think together about tough problems and help leaders come up with clever, innovative solutions. I’m sure we’ll hear this is all taken care of shortly.
RomeAnglican,
It’s not that they CAN’T be controlled. It’s that those with the ability and responsibility to do so are choosing not to fulfill their ordination and consecration vows.
RE: “I haven’t authorized anybody to do anything.”
Bruno’s Beguilements. Shaw’s Subterfuges.
Really incredibly craven.
Give me Andrus every time. A strong leader — and not a liar.
I’ve said from the beginning. We don’t even need the HoB to vote on anything, any individual Bishop can forbid SSB’s in any form, any time they want to.
Unless of course, GC 09 decides that is not to be done.
Gloria
No surprise here and it will only get worse. TEC knows that it is home free. It will not be disciplined and the covenant is a joke. They have the numbers and the power. GC 09 will be a sight to see and the moderates and institutionalists of GC 06, who saw themselves in the center, will find themselves on the far right. I am looking forward to the show.
The AC has shown itself to be impotent. While pockets of orthodoxy will linger in TEC and do what they can, they will, by and large, be irrelevant to TEC. For those who want a biblically based orthodoxy within a larger Anglican community, GAFCON is the only game in town. For those who want doctrinally pure orthodoxy and orthopraxy (Evangelical v. Anglo-Catholic; WO v no WO; and any other thing you can think of) house churches with like minded believers are a good option.
Shaw says he’s not “authorizing anyone to do anything,” but his non-action proves otherwise, and he knows it.
And I’ll stick with the border crossings; we need them badly!
No. 2: I was just about to make a comment on his “I’m a conservative” crack but you beat me to it…
This is at best sophistry, and at worst mendacious. The bishop is the captain of the ship. Nothing goes on under his command that he is not responsible for. If clergy in his diocese are blessing SS marriages then there are two possibilities. Either they are doing so without the approval of their bishop in which case they should be disciplined, or they are doing so with his , at least tacit, blessing. Given the lack of discipline or condemnation it is clear beyond any doubt that the bishop accepts this. A priest is an extension of his bishop. Everything he does, he is acting under color of the bishop’s authority.
ICXC NIKA
[url=http://ad-orientem.blogspot.com/]John[/url]
You speak too well of him, Ad Orientem. This is what happens when you put The Agenda ahead of all other goals. I doubt if he sees his duplicity. What he sees is that his Agenda takes preference and all that advances that end is good and right and meet so to do. The truth is, he needs his miserable head whacked, causing him to wake up and smell the skunk cabbage. But I admit, his dishonesty takes one’s breath away, and one wonders how he can look himself in the mirror after such…. such…such… what is the word sufficient for this cause? Larry
Br Michael, you are absolutely correct, TEC is home free. They have been for quite some time, and the ABC’s manipulation of Lambeth has made sure it will remain that way. Those Christians remaining in TEC who live ANYWHERE near a CANA or AMia congregation or an orthodox diocese, congratulations! For the rest of us, it’s time to go over the side and swim to safety elsewhere.
Shaw is apparently unfamiliar with the concept of “tacit consent.”
#15 Little Cabbage. Right on! The ship is sinking faster; no one seems willing to keep it afloat. Rephrasing the old comment again we get “..damn the torpedoes full sped ahe—BOOM..” Let’s hope there is enough lifeboats to get us ashore.
I am getting the impression that GC09 will fit in well with the joke military retirement speeches about how, “When I came in, homosexuality was forbidden. Now it’s optional. I’m getting out before it’s mandatory.”