The House of Bishops brushed aside procedural challenges and deposed Bishop Robert Duncan of Pittsburgh from the ordained ministry of The Episcopal Church Sept. 18.
The final tally was 88 yes, 35 no, with four abstentions, according to one bishop. Those results are not official, however.
Present were 128 bishops. Not present were 15 who could not attend for a variety of reasons, including the bishops of Texas who are dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Ike. Nine did not respond and were not present, according to Episcopal News Service.
Immediately after his deposition from the House of Bishops of The Episcopal Church, Bishop Duncan was welcomed into the House of Bishops of the Anglican Church of the Southern Cone, according to Presiding Bishop Gregory Venables.
This is sad but predictable, the wrong way to deal with this issue from a church which (seemingly) continually makes bad decisions. Alas.
“…brushed aside procedural challenges…”
Boy, talk about your understatements. I seem to remember another instance of procedural niceties being [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYyVtRb6uz4]”swept aside,”[/url] too.
The House of Bishops has just signed its death warrant. I hope it is happy because I believe it will soon be beating its chest when it hears from the Lord Himself.
#3. David,
You are so right. +Bob loses little if anything in this. The TEC could lose it all.
— Stan
We are watching 2 Tim 3 lived out before our eyes:
2 Tim 3:1-13
1 But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days.
2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,
3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good,
4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God–
5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.
6 They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over weak-willed women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires,
7 always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth.
8 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these men oppose the truth– men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected.
9 But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men, their folly will be clear to everyone.
10 You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance,
11 persecutions, sufferings– what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them.
12 In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,
13 while evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.
(NIV)
———
I am praying for purpose, faith, patience, love and endurance for all the orthodox in Pittsburgh tonight. Especially for the seven on the Standing Committee who are now certainly in the crosshairs…
Anyone know if the names of the 35 bishops who voted “no” are available?
David Virtue seems to have some of them.
A travesty. I reminded my bishop that his turn might come soon now that the PB et al are free to run roughshod over all due process, their own canons. There is neither grace not Christian decency in the TECUSA leadership.
Three cheers for +Greg Venables.
PRAISE THE LORD! A GREAT moment for the realignment of Anglicanism in North America. It’s time to move on folks. Bishop Duncan did everything he possibly could to make them understand and they could not or would not. Now he is free to get on with the REALLY important business of rebuilding a hopeful Anglican future in North America. We have LOTS to do, so time to roll up our sleeves and get to work! May the good Lord continue to bless you Bishop Duncan. Bravo — well done!
This deposing of Bishop Duncan is an act of secular warfare against those who adhere to and follow “..the Faith once given…” in ECUSA.
The fact that about 70% of the bishops voting decided to follow a spiritually, ethically and canonically indecent course of action against Bishop Duncan, who is definitely a symbolic leader of traditional Christians in ECUSA, is a ‘sign’ that all hope of co-existance by those Christians with the ‘whatever’ that is now running ECUSA is a forlorn hope.
Its time to batten down the hatches and stand by for heavy seas as we make earnest preparations for the weapons of secular warfare that will be used by ECUSA’s radicals against traditional Christians.
I am sorry to say that if an Episcopalian supports this travesty committed by the House of Bishops under the leadership of Ms Schori, then that person cannot be trusted by traditional Episcopalians.
If a person is a member of an organization like Via Media within a traditional diocese, then that person must be viewed with deep suspicion.
They have actually done Bp. Duncan a great favor. Karen B. your scriptural quote is right on. God Bless Bishop Duncan.
Let us exult in our suffering.
For those wanting names, it is my understanding that this was a roll call vote, so names will be publicized, I believe.
Cherie Wetzel at Anglicans United has some details:
http://www.anglicansunited.com/2008/09/duncan_deposition.html
So does Sarah, at Stand Firm
http://www.standfirminfaith.com/index.php/site/article/16269/
Bishop Duncan has now been pushed out of the Episcopal club. He did not abandon the Episcopal club. The Episcopal club abandoned him. In spite of the fact that the good and godly bishop bent backwards and did much MORE than was necessary for him to stay and help his fellow bishops in the spiritually dead club (aka TEC) to see the light, BUT yet, they pushed him out.
Out, they pushed him. But into the arms of a loving and welcoming Province and Providence he landed. Thanks be to God.
Safe landing, dear godly bishop.
Obviously, all is set for Bishop Iker as the next target.
Katherine and company are laughing now, but this is not the end of the matter. He who laughs last laughs best.
NO FEAR. The Lord is with you dear godly bishops.
Fr. Kingsley Jon-Ubabuco
Arlington, Diocese of Fort Worth
He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. Heb 11:26
Now let us see how many other bishops are willing to value Christ more than riches? How many others will be found worthy to be persecuted and rejected for the sake of their association with Christ? By the vote of the HOB, it doesn’t appear that too many TEC bishops will risk following the excellent example of Christ and his saints.
This is a sad moment for Bishop Duncan. I am sure of that. But it is a much sadder moment for TEC. +Duncan will recover. I fear TEC took another huge stride in becoming a Unitarian costume party. I grieve for Anglicanism.
Thank you Karen B. for reminding us of 2 Timothy 3 which certainly defines the leadership of the TEC. I wish I could get in their heads to find what drives these Bishops. Is it pride, fear, ambition, or plain sinfulness? Is the Rasputin controlling Bishop Schori, ie, David Booth Beers, or some other person driving her to be so harsh with Godly Bishops like Bp. Duncan? I cannot believe she is ignorant of the consequences she faces in the long run. Dear Bp Schori, “Pride cometh before the fall.â€
As the kids say these days, “She and the Bishops who support her are goners.â€
Unfortunately, she will take many believing Christian Episcopal Parishes and their people with her.
God will not be mocked!
What a blessing to be kicked free of the carcass that is TEC.
[i] Edited by elf. [/i]
Re: the list of bishops, the Rev. George Conger has posted a PARTIAL and unofficial list over at SF:
http://www.standfirminfaith.com/index.php/site/article/16271/#279064
Thanks for that pointer, #19. That’s 26 out of 35 I think, so looking forward to reading of the other 9. Praise God for Bp. Love, and all the rest – and of course for Bp. Duncan’s incomparably gracious witness in suffering.
It hasn’t come up anywhere I’ve read, but it seems to me that there needs to be a grieving stage for faithful Anglicans at this particularly outrageous persecution of an exemplary bishop of the Anglican Communion. Certainly there has been an acknowledged grieving process on the part of Anglican clergy and laity who departed the AC via the TAC, under persecution from their national Anglican body.
#16, the liturgical Unitarianism that you correctly observe TEC is rapidly taking up may have been in development far longer than most of us perceive. Having accidentally come across some literature from Kings Chapel in Boston and related sources I have been amazed to read of the steady fraying of some of colonial Anglicanism into competing Congregational/Unitarian bodies locally from the early 1800s on, and this seems to have seeped into PECUSA seminaries and eventually dioceses over much longer than the past 40 years. But much escaped notice for so long because it all occurred in those other denominations than ECUSA, and abroad (mainly England), and within academic faculties. Campuses today regrettably continue to be a locus of the advance of liturgical Unitarianism.
Let’s be clear: This was a cynical misuse of the Canons to accomplish a coup d’etat (or would it be d’eglise) in Pittsburgh. It will be interesting to see who begins to emerge as pretenders to the Episcopal throne.
However, I associate myself with others who see this as a significant step forward towards formation of our new Orthdox province in North America.
I cannot help but contrast the graciousness of Bishop Duncan with the over reaching need to control of the Presiding Bishop of TEC. Let’s shake the dust from our feet, and get on with the imperative of winning North America for Christ.
Islandbear+
I expect the Lord has some really interesting times in store for those bishops who voted to depose in this extracanonical action. I just do not want to be there to see them.
Leave the Episcopal Church and come under another Anglican Province in full communion with canterbury (Schofield): guilty of abandoning the communion.
Talk about the legitimacy of doing so (Duncan): guilty of abandoning the Communion.
What’s next?
Sign the Anglican Covenant? [no snickering] guilty of abandoning the Communion.
Speak against the direction of the Episcopal sect: definitely guilty of abandoning the communion.
Neglecting to wait until hearing “Katies says” before doing anything: guilty of abandoning the … oh what the hell, are you still here?
The Episcopal Church has just taken a nosedive and landed at the bottom of the sewer. The walls are slick with slime, and there is no way out.