Episcopal Bishops Reject Anglican Church's Orders

That's the headline in today's New York Times. The bishops, meeting in New Orleans were responding to demands from the worldwide Anglican body that they stop ordaining gay clergy and stop blessing same-sex unions. While they did not back down from what they had already done, they promised to “exercise restraint” going forward.

Historically Anglicans have thought of themselves as finding a middle way between Protestants and Catholics that was actually a better way. But this attempt by the American bishops to find a middle way will probably please no one. Here is conservative Bishop Martyn Minns of the Convocation of Anglicans in North America:

They’re offering business as usual. The communion asked them to make a change, to embrace the teaching of the communion about homosexuality, and there’s no change at all.

Here is liberal Episcolian blogger Scott Gunn responding to the draft of the bishops' statement:

We need clarity now, not obfuscation. In the draft statement our bishops are now mulling over (as reported on BabyBlueOnline) the reader will find this:

No rite of blessing for persons living in same sex unions has been adopted or approved by our General Convention. We wish to make it clear that the House of Bishops has not voted to authorize such liturgies.

Well, I suppose in a Pharisaical sense that might be true. But SSB's are happening all over the place, with official sanction of diocesan authorities in a few places. Now I happen to believe that SSB's are completely in line with Christian practice and belief. And I long for the day when we can celebrate these blessed moments publicly as a church. But we're trying to have it both ways here. We're doing them, but we're saying that they're not sanctioned.

As a province, I think we should do one of two things. We should either come out and say what we're doing and why (with strong biblical and theological support), or we should stop doing it. If we take the first option, let's face the consequences, if any. It is neither honest nor helpful to do something and then say we're not doing it. It smacks of the worst kind of American imperialism to tell the primates that we've honored their requests, when we really haven't.

It's fair to say that the last word hasn't been spoken on this issue.