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House of Bishops, House of Blues
Abstract: Did the Episcopal bishops sell out or take a stand?
It is not easy for Lutherans to describe events in the Anglican Communion, but we'll try.
Beginning September 20 the House of Bishops of the Episcopal Church, USA met with Archibishop of Canterbury William Rowans in New Orleans to respond to concerns raised in other parts of the Anglican communion and to uninvited "cross boundary" pastoral interventions by Bishops in other parts of the Anglican communion.
In February, the Primates of the Anglican Communion meeting in Dar Es Salaam called on the Episcopal Bishops to ban blessings of same-sex unions and the consecration of gay bishops.
Ultimately the New Orleans meeting resulted in a tortuously worded statement titled A Response to Questions and Concerns Raised by our Anglican Communion Partners in which, the bishops pledged not to authorize rites for blessing same-sex unions and "reconfirmed" a 2006 resolution of the General Convention that would prevent consecration of "non-celibate gay or lesbian candidates for the episcopate." They also called for an immediate end to "uninvited incursions".
Press responses to the Bishops' statement have been reminiscent of reactions to the recent ELCA Churchwide assembly. The New York Times declared Episcopal Bishops Reject Anglican Church's Orders while a representative of the Human Rights Campaign declared, "This decision is a profound disappointment to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people everywhere."
