Wednesday, April 22, 2009

What part of Episcopal Church don't they understand? UPDATED

Episcopal Cafe is reporting the latest end run by Communion Partner bishops who believe the dioceses they serve(?) exist without relationship to The Episcopal Church. (thanks a bunch Rowan Williams for opening that door)

Leaked emails reveal their plan for testing their ideas involve a priest in Colorado (referred to by the infamous Don Armstrong as a back stabber - see Stand Firm) and the Bishop of South Carolina (the one who had to run twice through the election process as so many had their now realized doubts about him).

Thinking Anglicans has some of the emails here,.

Mark Harris comments here.

For a better essay on TEC polity read here.

Sample of Email 2
1) The CO priest will request of +SC, as a CP Bishop, a ‘visitation’,

2) the purpose of which is to prevent his parishioners from concluding that the only route for them is joining ACNA (which will be happening in CO soon) because their Diocesan is not foregrounding his covenant commitments and indeed has ordained an openly homosexual priest, etc, but also has said he means to create space for others’ views, etc;

3) +SC will phone +O’Neil and ask that this request be honored and seek to persuade him of its importance,

4) +SC will ask +Salmon to visit, and will indicate to +CO that +Chane is using Salmon in this way in DC.

At issue here is said parish understanding that they have some connective tissue to a covenant their Diocesan may wish to avoid, without challenging the Diocesan as to his authority, and so underscoring a way to remain in TEC and not leave for ACNA but also to affirm Communion life and differentiation.

Importantly, +SC reminded us that he does not want to get into a quid pro quo situation that, having implemented something like this, the PB makes sure he reciprocates when SSBs pass in General Convention and he is forced to let a proponent of the same do a visitation in SC. Hence, using +Salmon.

But also, hence, the importance of the Pastoral Visitors. They need to come into play in time as independent of deal-making and/or mild forms of extortion.

…at issue here is a) the need to show +RDW and others that CP works at a practical level, and that we have tried, b) that we have not done this by asking something of the PB is is not her right to give, but have worked bishop to bishop, c) that the PVs can in time occupy the space—it is hoped—modelled by the CP initiatives in this regard.
IMPORTANTLY, the visitation in CO, should it happen, needs to be labelled by all as a CP initiative and not just a single ad hoc thing (as in DC).


UPDATE with more email at Thinking Anglicans.

Washington Blade has the story.

Here are the emails --- read the whole tawdry story

Email trail

Here is the statement and proposed signers --

Bishops' Statement.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

I wonder what the spin will be.

IT

Ann said...

What I love is the no quid pro quo - okay if I do it but no messing in MY diocese.

Brother David said...

I am feeling rather dizzy trying to keep up with the spin.

Not to mention the dishonesty of it all. I can only conclude that these folks are actually all atheists. (No offense meant IT.) Because if they truly believed, they would truly know that there will be an accounting one day for all of their scheming, lying and stealing. Even should they ultimately be correct in their views, the end could never justify the means.

IT said...

I would think this would be big news. Or perhaps no one is surprised.

Leonard said...

This is looking darker and darker in terms of honorability...these guys (and apparently one woman are on the run, thick as thieves and often do attempted theft)... worse, yet, they attempt to manipulate and destroy their brothers and sisters at The Episcopal Church and beyond, they are abusers and worse...throw the whole lot out and let Lord Carey of Clifton/formerABC, another shifty/deceitfilled grandstander, preside again as Archlummox (he and Akinola can carve out a double faced/headed throne in a Alexandria ruin and call it the Holy Order of ¨Hate Delivered and Brotherhood of International Bigotry¨).

Ann said...

Read the emails and you can see dirty deeds done dirt cheap.

dr.primrose said...

I've been in the church a long time and seen a lot of shenanigans. But this really takes my breath away. Words come to mind like "Quisling," "Vichy," and "Fifth Column."

nlnh said...

>>>(referred to by the infamous Don Armstrong as a back stabber - see Stand Firm)

Details, please!

Ann said...

Here is the Back stabbing link.

MarkBrunson said...

This whole "covenant" has been, from beginning to end, an attempt to create a mini-Rome out of Canterbury. Make the diocese the basic unit, and you've dissolved the national churches. Everyone is answerable only to Canterbury.

My only question is why we are still having this conversation. The AC was formed as a convenience and has become a disaster, a threat. We can form new partnerships without Rowan.

Dah-veed,

I've been convinced for a long time that these people are the psalmist's people who say "is there knowledge in the Most High?"

They're not atheists, though: they are their own god.

nlnh said...

Thanks for the link, Ann.

You know, if even Don Armstrong thinks someone is a dirty, rotten sneak, well, what is there to say?

JCF said...

---that it takes one to know one?

One can really see how this whole IRD-sponsored mess is "the ReThuglican Party at Prayer".

For all their whining about "The Faith Once Delivered", there is NOTHING they do "in good faith." I mean, "Get us a bishop of our choice, but our bishops don't want to have the same (congregationalism) done to them": WTF??? >:-0

It's Rove.
It's Cheney.
It's GAFCON, ACNA, ACI et al ad nauseum.

It's Bullsh*t!

Robert Hopper said...

I noticed today on the ACI website ... Dr Philip Turner has written about the leaked e-mails. His comment #3 is my favorite.

He writes ... "How can one confirm that the source is not lying about how the private correspondence was obtained, and that instead the emails were stolen and a convenient alibi provided?"


I suggest that the "conservatives" refer to this incident as Holy Watergate.