The New Presiding Bishop of ECUSA: Katharine Jefferts Schori

[Episcopalian]

Breaking News via the Episcopal News Service: Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori of the diocese of Nevada is elected Presiding Bishop over the American Episcopal Church, becoming the first woman in the history of the denomination to take this national leadership position.

Read this article in the Anglican Journal for more details, and this profile from May's Episcopal Life.

[Daniel]

More news on the election of Schori:

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/A...rtner=homepage

[Episcopalian]

Thank you, Daniel.

[Liberal Crozier]

Three decades ago, in the Diocese of Hong Kong, BCC, the Holy Spirit led an Anglican bishop to ordain several women to the Episcopal priesthood. At stake was the relationship of that diocese with the Anglican Communion and with the patriarchalism in receiving the Sacrament of Holy Orders that informed its relationship with the Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodoxy. In the same breath, we must also reflect upon the many Reformation bodies who also are " sola scriptura " on women in ministry.

In the subsequent decades, this implosive issue saw many different manifestations. These manifestations were similar but different - even in seminaries as diverse as the Tractarian Nashotah House and the Evangelical Trinity, among others. The latitudinarian seminaries either followed the two main Anglican church parties.

It is a fact that most Apostolic Succession Church schisms have been "presbyterian" in nature, ie., priests have led the schism and quickly sought episcopal orders from autocephalus vagantes bishops whose validity is determined on a case-by-case basis. Certainly, Rome has no problem with groups begun by validly consecrated Roman Catholic bishops who left to form their schismatic bodies. Men like Marcel Lefebvre, Carlos Duarte Costa, and Pierre Martin Ngo Dingh Thuc come to mind.

The questions are clear. Is the Holy Spirit making known His will by making scientific progress on the same-sex issues commensurate with our theological knowledge? Are we going to take the centuries that it took to "adjudicate favourably" as we did with Copernicus and Galileo - or are we going to continue to teach first century cosmology in the twenty-first century?

I mentioned in my topic sentence that the issues are not complicated, but complex. A survey of the House of Bishops - both men and women - and including the Anglo-Catholic "trio" left who support schism but retain their cures and resources - have a mixed view. It should NOT be assumed that those who support or oppose women in ministry also hold similar views on the same-sex issues. Ironically, some women bishops actually believe that they possess valid Succession but oppose the ordination of openly gay clergy.

Please note that Gene Robinson is NOT the only outed gay Episcopal bishop in the USA. Others retired before coming out; while others were openly closeted - to few insiders and friends.

There is also a theological problem with denying an Ordinary of your diocese and breaching your sacerdotal vows of obedience in favour of a bishop outside your canonical communion, such as a bishop in Africa. It may not concern the Evangelical party priests as much as the Anglo-Catholic party priests, but both seem to accept that option.

It is clear to note that most all Reformation Churches who emanated in Europe have broken both canonical and honourific ties with their founding bodies. This is certainly true with the Methodists, Presbyterians, or Lutherans, for example. In fact, all these bodies have many different denominations or synods not in communion with one another.

I do not have the energy, if inclination, to write at least six or seven paragraphs on the "byzantine quilt" of US and Canadian Eastern Orthodoxy, whether in communion with the Phanar or not. Needless to mention, the canonical ties are purely Roman Catholic, and the honourific was Anglican.

It was very difficult for me to cross the Rubicon as concerns the ordination of women to the priesthood. Please note that many Anglican communions ordain women to the diaconate and priesthood, but not to the episcopate. These include the mother Church of England, and the Scottish Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church of Ireland to name a few of the majority. Only the United States, Canadian and New Zealand national churches ordain women to the episcopate.However, if I accept that bad biology makes for bad theology, I also now accept the fact that bad sociology makes for bad theology as well.

The new PB will create issues within ECUSA, as the tractarians will flee to the many new schismatic bodies not in communion with Cantuaris. Hypocritically, men who sat with her in the House of Bishops - refusing to leave their real estate and salaries - will now rail against her election.

If schism occurs based on a willingness to retain all parties of churchmanship, but to honour women Ministers in all grades of Orders, and to have a positive sexual theology with different realities on the ground where sacraments or sacramental ordinances are accepted or rejected, and lose the honourific Anglican connection with some or all of the other national Churches, then so be it. Anathema sit !!

[Dash]

She sounds cool!

[NathanATX]

Great post, liberal crozier. Thanks for sharing!
Peace,
nate

[Jamie McDaniel]

New US church leader says homosexuality no sin

[Daniel]

Originally Posted by Liberal Crozier

Are we going to take the centuries that it took to "adjudicate favourably" as we did with Copernicus and Galileo - or are we going to continue to teach first century cosmology in the twenty-first century?

Liberal- Among the many gems in your post the above statement stood out, and summed up, or this reader anyway, what the whole issue of women and gay people in the church is about. The statement suggests that living in the past in is no way to live at all.

[Liberal Crozier]

Originally Posted by Jamie McDaniel

New US church leader says homosexuality no sin

The Holy Spirit has certainly enlightened this Mother in God as she states the most important Truth that has been hidden by bigotry and ignorance.
Compare that to Joseph Ratzinger and his self-loathing tirade that his biographer once suggested nearly drove him to suicide. May God forgive the excesses of my justifiable anger at the Protestant and Catholic homophobic leaders. May He lead me to love them and to pray that they acheive Truth and Justice where this part of the Body of Christ resides.

[nowvoyager]

She does sound cool indeed! Her words, from the Yahoo news article that Jamie kindly pointed us to:

"The Bible tells us about how to treat other human beings, and that's certainly the great message of Jesus -- to include the unincluded."

What a tremendous summation of Christianity, not Christianism.. I so hope that her reputation as a reconciler can continue to work miracles.

[Daniel]

http://news.aol.com/politics/story/_...990010?cid=771

In an interview with CNN, Schori said she did not believe it was a sin to be homosexual.

"I believe that God creates us with different gifts," she said. "Some people come into this world with affections ordered toward other people of the same gender and some people come into this world with affections directed at people of the other gender."

My friends, the toothpaste is out of the tube, never to go back in again.

[nowvoyager]

Love the toothpaste reference --
YES!! And may we have minty freshness everywhere!!

[Dash]

I have to say, I'm increasingly excited about Bischop Schori.

1) She seems like a wonderfully affirming spirit.

2) The mere fact that ECUSA has elected her seems a compelling affirmation of the positive progressive movement among American Episcopals.

3) I feel my own self somehow affirmed even... though, I'm not sure I have the right yet to claim that...

[keltic63]

Finally, a Christian leader with the courage to speak the truth about our issue!

I worry, though, that her election and statements following will cause the splits in the Anglican community to widen. Have we heard from Bishop Robert Duncan?

[keltic63]

found the answer to my own question:

"For the Anglican Communion worldwide, this election reveals the continuing insensitivity and disregard of the Episcopal Church for the present dynamics of our global fellowship," Bishop Duncan said. "Nevertheless, it remains our analysis that the decisive moment in contemporary Anglican history was the confirmation vote on the bishop of New Hampshire in August of 2003, the consequences of which continue to unfold."

found here: Post Gazette article

[Daniel]

Bishop Duncan said. "Nevertheless, it remains our analysis that the decisive moment in contemporary Anglican history was the confirmation vote on the bishop of New Hampshire in August of 2003, the consequences of which continue to unfold."

Ah.....it seems El Capitan Duncan cannot argue with a woman being elected. That would be very bad form. He couldn't get much mileage out of that I suppose. But gay people? Well. As far as he's concerned, they're right back on the chopping block.

"Off with their heads!" The Queen of Hearts- Alice in Wonderland.

[Liberal Crozier]

Daniel - This has been an enjoyable day. My spouse and child are playing in the pool and I have come in to tap on the lap top and rest.

Yes, the American Episcopal bishops who have created internal strife made sure that their salaries, positions, cathedrals, and episcopal residences were not jeopardised by their actions.

As we awaited the first Pentecost, the women kept the Faith together. Now women and especially +Katharine is doing the same.

[Liberal Crozier]

Robert Duncan has always been an Evangelical Protestant Episcopalian who has never emphasized the Catholic witness within Anglicanism. The ordination of women for this man is not informed in light of Succession issues, but in light of Patriarchalism and its Scriptural proscriptions. Duncan arrives at this issue in the same way as the Southern Baptist divine.

Thirty years of women in one or more grades of Orders, especially being priested, has made this canard acceptable. After all, Duncan would do nothing to lose his position, power, prestige and salary and benefits without having to sit in the House of Bishops with women he had to accept as his equal. The Canadian, American and New Zealand national churches are the only Anglican Communion bodies with women consecrated to the episcopate.

[Daniel]

Originally Posted by Liberal Crozier

Robert Duncan has always been an Evangelical Protestant Episcopalian who has never emphasized the Catholic witness within Anglicanism. The ordination of women for this man is not informed in light of Succession issues, but in light of Patriarchalism and its Scriptural proscriptions.

I see your point.....thank you for the 'backstory'. It makes everything clear.

One thought kept coming to mind as the news of Schori's election unfolded: I kept thinking about the eastern concept of Sophia- the divine inner feminine- Wisdom- Shekinah - Holy Presence of God- an aspect of 'God' which is still extant in various Judeo-christian cosmologies. Or course, this was all muddled with the memory of the process that went into writing' a byzantine icon as well as the strange and wonderful dreams that accompanied it. Hearing Schori declare the truth of GLBT lives, at least for this listener, recalled that Presence.

[Liberal Crozier]

My own spiritual migration from a Patriarchal view of Succession to the present was not informed by secular western cultural advances, but upon the very theme that you exposited in this post.

Thank you for sharing the insight. It is exactly what the theological grounds are founded upon. Patriarchalism was simply an oversize rood screen that disallowed me to see the obvious for so long.