News from around the USA
on Wednesday, 10 March 2010 at 10.57 pm by Simon Sarmiento
categorised as ECUSA
From Los Angeles, we learn that Mary Glasspool has now received the required number of consents from standing committees of TEC dioceses. Consents from the bishops with jurisdiction are still awaited. See Los Angeles diocesan report here, and ENS report over here.
From South Carolina, there is news of resolutions to be considered at the 26 March diocesan convention. See the full text of these resolutions (also available as a PDF). ENS has a report titled Convention to consider resolutions on Episcopal identity, diocesan authority.
Hearings are due soon in lawsuits in both Fort Worth and Virginia:
- The Court of Appeals for the Second District of Texas has announced that it will hear oral argument on the writ sought in the case of the Diocese of Fort Worth on Wednesday, April 14. For some of the background to this case, see here. For the views of those who have seceded from TEC, see this page and also this page.
- The Virginia Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the church property case brought by The Episcopal Church and Diocese of Virginia during the week of April 12-16. See diocesan press release. Documentation is all available here. Press release from ADVA is over here.
Wooohooo for the Standing Committees! Someone I know who is more savvy about how these things work out than I says usually Standing Commitees and Bps vote the same way. On another note, here in the States, ABC News has run a strong piece about proposed antigay legislation in Uganda, and the later night show Nightline is going to run a longer piece. The ABC News I saw clearly showed the influence of an American evangelical in stirring up hate. I suspect the ABC is sitting in a corner of Lambeth and rocking back and forth and mutterinig. But YAY… Read more »
The South Carolina resolutions are profoundly depressing. Here is a state with extremely high unemployment and a host of other major problems. It is near enough to Haiti to have a large Haitian immigrant population whose relatives are in great need of relief and compassion. Not to mention South Carolina’s long history of poor governance, poor education, and poisonous race relations, about which some pulpits might once in a while have something to say. Oh no. What are the South Carolinians spending all of their time on? These crazy, hostile, spit-in-yer-eye symbolic resolutions ratcheting up the squabbles with the Presiding… Read more »
There is rejoicing in Los Angeles today as we receive this great news. I have never known a person better qualified to be bishop than Mary. Her experience, her skills and her temperament are just what we need. Mary and Diane Bruce will make wonderful bishops. In LA we don’t often go outside the diocese for our bishops. We have this odd notion that Los Angeles is so diverse and such a unique place, that we are hesitant to look elsewhere. It is a testament to Mary’s outstanding qualifications that we took her candidacy so seriously. In the final analysis,… Read more »
I do hope that, after his magnificent lecture, that Rowan Williams does not come out and say something nasty about the election consents of Mary Glasspool. If he does, and turns bureaucrat again, he will have to measure that against what he said in the lecture. Let’s not assume that he will, in the meantime.
http://pluralistspeaks.blogspot.com/2010/03/magnificent-lecture.html
Charlotte, Are you saying that there are no social outreach programs in the Diocese of Central Florida? Some of the most innovative efforts to address human need in Pittsburgh (including one parish whose congregation – though not its clergy – is almost entirely composed of homeless men and women) are carried out by congregations now in ACNA. Naturally, the Gospel they preach is one with which many on this list might have reason to disagree, but it would be untrue to claim that they lack awareness of human need and suffering or don’t think it necessary to remedy it. Since… Read more »
Re the Virginia case: when our current Governor was Attorney General for the state, he intervened in the lower court by issuing an opinion that the unique post-civil war statute regulating property disputes in non-hierarchical churches did in fact apply to TEC. Earlier this week he nominated the acting atty general to the Virginia Supreme Court. That man, Mims [NOT Martyn of the Pointy Hat], was a member of one of the groups that abandonded TEC, and, while in the General ASS, tried to pass a law that would have treated property disputes in ALL churches as if all were… Read more »
With regard to my earlier comment, I meant that I concurred with progressive CRITICISM of the Uganda bill, not the legislation itself, which I fundamentally disagreed.
The earlier wording was ambiguous.
Just to be clear, Jeremy: you are saying, aren’t you, that you concur that on the Uganda legislation “silence implies complicity?” I hope and expect that’s what you concurred with (and not the legislation itself). Jeremy, I agree that it’s largely a false dichotomy to say that evangelicals aren’t interested in caring for the poor and suffering. On the other hand, that being the case and “silence implying complicity,” one might think that all of our churches would have more important things to say something about. And being in place, I can respect Charlotte’s opinion about the focus of diocesan… Read more »
All I have to go on is my own experience, and no, I don’t see any of the local Dio Central Florida “reasserter” churches participating in social outreach or civic life. None of the area Episcopal churches participates in Habitat for Humanity, or food banks, or anything else where I am. One does run a thrift store, but by and large anything they do, including fundraising, is done for the benefit of their own membership. I do see a couple of things going on outside my immediate area: a pre-K program, participation in a local “ministers’ roundtable” on civic issues.… Read more »
“Jeremy, I agree that it’s largely a false dichotomy to say that evangelicals aren’t interested in caring for the poor and suffering.”
Tell that to Glen Beck!
[NB: Mr Beck, probably currently the USA’s *most popular* conservative TV pundit—FOX News, of course—recently called on ALL Christians to “leave their churches” IF they place ANY focus on “economic or social justice” (y’know, like that “Socialist” Jesus of Nazareth guy did >;-/)]
TBTG for the Standing Committees’ consents to (+)Mary Glasspool. Come on, Bishops! Do the Righteous Thing, and give consent, too! 😀
“”I look forward to the final few consents to come in from the bishops in the next few days, and I give thanks for the fact that we as a church have taken a bold step for just action.” – Bishop Bruno – Thanks be to God for this sign of TEC’s acceptance of the episcopal election of both Mary Glasspool and Diane Bruce. As a priest in the Church of Aotearoa/New Zealand – on the other side of the Pacific Ocean from Los Angeles – I am thankful that the majority of the Standing Committees of the Dioceses of… Read more »
How wonderful that the Diocese of South Carolina is so clear on the definition of the “faith once delivered.” I must remember to visit family there whenever I have doubts about what the apostles viewed as authentic Christianity.
Fear not! They all think that faith without good works is a sad way to live.
Oh come on JCF. You know perfectly well that if you go to T19, you’ll find a wide spectrum of opinion on economic issues from hardline free-marketeers to some who stand very much in the tradition of Charles Gore and William Temple. For that matter, most church leaders in the Global South articulate a notion of corporate responsibility that’s far removed from rugged individualism. For that matter, I suspect there are some libertarians on your side who are happy to endorse inclusivity but are less keen on economic redistribution. “Social justice” has worn many hats in the life of the… Read more »
Glen Beck may not be representative of conservative Anglicans in the USA, but he has far and away the biggest audience among conservative Christians here. I suspect that most of Beck’s devoted fans have never heard of William Temple or Charles Gore, and don’t care either. I think JCF is right. Glen Beck really does speak for most conservative Christians in this country, who embrace a kind of caricature of Calvinism that allows them to replace “Love thy neighbor as thyself” with “To hell with thy neighbor, he had it coming.” This fits perfectly well with that ruthless free-market fundamentalism… Read more »
+Lawrence seems really hung up on the word “sovereignty,” and uses it in ways that make me wonder what they are teaching in seminaries about Episcopal polity these days.
“”To hell with thy neighbor, he had it coming.” –
– Counterlight, on Friday –
The New Zealand equivalent of that is the following: “Do unto others – before they do it unto you!”
The Episcopal Church has only its self to blame for allowing the consecration of Lawrence. Even then lAWRENCE refused to have Presiding Bishop Schori. TEC gave Lawrence an inch and now he wants a yard.
People like Lawrence realise that not a penny of his money will go on legal fees. He has nothing to lose…and the court cases could drag on for ten years.
I see Mary Glasspool has received the bishops consents now too !
Great news. It may further encourage the Anglican Church of Canada. Our National structure is planning another General Synod with “ongoing discernment” about human sexuality. Developments in L.A. and TEC are a hopeful sign that “ongoing discernment” does not have to mean discernment is ongoing.