Bishop Gallagher's blog is here; Bishop Smith of North Dakota makes the announcement here.
Bishop Smith is, in effect, providing an Episcopal visitor for people in his diocese who favor the TEC LGBT agenda. He is saying, "If we can't agree, how can we be gracious?"
Biblically orthodox Bishops have not seemed afraid to take this approach; Bishop Duncan of Pittsburgh, for instance, offered similar generosity to his dissenters (who, in true TEC fashion, turned around and sued him).
Bishop Smith is one of the new "Communion Partner" bishops, a group attempting to represent the Biblically traditional Anglicanism within the Episcopal Church.
5 comments:
Why doesn't he just invite Gene Robinson?
To invite Carol Gallagher into North Dakota does NOT speak well with +Smith's conservative stance in other matters.
If I were still in TEC, I would NOT welcome +Smith into my parish/mission as a representative of traditional and conservative Anglicanism.
The return of chip johnson+ !!! Welccme back to the blogosphere.
rob roy - don't joke - that very invitation and more was threatened once here in South Dakota!
What I find remarkable is that theologically orthodox folks are willing to play by the canons, and are willing to create some degree of pastoral accomodation for their dissenters. What Bp. Smith is doing is what would have been offered to the orthodox under Dar es Salaam, but TEC wouldn't cooperate.
As Sarah Hey has written about the Communion Partners, the "inside strategy" is now too little, too late. It might have worked a few years ago, but TEC wouldn't do it.
I think it a fair read of the situation to opine that God has given TEC over to the consequences of its cravings.
... If I were still in TEC, I would NOT welcome +Smith ...
But that's the point, isn't it? You bailed out but you're still coming back like some addict who can't resist The Episcopal Church which you claim to detest. Do we follow where you have gone - where is it that you have gone? - and snipe at that? Why not leave well enough alone and leave The Episcopal Church to us poor, misguided, heretical Episcopalians?
Robert Zacher, Chris Johnson hasn't bailed - yet, I believe. Accommodation will work as well for Bp Smith as it did for Neville Chamberlain.
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