What Dan Martins actually said and what he meant by it, or, Does the Bishop of Washington know what his people are saying when he's out of town?

Fr. Martins was blogging from the July, 2009 General Convention in Anaheim, CA. He actually posted the statement he intended to make and his rationale. A video - really more of an audio because you don't see much - of him making the statement is here. This is what he blogged prior to delivering his statement:

What to Say?

In all likelihood, C056, the resolution on rites for blessing same-sex relationships passed by the House of Bishops yesterday, will show up on the HOD [House of Deputies] legislative calendar sometime today (which will probably include an evening session), and certainly by tomorrow morning. Debate time is already limited to one minute per speaker, and there will be lots who want to speak, so I don't know whether I'll even get the chance. But if I do, here's what I plan to say:


Madam President, if I had a dollar for every person who has come up to me during this convention and said something like, "I don't usually agree with you, but I'm sure glad you're here; we need your voice," I could finance a day at Disneyland. So...you want my voice? Here's my voice: If there was any ambiguity in D025--and I have contended that there is, at some cost to my credibility--then there is absolutely none in this resolution. When we pass it, we will in that moment be undoing every shred of work that this church has done over the last four years in response to the Windsor Report. Time does not permit me to enumerate all the work that will be nullified by this action. We are utterly rejecting Windsor and the hope for life in communion that it represents. On this day my church is covering itself with shame, and I am profoundly sorrowful. What you are about to do, do quickly.

Jesus is Lord and God is good. But my next post will be from the bottom of a well. May the holy prophet Jeremiah pray for us.

The "shame" of which he spoke had nothing to do with sexuality - it was all about the word tricks and abandoned agreements that would damage "the hope of life in communion" with other Anglican Christians around the world. His focus is not on what the resolution would allow, but on church effort, trust and relationships it would undo.

The Episcopal House of Bishops is currently meeting in Arizona. Perhaps Bishop Chane of Washington, DC is there and not on top of what his communications people are doing in his absence. I hope that's the case, and that he will deal decisively with the misrepresentation and character assassination they've been up to in his absence.