What'll They Think of Next?

There are seven candidates running for the bishop of the Episcopal church in California (Episcopal is included under the 'Anglican' umbrella). Three of the seven candidates are openly gay.

Question: When did people start going woefully wrong???? Oh right. Genesis Chapter 6. And then the Flood came and destroyed mankind.

Let's find out more about the bishop situation in California. Bill Atwood of the Ekklesia Society, an Episcopal aid network based in Carrollton, Texas, says "I don't think there's any question they'll be compelled to elect a partnered gay," Atwood said. "I think they've got a mistaken understanding of issues of justice. Huge portions of the Episcopal Church are theologically adrift."

Bill sums it up perfectly. These people are "theologically adrift". What a great phrase. I'd be tempted to substitute "theological" with "Scripturally" but that's just me. I think Bill has the gist of the situation nonetheless.

And then there's Susan Russel. Unlike Bill, Susan isn't quite getting it. Susan Russel is a member of Integrity which, according to their website is "a nonprofit organization of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender [LGBT] Episcopalians and our straight friends...Integrity [is] the leading grassroots voice for the full inclusion of LGBT persons in the Episcopal Church and our equal access to its rites." Integrity supports the non-heterosexual members of the Episcopalians. These non-heterosexual believers even have an acronym. LGBT. Go figure.

(It's also worth mentioning that "episcopal" means "overseer". It's held that only a person in a line of succession of bishops dating back to the Apostles can be a Christian bishop, and only such a person can validly ordain Christian clergy...)

Back to Susan. Susan is thrilled with the situation in California. She says the diocese (an administrative territorial unit for the Church) has no obligaton to elect a heterosexual. Susan argues that a "radical conservative fringe" is to blame for any anti-LGBT sentiment. Given that the mainstream Anglican church is already at odds with the Episcopal Church over homosexuality, this is prime hunting ground for Ms. Russel. "For any elector to allow the current political climate in the global church to hamstring the Holy Spirit would be working against who we are when we're at our best as a church," she says...

So now the Holy Spirit is moving to get LGBT bishops into office.

Will the radical conservative fringe please stand up.

Cue the second Flood.