"We proclaim the Gospel that in Christ all God's children, including gay and lesbian persons, are full and equal participants in the life of Christ's Church. We proclaim the Gospel that stands against any violence, including violence done to women and children as well as those who are persecuted because of their differences, often in the name of God."

House of Bishops stands up

I am so proud of our House of Bishops for taking a decisive stand and standing up for what is right, and saying "no" to the Communiqué, "no" to the Global South and "no" to the forces of chaos that want to mess with the Episcopal Church.

Furthermore, they want to meet "face to face" with the Archbishop of Canterbury and the members of the Primates' Standing Committee.

I hope they get a meeting with the Archbishop of Canterbury, so they can ask him what he's been thinking lately. They can couch in polite bishop-speak if they want.

And, the House of Bishops stood up and said all God's children, including women and gays, are full and equal participants in God's church, and furthermore, took the primates to task for their failure to stand up against persecution of God's children.

My belief is our House of Bishops heard and heeded the Holy Spirit.

It may sound silly, but I'm just overcome with joy today. I feel like dancing all day.

There's supposed to be more from the HoB later this afternoon. Here's part of what was released yesterday:



Bishops request meeting with Archbishop of Canterbury, Primates' Standing Committee
Three 'mind of the house' resolutions adopted

Tuesday, March 20, 2007
[Episcopal News Service] Responding to the recent Anglican Primates' Communiqué, the Episcopal Church's House of Bishops, meeting March 20 in Navasota, Texas, expressed "an urgent need for us to meet face to face with the Archbishop of Canterbury and the members of the Primates' Standing Committee."

The request came as the second of three "mind of the house" resolutions adopted by the bishops on March 20. The resolutions [full texts here] were debated during the business session scheduled during the House of Bishops' annual spring retreat meeting.

In the afternoon's first resolution, addressed to the Episcopal Church's Executive Council, the House of Bishops "affirms its desire that The Episcopal Church remain a part of the councils of the Anglican Communion" and "pledges itself to continue to work to find ways of meeting the pastoral concerns of the Primates that are compatible with our own polity and canons."

Stating that "the meaning of the Preamble to the Constitution of The Episcopal Church is determined solely by the General Convention," the resolution also declares that "the House of Bishops believes the Pastoral Scheme of the Dar es Salaam Communiqué of February 19, 2007 would be injurious to the polity of the Episcopal Church and urges that the Executive Council decline to participate in it."

The Primates' "pastoral scheme" seeks to establish a pastoral council and a primatial vicar whom the Episcopal Church's Presiding Bishop would name to provide alternative oversight of dioceses -- seven of the Episcopal Church's 111 -- that have requested such a provision.

A third resolution -- a longer text -- enumerates four reasons why the bishops, hoping "we will continue to be welcome in the councils" of the Anglican Communion "nevertheless decline to participate in the Primates' Pastoral scheme for many reasons."

The reasons cite violation of church law and founding principles of the Episcopal Church, fundamental change to the character of the Windsor process and proposed Anglican Covenant design process, and departure from English Reformation heritage and "the generous orthodoxy of our Prayer Book tradition."

The resolution further calls the scheme "spiritually unsound" for its encouragement of "one of the worst tendencies of our Western culture, which is to break relationships when we find them difficult instead of doing the hard work necessary to repair them and be instruments of reconciliation."