Anglican Communion News Service

by Matthew Davies

The House of Bishops at the 74th General Convention of the Episcopal Church, USA (ECUSA) voted this afternoon to consent to Canon Gene Robinson's election as Bishop-coadjutor of the Diocese of New Hampshire. Sixty two out of the 107 bishops with jurisdiction gave consent, with two abstentions. Canon Robinson's consecration will take place on Sunday 2 November.

Photo: Matthew Davies/ACNS

After the announcement of the vote, Bishop Robert Duncan of Pittsburgh, with eighteen other bishops of ECUSA, made a statement to the House of Bishops saying, "The bishops that stand before you do so with sorrow. This body has denied the plain teaching of scripture and the moral consensus of the church throughout the ages. With grief too deep for words, the Bishops that stand before you reject this action. As faithful members of the Episcopal Church we call upon the Primates of the Anglican Communion to intervene in the pastoral emergency that has come before us. May God have mercy upon his church."

At a press conference held afterwards the Presiding Bishop of ECUSA, the Most Revd Frank T. Griswold, made a statement of his own. He said, "The assent to this consecration by bishops and deputies of the Episcopal Church will be interpreted in many ways over these next days, both because those within our household of faith are not of a common mind on issues of sexuality, and because these issues call forth a great deal of emotion. For some this is a moment of great joy and represents an affirmation of the place of gay and lesbian persons in this church. For others, the decision signals a crisis and reflects a departure from biblical teachings and traditional church practice."

Photo: James Rosenthal/Anglican World

Towards the end of his statement he said, "This decision does not, in my view, resolve the issues about homosexuality in the life of the church. What it does do is place squarely before us the question of how a community can live in the tension of disagreement. So, it is now our challenge to take up the difficult and holy work of living with a difference."

Canon Robinson responded to the media by saying "this day is a good day because Jesus is Lord. Yesterday was a terrible day but I got through it because Jesus is Lord".

He described how he believes in the process that the Episcopal Church has set up and is proud to be in a church that works to be a safe place for all God's children. "The only thing that causes difficulty for me is that not everyone agrees with this decision," he said. As a communion we want to reach out to the dioceses and other denominations for whom this is bad."

The Archbishop of Canterbury has already responded to the decision saying, "It is my hope that the church in America and the rest of the Anglican Communion will have the opportunity to consider this development before significant and irrevocable decisions are made in response. I have said before that we need as a church to be careful about making decisions for our own part of the world which constrain the church elsewhere.

"It will be vital to ensure that the concerns and need of those across the Communion who are gravely concerned at this development can be heard understood and taken into account."

The vote was scheduled to take place on Monday afternoon but two allegations came to light that generated an official investigation. Firstly, there was speculation that Canon Robinson had been involved in a web site that, in some way, included a link to a pornographic site. The second allegation came on Sunday evening when several bishops had been sent an email from an individual in Vermont claiming that Canon Robinson had touched him "in an inappropriate way".

Presiding Bishop Frank T. Griswold appointed the Rt Revd Gordon Scruton, Bishop of Western Massachusetts, to chair these investigations. Bishop Scruton read his report to the House of Bishops today saying that the focus was to determine if either or both of these concerns constituted cause for further investigation. "The Episcopal Church has clear policies in place to guide our response in such instances," he said.

Bishop Thomas Ely of Vermont contacted the individual on Sunday evening, and again the following morning, and was able to confirm that the email was genuine. On Monday afternoon Bishop Scruton spoke to the individual and asked him to tell the story of the experience that had caused him to raise his concerns. The incident that the individual was referring to took place in November 1999. Bishop Scruton said, "There were two exchanges between the individual and Canon Robinson. In the first, Canon Robinson put his left hand on the individual's arm, and his right hand on the individual's upper back. [In] the second incident...the individual turned to Canon Robinson to make a comment. In response, Canon Robinson touched the individual's forearm and back." The individual told Bishop Scruton that the placement of Canon Robinson's hands seemed inappropriate to him considering they did not know each other.

The individual admitted that he had not thought the House of Deputies would consent to Canon Robinson's election and that when he wrote the email he felt upset. "He regretted having used the word 'harassment' in his email," Bishop Scruton said. "I asked him on two occasions whether he wished to proceed with an official complaint and he said no."

In Bishop Scruton's investigation regarding the link to a pornographic web site it became clear that Canon Robinson had not been associated with the organisation in question since 1998. The web site involved was erected in 2002. "I see no evidence that Canon Robinson was aware of or associated with the web site or its contents," Bishop Scruton said. "It is my recommendation that there is no necessity to prevent the bishops with jurisdiction to go forward with their voting."

At a press conference on Tuesday morning the Rt Revd Geralyn Wolf, Bishop of Rhode Island, said that this has offered an extraordinary opportunity to show the depth and breadth of the Episcopal Church. "You have seen a transparency that has been part of our church from the beginning," she said. "We're a church that wrestles with the questions." Bishop Wolf and the Rt Revd Mark Sisk, Bishop of New York, both acknowledged the fact that vulnerability is a major issue in positions of authority but it is necessary to take these accusations seriously.

Some say that today's decision, to admit Canon Robinson to the episcopate, is contrary to the teaching of the Scripture and in total defiance of the resolutions of the 1998 Lambeth Conference, [The full text of these resolutions can be found here] whereas others feel that Canon Robinson has lived a life of fulfilled integrity and faithfulness and that "morality and holiness of life" were the reasons for voting in favour.

Canon Robinson, aged 56, took the difficult decision to leave his wife because he felt that God wanted him to acknowledge his sexuality. When asked, "What risks have you taken for the Gospel?" he replied, "Risking the loss of my children and the exercise of my ordained ministry in the Church were the biggest risks I've ever taken, but it left me with two unshakable things: my integrity and my God."

Photo: Matthew Davies/ACNS

Before the vote, the House of Bishops engaged in a general conversation that lasted about an hour. The Rt Revd Thomas Shaw, Bishop of Massachusetts, said that a few days after Canon Robinson was elected in the Diocese of New Hampshire, he found himself surrounded by a group of young people who explained how they had stopped going to church but had now regained faith.

Speaking of the scriptures, the Rt Revd Robert Ihloff from Maryland said, "As a liberal I am aware that it is not enough for us to...just throw these passages out. They are all there for learning." He added that the scriptures prohibiting homosexual behaviour were written at a time when it was assumed that everyone was heterosexual. "It's not about a group of gay men behaving badly but a group of heterosexual men behaving atrociously," he said. "We need to be open to a variety of interpretations and not be simplistic."

Urging the House not to consent to Gene Robinson, Bishop Ed Little of Northern Indiana said, "I am absolutely committed to Jesus Christ, this Church, this House, and you. Yet if we confirm Gene Robinson as a bishop of the Church, the unity of this House will be shattered forever." He continued by saying that "the Episcopal Church will emerge from this General Convention broken; wounded; divided; and more desperately, polarised."

The Rt Revd Peter Beckwith, Bishop of Springfield, said, "Gene Robinson's lifestyle is inappropriate at best. Today I question not whether we are on the same page or even in the same book, but if we are in the same library."

In his opening address to the General Convention the Presiding Bishop of ECUSA, the Most Revd Frank T. Griswold, talked about the "diverse center" as holding the church together. "One thing I am deeply aware of in our churches is what I like to call the diverse center in which different perspectives [say] 'like it or not, we are members of one body' and that is our larger value," he said. "It is unfortunate that most of the air time is claimed by those on either extreme."

Forty five minutes was offered to the deputies on Sunday who wanted to address the House, with two minutes being allocated to each speaker. The queues were so immense that fewer than half the people who wished to speak received their opportunity.

One of the first speakers, Ms Bonnie Anderson from the Diocese of Michigan, said, "I'm speaking to those who haven't made up their minds yet. Fear is the absence of faith. You may be afraid; don't be."

Speaking in opposition, the Revd James Flowers from Western Louisiana said he was concerned what he would tell his parishioners. "How do I explain that the Church they love has chosen to separate from the one Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church in the Body of Christ," he said. "My parish are neither homophobes nor bigots but they do not understand why we are having this conversation."

The Revd Howard Anderson from the host diocese of Minnesota declared that every time the Episcopal Church has tried to exclude, it has been foiled by the movement of the Spirit. "Let us be true to our heritage of Anglicanism," he said. "Now is the chance to show the world that this Church follows Christ."

After the vote was passed in the House of Deputies on Sunday, Canon Gene Robinson announced to the media that "God is doing a new thing" and that "He [God] doesn't always wait for the Church". He added, "I believe it will bring growth - remarkable growth - in New Hampshire ."

Stephen Bates, Religious Correspondent from The Guardian UK, asked Canon Robinson how the Church of England might respond to his confirmation in light of Canon Jeffrey John's withdrawal from his appointment to the See of Reading. "The child must sometimes teach the parent," Canon Robinson responded. "Watch us for a while and see how we are blessed."

Several questions were raised regarding schism and unity in the Anglican Communion and whether Canon Robinson was prepared to take responsibility for the consequences that might arise. "I am willing to take responsibility of discerning God's call to me and play whichever role I am playing in the work God is doing," he said. "But I can't take responsibility for what others decide to do. I want these people in my Church and I hope they want me. If they decide to leave it's not because I have asked them to."

The Revd George Werner, President of the House of Deputies, admitted that the result in the House of Deputies was more pronounced than he had expected and that he was impressed with the quality and demeanour of the debate. "What you saw today was people really trying to find their souls," he said. "I have so many friends on both sides of the issue but you saw the demeanour of the House; you saw the restraint and discipline. I am just so proud."

Another statement, issued by the American Anglican Council, began, "The Episcopal Church USA has shattered the Anglican family."

The statement ended: "We stand united with hundreds of millions of Christians worldwide in proclaiming that Jesus Christ is Lord. This simple, profound and life-transforming truth cannot be changed by any human vote."

Canon Robinson has served as canon to the ordinary in New Hampshire since 1988 where he coordinates diocesan staff and ministry of the current bishop, the Rt Revd Douglas E Thuener. Since 1983, he has served as executive secretary of the Episcopal Province of New England, and since 2001 on the Board of Trustees of the General Theological Seminary in New York .

A 1969 graduate of the University of the South, Sewanee, Tennessee, Canon Robinson has a BA in American Studies/History. In 1973, he completed the MDiv at General Theological Seminary and after ordination served as curate at Christ Church, Ridgewood, New Jersey . Upon moving to New Hampshire in 1975, he co-owned and directed an accredited girls' summer camp and horse farm. As founding director of Sign of the Dove Retreat Center in Temple, New Hampshire, he facilitated spiritual direction and designed programs for a variety of groups. He also managed the diocesan "Living into Our Baptism" program of spiritual growth and development.

Canon Robinson enjoys entertaining and cooking, gardening, music and running. The father of two grown daughters, Jamee and Ella, he lives with his partner Mark Andrew who is employed by the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services.