Another Answer to Lionel

In the comments section under the story from The Living Church, "Bishop-elect Lawrence Sees Election Resistance in Broader Context," Lionel Deimel of Progressive Episcopalians of Pittsburgh comments on my editor's note:

If what you say is correct, the people asking about Barbara Harris were misled. According to the canons, standing committees give consent on the basis of knowling of no impediment to the consecration. That is pretty general and doesn’t specifically refer to process. Bishops with jurisdiction only vote up or down. No criteria are listed in the canons. Mark Lawrence is fair game, but so is every other bishop-elect. Practice may have been otherwise, and that may have been unfortunate.

5:00 AM

In addition to the comment from another priest that I posted there, is the following from Bishop Michael Curry of North Carolina about his giving consent for the consecration of Gene Robinson. For a full transcript of this reflection, go to www.episdionc.com/bishops_reflection.htm


"This reflection is written from the context of my decision to give consent
to the election and consecration of the Rev. Canon Gene Robinson as bishop
of New Hampshire.

"I need not go into great detail about the discussion engendered by this
election. Concern centered on the fact that Canon Robinson is a gay man who
is in a life long, monogamous partnership with another Christian man. My
decision to give consent was a statement. The process of electing the new
bishop was prayerful, lawful according to canon law of our church, and
conducted in “decency and order.”"

Now, I ask, was there anything in the election of Mark Lawrence that wasn't "prayerful, lawful according to canon law of our church, and
conducted in “decency and order?" If the election in SC followed the criteria given by the Bishop of NC, why are liberal dioceses withholding consents to his consecration? My answer is that liberals have two standards; one is applied to conservative bishops' elect and another is applied to their fellow liberals. As we have seen with Bishops Harris, Iker, Ackerman, Robinson and now Bishop-elect Lawrence, liberals are not consistent and will not engage the business of the church with any sense of fair play.