In terms of process, what Bishop Henderson says is correct. In terms of outcome based on the statements of the bishop-elect, I think that the dusc has made a horrendous choice. ed.
Mitre Chat VII: December 19, 2009
From Bishop Henderson: About the Election
Sisters and Brothers, dearly Beloved:
"God the Holy Spirit is with us!" I occasionally plagiarize those true, wise and guiding words from the first convention address of our first diocesan Bishop, the Right Rev'd Kirkman Finlay. I do so again.
From the date of my resignation announcement forward, you and I committed the episcopal election process to the guidance of the Holy Spirit and immersed it in prayer. There is no reason to believe that the Holy Spirit withdrew from that process at any point, then or now. Faithful members of the calling committee, representing the broad spectrum of theological thought, reduced via a lengthy and prayerful process a list of some 100 priests to the final handful of nominees who also represented a broad spectrum of theological thought.
And delegates representing all of the congregations of our diocesan-likewise a broad spectrum of theological thought-met together in conformity with constitutional and canonical provisions, and having worshiped, prayed and reflected together, elected the Rev'd Andrew Waldo. Each ballot was placed on the altar with a prayer for God's blessing. There is nothing in the process which indicates that this was not a valid call, and that the Christians who elected and the priest who responded acted in any way other than striving to be faithful to the presence and guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Some delegates were overjoyed with the choice. Some were disappointed. The emotions of still others may have been somewhere in between.
But the delegates fulfilled their charge, and we have a bishop-elect. Once the required consents are received from the standing committees and diocesan bishops of The Episcopal Church, Fr. Waldo will be consecrated bishop.
He will be our bishop. He will be my bishop.
Therefore we become a people called together with our bishop as the Body of Christ to do the work of Christ.
I am alarmed to discover that the bishop-elect is already under attack. I've read only a few of them; all are examples of the "anxious voices" we have pledged to avoid. And in some I've discovered twisted information, statements taken out of context and misused, and-I regret to say-some blatant untruths about Fr. Waldo. Some are even vicious.
Bishop Ed Salmon, the former bishop of the Diocese of South Carolina, constantly reminded his fellow bishops of the appropriate way to verify the truth of claims made about another person-by checking them out directly with that person. According to that principle, which I heartily endorse and try to live by, those who have concerns about Fr. Waldo should address them directly to him in order to obtain his response. That is the mature, responsible and Christian approach. It also assumes what one might call a "charitable Christian assumption"-that all other people have the same good intentions, the same good will, that one attributes to ones self. That would be one way to recapture relationships that inspired non-believers in the earliest centuries to proclaim, "See those Christians, how they love one another!"
I know what it's like to believe that an election of a bishop is not consistent with God's will; I've been there. But I also know that any selection we make is but an offering-and that whatever we offer God can and will use to accomplish God's miracles. I think, for example, of the miracle of the loaves and fishes. And I've witnessed what God can do with a bishop whose election I thought could not have been God's will.
The theologically sound language of the ordination rite includes this prayer, as bishops lay their hands on a bishop-designate: "Therefore, Father, make (name) a bishop in your Church." We have made our offering in the manner that The Episcopal Church, and some other Anglican bodies, have followed since our founding. God will take that offering and make him a bishop in God's Church, to continue God's mission.
Therefore I not only appeal to, but admonish the priests, deacons, and lay people of Upper South Carolina (1) to emulate the faithful trust of Bishop Finlay and to honor the choice of our delegates as appropriate offering-(2) to be honorable in thought, word and deed, (3) to follow biblical examples of faithful action, and (4) to get on with the work God has given us to do. Consistent with the season, I think of one appropriate biblical example in particular-the Blessed Virgin Mary. In the words of Richard Rohr:
Upon receiving the sacred word of her pregnancy, Mary does not contemplate it for long. Rather, she "acts" immediately: she "went as quickly as she could to a town in the hill country" (Luke 1:39) to visit her cousin, Elizabeth. There is no mention of planning, companionship, means of travel, inconvenience or possible difficulties. Like Abraham, she moved "with" the action, "toward" her cousin's very practical need. Sometimes it is action itself which leads us to our best contemplation. If we contemplate too long, we sometimes avoid the necessary action. The events of life themselves are Mary's guide and teacher. She does not need to figure out and plan accordingly; the plan will be given by God through life's ordinary events and encounters. Reality itself is her teacher. That is why she could hear angels. And that is why she could hear Elizabeth. As Paula D'Arcy says so well, "God comes to us disguised as our life."
Where we are is "our life". God is where we are. Like the Blessed Virgin Mary, we have "pondered these words" in our hearts. Let us now move ahead, striving to grow more and more into the image of God in which we are created, and after the example of our Lord Jesus Christ-avoid anxious voices of fear-and proclaim instead the joyful voice of those who know and now celebrate the Good News-the Gospel-Emmanuel-God with us.
With love for you in Christ and prayers for a holy conclusion of Advent and a joyful celebration of the Incarnation, I remain faithfully yours in our Lord,
+Dorsey Upper South Carolina VII
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