Channel: Living Church
Author: Steve Waring

General Convention’s House of Deputies declined to concur with the House of Bishops on an amended version of Resolution C061, which states that all baptized persons have equal access to the discernment process of this church. The action took place on Friday at the Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, Calif.

However, the House of Bishops removed several phrases which listed specific individuals, including the following phrase: “No person shall be denied access or have his or her discernment process terminated because of race, color, ethnic origin, national origin, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disabilities or age, except as otherwise provided by these Canons.”

Diamante A. Tavolaro of Rhode Island, a female to male transgendered deputy, agreed with the committee on world mission which recommended that the amended resolution not be approved. He said he would prefer that convention try again in three years’ time.

Several deputies suggested that it would be preferable to adopt an imperfect resolution rather than none at all, but others pointed out that the language in the current canon is fairly close to the amended language proposed by the bishops.

Eventually deputies using electronic voting devices voted about 60-40 against concurring with the House of Bishops’ version.

Steve Waring reporting from General Convention in Anaheim.

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I have to say I find this a little bit humorous.  A political scientist who once spoke at my university characterized one of the major political threats of current times as a problem of “to every tribe a flag.”  I can’t help but see a desire to have groups specifically named as a similar impulse.  I believe the bishops were correct to say that the discernment process is open to all baptized people and leaving it at that.

Fr. Jody Howard - 18 July 2009 11:24 AM

I have to say I find this a little bit humorous.  A political scientist who once spoke at my university characterized one of the major political threats of current times as a problem of “to every tribe a flag.”  I can’t help but see a desire to have groups specifically named as a similar impulse.  I believe the bishops were correct to say that the discernment process is open to all baptized people and leaving it at that.

Well it is likely B033 itself convinced people that all did not mean “all” since most understood “manner of life” to mean glbt folks.  Folks who experience routine discrimination know all the nuanced ways to make “all” mean less than “all.” 

Remember:

Resolved, the House of Deputies concurring, That the 75th General Convention receive and embrace The Windsor Report’s invitation to engage in a process of healing and reconciliation; and be it further

Resolved, that this Convention therefore call upon Standing Committees and bishops with jurisdiction to exercise restraint by not consenting to the consecration of any candidate to the episcopate whose manner of life presents a challenge to the wider church and will lead to further strains on communion.

Heck, the rabid reasserters could not even parse that well enough to understand that it did not mean “nomination to the episcopate” or ordination as priests and deacons.  Why should anyone believe they know what “all” means.