New Bishop's Selection Reflects Anglican Church's 'Directive,' Say Observers
by Jody Brown and Bill Fancher
May 9, 2006
(AgapePress) - - The Episcopal Church USA may have dodged a bullet this past weekend when one of its dioceses decided against electing a homosexual bishop as its new leader. As a result, New Hampshire Bishop Gene Robinson remains ECUSA's only openly homosexual bishop.
Delegates from the Episcopal Diocese of California gathered Saturday (May 6) to pick their next bishop. Among the seven candidates were three homosexual church leaders. But the diocese chose the Rt. Rev. Mark Handley of Birmingham, Alabama, who is married and has two college-age daughters. His election must be endorsed by the General Convention of the Episcopal Church in June before being formally installed in late July.
Addressing the gathering by phone after his election, Handley alluded to the presence of homosexual candidates on the ballot and to the denomination's "inclusiveness" philosophy. "[Y]our vote today remains a vote for inclusion and communion -- of gay and lesbian people in their full lives as single or partnered people, of women, of all ethnic minorities, and all people. My commitment to Jesus Christ's own mission of inclusion is resolute," he stated.
A conservative Anglican leader in the U.S. believes the California Diocese, in selecting Handley, was right not to "short-circuit" decisions ECUSA must make at its General Convention about remaining with, or separating from, the worldwide Anglican Communion.
"The world church has clearly told us what we must do to stay in communion," says Bishop Robert Duncan of the Anglican Communion Network. "[And that is to] repent of our decision in 2003 to confirm the election of a bishop in a same-sex partnered relationship [Gene Robinson] and place moratoriums on further elections of bishops in same-sex partnered relationships as well as the blessing of same-sex relationships."
Pro-family advocate Bob Knight of the Culture and Family Institute agrees. "I think [the decision by the Diocese of California] was because the larger Anglican community warned them that if they did it again and they did it in their face like this, it would probably result in the Episcopal Church of the United States of America being excommunicated from the Anglican Communion," Knight opines.
The CFI spokesman says he was not surprised by the decision out of San Francisco. "People familiar with the situation in California acknowledge that they deliberately did not pick a gay bishop because they knew it would lead to a conflict with the larger Anglican Church," he says.
But according to earlier comments from a pro-homosexual group within ECUSA, the prospect of homosexual Episcopal bishops in the future remains alive. When the slate of nominees was announced in February, the group Integrity said in a press release that it was "inevitable" that another "gay/lesbian person" would eventually be nominated to the episcopacy. And whether or not the California Diocese elected a homosexual leader, Integrity predicted another Gene Robinson would eventually be elevated to the level of bishop.
"[I]t is inevitable that another gay/lesbian person WILL eventually be elected, confirmed, and consecrated to that order of ministry," said Integrity, "as the Episcopal Church continues to live into its call to fully include all of the baptized into the Body of Christ."
