Bishop Robinson Is A Gentleman

According to The Living Church:

The Bishop of New Hampshire will not be invited to participate in the 2008 Lambeth Conference, according to the Rev. Canon Kenneth Kearon, secretary of the Lambeth Conference.

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Bishop Robinson was traveling when the announcement was made, but issued a statement in response to the news.

“It is with great disappointment that I receive word from the Archbishop of Canterbury that I will not be included in the invitation list for the Lambeth Conference, 2008," he said. "At a time when the Anglican Communion is calling for a 'listening process' on the issue of homosexuality, it makes no sense to exclude gay and lesbian people from that conversation. It is time that the bishops of the Anglican Communion stop talking about gay and lesbian people and start talking with us.

“While I appreciate the acknowledgement that I am a duly elected and consecrated bishop of the Church, the refusal to include me among all the other duly elected and consecrated bishops of the Church is an affront to the entire Episcopal Church," he said. "This is not about Gene Robinson, nor the Diocese of New Hampshire. It is about the American Church and its relationship to the Communion. It is for The Episcopal Church to respond to this challenge, and in due time, I assume we will do so. In the meantime, I will pray for Archbishop Rowan and our beloved Anglican Communion."

Bishop Robinson was not expected to comment further until he has spoken with Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori.

Everyone is writing about this, but I wanted to acknowledge Bishop Robinson's brief but gentlemanlike response.

Certain of the bishops, who have invested heavily in the Windsor process, seem to take the cafeteria approach of pick and choose what you like from the report and leave the rest. Much attention has been given to the importance of adhering to the moratorium against ordaining partnered gay and lesbian clergy and the blessing of same-sex unions.

However, the listening process called for in the Windsor Report has not received nearly as much attention. How widespread is the listening process among the dioceses of the Windsor Bishops? As far as I know, there's nothing much in the way of a listening process happening in my diocese.

Bishop Robinson makes the important point that it's past time for TEC and the members of the Anglican Communion to stop talking about gay and lesbian members of the body and begin to listen to them, to have conversations with them, to hear their stories. It seems to me that what we're talking about here is not so much changing minds but about changing hearts. Stories change hearts.

I have no advice to offer the Presiding Bishop nor the other US bishops as to what their response should be, but I will offer my prayers that they will be guided by Holy Spirit and that they receive godly wisdom, knowledge, and understanding as they make their way.