"As bishop of the Diocese of Texas I will continue to honour the request of my brother and sister bishops across our province and the Communion, and the leadership of the Archbsihop of Canterbury, and will not consent to the Rev. Glasspool's election.

"While I will not vote to consent to this election, I am unified with others throughout the Anglican Communion around the issues of safe-guarding human rights everywhere"
- Statement by Andrew Boyle, Bp of Texas
- via Kendall Harmon - 'Titus-on-line'

Another Kendall Harmon 'scoop' - treminds us of the double-mindedness of some of the Bishops of TEC who, while protesting their 'support' for Human Rights, yet oppose the selection of a woman bishop who happens to be settled into a stable, monogamous gay-partnership. Seemingly, no matter what the other qualifications (or call from God) in the life of Revd. Canon Mary Glasspool, the dissenters are unwilling to concede that the Holy Spirit may be involved in this selection.

Such opponents of the LGBT community in the ranks of the Episcopal Church in the U.S.A., are trying to sustain the dichotomy of; on the one hand, supporting common human rights; while on the other denying the human rights of people whose God-given sexual orientation, and their right to exercise that, are not only a fact of life but obvious to those involved - and to their families and friends.

This stone-age refusal to accept the scientific evidence of sexual difference - previously not available to the writers of the Scriptures - is symptomatic of the conservative religious mind-set. This 'sola-scriptura' mentality, that holds back from any advancement of thought that dares to question the moralistic ethos of biblical funadamentalism, is contrary to the message of inclusivity in the Gospel. God save us from the present-day Pharisees of our Communion.

The Bishop of Texas ought to be aware of the fact that TEC is not tied by umbilical connection to any other Province of the Anglican Communion. The ties are 'ties of friendship' - not coercion. For TEC to abandon it's prophetic role within the Communion (or outside of it) would be to deny the Holy Spirit's task of advancing the Mission of the Gospel to ALL people.

I see that the Irish Evangelicals support Civil Partnerships being introduced.

http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/10786

"The Bishop of Texas ought to be aware of the fact that TEC is not tied by umbilical connection to any other Province of the Anglican Communion."

Oh, I don't think that's really the point here. As you might expect from an entity with its name, the Diocese of Texas is pretty conservative when it comes to matters of --- well, when it comes to just about everything. The mention of the other bishops across the Communion was just rhetoric on the part of Bishop Boyle: if those same bishops were on their knees begging him to consent to the election you wouldn't hear about it. It's just a way of making Texas conservatism seem cosmopolitan.

As to the human rights allusion, I think it's probably a good thing that Bishop Boyle doesn't want to put gay people in prison or kill them, which is all that statement means.

Again my brother Fr Ron has put matters clearly, and as we read and get to know Mary, it is obvious that her appointment is of the Holy Spirit. Like a call to the priesthood, the Hound of Heaven will eventually have his way. Pray dear Lord it may be now.

Fr John