Kendall Harmon on General Convention 2009 (I): Watch the Distance Between the Two Houses

Posted by Kendall Harmon

I think the most interesting dynamic heading in to this General Convention is the distance between the two Houses. In the House of Deputies, there is little question of the majority’s desire to overturn B033 (the restraint resolution) and pass a resolution placing the blessing of same sex unions in the Book of Occasional Services. I say this based on the tragic departures of numerous reasserters as well as the shifts in deputations like those from the TEC remnant dioceses of Fort Worth and San Joaquin. I also base it on my overall feel of the deputations.

The Bishops is another matter altogether. Many of them got an earful at Lambeth 2008 about the damage they have caused around the communion. Even more important in my view, the bishops are presiding over many dioceses in which there is much conflict, financial struggle, membership loss, morale depletion, and on and on. The Bishops as a whole do not want to provide a further explicit means for even more controversy. I think they want to bypass B033 and pass a resolution with some kind of circuitous wording trying to state where TEC is now. They also seem to wish to pass a resolution on the same sex blessing matter which allows the current situation of the increasing embrace of the practice to continue, without explicitly adding more fuel to the divisive fires.

That’s a pretty big gap between the two Houses. We’ll see how and if it can be bridged. Right now, based on where things are, I think the institutional reappraisers among the bishops have the upper hand in the very short term. Therefore a more probable outcome is for the overall desire of the bishops to prevail.

But this is the General Convention of the Episcopal Church we are speaking about. Anything can happen. You can only speak in terms of probabilities.

If I were there, I would definitely want B033 on the floor of the House of deputies so it can be overturned. B033 is one of the sadder chapters in the recent history of the Episcopal Church. The way it was handled was shameful in both Houses, in Deputies where at a minimum the spirit of the House was trampled upon, and in the House of bishops where both the spirit and the letter of the law of that House were sacrificed on the altar of expediency. B033 never was even an accurate view of where the Episcopal Church stood, and it misled many in the Anglican Communion to think the situation was other than it was (in other words it was a lie). Many of us—both reasserters and reappraisers by the way—were maligned for voting against B033 at the time, but in retrospect I believe our concerns have been more than vindicated--KSH.


Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • Episcopal Church (TEC) • General Convention • * By Kendall

16 Comments
Posted July 8, 2009 at 8:20 am [Printer Friendly] [Print w/ comments]



1. New Reformation Advocate wrote:

Thanks, Kendall, for sharing this perceptive observation.  I wish you’d take the opportunity to share your own thoughts on this blog more often. 

Whether the “institutional reappraisers” or what might be called the crusading reappraisers will win the tug of war remains to be seen.  And likewise, whether the HoD or the HoB will prevail is similarly unclear to me at this preliminary stage.  But FWIW, my hunch is that both kinds of reappraisers are tired of holding back.  There’s not much satisfaction in that.  And I suspect that even the institutionalists may be prone to think that, since they’re going to get criticized anyway, they may as well go for it and have something to show for all the flak they’re going to continue to take.

We’ll see.  We won’t have to wait long to find out.

David Handy+

July 8, 9:43 am | [comment link]
2. Kendall Harmon wrote:

David I call the other group the ideological reappraisers, fwiw.

July 8, 9:50 am | [comment link]
3. jeff marx wrote:

God bless you Kendall

We are praying here for the Lord’s hand on all that transpires. I agree that this would be a wonderful time to hear from you on what is going on. Someone I trust!

July 8, 9:56 am | [comment link]
4. Kendall Harmon wrote:

A trip down memory lane:

The Rev. Canon Kendall Harmon, a deputy from the Diocese of South Carolina, raised concerns about what he called the clarity and honesty in A161.

“The Windsor Report uses clear language. This resolution doesn’t take the specific language of Windsor seriously enough,” he said. “We have been asked to place a moratorium; the timeframe is clear ... yet the language we get is to exercise considerable caution—a fudge. Let’s be honest, let’s be clear.”

http://www.anglicancommunion.org/acns/news.cfm/2006/6/15/ACNS4152

July 8, 10:47 am | [comment link]
5. Chris Taylor wrote:

The only “gap” I see is one of strategy, not ideology.  It’s all a question of how “in your face” they want to be vis-a-vis the Communion.  I’m putting my money on the ideological reappraisers.

July 8, 11:16 am | [comment link]
6. FrJim wrote:

I wish the “reappraising” radicals would carry the day and bring the whole thing to a reasonable conclusion.  The mushiness is unproductive.

-Jim+

July 8, 11:18 am | [comment link]
7. Brian of Maryland wrote:

In the wise words of South Park, “Boom Baby.”

They’ve already unleashed the chain reaction that will permanently cripple their church.  A little late to make the connection.

An ELCA pastor waiting for our own meltdown to start in August ....

July 8, 11:44 am | [comment link]
8. phil swain wrote:

To seek clarity is to cease to be Anglican.

July 8, 11:59 am | [comment link]
9. Phil wrote:

“If you listen to fools,
The mob rules”

And so it will.  The bishops abdicated, over some thirty years, their historic responsibility to guard and teach the Christian Faith and thus enabled the mob.  Now, they will be devoured by it.

July 8, 12:00 pm | [comment link]
10. cssadmirer wrote:

Very good observations on B033.  A number of people who voted in favor of B033 in 2006, like Dan Martins and Christopher Wells and others, have a lot to answer for.

July 8, 12:36 pm | [comment link]
11. Daniel wrote:

Brian of Maryland,
Your comment reminded me of the ending tag line from the Farm Report skits on SCTV, “may the good Lord take a likin’ to ya and blow ya up real good.”  Maybe we will look back at GC2009 and what happened to the Anglican Communion and say “they blowed it up real good!”

July 8, 12:51 pm | [comment link]
12. New Reformation Advocate wrote:

Kendall (#2, 4),

Thanks for the clarification about terminology.  I like your term better, “ideological reappraisers” and “institutional reappraisers” are about as objective and non-inflammatory as can be.

And as for the trip down memory lane, I think GenCon 2009 will provide the clarity that GenCon 200^ evaded.  And that’s a good thing, even if the actions taken are horribly wrong.  At least, TEC is apt to be more honest.

David Handy+

July 8, 2:56 pm | [comment link]
13. freihofercook wrote:

Didn’t Jim Simons of Pittsburgh vote for B033 in 2006? I believe he did.

July 8, 3:41 pm | [comment link]
14. First Family Virginian wrote:

New Reformation Advocate writes: Thanks, Kendall, for sharing this perceptive observation.  I wish you’d take the opportunity to share your own thoughts on this blog more often.  

I feel quite similarly.  I find myself eagerly looking for your input.

July 8, 4:04 pm | [comment link]
15. Laura R. wrote:

B033 never was even an accurate view of where the Episcopal Church stood, and it misled many in the Anglican Communion to think the situation was other than it was

Wasn’t that the intention?  At least on the part of some involved—

July 8, 5:15 pm | [comment link]
16. Denise wrote:

Kendall:  I am resident in an Anglican diocese, now a part (happily) of the new province—ACNA.  The daily comments made by those of you from South Carolina are very important to us.  Thank you, all of you, for your incisive comments.  Even though they are meant primarily for the people of South Carolina, we have a source of information that we can trust.  God bless you all.  Vaya con dios.

July 9, 5:07 pm | [comment link]
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