BISHOPS PASS AMENDED A068
(with update)
(with update)
This afternoon, the House of Bishops rejected the House of Deputies' Resolution A068 by passing their own heavily amended version of the resolution, virtually a new resolution.
The HOD version authorized the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music to undertake comprehensive revision of the Book of Common Prayer 1979. It asked nearly $2 million for the project.
The HOB version of today (find it here ) ignored the Standing Commission and said nothing about comprehensive revision of the prayer book. Instead it would set up a "Task Force on Liturgical and Prayer Book Revision" to be appointed jointly by the presiding bishop and the president of the House of Deputies. Moreover, the amendment said any prayer book revision would have to adhere to the historic rites of the church as seen in the 1979 prayer book. The bishops did not actually declare the 1979 prayer book as the only official prayer book but came close: "this Convention memorialize the 1979 Book of Common Prayer as a Prayer Book of the church preserving the psalter...ensuring its continued use."
The HOB amendment had wide support among liberal and conservative bishops and passed easily by voice vote. There appeared to be overwhelming agreement on it and virtually no objection to it. In fact, it was announced that the proposed church budget had no funding for the $2m cost of the HOD version.
It appears to me that the bishops essentially killed immediate prayer book revision and kept the status quo. The new Task Force seems to be a pale imitation of what the HOD had in mind. I suppose this means on a practical level that same-sex blessings and marriage will continue as supplemental liturgies not integral in the prayer book.
The two houses still have to agree on a resolution.
UPDATE: July 11, 7:00 a.m. How does the bishops' resolution appear now, the day after? Some Internet voices are interpreting this as a victory for prayer book reform. I does not look that way to me.
It was obvious yesterday that the bishops had spent a great deal of time and effort behind the scenes to make a unified stand on A068, and one against the core idea of the House of Deputies' version. Some of the most progressive and some of the most conservative bishops went to the microphone yesterday to hail their amended resolution. It passed virtually unanimously. This was no accident. This kind of solidarity takes a lot of work. And, it was remarkable that the bishops stood up this way against the overwhelming wish of the House of Deputies.
In my view, the bishops killed the core idea of the Deputies' resolution, immediate work on comprehensive prayer book reform, particularly to make the book gender neutral. For instance, the marriage rite would be equally open to opposite sex and and same sex couples. The bishops did this by consigning BCP revision to a "Task Force" that would consider revision. There is a big difference between making revision and looking into revision. In effect, the bishops ended the idea of prayer book revision in the near future. Far down the road, who knows?
I do not see how the deputies can resist the bishops' guidance on this. The two houses will have to come to agreement and I expect it will be the bishops who prevail. This is, after all, an episcopal church.
Bottom line---the Episcopal Church keeps a status quo on the 1979 Book of Common Prayer. Same-sex marriage will continue in the church but as extra-BPC liturgies, that is, not actually written in the BCP. I think this is the right way to go at this particular moment in church history. It is best to have stability now, digest the great reforms of the last half century, and decide in the future how to proceed with necessary changes. The Episcopal Church will be better off with this.
UPDATE: July 11, 7:00 a.m. How does the bishops' resolution appear now, the day after? Some Internet voices are interpreting this as a victory for prayer book reform. I does not look that way to me.
It was obvious yesterday that the bishops had spent a great deal of time and effort behind the scenes to make a unified stand on A068, and one against the core idea of the House of Deputies' version. Some of the most progressive and some of the most conservative bishops went to the microphone yesterday to hail their amended resolution. It passed virtually unanimously. This was no accident. This kind of solidarity takes a lot of work. And, it was remarkable that the bishops stood up this way against the overwhelming wish of the House of Deputies.
In my view, the bishops killed the core idea of the Deputies' resolution, immediate work on comprehensive prayer book reform, particularly to make the book gender neutral. For instance, the marriage rite would be equally open to opposite sex and and same sex couples. The bishops did this by consigning BCP revision to a "Task Force" that would consider revision. There is a big difference between making revision and looking into revision. In effect, the bishops ended the idea of prayer book revision in the near future. Far down the road, who knows?
I do not see how the deputies can resist the bishops' guidance on this. The two houses will have to come to agreement and I expect it will be the bishops who prevail. This is, after all, an episcopal church.
Bottom line---the Episcopal Church keeps a status quo on the 1979 Book of Common Prayer. Same-sex marriage will continue in the church but as extra-BPC liturgies, that is, not actually written in the BCP. I think this is the right way to go at this particular moment in church history. It is best to have stability now, digest the great reforms of the last half century, and decide in the future how to proceed with necessary changes. The Episcopal Church will be better off with this.
