Horns of a Delimma

Well, now we are stuck! The Reverend Dan Martins has been duly elected by the diocese of Springfield. Now, what should we, we being those outside the diocese of Springfield do? By that I mean the various standing committees within the Episcopal Church of the United States?

The Reverend Martins is on record as being pretty much anti-Episcopalian, as in John David Schofield Anglican. We can anticipate a route and a routine very similar to that of Mark Lawrence, bishop of South Carolina. He was rabidly anti-Episcopalian while he was in the diocese of San Joaquin frequently being the front person for the antics of John David Schofield. He suddenly left the diocese just before the final vote and moved to Warsaw, Indiana where he "recanted" just enough to then be in the running for a bishop's position. His blog continues to champion themes and processes that are against the tone and tenor as well as many stated positions of the Episcopal Church.

All that being said, I cannot bring myself to say, Standing Committees must vote against the ratification of the consecration of this person as a bishop. He has violated no canon, no constitutional provision and to the best of my knowledge not violated any of his vows. Every fiber in my body says he will move Springfield out of the Episcopal Church in due time. But, we cannot act on that which has not happened nor on that which we think someone might think or that we might think someone might think (huh?). He was duly elected by the delegates to the Springfield Diocesan convention and they deserve to get what they voted for. Furthermore, to deny him the appropriate ratification is too allow the other side to deny say, Mary Glasspool, the same ratification. Our body is not formed like that. We are a democracy of sorts, and we must uphold the sum and substance of that formation. I want each diocese to get exactly what they want, what they deserve and the only way to do that is to allow them to elect the candidate of their choice.