Earlier Robinson nearly caused schism within the Episcopal Church when he openly declared he was a practicing homosexual. Unitarianesque Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori didn't help matters when she declared that this was a perfectly fine practice for bishops within the Communion. Of course, within traditional Anglicanism this is not known to be normal, and many Pastors decided they didn't want to be under the guiding wing of P.B. Katharine anymore. In turn she threatened to sue those who left. The Archbishop Peter Akinola has been a forerunner among the voice of opposition against Robinson and his position within the Church.
Michael Buerk of BBC Radio 4 has just conducted an interview with Robinson, and Robinson has declared that he and his partner will join in Civil Partnership only a few weeks before the large scale Lambeth Conference:
by Ed Beaven
The Bishop of New Hampshire, the Rt Rev V Gene Robinson, is to enter into a Civil Partnership with his long-term partner just weeks before next year’s Lambeth Conference. The openly gay cleric, whose consecration as Bishop of New Hampshire in 2003 caused outrage among traditionalist wings of the Anglican Communion and has placed the Church on the brink of schism, unveiled his intention during an interview to be broadcast on BBC Radio 4 next week, in a programme entitled the Choice. Interviewed by Michael Buerk, Bishop Robinson denied the plan to hold the ceremony next June had been chosen to be deliberately provocative.
He said: “The decision to take advantage of the new law that will come into effect in
He also tells about his love for the Anglican Communion, but said he would never stand down from his role as it would be going against God’s call on his life. He said: “I love the Anglican Church and I value the Communion and I will do everything short of standing down to benefit the Communion.
“But I will not reject God’s call to me. If I were to disappear tomorrow does anyone think these questions are to go away either for the Episcopal Church or the Anglican Communion? I don’t think so.”
When asked about his thoughts on how his consecration as Bishop had placed the Church on the road to schism, Bishop Robinson admitted that the Episcopal Church may have got it wrong. He said: “This was not just my doing this was an entire community’s doing, and that community tried its very best to discern the will of God, and we may be wrong, I am ready to admit to you that I cannot be sure that this is the right thing or the right time or the right way.
“I believe that Peter Akinola, the Archbishop of Nigeria, one of the primary spokespeople against my election, I believe he is following his call from God as best as he can, I just wish he could believe I am following my call from God as best I can.”
The interview is on Radio 4 on Tuesday August 28 at 9am
--This article appears on page 1 of the August 24th, 2007, edition of the Church of England Newspaper
So there you have it. The action of Robinson doesn't really surprise me. What I don't understand that if the man wants to live an openly homosexual lifestyle, complete with civil union, then why in the world become a Bishop within the Anglican Communion? There are so many other religions out there, Unitarians for one, that would welcome this man with no conflict. I don't see why Robinson would join the clergy of the Episcopal Church and then try to change what it means to be Episcopalian. The whole scenario screams of the man's agenda. Hypothetically, If I was to convert to Islam and become a Muslim Cleric I would do so because I believed what Islam taught, unless I joined with the intention of changing things to the way I think they should be within Islam. I don't see any way that Robinson can say he didn't have this kind of in mind from the beginning. If you're going to join a certain religion, at least believe what the religion believes and don't use it as some sort of war machine for your personal agenda.
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