Bishop in treatment for alcoholism

Concord Monitor ^ | February 18, 2006 | Annmarie Timmins

[billorites]

At the urging of his family, Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson has checked himself into a 28-day alcohol treatment center. In a letter to the state's clergy and the country's bishops, Robinson said he has struggled for years with alcoholism and had considered his inability to beat it a personal failure.

The Episcopal diocese declined to say where Robinson, 58 of Weare, is being treated. He checked himself into a center Feb. 1 and sent his letter to the clergy and bishops Monday. Yesterday, the diocese posted Robinson's letter on its website, along with one of support from the church's standing committee.

News of Robinson's addiction came as a shock, even to those who know him well.

"I was not aware, and I have worked closely with him for the last 27 years," said Randy Dales of Wolfeboro, the president of the church's standing committee, which includes clergy and lay leaders. "I'm not sure he was aware."

The Rev. David Jones of St. Paul's church in Concord has worked with Robinson for 15 years and saw Robinson the night before he entered the treatment center. "I was clueless," Jones said yesterday. "But for me, this just underscores what I already knew about Gene: When there is something to deal with, it will be dealt with."

The Rev. Canon Tim Rich, Robinson's assistant at the diocese, said yesterday that no single incident or "calamity"prompted Robinson to seek treatment earlier this month. "There was just a growing awareness that led him to embrace the moment and the challenge," Rich said. Dales said Robinson's family, which includes two daughters and his partner, Mark Andrew, and a few colleagues told Robinson they were concerned about his alcohol use and urged him to seek treatment. Dales said Robinson was relieved by the confrontation. "He readily accepted the opportunity to deal with this," Dales said.

Andrew declined to comment yesterday.

As the church's first openly gay bishop, Robinson has endured heavy and continued criticism since before his election in 2003. His ordination led the most conservative members of the worldwide church to call for a division between Robinson supporters and detractors. Yesterday, Robinson's friends worried about what those detractors would do with news of his addiction and treatment.

It didn't take long to find out.

David Virtue of Pennsylvania, a longtime Robinson critic who runs the website Virtue Online: The Voice for Global Orthodox Anglicanism, immediately posted Robinson's letter and cited his addiction as another reason to call him a "fraud." Virtue also faulted the diocese's standing committee for not discovering Robinson's alcohol dependency when it interviewed him for bishop.

In an interview yesterday, Virtue said Robinson should step down, now for two reasons - because he's gay and addicted to alcohol.

But others opposed to Robinson's ordination had different reactions yesterday.

A spokesman for Bishop Robert Duncan of Pittsburgh, who had led the call for dividing the church, was more supportive. "Obviously, our prayers are with (Robinson) regardless of all the other issues,"said Peter Frank.

And Canon Kendall Harmon of the Diocese of South Carolina, another leading voice against Robinson, posted Robinson's letter on his blog Monday but without comment. In an interview yesterday, Harmon said he hopes Robinson's public admission will persuade the overall church to pay more attention to alcoholism.

"We all know people for whom this is a problem," Harmon said. "I'll certainly be praying for him."

The reaction was similar in New Hampshire.

Bud McGilvray of Concord is a member of the vestry at St. Paul's church. He learned of Robinson's addiction and treatment yesterday after Jones shared Robinson's letter with church leaders.

"I've walked in those footsteps myself," he said, referring to his own struggle with alcohol dependency. "My immediate reaction is that this will make him a better minister for his congregation. It will give him insight that many people do not necessarily have, and I personally admire him."

McGilvray said he looked forward to seeing Robinson back in the diocese and the state's parishes following his treatment.

The Rev. Odie Odierna of the Church of the Good Shepherd in Nashua has known Robinson for 35 years. As close as they've been, Odierna was as surprised as anyone to receive Robinson's letter. "Knowing his strength of character, it does not surprise me that he was able to operate at such high levels"while depending on alcohol, he said. "It's is very clear that this has not affected his job."

But even as the news of Robinson's addiction surprised Odierna, Robinson's response didn't. "When he discovers a demon . . . he always gets help," he said. "I have every confidence he's going to conquer this."

Jones, who intends to address Robinson's addiction and treatment at services on Sunday, hopes Robinson will find that kind of support throughout the diocese.

"This is an illness that a lot of people have to deal with, including some people, I'm sure, who are very opposed to Gene's ordination,"Jones said. "To demonize an individual is very uncharitable, and I don't think that is something Jesus would be caught doing. I think he would have hugged instead of stabbed."

Jones was part of the standing committee that interviewed candidates for bishop, Robinson included. And while Virtue has questioned the selection process that allowed Robinson to keep private his alcohol use, Jones does not believe the committee failed. The committee would have assessed Robinson's addiction had it been revealed, but that addiction would not necessarily have kept him from becoming bishop, Jones said.

Rich agreed. "I can only speculate that based upon (the church's understanding) that alcoholism is a disease and not evidence of weak character, it would not have been a factor," he said. "There are alcoholics in recovery that can hold any job."

Dales, president of the committee, doesn't believe Robinson intentionally kept his addiction a secret. Dales said he thinks Robinson did not appreciate how significant his dependency was until recently, when his family brought it to his attention.

In a letter sent Monday to all the state's clergy, Dales and other members of the standing committee supported Robinson. "We commend him for his courageous example to us all," the letter read.

Robinson had his own letter sent to not only the state's clergy but also to his fellow bishops across the country. Two nearby bishops,Thomas Ely of Vermont and Chilton Knudsen of Maine, similarly commended Robinson yesterday.

Knudsen, who is a recovering alcoholic, said Robinson set an important example by going public with his addiction and treatment. "The disclosure by public figures is one of the ways to reduce the stigma," she said. "And it's the stigma that sometimes makes it hard for people go for help when the need it."

It was not clear yesterday when Robinson will return to work, but he is expected back in March.

[sgtbono2002]

He is also addicted to being a butt bandit and should seek treatment for it also.

[F.J. Mitchell]

Warning to other patients of facility: Don't drop the soap!!!!!!!!!!!

[upchuck]

The Episcopal diocese declined to say where Robinson, 58 of Weare, is being treated.

Weare, NH. Also home to SCOTUS disgrace David Souter. Maybe it's something in the water?

[Shady]

Ye who is without sin cast the first stone.

[pageonetoo]

I was raised a "Whiskeypalian". My dad was ordained Priest in the Church, as was my grandfather. Alcohol was never a problem in our family. My dad likes beer. I don't.

I joined a Baptist Church and was later elected a Deacon, which is an honor. I went to the first meeting, and sat around a camp with the other Deacons. Several were drinking beer, including the head Deacon. SBC frowns on the use of alcohol (they don't like dancing, either). I drank cokes.

I passed on the beer, because I have no taste for it. If he had offered wine, I would have jumped up for a glass. None of them were alcoholics, that I know of.

This Bishop's problems are greater than alcohol. He is a practicing homosexual. He is (imho) an abomination to the church (ALL Christians). He should never have been elected, but for the hypocracy of the other Bishops who voted for him. They wanted to make his lifestyle acceptable to our palates.

I left the Epicopal Church long before that incident. It isn't what goes into you that defiles, but what comes out, according to Paul. I was not fed by the liturgy and pomp. It is an imitation of spirituality. It is little more than rote and ritual.

I am glad the bishop is getting his alcolholism treated. Now, maybe they will get to the root source of his problems! Of course, he apparently doesn't consider it sin!!!

1 Cor 8:8But meat commendeth us not to God: for neither, if we eat, are we the better; neither, if we eat not, are we the worse.

9But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak.

[ken5050]

Statistics strongly suggest that Robinson , as a middle-age alcoholic homosexual, would be cross-addicted...marijuana, amyl nitrate...(poppers)..if the national media can publciy ask..or state ( hellow Larry O'Donnell) that the VP was drunk when the accident occured; surely the ECUSA media and heirarchy can ask Vicki Gene about his drug use..

[Waco]

UNChurch,,UnSin???

[mj1234]

Then Christ turned to the woman-

"Where are your accusers?"- they have left My Lord.

"Then I will not accuse you"-

"GO AND SIN NO MORE"

This woman was going to be Killed for a sin-
( the bible is not specific-but maybe adultry?)

Christ did not FORGIVE this woman only allowed her to
live to change her life from sin.

Robinson is trying to destroy the faith of millions-
He continues to sin and anyone following the rantings of this man could figure it out-
(BTW- he has spoken of "clubbing in New York" and continued
this even after being elevated to bishop)

Throw a stone ? - nope,do not need to -

De-frock this sinner? so he can no longer cause others
to sin - (especially for the children that need real
guidance into the true faith).

should have happened long before this.

[XEHRpa]

> Ye who is without sin cast the first stone.

Hey, I can have sympathy for the guy as a sinner, while at the same time feel that he is unable to adequately serve as a role model to lead a Christian flock. There is nothing incongruous about that.

[Buckeye Battle Cry]

Being gay usually means a life-time of loneliness, endless meaningless sexual encounters and long running bouts with alcolhism and substance abuse.

[Terabitten]

This Bishop's problems are greater than alcohol. He is a practicing homosexual. He is (imho) an abomination to the church (ALL Christians).

The root problem with alcoholism (along with homosexuality, for that matter) is that is, in its essence, idolatry. The individual has placed something, be it alcohol or themselves, on a higher plane than God. Alcohol has become his functional god.

Robinson should be removed from office for his idolatry, not the symptoms of it.

[elhombrelibre]

Today, to identify a sin as a sin is considered throwing a stone. The use of the passage about not throwing stones unless you are without sin is intended to assure a nonjudgmental outlook towards all types of abominations. That's the progress of our post-Christian world.

[Mad Dawg]

Ye who is without sin cast the first stone.

what about grammatical sins - or misquotes of Scripture? ;) Let him who is without sin cast the frist failure of subject verb agreement.

It would help if you were to be a little clearer about which stones you saw flying. To assist you, I'll throw one:

1. Robinson, contra the teaching of AA, considers alcoholism simply a bodily ailment to which he must repond by abstaining from alcohol.
2. These days it is (dubiously) claimed that homosexual inclinations are merely a matter of genetics -- in other words, merely bodily.
3. Alcoholism is considered a DISease because inter alia it trashes your body, your mind, your will, your relationships, and your work.
4. Robinson's acting on his homosexual inclinations led him to shatter his marriage vows (especially, but not only, to "forsake all others"), and to cause great scandal to the church. In other words, his relationships and his work have suffered because he gave in to his inclination.Consequently his homosexuality would seem to be a bodily DISorder, if not disease.
5. So why shouldn't he abstain not only from alcohol but from homosexual relationships?

Thank you, your honor. The stone-throwing prosecution rests.

[Psalm 73]

"Ye who is without sin cast the first stone."

It's one thing to sin and deny, quite another to sin and repent.
Remember the last part of your statement:
....go and sin no more.

[bcsco]

"Ye who is without sin cast the first stone."

In the story of the adulterous woman (John 8: 1-11) the teachers and Pharisees brought the woman to Jesus hoping to trap him. They were applying the Law of Moses which commanded stoning for such an offense.

Jesus, however, is the fulfillment of the Old Testament Law. The old law condemns such actions. With Jesus, we are able to atone for our sins through faith in him that we will be given the power to 'sin no more'.

Actually, Jesus does not forgive her for her sin. He simply states that 'neither do I condemn you'. That's not forgiveness. His statement to 'go and sin no more' is an admonishment.

This story is not to be taken as justification for tolerating sin within the church. The Bible offers many passages where we are told to admonish those within the church who live lives in sin.

Read 1 Cor 6: 9-12: I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people - not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, and idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat.

What business is it or mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside?

God will judge those outside. 'Expel the wicked man from among you'.

By my reckoning, the good Bishop has violated at least two of these sins of which Paul writes.

Paul's admonition against even eating with such people is related to his further admonishment in chapter 8 where he writes in verses 9-13 that we must be careful how we act as, although our actions may not be detrimental to ourselves, they may cause those who are weak to fall into sin.

[Mad Dawg]

You naughty, naughty boy!

rofl

[mj1234]

Thank You ! for the post.

[bcsco]

"Thank You ! for the post."

You're welcome. The 'go and sin no more' story has become to many an excuse for not having to confront the sins of others. This, then, allows them to live their lives in the mistaken belief that it is wrong to admonish others. After all, if they admonish others then others may admonish them.

This is part of the liberal mindset that has infiltrated many of the 'mainstream' Protestant churches in the past decades. It's also a comfort to those who are weak of mind and who live in their own self-interested cocoons. It's one reason the church as devolved to what it is today.

Last year my wife and I left the ELCA for the LCMS for this very reason (among others). We could have stayed and fought, but I just don't have the health to go through that now. Seeking a church that is still more closely aligned with the true doctrine was a practical choice for us.

We continue to pray for those who remain with such organizations. Many don't realize what is happening on the broader stage. Many disbelieve it. Others support the change because of their own liberal beliefs. What tangled webs we weave.