Albany, NY Episcopal Bishop will vote NO regarding gay bishop.

Albany Times Union

[1Old Pro]

Episcopal leader against electing a gay bishop As debate continues over vote on New Hampshire priest, Albany's Daniel Herzog is ready to say no

By ALAN WECHSLER, Staff writer
First published: Tuesday, August 5, 2003

As Episcopal leaders meet in Minneapolis to decide if the church is ready for its first gay bishop, one of the leaders against the idea is Bishop Daniel Herzog of the Albany Diocese.

But not everybody in his flock agrees with him, including some local priests.

Herzog and 105 other Episcopal bishops are gathered for the church's General Convention. There, one item under consideration is the approval of the Rev. V. Gene Robinson, 56, a New Hampshire priest who has lived with a male partner for 13 years.

Robinson was nominated by local church leaders to head the New Hampshire diocese. The vote was postponed Monday after allegations of "pornography" and "touching" were raised.

Herzog, who has been the Albany bishop since 1998, was one of 62 Episcopal bishops from around the world to meet secretly in Virginia to discuss Robinson. In an e-mail Herzog sent in June to members of the local Episcopal community, he wrote: "I will vote no because of my understanding of the Old and New Testament."

The bishops who met in Virginia issued a statement saying Robinson's approval would "shatter" the church.

On Monday, the Albany Diocese declined to comment on the issue. The diocese oversees more than 120 churches in 19 counties.

One local priest who agrees with Herzog is the Rev. William Hinrichs of St. George's Episcopal Church in Clifton Park. "It's a huge departure from our tradition," Hinrichs said. "There's no support in our scripture."

His view comes despite having a brother in Texas who has been openly gay for 20 years. Hinrichs said he is still close with his brother.

Sidney Woodcock of Niskayuna, a retired engineer and member of St. Stephen's Church in Schenectady, said he was opposed to Robinson being selected. From his point of view, he was most worried a gay bishop could lead to gay marriages -- something Woodcock is opposed to.

"You've got to put your foot down somewhere," he said. "Bishops are supposed to set an example. I think it's a pretty bad example to set to people. It's going to split the church like crazy."

The Rev. James Brooks-McDonald of St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Schenectady is a supporter of Robinson.

"I think the church will be stronger if Gene is approved," said Brooks-McDonald, who knows Robinson personally. "He is a very splendid man," he said. "I found him very efficient in the way he runs programs in the diocese ... It doesn't surprise me one bit that New Hampshire would elect a person such as Gene."

Brooks-McDonald said his stance on gay relationships stemmed from comments he heard when he was performing an annual blessing of the animals ceremony a few years ago. Someone asked how he could bless animals but not be willing to bless a relationship between two people of the same sex.

The Episcopal Church dates back to the 1500s, when England's King Henry VIII split from the Roman Catholic Church after the Pope refused to let him remarry. Today, the church, known as the Anglican Church or the Church of England in other countries, has millions of members around the world. Members practice a more relaxed version of Catholicism -- one that allows both female priests and married priests. Gay priests, though rare, are far from unique.

But some say the church is still too conservative. Barbara Wisnom, 57, of Clifton Park, said she left the Calvary Episcopal Church in Burnt Hills last winter due to too much "fundamentalism." She supports Robinson and now, after 15 years in the Episcopal church, is looking for a new place to worship.

"The church needs to get beyond the sexuality thing," she said. "We don't get to judge people. That's not our job."

[boomop1]

Someone ought to horse whip the pompus bastard rather then vote.

[trebb]

"The church needs to get beyond the sexuality thing," she said. "We don't get to judge people. That's not our job."

Sure, get beyond "the sexuality thing". It's not like it's a driving factor in the continuance of the Human Race and therefore integral to what we are. I almost agree with the bit about not judging people, except that's what we do in order to keep society on track. Hate the sin, but love the sinner is fine just so long as you don't uplift the sinner and make him into a sick parody of a moral and spiritual leader...

[1Old Pro]

"The church needs to get beyond the sexuality thing," she said.

Like wow, a 57 year old women hippie who probably campaigned for Hitlery Klintoon.

[chachacha]

As Episcopal leaders meet in Minneapolis to decide if the church is ready for its first gay bishop,

You bunch of Liberal din-wits can't even get that straight.

You should be asking if GOD is ready for your fudge packing leaders, not the church. I'm glad I'm not part of this organization.

Notice I didn't say faith.

[gridlock]

I think the cart is waaaay before the horse on this one.

The Episcopal Church needs to decide on the issue of gay marriage before they can let an non-celibate homosexual become a Bishop.

In my local Episcopal parish, our married Rector was sacked, and later lost his orders because he was having a heterosexual affair with a married parishoner. When he refused to end the affair, he was drummed out of the priesthood for adultery, even though he had divorced his wife by this time.

This seems to be a similar situation to what is happening with this candidate for Bishop, except the affair is a homosexual rather than heterosexual one. Since the church is unable to decide whether or not it wants to marry gays, this Priest is currently involved in a long-standing, very public adulterous relationship. In the case of my old Rector, this was cause for dismissal and de-frocking, but in the case of Robinson, it is cause for elevation to Bishop.

Now if the Episcopal Church decides it will marry gays, and a married gay is a candidate for Bishop, I guess I would have no problem with that. But they are not to that point yet. Until they are, this action is premature.

[LiteKeeper]

SPOTREP

[70times7]

Quite right! We need to stay on track with our well-thought-out "downward spiral" plan, rather than jumping, all willy-nilly straight (cough, cough) to the more flagrant debaucheries. Things must be done in proper order!

[upcountryhorseman]

Don't hate the sinner, pity the sinner and offer
meaningful help (bible study, deep therapy). This
whole idea is utter nonsense. How can a homosexual
"minister" counsel a married couple about anything?

[70times7]

"We don't get to judge people. That's not our job."

If I may be allowed to build upon the idiocy of this statement...where exactly, does she get the right to judge me in my judgements? She says herself that she is not allowed to do that. How can she to tell someone they are wrong without committing the very same error?

[walford]

I classify this in the same category of trying to force homosexual scoutmasters on the Boy Scouts [the Girl Scouts are already lost to the homosexuals, from what I understand].

The Left in general and the homosexual 'community' in particular are deliberately targeting any institutions that oppose their Utopian plan for society.

If it was simply an issue of providing themselves an option for their own gay Boy Scouts, church, school system or bingo club, they are free to create them without bothering anyone else.

No, their objective is to take over ESTABLISHED institutions, thus supplanting the existing value system and replacing it with their own. Their objective is to deprive everyone else of the CHOICE of having a non-gay church or whatever else. They have already succeeded in removing the option for parents to send their little girls to a place where the values they espouse will not be undermined. They have been attacking the Boy Scouts for years. Now they are working hard to erase the refuge of the Church for some people.

[Note: I'm not a Christian but am still outraged at this deliberate attack on a group of people's choice to worship as they see fit.]

Remember, they are elitists therefore they know best...

[longtermmemmory]

(s) there are no sins, only rules that need to be changed.(/s)

[rwfromkansas]

I am sick of that crap that we aren't to judge anyone.

These idiots must not evangelize, for to evangelize you must do some "judging" by oh, calling them a sinner etc.

[rwfromkansas]

BTW, their wacko interpretation on judging is based on one verse, ignoringn the context and other verses saying we should judge.

[Neenah]

"You've got to put your foot down somewhere," he said. "Bishops are supposed to set an example. I think it's a pretty bad example to set to people. It's going to split the church like crazy."

Put your foot down ?????? This man is ALREADY an Episcopal PRIEST !! You ok'd THAT. What difference does it make to pin BISHOP on him ????

The time to firmly place your foot down is when the suggestion arose about ordaining him in the first place.

[mtbopfuyn]

Brooks-McDonald said his stance on gay relationships stemmed from comments he heard when he was performing an annual blessing of the animals ceremony a few years ago. Someone asked how he could bless animals but not be willing to bless a relationship between two people of the same sex.

Even animals (excluding those pampered freaky pet poodles) understand homosexuality is wrong.

[Salvation]

**Herzog, who has been the Albany bishop since 1998, was one of 62 Episcopal bishops from around the world to meet secretly in Virginia to discuss Robinson. In an e-mail Herzog sent in June to members of the local Episcopal community, he wrote: "I will vote no because of my understanding of the Old and New Testament."**

I wish there was an email that we could write to him! And tell him that there are many Roman Catholics who agree with him.

[1Old Pro]

You can e-mail the writer of the story: ALAN WECHSLER

[N. Theknow]

"The church needs to get beyond the sexuality thing," she said. "We don't get to judge people. That's not our job."

Meanwhile she will judge sexual perversion as acceptable.

If you shouldn't condemn something, you should also not condone it.

Both are judgements. And thank God it's not her job since she is a totally oblivious to what the job entails.

[glory]

One local priest who agrees with Herzog is the Rev. William Hinrichs of St. George's Episcopal Church in Clifton Park. "It's a huge departure from our tradition," Hinrichs said. "There's no support in our scripture."


His view comes despite having a brother in Texas who has been openly gay for 20 years. Hinrichs said he is still close with his brother.
_________

Libs love to do this don't they? *gasp* The priest holds this view despite having a brother who is gay as if once a family member slips into sexual deviency everyone must bow before their alter of self-indulgence and be "accepting". Rubbish! I have a sil that is a lesbian and a transgender person in my family. I love them, the people that I came to know, but I do not agree with the way they live their lives and I'm close enough to them to know this is not a situation they came with when they were born(lot's of poor family dynamics that contributed). Libs need to understand that loving a family member who claims to be homosexual does not equate to accepting homosexuality as normal anymore than having a relative who is manic depressive means you now consider that a valid lifestyle choice worthy of acceptance and not treatment. I love my lesbian sil, but pray everyday that she will turn to God and change her life. Anyone who would not wish for such normalcy in the lives of their loved ones, well I question how much they love them if they would encourage a destructive choice like this.