Bishop Gene Robinson

I have had such an exciting day. I set off to hear Canon Kenneth Kearon, Secretary General of the Anglican Communion. First I heard him preach at Choral Eucharist at 11am. Then I wandered the city for a few hours and prided myself that I avoided the temptation to buy any books although I spent over an hour browsing in bookshops.
Finally at 3pm there was a session in which Canon Kearon was to be interviewed by Julie McCrossin who has been a radio interviewer and makes no secret of the fact that she is a lesbian with a partner and children.
I expected and did learn a lot about the developments in the Anglican Communion. However at the beginning it was announced that the 2 men sitting just along from me, visiting in an unofficial capacity were Bishop Gene Robinson and his partner. I nearly fell off the chair. At the end I introduced myself to Bishop Gene and told him how much I admired him. I gave him a potted account of my intentions as a young man to enter the ministry but luckily God showed me, by seeing my parish priest have a nervous breakdown due to his homosexuality, the problems that would develop. Standing with us was our lay preacher and Synod representative from St James who had already told the meeting of the anger he received in Sydney synod as a straight man supporting gays. The Bishop hugged me and asked me to continue praying for him.
During the session Canon Kearon put forward the idea that the World Church needs to have some consensus and that improvements should not come from individual dioceses going on their own. He did regret that discussion had not begun way back in 1978 which would have meant we were now further along in the process.
However speakers pointed out that the ordination of women priests and women bishops had occurred by Dioceses going alone. For those unfamiliar with Australia, the Diocese of Perth was first, closely followed by the Diocese of Canberra-Goulburn. The Sydney Archdiocese tried to prevent (and did delay) the ordination in Goulburn by taking them to court. I attended the ordination in Goulburn, a highlight of my life.
Of course Sydney has no women priests, objects to women bishops and will do anything to stop ordination of gay persons. Perhaps my prayers should be for the Diocese rather than the wonderful Bishop Gene Robinson.

Women Bishops in Australia

At last Australia can have a woman bishop but the Sydney contingent have pushed for alternative oversight "a man on standby for those unable to accept the woman".
Can I have someone on standby because I have no respect at all for the current Archbishop of Sydney and would happily replace him?

Dr Muriel Porter

Three cheers for this wonderful woman. She has organised for the stories of 4 gay clergy to be read to General Synod Anglicans 'fearful' on gays
The Sydney delegates must have blocked their ears at evidence of such sinfulness.
Sad these people could not speak for themselves.
From discussion with friends in the United States, it seems gay people are more visible in the church there but almost completely hidden in politics and public life. In Australia we do have Bob Brown and Justice Michael Kirby and a few in State parliaments while Dorothy McCrae-McMahon is the only name I know in church life.
When Dr Porter preached at St James over a year ago, I had the opportunity to personally thank her for her defence of gay men in the Diocese of Sydney. Unfortunately I was in Queensland when she returned this year and gave the Cable lecture. Her book "The New Puritans" with its outline of all that is wrong with the Sydney Anglican Diocese is a very important part of my library.

Deborah Kerr

Just heard the news of her death, and read the following
"What has happened in 50 years? How did we go from Deborah Kerr, Vivian Lee, Merle Oberon to disasters like Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton and Britney Spears? American cinema and entertainment is a bad joke."
How True.
and
"Man how times have changed with actors & actresses. Ah, the good old days with Tracy, Hepburn, Gable, Davis, Harlow, Garbo, Grable and others. Wish we could have them back. Rest in peace Deborah Kerr. May God bless you in the palm of his hand. From here to eternity it's now off to eternity. He is waiting for you."
My sentiments too.