When the Homily is about Immunology

And here’s to you Bishop Robinson, Jesus loves you more than you will know…

What’s really wrong with “Bishop” Robinson being a bishop? Well, in my ever so humble and judgmental opinion, it has a lot less to do with the fact that he fancies men, and a lot more to do with the decisions he has made and is making because of that passion.

What follows is a rant, complete with cuss words and a piss poor attitude. I advise all of those who are likely to not enjoy such a post to please return tomorrow for my return to regularly scheduled blogging. A former Episcopalian who’s fed up with hearing NPR interviews and news stories related to this man who would become the first openly homosexual bishop in the Anglican communion is about to open up a big can of verbal “whoop-ass” and may God have mercy on him for doing so…but you know what, sometimes things NEED to be said – if only to make my sinful self feel better. (I’m a risk taker! See below)

The Rev. Gene Robinson got a divorce and left his family because he finally embraced his gayness. His family now apparently supports him in having done this, but I wonder what his then 8 year old daughter (he has two daughters, I am unsure of the older one’s age, but Rev. Robinson’s present partner became such 13 years ago when his youngest daughter was 8) thought about it at the time? My parents’ divorce sucked and it was HARD on me…how much more emotionally trying would it have been had daddy left mommy for another man? But the abandoning of a family (yes abandoning…I don’t care how “involved” he was with his kids) is not the real prize winning qualification we ought to seek for one applying to be a bishop.

When asked in an interview “What risk have you taken for the Gospel?”, the good Reverend comes up with the following:

I answered God's call to acknowledge myself as a gay man. My wife and I, in order to KEEP our wedding vow to "honor [each other] in the Name of God," made the decision to let each other go. We returned to church, where our marriage had begun, and in the context of the eucharist, released each other from our wedding vows, asked each other's forgiveness, cried a lot, pledged ourselves to the joint raising of our children, and shared the Body and Blood of Christ. Risking the loss of my children and the exercise of my ordained ministry in the Church was the biggest risk I've ever taken

Where do I begin to dissect the insanity here? They “kept” one wedding vow by breaking all the others, doing so in the context of Holy Eucharist?!?!?! Say again? You dissolved your wedding through Holy Communion? Hmmm…I’m not familiar with that venerable tradition. Are anyone else’s klaxons sounding? How is the risk of losing his kids and his job in order to satisfy his sexuality a risk for the Gospel???? We are supposed to laud this “risk taking”? Please feel free to compare and contrast any of the Saints who have TRULY risked things for the gospel. I imagine a future conversation, inspired by Robinson’s example, with my wife:

“You know Sue,” I say to her, “I feel that I am a man in need of many sexual partners. To be true to one another, you need to release me to pursue the REAL me that Jesus made me to be. Goodbye kids…I’ll still be around, but Daddy has to be true to himself and God. And now folks, please recognize the supreme risk I am taking for the Gospel…because not everyone is going to understand why I am doing this.” Hehehe….well I know why I’d be doing it!

Maybe I’m just a backwards, redneck, homophobic jerk…but it seems to me that the REAL RISK (or perhaps a better word, rarely used these days, would be “sacrifice”) might actually have been to “deny yourself, pick up your cross and follow” Jesus? Which means, in my self-enlightened and arrogant context: Screw your homosexual feelings (or whatever feelings you are having) and stay with the family you started! Now THAT”S risk! Hell anyone can take risks to do something that is VERY self-pleasing, I do it ALL the time.

What ELSE is wrong with the “bishop-elect” being “bishop-elect”? The fact that he will not consider removing himself from candidacy in order to prevent a break up of the Anglican Communion. Also, among his favorite contemporary saints he lists the character Mr. Rogers (yes the character, not the real Fred Rogers). My goodness, its like a stinking cartoon! They ought to start each liturgy not with the doxology, but with the Warner Brothers theme, and after communion that can have the presiding bishop offer a big “T-T-T-T-That’s all folks!”

The gay issue is quite secondary to the fact that he is displaying a striking characteristic most unbecoming of a bishop: selfishness! What example is he giving to us? Be true to yourself! Hell, I can get that from a “back-to-school” television special.
Ok, rant over. I warned you. Let me have it.