Windsor hearing is packed; the conversation is good

Last night I went to a lengthy hearing on some of the resolutions that concern our response to the Windsor Report. I'm told the room seated 1,500. There were people standing in the rear, and even more people were gathered outside the room listening to an audio feed. Bishop Wolf is on the committee that has to sort out all the input from people and requests from various quarters of the church, and then this committee must craft resolutions that will pass the Houses of Deputies and Bishops.

People had signed up for two minute slots to address the committee. By the end of the evening, people were getting on 90 seconds, since there were over 70 speakers. Many of the major figures in the debate spoke, often very eloquently. We heard from Bishop Bob Duncan (Pittsburgh), Bishop Gene Robinson (New Hampshire), Susan Russell (Integrity), Kendall Harmon (titusonenine and theologian from South Carolina), Bishop Barbara Harris (retired from MA), Martyn Minns (Truro Church, Virginia) and many others. Near the very end of the evening, everyone was surprised when the Archbishop of York, who had been in attendance, rose to speak.

The tone of the debate, while pointed at times, was extremely civil. There was no cheering or jeering from the crowd. Well, one time, just before Gene Robinson was to speak, the meeting's chair said that Bishop Robinson wasn't in the room, and then quickly corrected himself. There was cheering. I asked the reporter next to me if the cheering was because Bishop Robinson was gone, or because he was present. We weren't quite sure.

If people could articulate their positions this clearly, and if we could all listen this well, our church (and our world) would not be in such a mess. Clearly very few minds were changed, but all these positions become attached with real people. All these people became attached with experiences.

In this photo, Bishop Wolf and Bishop Dorsey Henderson listen to the testimony of Anne Brown (Diocese of Vermont).