It’s hard to tell whether bishop-elect Kevin G. Thew Forrester will receive consent to join the House of Bishops. But there are signs that he is facing a real battle. He would be the first bishop-elect rejected on theological grounds since 1875.

If the same bishops who backed Gene Robinson in 2003 backed Thew Forrester in 2009, the Michigander would win in a landslide. After all, Robinson won 63-42 in the House of Bishops, with two bishops not voting. And many of those anti-Robinson bishops have left the Episcopal Church, in some instances attempting to take their entire diocese with them.

But an analysis of the consent votes thus far suggests Thew Forrester’s election may be in jeopardy — even with the bishops of San Joaquin, Pittsburgh, Fort Worth and Quincy out of the picture.

Here’s why: The bishops of Hawaii, Kentucky, Arkansas, Olympia and Bethlehem all voted for Robinson in 2003. All five have voted against Thew Forrester in 2009. [This could be because there are new people holding these posts in several instances. Or it may suggest that Thew Forrester's support is weaker than Robinson's.]

I’m not aware of any bishops who opposed Robinson in 2003 who are supporting Thew Forrester in 2009. They may very well exist, but it’s hard to find out because the Episcopal News Service and the presiding bishop aren’t releasing any tallies.

These figures suggest that this is not strictly a liberal-conservative issue. If it were, the outcome would not be in doubt. Nor is it a split between those who favor full inclusion for gays in ordained ministry and those who oppose it.

There are a few wild cards that could impact the outcome. Among them — Episcopal bishops from outside the U.S. In 2003, they voted overwhelmingly against Robinson. If they vote overwhelmingly against Thew Forrester, he will be hard-pressed to gain consent.

It’s hard, logistically, for journalists to track down bishops and standing committees — and get timely responses — in 110 dioceses. My experience is that most bishops are willing to say how they voted, once you get a hold of them. But these are busy, busy people and it’s hard and time consuming to track them all down.

If you hear of a bishop or a standing committee voting to give or withhold consent in your diocese, please drop me an e-mail and let me know, so that I can post it.

Father Joel Morsch, rector of Christ Church in downtown Bradenton, Fla. just reported that the Standing Committee of the Diocese of Southwest Florida has voted today to withhold consent to the election of the Rev. Kevin G. Thew Forrester as bishop of Northern Michigan.

Father Morsch’s post is on his blog, The Rector’s Desk.

It is difficult to get up-to-date vote totals because the Episcopal Church’s New York office is declining to release the numbers.

I’ve spoken to the bishops of Vermont, Wyoming and they support Rev. Thew Forrester. I’ve spoken with the bishops of Louisiana, Arkansas and Western Kansas and they’re all withholding consent.

The dioceses of Olympia, Hawaii and Kentucky all confirmed to me that their bishops have also withheld consent. Official spokespersons for the dioceses of Spokane and Lexington said they aren’t sure how their (or if) their bishops have voted yet.

If you come across new election results, please let me know.

I just spoke with Bishop James M. Adams, the bishop of Western Kansas and he has voted to withhold consent to the election of Kevin G. Thew Forrester as bishop of Northern Michigan.

I have also called the diocese of Lexington, Arizona and Spokane and they weren’t immediately sure how their bishop had voted. When I get answers, I will let you know.

This is shaping up to be a close vote. A bishop-elect hasn’t been permanently derailed due to questions of doctrine and worship since 1875. [The bishop of South Carolina was narrowly defeated the first time, but received consent on thee second round.]

I just got off the phone with the Diocese of Hawaii. The bishop of Hawaii, I am told, voted to withhold consent to the election of Kevin G. Thew Forrester as bishop of Northern Michigan.

The standing committee of Hawaii discussed Thew Forrester at its meeting on Saturday, but did not reach a decision. A final decision is expected later this week.

On Friday, I wrote about Bishop-elect Kevin G. Thew Forrester’s revision of the Episcopal Church’s baptismal covenant. (Complete story here.)

But the Rev. Thew Forrester has also celebrated an interesting Easter Vigil liturgy, titled: Kindling the Sacred Fire: Sharing Stories of Life-Death-Rebirth, Receiving the Sacred Fruits of the Earth.

According to the document, at the beginning of this liturgy “the ancient fire is lit.”

Soon thereafter, the service pauses, briefly for what the liturgy calls: “The lighting of the Paschal Candle of Birth-Death-Rebirth.”

Until now, I’d never encountered a Paschal Candle of Birth-Death-Rebirth. While baptism is frequently portrayed as death and rebirth, it is far more unusual to hear the resurrection of Jesus Christ referred to as a “rebirth.”

Jesus talked about rebirth, especially in John 3, when he spoke of being born “of water and the spirit.” His followers were familiar with the concept of being “born again.” Yet, on Eastern morning, they didn’t proclaim: “He is reborn.” They said “He is risen.”

I’ve Googled “Death-Birth-Rebirth” and the term is not normally associated with the Resurrection. It does come up over and over again in books about Buddhism.

[In 2004, Thew Forrester wrote that he was "walking the path of Zen Buddhism and Christianity together" and taking a Buddhist middle name: Genpo, meaning "Way of Universal Wisdom." So this blending of Buddhism and Christianity may be part of that interfaith pilgrimage.]

The Tibetan Book of Wise Living, for example, lists “The Nine Dimensions of Breathing.”

Number nine is “Birth-Death-Rebirth.” It states: “It is one of the great beauties of the universe, that all things continue regardless of death or any other kind of ending, whether they take the form of people, rocks, buses or teacups. Death simply means a change of energy or form.”

Buddhism look at existence as: Birth-death-rebirth-death. (Repeat.)

Traditional Christian belief declares “Birth, death, life eternal.”

If the New Testament declared that Jesus’ “spirit” had risen from the grave, but not his body, then this “birth-death-rebirth” concept would meld more easily with the Resurrection narratives.

But the New Testament, especially the book of John, hammers home the message that Jesus’ body as well as his spirit had been restored to life.

John 20:24-27 states:

24Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”
But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it.”
26A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 27Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”

See my hands. Touch my side. Stop doubting. Believe.

If I get another chance to interview the bishop-elect, I’d like to ask him whether he believes that Jesus, body and soul, rose from the dead.

It would be interesting to know the difference, if any, between resurrection and rebirth, between “He is Risen” and “His energy has changed.”

Forget about Chicken Soup. Today, Bible Belt Blogger offers up Supermodel Theology for the Soul.

Kathy Ireland, the former Sports Illustrated cover girl, entrepreneur and author, is promoting her new book, Real Solutions for Busy Moms. She’s also teaching an online Sunday School course. I asked her whether she thinks all roads lead to God.

Her reply: “My faith tells me that we are serving the one true living God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. In the words of Jesus, he said, ‘I am the way, I am the truth, I am the life. No one comes to the Father but through me.’ He didn’t say ‘I am one of many ways.’ He didn’t say “I am a path.’ He was very direct. In reading the New Testament, we’ve got to read the Old Testament, the Torah, the entire Old Testament and it is a beautiful foreshadowing of Jesus Christ. And he is my Lord, my Savior, my best friend and my King.”

By Frank Lockwood
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Copyright © 2009 Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc.

LITTLE ROCK, ARK. — The Rev. Kevin G. Thew Forrester denies that Satan exists. He doesn’t believe God sent his only-begotten son to die for the sins of the world. He says that the Koran is sacred, he has taken a Buddhist middle name and he teaches that many paths lead to the divine.

As an Episcopal priest, Thew Forrester altered the denomination’s prayer book, including its baptismal vows and the words of the Apostles’ Creed. Now he’s been elected to become a bishop — a successor to the Apostles — by the Diocese of Northern Michigan.

In a story published Friday, the Democrat-Gazette interviews the Buddhist abbot who helped Thew Forrester take his Buddhist vows. The story also contains interviews with bishops supporting and opposing Thew Forrester and an interview with the bishop-elect, who says the Christian faith is ‘continually evolving.’

Among other things, Thew Forrester said he believes in evil, but not a literal Satan. He also rejects the idea that Jesus came to earth to die for the sins of the world:

“God did not send Jesus here to be killed or be crucified by the Romans, which is a brutal murder. But Jesus has become incarnate to reveal to us who God is. He’s a God of love and forgiveness and mercy. … Jesus’ death itself was not the will of God. God did not desire Jesus to be killed,” Thew Forrester said.

The complete article can be read for free, via ArkansasOnline.com, by clicking

here.

As I was researching Episcopal views on the Bible, I stumbled upon a headline from the New York Times. It stated “Bible Not God’s Word, Says Bishop Williams.”

A sub-headline said: “Teaching that It is the Word of God Harms the Church, He Declares.”

Here’s the lead: “Attacking the infallibility of the Bible and arraigning those who believe every word printed between its covers, Bishop Charles Williams of the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan surprised 500 members of the Young Men’s Christian Association at a mass meeting this afternoon.”

The thing that grabbed my attention, more than the headline, was the date: Sep. 30, 1906.

Debates over scriptural authority were raging 100 years ago. They continue in the church today. But Bishop Williams’ position, heresy in an earlier era, is gaining followers, especially in the Episcopal Church, if polls are to be believed.

The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life asked 474 Episcopalians for their views of the Bible. According to the survey, released in June, 44 percent said the Bible is “not the word of God.”

There are few fundamentalists in the Episcopal Church. Unlike, for example, the Assemblies of God, the Episcopal Church does not declare that the Bible is infallible, free of error from cover to cover. It does, however, require its bishops to take the following oath:

“In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, I, [insert name here] chosen Bishop of the Church in [insert diocese here], solemnly declare that I do believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the Word of God, and to contain all things necessary to salvation…”

Bishops are given great freedom to interpret those Scriptures, and to decide (in large measure) which of the Biblical teachings are “necessary to salvation” and which are not. However, the creeds and the prayer book provide guidance and, perhaps, boundaries.

Once again, bishops have great freedom to interpret the meaning of those creeds and covenants, but they cannot reject them altogether, I was told by church leaders I interviewed this week.

The most famous creeds, statements of faith embraced by Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican and many other Protestant churches are the Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed.

The Apostle’s Creed, which is included in the Episcopal Church’s baptismal vows, states:

I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit
and born of the Virgin Mary.

He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.

He descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again.
He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting.
Amen.

While Arkansas lawmakers were debating whether to make it legal to bring guns to church, New York congregations were organizing a gun buyback program.

Details here.

The Rev. Larry Benfield, the Episcopal Bishop of Little Rock, has voted against the confirmation of Kevin Genpo Thew Forrester as bishop of Northern Michigan.

In an interview with the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Benfield said he was concerned that Thew Forrester had altered the denomination’s rite of baptism without the approval of the broader church. The rite is included in the Book of Common Prayer.

Instead, Thew Forrester has used and promoted a “Trial Baptismal Liturgy” which removes any mention of Satan and adds New-Age style language.

The Book of Common Prayer is one of the instruments of unity in the Anglican Communion and unites Episcopalians across the United States and Anglicans around the world.

The American version was last revised in 1979.

“I think it’s incumbent upon bishops in the church to decide that we are going to worship using the Book of Common Prayer and have the discussion in the community about if and when the prayer book should be changed,” Benfield said.

Thew Forrester’s candidacy has been criticized by orthodox Episcopalians for several other reasons:

1.) He included a reading from the Quran in one of his church services and referred to the Quran as “the word of God.”

2.) He participated in a “Buddhist lay ordination”, took a new Buddhist name and announced in his diocesan newsletter: “I now walk the path of Christianity and Zen Buddhism.”

3.) He has taken some theological stances that appear to contradict the Nicene Creed.

Masochists, with the help of hammer-wielding sadists, crucified in the Philippines, while voyeurs from Asia, Europe and Australia watch, according to this report.

If the Pope promised automatic excommunication for any Catholic participating in this ritual, do you think this practice could be ended or at least severely curtailed?

The Hollywood Wax Museum is auctioning off its collection, including Charlton Heston as Moses in the Ten Commandments and Debbie Reynolds as the Singing Nun.

Michael Jackson’s outfit from the Bad album is up for bids. So is a Bill Clinton wax statue.

For people who would like to buy Leonardo Da Vinci’s “Last Supper” but can’t afford it, there’s a wax Last Supper, plus a wax crucifixion and a wax resurrection scene.

A catalog of the auction items is posted online.

Christianity Today’s Sarah Pulliam has a fascinating interview with Rick Warren, the megachurch pastor and megabook author.

Warren has been laying low, declining interview requests for months, so the interview is something of a coup.

You can read it here.

My favorite Warren quote regarding humanitarian efforts: “We’ll work [with] anybody on areas we have to find agreement with. This is a thing that everybody has to learn. For instance, there are people who don’t want to work with Catholics because they don’t believe in any birth control. Well fine. I actually admire them for their conviction. It’s not my conviction. There are 600,000 [I think this should be 600 million] Buddhists, 800,000 [I think he meant 800 million] Hindus, and a billion Muslims, and over 2 billion Christians. If you say that people of faith cannot do humanitarian care because of their beliefs, you just ruled out most of the world. The actual number of atheists is quite small outside of Europe and Manhattan.

Newsmax has an interesting article about the Second Coming, featuring an Arkansas couple who plan to go “off the grid” when Armageddon approaches.

The story also includes insight from former Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, who — suffice it to say — isn’t heading for the bomb shelter just yet…

File this one under “We Really, Really, Really Regret the Error.

The Daily Universe, the student newspaper at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, referred to leaders of the Mormon Church Monday as apostates.

Typically, the church leaders are referred to as apostles.

Which reminds me of the old saying, sometimes attributed to Mark Twain: “The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between the lightning and the lightning bug…”