COLORADO: TWO PRIESTS CHARGE TWO BISHOPS WITH DECEPTION AND PERJURY

News Analysis

By David W. Virtue — Colorado Springs, July 10, 2004

Two orthodox ECUSA priests have charged two revisionist Colorado bishops with deception, "secret protocols" and perjury, with one bishop taunting the priests saying "present me if you dare" in response.

The Rev. Don Armstrong and the Rev. Dr. Ephraim Radner have taken on the former Bishop of Colorado Jerry Winterrowd and the present incumbent Bishop Rob O'Neill in the press and a private letter, charging the bishops with covert blessings of same-sex unions and running the diocese with a wholesale disregard of the church's received teaching on sexuality.

The war of words escalated into the media with the Rocky Mountain News screaming in a headline, "Rift over same-sex ceremonies frays Colorado Episcopal diocese. Clergy exchange volleys as church weighs gay rights."

The diocese's leading orthodox rector is the Rev. Don Armstrong of Grace Church and St. Stephen's in Colorado Springs, who traces the diocese's decline into pansexuality back to former Bishop Winterrowd, who knew these covert blessings were being done and who paved the way for today's disputes by secretly laying down guidelines for same-sex blessings 10 years ago — but testified otherwise during a 1999 lawsuit brought by a lesbian youth minister.

"Jerry Winterrowd knew such covert blessings were being done," said Armstrong. "That's a bald-faced lie," Winterrowd retorted. "If Mr. Armstrong feels that way, he ought to make a presentment (church complaint) against me," he told Jean Torkelson of the Rocky Mountain News.

Winterrowd bristles at the notion he did anything wrong, saying what he allowed was gay couples "to improvise and write their own prayers." However, he added a crucial caveat: "Under no circumstances may a priest bless that relationship."

But Armstrong has also blasted Bishop O'Neill, accusing him of being soft on the issues and unwilling to take a stand for orthodox biblical faith on same-sex unions. At a June meeting, O'Neill confirmed what conservatives found startling: that the diocese had "at least 11 same-sex blessings performed," according to a private process Winterrowd set up in 1994.

In a letter to the Colorado clergy, O'Neill wrote: "Although some clergy now allege that there was a 'secret protocol' established by Bishop Winterrowd for 'the blessing of same-sex relationships,' that is simply not accurate. What can be said accurately is this: That Bishop Winterrowd did establish an agreement with some clergy of the Diocese that made provision for honoring same-gender relationships in the context of the Eucharist at the time of the Prayers of the People; and that the agreement specifically excluded the pronouncement of any blessing and required the expressed permission of the Bishop."

Colorado scholar and theologian the Rev. Dr. Ephraim Radner joined the fray, blasting O'Neill in a letter: "I feel deceived. Deeply so. I worked for 5 years as missioner of this diocese, struggled to maintain order within a fracturing common life riven by conflicts over same-sex relationships and their affirmation, and none of this was laid out to me within the formal life of our deliberations. Indeed, it appears that some of my colleagues simply went their own way in the shadows, pretending 'dialogue' while moving ahead secretly with agenda that certainly preempted the decision-making of this diocese and church."

Radner outlined four areas of concern, noting that clergy were kept in the dark about the scope of the agreement, were never told exactly what it entailed, were denied access to the guidelines, and were given no explanation in the bishop's public letters that would account for the actions taken at Good Shepherd. He accused the bishop of keeping the guidelines "secret" and urged him to "come clean."

"I don't know how to answer that," O'Neill replies when asked if he might reconsider his gay rights stand. "I believe, in the life of our church, there is room for those who hold different perspectives to live together with integrity and goodwill."

It has been the hope of orthodox priests like Armstrong and Radner that O'Neill would "repent" of his pro-gay positions. Both men have founded the Anglican Communion Institute, an organization with international ties to the former Archbishop of Canterbury Dr. George Carey. They recently submitted a 50-page document to the Lambeth (Eames) Commission arguing that the Episcopal church should be disciplined for its actions in consecrating an openly homoerotic priest to the episcopacy.

In Colorado, orthodox priests claim to have the behind-the-scenes support of about 40 clergy in 30 parishes — about a quarter of the total number. Armstrong projects a $500,000 budget deficit because parishes are withholding funds from O'Neill's control, though the bishop disputes that figure.

"If there's no discipline, the communion (the Episcopal church) will probably fall apart," predicts Armstrong. Says the bishop: "The issue Don is raising is, what is the authority of the worldwide Anglican Communion over individual provinces (such as the U.S.)? That question hasn't been answered yet."