I found an article tonight on planetout.com that I thought was interesting.  It’s about the upcoming Lambeth Conference that’s held once every ten years in England and the concern surrounding the participation of New Hampshire Bishop V. Gene Robinson.

For those who don’t know, Bishop Robinson is the first openly gay, noncelibate priest to be ordained to the episcopate.  He was elected to his position in 2003 and that election has caused a schism of sorts in the Episcopal church.

In regards to the conference, Episcopal leaders had tried negotiating some sort of allowance for him and this is what they came up with:

Anglican leaders said Robinson could "be present" in the conference Marketplace, or convention hall, where exhibitors and church agencies set up stalls, and that he could participate in one "high profile" event, such as a news conference, at the 20-day summit. The exhibit hall is open to the public, while the Lambeth discussions are private.

Robinson declined the non-offer.

As a person who has been relegated to “second-class” status within the church, I can understand his decision and I greatly empathize with his response:

"I am dismayed and sickhearted that we can't sit around a table, as brothers and sisters in Christ, and study Scripture together," he said. "It makes me wonder, if we can't sit around a table and study the Bible together, what kind of Communion do we have and what are we trying to save?"