Restraint? Did someone mention restraint?

It is one week since convention ended. And right off the bat we have crisis upon crisis. By my count the dioceses of Fort Worth, Pittsburgh, San Joaquin, South Carolina and maybe Springfield are all seeking alternative primatial oversight--they don't want to be overseen by woman or a liberal or a woman liberal presiding bishop. One really big parish in Texas has decided to leave the Episcopal Church but keep their bishop--we like our bishop it's our church we can't stand! The Rev. Martyn Minn, Rector of All Truro is now to be the Bishop of All North America (wasn't that Bishop Duncan's job?).

Meanwhile, across the flooding and fast-moving river is the Diocese of Newark which has announced their slate of nominees for Diocesan Bishop and one of the nominees is the Rev. Canon Michael Barlowe a very talented and brilliant priest priest from San Francisco, who also happens to be gay and partnered for 23 years. There are at least twenty bishops who are just ready to consent and consecrate him should he be elected, even if the majority of bishops and standing committees withold consent.

And why shouldn't they? The first idea out of the gate from Canterbury seems to be a two-tiered approach where someone--probably the Episcopal Church--gets to sit in the bleachers.

But I am not sure it matters what approach the Anglican Covenant takes because the a bunch on the Right heard the starting gun from the moment we hit the light switches in Columbus and out the door faster than you can say "apostasy." A few on the left were off an running as well.

Did anyone mention the word "restraint?"

It seems that the only ones who are excercising restraint are the ones who did not have an exit strategy planned and ready to go from even before we set foot in Columbus.