With all of the qualifications that have been stated about the term "moderate," I will wade into this discussion. I was a deputy from the Diocese of Lexington to the General Convention of 2003 and am a deputy for 2006. I voted for the resolution regarding Gene Robinson. I also voted for the resolutions regarding blessing of same sex unions.

The question is whether I am ready to walk apart from the Anglican Communion. What I can tell you is that I am not ready to write off the Anglican Communion and I want to do everything that we can possibly do to remain a part of it. To me, the more relevant question is what are we willing to give up to remain in the Anglican Communion? Another relevant question is whether we really want to go it alone.

What are we willing to give up to remain in the Anglican Communion? Are we willing to apologize for our actions at the 2003 Convention, with the implicit understanding that such an apology is an admission that we were wrong? It seems clear that the attempt by the Bishops to merely state that we regret the pain we caused others by our actions is insufficient to mollify those who protest our actions. So, are we willing to admit we were wrong in order to maintain a relationship with the Anglican Communion? I think the answer to that question can only be answered by answering the question of whether we were wrong in the decisions we made. So, were we wrong in 2003? If we were, then it should be easy to admit. If we were not wrong, then what do we do to ourselves, how do we live with an admission that we were wrong? How can we live an admission of wrongdoing when we do not believe we were wrong and how can we live with those who are gay or lesbian who sit in the pews next to us?

What are we willing to give up to remain in the Anglican Communion? In an open letter to the Bishops it was written: "But in fact the shift to a disciplined communion life presents ECUSA with an opportunity to grasp more fully than ever it has what it means to enjoy koinonia within the body of Christ. A decisive commitment by our bishops to the Communion, on Windsor's terms, does not decide the ultimate fate of gay persons in the church's life; rather it places the discernment of this matter squarely within the Communion's common life and discipline." Are we willing to give up our autonomy and give the rest of the communion the ability to veto our actions if they find them incompatible with scripture? Are we willing to allow the Anglican Communion the right to advise and consent on issues? If yes, which issues?

I ask questions without a lot of answers, but I am not idly asking them. We are in a situation at this point where we can try to answer them - we are not in a situation where we must answer them yet. I have opinions on each of those questions, but I also have a lot of conflicting notions about them. I think we were right on the decisions of the 2003 Convention, but I also think our willingness to go it alone is hubris. We talk and talk and talk on this list serve about how long we have been talking about this, but who have we been talking with? Who has listened? Who has heard? Just because Americans have talked about this doesn't mean that the world has. Just because Convention told the Dioceses to have conversations about this doesn't mean it was done. The trial lawyer who says about a jury "well, they must not have been listening" is the lawyer from the losing side.

We do not have to decide whether to accept the Windsor Report yet - there are changes to be made. I would like to hear and see what we say to the ACC in the presentation we make explaining our actions and the responses of the ACC to our presentation. And, until we have a clear idea of what we are willing to give up in order to remain Anglicans, I think we cannot really come to terms with the things the Windsor report expects us to do.

I am not willing to accept or reject the Windsor Report yet. I do not relish the thought of going it alone, but I am an American through and through and the thought of such a thing is not fearsome. I want to hear the compromises and the debate. I want to know what the people in my diocese think and what the people in the Episcopal Church think, not just the few voices who contribute here. As an example, I want [name] to work on his thoughts about compromise and I want someone who disagrees with him to suggest alternatives - I want to see what we can live with and whether the Anglican Communion can live with it. I want to be able to tell the committed gay couple that sit in the pew in front of me every Sunday what we are doing and why. And all of that will take time.

David Davidson
Diocese of Lexington, L1