Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Bishop Peter J. Lee



On January 10th 2006, the feast of William Laud, I was confirmed an Anglican by Bishop Peter Lee in the Mayo House Chapel. (William Laud, with his views on church conformity, may have found a home in the contemporary Episcopal Church, but then again he may have been completely repulsed. This is a topic for another day as I digress). I was immediately impressed by Bishop Lee. My first impression of the man was of one learned in scripture and church history. He seemed the consummate Bishop.

Time would pass and I would learn that Bishop Lee seemed to either hold center-left tendencies, or was busy upholding the politics of the institutional Episcopal Church. When the Great Virginia Remonstrance of 2006 occurred, he seemed to be a man between the anvil of the institutional Episcopal Church, and the hammer of the orthodox parishes of Virginia. The Bishop sought a Via Media solution, but was soon jerked about like a Warsaw Pact puppet leader by his Presiding Bishop and her Chief litigator.

Late last week, Bishop Lee announced his retirement and his pending assignment as interim Dean of Grace Cathedral, San Francisco. This assignment is expected to last one year and retirement will follow.


I've have read scores of comments across a small sea of blogs that have done nothing but tarbrush Bishop Lee, plastering him with near libelous accusations. I take a far different view than those of the broadsides leveled on the Bishop.

I see Peter Lee as a man who has sinned against his own conscience. I sense that in his heart of hearts, he KNOWS and BELIEVES this new and dystopic vision of the Episcopal Church is contrary to both Scripture and the historic faith, once delivered by the Apostles. I continue to pray for Bishop Peter Lee that he would repent of this error, be emboldened by the Holy Spirit, and stand firm in the historic faith in his autumn years.

If Bishop Lee were to take this stand, I'm confident that our LORD will restore what the locusts of revisionism have eaten, and his later days will be greater than the former.

I urge you to join me in prayer for Bishop Lee, and other Bishops who may be perched on the fence.

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