The count:
YES: 21
NO: 41

The Episcopal Diocese of Northern California has released the following press announcement:

MUTUAL SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT REACHED IN ST. JOHN’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH LAWSUIT

SACRAMENTO, CA., May 20, 2009-The Episcopal Diocese of Northern California has announced a settlement agreement with a group calling itself “St. John’s Anglican” church, which has occupied the parish buildings at 40 Fifth Street in Petaluma, CA, since December 2006.
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Current count:
YES: 20
NO: 41

The bishop of Southern Ohio wrote a letter explaining why he could not consent to the election of the Rev. Kevin G. Thew Forrester as bishop of Northern Michigan.

Now the standing committee of Southern Ohio has issued a statement of its own, explaining why it decided to give consent:

A note from the Standing Committee, released today, states:

The Standing Committee of the Diocese of Southern Ohio, at our April 17 meeting, agreed to consent to the election of the Rev. Kevin Thew Forrester as Bishop of Northern Michigan. We have discussed our different opinions on this matter with Bishop Breidenthal in a spirit of mutual respect, affection and trust. Neither the bishop nor we objected to the Rev. Kevin Thew Forrester’s association with Buddhist meditation, nor did we object to the process by which he was elected.

Our reasons for consent were as varied as the Standing Committee membership is varied. Some voted to consent as a sign of support for Northern Michigan’s use of Total (Common) Ministry. Some voted to consent as a sign of support for the ongoing broad relationship of all of us in the Episcopal Church, and some voted to consent as a sign of support for ongoing theological dialogue over the meaning of the atonement.

We are grateful for the thoughtful witness of our Bishop on this matter. And we stand in solidarity with him as we enter an ongoing conversation within the Episcopal Church that, despite differences, is done in blessed communion one with another.

C. R. “Chet” Cavaliere, President
The Rev. Richard Burnett, Vice President
The Rev. Stephen H. Applegate, Secretary
Patricia Ellertson
The Rev. Stephen Smith
Deborah Stokes

h/t to a hard working communications director, a couple of dioceses over, who let me know that this had been released by the Diocese of Southern Ohio.

The Right Rev. John Bryson Chane, Bishop of Washington, has voted to consent to the election of bishop-elect the Rev. Kevin G. Thew Forrester. The Standing Committee of the Diocese of Washington has also given consent, according to Jim Naughton, canon for communications and advancement for the Diocese of Washington.

The updated standing committee vote:
YES: 19
NO: 41

And that’s okay with the leaders of his corner of the Anglican communion, The Sidney Morning Herald reports.

The standing committee of the Diocese of Delaware met on Tuesdsay, May 19, and gave consent to the bishop-elect of Northern Michigan, according to committee president the Rev. Celeste Cox.

The current tally is

YES — 18
NO — 41

In order to become a bishop, bishop-elect the Rev. Kevin G. Thew Forrester will need to receive consent from at least 56 of the church’s 110 standing committees.

A settlement in an ongoing lawsuit involving an Episcopal diocese and a breakaway congregation could be announced as early as today, according to a well-placed source. As soon as it happens, I’ll let you know more.

I just read my first column by The New York Times‘ Ross Douthat, and I like it.

I think you’ll enjoy the column, too.

This column (h/t Caleb Powers) is about Dan Brown’s new blockbuster, and he correctly notes that the Gnostic gospels are actually a lot weirder than anything that appears in Angels and Demons.

Douthat’s tone is pleasant and he seems to know his stuff. He doesn’t pontificate. He doesn’t patronize. His writing is snark free and he has lots and lots of cyberlinks in his stories.

The bishop of Northern California, as I mentioned on Friday, has decided to withhold consent from the bishop-elect of Northern Michigan.

The Right Rev. Barry Beisner today posted a statement explaining the reasoning behind his decision.

I would recommend reading the entire statement, but here’s the heart of the matter, if I’m reading it correctly:

Bishop Beisner wanted to give consent. He wanted to honor the decision of the Diocese of Northern Michigan. And he was impressed with the bishop-elect’s clear leadership gifts.

But Bishop Beisner was concerned by the profound changes that the Rev. Kevin G. Thew Forrester had made to the church’s baptismal covenant in the past. Bishop Beisner spoke directly with Thew Forrester about his concerns. Bishop Beisner wanted clear assurances that Thew Forrester would not veer from the church’s liturgical path in the future. But Thew Forrester balked.

Bishop Beisner writes: “I am not confident that, for all his very immense talents and deep commitment to serve this church, Kevin will refrain from future unauthorized experimentation. In my judgment, that lack of assurance is critical.”

WAUSAU, Wis. (AP) — A mother accused of homicide for only praying while her 11-year-old daughter died of untreated diabetes knew the girl was gravely ill at least a day before she died, a sister-in-law testified Monday.
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The standing committee of the diocese of North Carolina voted May 18 to withhold consent to the election of the Rev. Kevin G. Thew Forrester as bishop of the diocese of Northern Michigan, a standing committee member confirms.

The count is now 17 yes, 41 no.

Some people believe it’s unseemly, almost unChrist-like, in fact, for churches to sue churches. They point to scriptures like the sixth chapter of 1 Corinthians, which beings:

“Dare any of you, having a matter against his neighbor, go to law before the unrighteous, and not before the saints?”

For these folks, and for all who are weary of lawsuits among Episcopalians and Anglicans, good news is coming. A settlement of one of the ongoing lawsuits will likely be announced later this week, a source privy to the negotiations tells the Bible Belt Blogger.

As soon as I get more details, I’ll post them…

Ann Rodgers of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, one of the best religion writers in the business, writes about the Pittsburgh standing committee’s vote to withhold consent.

To read the story, click here.

Both standing committee votes were unanimous.

For an explanation of the Pittsburgh vote, click here.

The bishop-elect of Northern Michigan is trailing by more than two-to-one, but dozens of committees have not yet cast their votes.

A Democrat-Gazette survey of all 100 full-fledged U.S. diocesan standing committees shows:
17 Yes
40 No.

I’ve been on the road (400 miles today), but will post the complete list on Tuesday, May 19.