The one person who could have stopped the consecration was Gene Robinson. He was acutely aware of the pressures being asserted on him and he openly struggled with his decision. He said, "Discerning God's voice is a very tricky business. I've often said, you know, I'm trying to make sure that the voice in my head is not my own ego doing a great imitation of God's voice." (Religion & Ethics, October 31, 2003)

The missing link of why Gene Robinson would go forward with his consecration is best summed up with one word: EGO. We now know that Gene Robinson's judgment was impaired by alcoholism.

Gene Robinson has been admitted into a 28-day alcoholic recovery facility. During his stay more than likely he will hear recovered alcoholics talk about their former lives and how their egos dominated their decision-making processes before recovery. Those not suffering from alcoholism find it difficult to understand how the world always seems to revolve around the active alcoholic's ego.

The word "ego" for former practicing alcoholics is often stated as meaning: "Edging God Out." Clearly Gene Robinson's ego played a much larger role than he was even aware of in his decision to go forward with his consecration. It can certainly be argued that God was edged out and that his decision to go forward was ego driven.

Alcoholism is a disease that attacks a person's mind and body and impairs a person's ability to act responsibly. In reality, alcohol is but a symptom of the real problem of living life honestly. In the book, Alcoholics Anonymous, it is put this way: "They (practicing alcoholics) are naturally incapable of grasping and developing a manner of living which demands rigorous honesty . . . There are those, too, who suffer from grave emotional and mental disorders, but many of them do recover if they have the capacity to be honest." (p. 58)

We need to pray for Gene Robinson that he will be fearless and thorough from the very start of his recovery process and that he will let go of his old ideas and admit that he is powerless over alcohol and that his life has become unmanageable.

In other words, what Gene Robinson must do ego-wise to recover from alcoholism is to repent. Again Alcoholics Anonymous puts it this way: "So our troubles, we think, are basically of our own making. They arise out of ourselves, and the alcoholic is an extreme example of self-will run riot, though he usually doesn't think so. Above everything, we alcoholics must rid of this selfishness." (p. 62)

However, the missing link of why Gene Robinson would go forward with a consecration that would clearly create an international crisis was not due to alcoholism. Alcoholism is but a symptom of a selfish self-centered ego that was tricked into believing that God was calling him to be a bishop. Unfortunately, the guidelines within Holy Scripture were not followed either.

The Apostle Paul warned the Church about false teachers, false doctrines, and the coming apostasy when he said to Timothy, "For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, inhuman, implacable, slanders, profligates, fierce, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding the form of religion but denying the power of it. Avoid such people." (2 Timothy 3:2-5) ECUSA has not heeded these warnings and thus has not avoided electing and consecrating people who deny the power of God to change lives and conform to the teachings of Holy Scripture.

Thus, an unavoidable conclusion is that the Anglican fiasco cannot rest entirely on Gene Robinson's shoulders. The reality is that Gene Robinson went as far as his ego and ECUSA would let him. ECUSA failed him, failed the Anglican Communion, and failed the Church catholic by not adhering to Holy Scripture.

Again Paul speaks to Timothy about those to be called to the office of bishop saying, "Now a bishop must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, sensible, dignified, hospitable, an apt teacher, no drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, and no lover of money . . . moreover he must be well thought of by outsiders, or he may fall into reproach and the snare of the devil." (1 Timothy 3:2-3 & 7) Certainly Gene Robinson and other bishops in ECUSA have failed the standards set by Holy Scripture.

As a result, the missing link for the Anglican Fiasco is the ego of one man and one "church" and their failure to follow conform and, most importantly humbly obey Holy Scripture.

--The Rev. Dr. Brother George N. Gray Jr. is Rector of Saint Christopher's Church in Spartanburg, SC. His e-mail is: ggray@stchrisonline.org

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