UM Council of Bishops - Silence is Deafening

In the last few days the Dumbarton UM Church in Washington, DC proudly proclaimed that they would conduct gay marriages since the local law had recently been changed to allow such marriages. This is the latest in a series of challenges to our connectional system where active and retired pastors in New England, in California, and now in Washington DC (there may be others) have publicly announced their intention. On a number of occasions these pastors have gone through with the wedding ceremonies. And yes, the local bishops dutifully said that such actions would force them to investigate and take potential action according to the discipline. The Book of Discipline for United Methodists clearly states that such civil disobedience is a chargeable offense that can result in the loss of clergy credentials. But, NO, these acts of civil disobedience, where clergy have gone through with their promise to conduct the weddings, have not met with church trials. Some of the clergy thought that they might duck the provisions of the Book of Discipline by conducting the ceremonies off-site from the church itself. The BOD doesn't say that location is the key to make this a chargeable offense. So my question is this...the Council of Bishops is very quick to speak out on all kinds of things in the political and spiritual realm as actions of justice ministries like gambling, the war, health care, and others. But where is their voice now when United Methodists need to hear a loud, "Thus Saith the Lord?" Perhaps many of them aren't sure what God says about such things or perhaps they don't like what God has clearly said on the issue of gays and gay lifestyle. The Lord has clearly spoken and so have United Methodists over several General Conference sessions (even if the margins were not large...General Conference United Methodists did speak). The Judicial Council has spoken clearly as well. United Methodists have spoken and have set a standard for chargable offenses that says that clergy who conduct such marriages, active or retired should expect to have to surrender their clergy credentials for the United Methodist Church and should not expect to get to pastor a UM Congregation. But the Council of Bishops is sadly and not unexpectedly silent. You see there is some kind of unspoken rule of not challenging or questioning fellow Bishops on how to discipline their annual conference. Perhaps it is a mutual protection society or just mutual respect. But mutual respect should not stop a large number of Bishops from quickly speaking up and calling for swift action against civil disobedience that surely threatens the connection that is United Methodism. Perhaps they do not actually believe that such actions threaten the connection because they are hoping that the sheer number of such stories will cause a change in the policy itself...in the Book of Discipline itslef. But just as the Democrats have misread the Tea Party phenomenon, so the Council of Bishops has misjudged what this will ultimately mean. Annual Conferences are without excuse and cannot ignore the Book of Discipline even if they disregard the Scripture itself. If individual Bishops cannot find the backbone or will to conduct church trials, no matter how many they may have to conduct (or how expensive it would be to conduct that large a number), then they should resign and hand over their leadership to those who will uphold the Book of Discipline (or at least recuse themselves from the trial). If the elders of such annual conferences will not uphold the Book of Discipline and try and convict their peers then perhaps they too should recuse themselves or resign). And if the United Methodist Council of Bishops cannot or will not speak out on such matters maybe they should just be silent and not speak out on anything because they will have forfeited their God given authority over the Church that they swore in the ordination vows to uphold the law of the Church. I have spoken to Bishop Ough on such matters over the last two years and begged him to speak out to other Bishops as a moderate voice. Perhaps he is not such a moderate voice. He speaks out against gambling. I beg him to speak out now and give the Council of Bishops the focus on this matter that it needs. United Methodists all around the world are watching. General Conference needs to forefully address such civil disobedience as well as the lack of willingness of the presiding Bishops to conduct Church discipline. The Anglican/Episcopal Church has gone down this path and it has meant much hurt. If the Council of Bishops is to be the body of Spiritual Leaders that they have been set apart to be then they must speak out now...soon. We have an ethical dilemma and some are seeking to redefine whata an ethical clergy person or Bishop should do. There is only one choice. Speak out and try and convict those who break our Discipline.