The Rt. Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, Bishop, Diocese of Nevada

Biographical Information
Age 51
Ordinations: Priest – 1994
Bishop – 2001

General Convention 2003 Votes
Voted AGAINST B001
Voted FOR the consecration of V. Gene Robinson

General Facts
Jefferts Schori is the first woman selected as a nominee for Presiding Bishop.
Serves on the Court for Review of a Trial of a Bishop.
Appointed by Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold to serve on the Special Commission on the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion.
Encouraged passage of a resolution (see below diocesan info and quotes) that implicitly approved recognizing ceremonies to celebrate relationships of “mutuality and fidelity” between same-sex couples.

Information on the Diocese
Between 2002 and 2004, parochial reports show slight increases in number of parishes and Average Sunday Attendance (ASA), as well as increased plate/pledge giving from 2003 to 2004 (2.5%).
Number of baptized members of the diocese slightly declined from 2003 to 2004 (-0.7%).
ASA has decreased by 1% from 1999 to 2004, holding virtually steady over the past several years.
The diocesan website provides links to numerous pro-homosexuality resources and studies on their Congregational Resources page.
According to the 2005 diocesan treasurer’s report, the diocese had a net loss in income for 2005, and the proposed budget for 2006 predicted another net income loss for the year.
The 2003 Diocesan Convention passed the following resolution (113-58):Recognize Ceremonies to Celebrate Relationships of Mutuality and Fidelity“Whereas, the Episcopal Church professes that at its best, a Christian community lifts up its members, freeing their gifts and supporting their life;"THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED: That the 33rd Annual Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Nevada, desiring to support relationships of mutuality and fidelity which mediate the grace of God between those persons for whom the celebration and blessing of a marriage is not available, does hereby recognize that ceremonies to celebrate the relationships of such persons who are baptized members in good standing in this diocese may be conducted by clergy in the diocese, with the approval of the bishop, respecting their pastoral discretion.”

In Her Own Words…
“I have come to understand that sexual orientation is primarily a given characteristic, rather than one that is chosen. I have come to this conclusion after reading the results of scientific studies, and hearing the stories of those who know themselves to have a same-sex orientation…”
-Jefferts Schori (2003 Convention Address, Diocese of Nevada)

“Before we get there [debate of a resolution], I want to say that part of our difficulty lies in not having a fully developed and uniformly held theology of marriage, let alone what is being asked for in blessing same-sex relationships. That is largely the result of the way in which Anglicans do theology…”
-Jefferts Schori (2003 Convention Address)

“We are not a people who figure everything out and then develop a liturgical rite that spells that out in great detail. We are a people who pray publicly together, using a form or a shape that is increasingly diverse across the globe, but which still harks back to the English Prayer Book of 1549, as well as earlier Christian liturgical texts. Our theology continues to develop as we use those forms year after year. We understand marriage far differently today than we did in 1549. We have discovered new things about the centrality of baptism in using the Prayer Book of 1979. What gay and lesbian people are asking of the church is a prayer form, a liturgical container, in which partners may make promises to each other that their unions be faithful and lifelong…”
-Jefferts Schori (2003 Convention Address)

“The nature of blessing a relationship, whether a marriage or a same-sex partnership, means that the community who stand with the couple also promise to bless them.”
-Jefferts Schori (2003 Convention Address)

“I did say that if a congregation decided that it wished to bless such unions, that I expected there to be a parish policy in effect before I would grant permission to proceed…”
-Jefferts Schori (2004 Diocesan Convention Address)

“All of this is a very long way of saying that neither this [Lambeth] commission, nor the Archbishop of Canterbury, nor the gathering of primates, can make rules or laws that bind the Episcopal Church.”
-Jefferts Schori, on the creation of the Lambeth Commission (2004 Diocesan Convention Address)

“The Windsor Report contains some significant misunderstandings and errors of fact. It does not clearly recognize how the polity of the Episcopal Church varies from that of most other parts of the Communion. It does not recognize that the Resolution of General Convention (C051) simply acknowledges that experiencing and experimenting with liturgies for blessing unions is within the bounds of our common life, rather than authorizing specific public rites…”
-Jefferts Schori (“So where is the Episcopal Church Headed Now?” speech in Seattle, November 22, 2005)

“Our heritage and context shape our theology. The ways in which we understand scripture and appropriate gospel response to social realities are shaped both by our roots and our current circumstances.”
-Jefferts Schori (“So where is the Episcopal Church Headed Now?” November 22, 2005)

“At its best, Anglicanism has always upheld the comprehensiveness as one of its highest values. We don’t all have to agree. There can be more than one right answer.”
-Jefferts Schori (2004 Holy Week Message to the Diocese of Nevada)

“Reason implies, as the old hymn puts it, that ‘new occasions teach new duties.’ We believe that revelation continues…”
-Jefferts Schori in an article on creationism, in which she cites Scripture, tradition and reason as equally authoritative (NPR, January 2006)

ANALYSIS
Like Bishop Alexander, Bishop Jefferts Schori’s tenure has been very brief, calling into question whether her experience is adequate for serious consideration as Presiding Bishop. She has kept a low profile in the media, and she does not appear to have taken hostile action against any orthodox that may be in her diocese. Her voting record at her first General Convention (2003) and subsequent public statements clearly define her as a committed revisionist. She shares other nominees’ understanding of truth as relative and echoes Frank Griswold’s view of pluriform reality and theology based on cultural context. In 2003, her diocesan convention address clearly redefines marriage and underscores that truth is ever evolving.

It also appears that Jefferts Schori had a strong influence on the Report of the Special Commission on the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion. Her emphasis on the fact that local option practice of same-sex blessings is not equal to official authorization by the church is a significant theme in the commission report. Bishop Jefferts Schori also highlights that unity in Christ and membership in the Communion is found not in a common faith but rather in a common baptism. In addition, she stresses the autonomy of provinces, another argument made by the report. Like, other candidates, she is clearly committed to a new consensus in the Communion that embraces progressive, revisionist theology.

source: AAC