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Bishop Goes to Market
25 April 2008There's some irony that Bishop Gene Robinson, the out gay Episcopal prelate, has been relegated to the "Marketplace" at the Anglican Communion's Lambeth Conference, a worldwide gathering that occurs only 10 years. Conservative bishops threatened a boycott unless their brother in Christ was excluded. Moderates suggested that he be allowed to attend if he agreed to be "diminished." But belittling wasn't good enough for the conservatives, so the gay bishop will have to haunt the Marketplace, an adjunct bazaar for merchandise vendors and advocacy groups. That should sit well with conservative sociologist Rodney Stark of Baylor University, who with Roger Finke developed the idea of looking at religious life through free market metaphors. But will Stark, a moderate conservative, be happy should Robinson's inclusive faith prove a better seller than the anti-gay doctrine of a denomination in sharp decline? The NYT Laurie Goodstein reports on the bishop's preparations -- which include getting married.
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