Bishop Andrus Announces His Retirement

In 2006 Diocesan Bishop Marc Andrus lay in front of the
Federal Building to protest the Iraq War. (Episcopal archives)

After 16 years of service Episcopal Bishop Marc Andrus has announced his retirement from the Diocese of California:

Andrus, bishop of California since 2006, is best known in The Episcopal Church as a leading voice for care of creation and combating climate change. He has led Episcopal delegations to several meetings of the United Nations Climate Change Conference, known as COP, including the 2015 meeting where nations reached the ground-breaking Paris Agreement.

Most recently, Andrus was among a group of bishops who this month persuaded their fellow bishops to approve a “mind of the house” statement at the 80th General Convention underscoring the importance of environmental issues and addressing climate change as inter-connected with most other social justice issues that elicit The Episcopal Church’s engagement.

The succession plan involves a target date of Dec. 9, 2023, for electing a new bishop, followed by a tentative consecration date of May 4, 2024. After a transition period, Andrus said he and his wife, Sheila Andrus, plan to relocate to Virginia by the end of July 2024.

Your humble blogger has often stated his objections to Bishop Andrus' use of his position to insert Progressive politics into the Episcopal church. Moreover, his persistent support of same-sex marriage (which I have supported since 2004 in the secular world) led to hard-line advocacy of that position in the U.S. Episcopal Church, which in turn threatened schism in the worldwide Anglican Communion. To me Bishop Marc was emblematic of Christians who evinced a lack of understanding for other Christians who held different political positions, and who often had substantial Scriptural support for their arguments.

2007: Sheila and Marc Andrus visit a Peninsula parish

But politics isn't everything. What makes Christians--and Episcopalians--different is that they realize that there are more important things to life than politics. When it comes down to it, sincere Christians believe that there are some things that are more important than mortal life itself.

And never once have I heard Bishop Andrus say that the blessings of the Kingdom of Heaven will be denied to those that disagree with him. And so, in this time of change and transition, we thank Bishop Marc for his service and wish him and Sheila all health and happiness in the next stage of their lives.