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The archbishop of the new Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) spoke with CT in Bedford, Texas, where conservatives constituted their alternative to the liberal Episcopal Church.
Q: What is going on here in Bedford?
A: Bedford for us Anglicans is the end of the beginning. We have struggled, some of our congregations for over 30 years, with issues that have been forced upon us by the Episcopal Church. We’ve come to a point where we are not operating in force anymore.
Q: Rick Warren told the ACNA not to be “reactionary,” what did he mean?
A: He means the war [in the Episcopal Church], it’s not yours anymore, that’s behind. God’s got a whole new work for you. We are trying to move on. Don’t be reactionary or reactive means get over the wounds, get over the hurts, get over the lawsuits, get over all the stuff.
Q: What is the ACNA’s plan to reach out to America?
A: We want to be clear that the congregation is God’s fundamental way of doing things, just like the family is God’s fundamental building block for society. And if the chief agency is the congregation, the chief agents are the individual Christians. We have to disciple. We have to teach people to love God … and share their faith. We have to teach them how to engage the world in service, in Christ’s love.
Repercussions from the Episcopal Church (TEC) General Convention in Anaheim, California continue to reverberate around the USA and the world. Any analysis of TEC’s actions requires a "new think" dictionary so that one can understand what they say versus what they mean. When they say "generous pastoral care" or "generous pastoral response" for example, it doesn’t necessarily mean generosity which is extended to everyone (unless we include "generous legal persecution" as an element of said generosity).
When reading material from the dominant revisionist side of TEC, constantly ask yourself what they mean by these new words and word structures that they are coining-they are almost never what the plain English meaning would suggest. Regarding the passage of D025 which affirmed the church’s intent to permit gay bishops, the TEC official news organ reported the next morning that the previous moratorium represented by B033 from 2006 was overturned. This accidental revelation of the truth by their own media was viewed with alarm by the political spinmeisters working with President of the House of Deputies Bonnie Anderson and Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori, and the article was quickly followed the next day by assurances that although the words in D025 said that all orders of ministry would be open to all people inclusive of gay, lesbian, etc., it didn’t overturn B033 which said that the church wouldn’t ordain such to the episcopate. On which day was TEC telling the truth? Then the legislation was passed which authorized marriage/same-sex union rites to be done on a local diocesan level as part of a "generous pastoral response." All of this happens while the top leadership marginalizes the few orthodox bishops, clergy and laity left in TEC and stresses that TEC wants to be a part of the global Anglican Communion, but on their own terms.
Realizing that they had slapped Dr. Rowan Williams in the face with their actions after he had journeyed from London to Anaheim and made a special appeal not to make things more difficult, TEC leaders wrote to Dr. Williams explaining what they did and what they didn’t actually do. A lie told often enough seems to gain a scintilla of truth in the ear that hears it repeatedly. TEC means to push ahead with its current heresies, false doctrines and aberrant practices, and find new ones to add, and yet demand that they be fully a part of the Anglican Communion. There is also a near-frantic concern among TEC leaders that the Anglican Communion in North America (ACNA) not be given any recognition by the Communion, as that will set up an equivalency that they can’t live with.
As General Convention debated its two most-examined resolutions in July, about ten bishops cast paradoxical votes.
Most of these bishops voted against Resolution D025, which reopens the possibility of consecration for openly gay or lesbian bishops. In contrast, most also voted for C056, which authorizes the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music to “collect and develop theological and liturgical resources” for blessing same-gender couples, and allows a “generous pastoral response to meet the needs of members of this church.”
Some bishops discussed their votes with The LivingChurch. Others spoke only through letters they wrote to the clergy and laity of their dioceses. Others did not elaborate on their votes.
The Rt. Rev. John Rabb, Bishop Suffragan in the Diocese of Maryland, said he was pleased by most of D025 but that its final resolve left him unsatisfied.
“My fear was that it will be read as prescriptive, and that made me uncomfortable,” he said.
Bishop Rabb added that he was mindful of the Archbishop of Canterbury’s plea for restraint, and he found the ecclesiology of D025 unsatisfying.
Resolution C056, Bishop Rabb said, will enable the church to begin doing more theological homework, without committing itself to a set result at General Convention in 2012.
“We’ve not done enough work on the theology. It’s not that because the courts change something, the church must change it too,” Bishop Rabb said. “When we don’t get our theology right—and that includes scripture and tradition—it comes back and creates problems later.”
“I voted against D025 because it wasn’t clear, and the reaction from around the world convinced me that it wasn’t clear,” said the Rt. Rev. Stephen Miller, Bishop of Milwaukee. “I wish it had said we were not repealing B033, although that language would have never passed.” Read the rest of this entry »
Inclusive Church welcomes the clarity of the new resolutions passed at the General Convention of the Episcopal Church of the USA (TEC) in Anaheim. They accurately and honestly describe the current situation, affirming that homosexual orientation should not be a bar to ordination as priest or bishop, and recognising that same sex blessings are being performed in some parishes and dioceses.
It is our wish that such honesty prevail in all current dialogues within the Anglican Communion – for example, recognising that within the Church of England there are a great many gay and lesbian clergy in relationships, and many churches offer blessings of same-sex relationships.
We equally acknowledge the costly lengths to which TEC has gone over many years to encourage the unity of the Anglican Communion, and note that the moratoria previously agreed regarding human sexuality have not been overturned.
We therefore urge members of the Communion to consider carefully what has actually been agreed at Anaheim. The Presiding Bishop has stated in a letter to the Archbishop of Canterbury and the other Primates ‘This General Convention has not repealed Resolution B033. It remains to be seen how Resolution B033 will be understood and interpreted in light of Resolution D025. Some within our Church may understand Resolution D025 to give Standing Committees (made up of elected clergy and laity) and Bishops with jurisdiction more latitude in consenting to Episcopal elections. Others, in light of Resolution B033, will not.’
Inclusive Church believes that excluding LGBT people from the sacramental life of the church is a sin similar to the historical discrimination against people of colour and women. We value Anglican diversity, and acknowledge that there is a breadth of views on questions of human sexuality. We salute the considerable efforts made to recognise and contain that breadth with TEC, and regret the attempts by others who have withdrawn to undermine the territorial integrity of local Anglican churches, breaching the third moratorium arising from the Windsor Report.
Above all we pray that the slow and often tortuous process in which the Communion is engaged over these issues will, in the end, enable all the member churches to speak more prophetically and more clearly of God’s inexhaustible love and justice for the whole world.
A FLURRY of responses and clarifications followed the passing of two resolutions on human sexuality at the General Convention, the triennial meeting of the Episcopal Church in the United States (News, 17 July).
Resolution D025 recognises the present reality of gay and lesbian clergy in the Episcopal Church, and reaffirms that any baptised member can be called to any order of ministry. Resolution C065 calls for the development of theological resources for same-sex blessings, and allows bishops the local option of providing “a generous pastoral response to meet the needs of members of this Church”
The Presiding Bishop, Dr Katharine Jefferts Schori, and the President of the House of Deputies, Bonnie Anderson, have written separate letters to the Archbishop of Canterbury and to the Primates of the Anglican Communion.
On Resolution D025, they say that it “acknowledges certain realities of our common life. Nothing in the resolution goes beyond what has already been provided under our Constitution and Canons for many years.”
On Resolution C065, they say: “While the resolution honours the diversity of theological perspectives within the Episcopal Church, it does not authorise public liturgical rites for the blessing of same-gender unions.”
In her closing sermon to the Convention, Dr Jefferts Schori said that the gift of Anglicanism was “holding together in tension polarities that some are eager to resolve. . . The long view says that if we insist on resolving the tension we’ll miss a gift of the Spirit, for truth is always larger than one end of the polarity.”
Up to 34 bishops produced the Anaheim Statement, affirming their desire to remain part of the Anglican Communion and the Episcopal Church. They pledged themselves to honour the requests made by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the 2008 Lambeth Conference, the Primates’ Meetings, and the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) to observe moratoria on same-gender blessings, cross-border interventions, and the ordination of gay and lesbian people as bishops.
Their statement was followed by one from the Communion Partners, a group of more than 60 rectors who also want to remain constituent members of the greater Anglican Communion. They stated: “We do not concur with any action taken that would be interpreted by the larger Communion as divisive, dismissive of our larger Anglican Communion, or schismatic.”
The House of Bishops of the Church of England meets in September when they will consider the new North American Anglican province’s (ACNA’s) Constitution and Canons. Following Durham Bishop Tom Wright’s scathing critique of what transpired at GC2009 there is every likelihood they will support ACNA. A number of Evangelical and Catholic bishops are already doing so – eight have signed the Private Member’s Motion – unprecedented in General Synod history.
This puts Dr. Rowan Williams in a very difficult position. At one level he can now offer a two-tier solution to the Anglican Communion’s malaise. He can also argue that he can now recognize both TEC and ACNA. He alone decides who to invite to the Lambeth Conference, and can circumvent the Anglican Communion Office and Canon Kenneth Kearon who has sworn eternal fealty to TEC and the Anglican Church of Canada and would never recognize ACNA if his job depended on it. (He needs TEC money to keep ACC afloat).
The General Synod is not in any way beholden to the ACC and can do as it likes. It could even, if it chose, reduce its financial contribution to ACC and ACO. If the Synod debates and passes the motion next February or next July, Kearon can think or say what he likes, it will not affect anything. The determination of who is or is not in communion with the CofE is a joint decision for the two Archbishops of Canterbury and York, who would find it difficult to refuse a Synod resolution. If ACNA is in then TEC may even be shown the door.
The truth is the ACC has become irrelevant following Jamaica and the debacle over Resolution 4. The vast majority of the CofE do not know what the ACC is, let alone cares. Churchgoers do not elect their ACC "representatives" they are chosen by the national church. Therefore ACC approval is something of an irrelevance. From now on one can expect that province by province will make its own decision. If the great bulk of the Communion declares itself to be in communion with ACNA, the ACC will have to fall in line.
The seventy-sixth General Convention of the Episcopal Church made headlines last week for moving forward on same-sex blessings and officially opening its doors for partnered homosexuals to serve as priests and bishops. Stacy Sauls, the Episcopal bishop of Lexington and a close associate of the presiding bishop, Katherine Jefferts Schori, argued that it was long past time to do it: Over thirty years ago, he said, the church had placed pastoral compassion over Scripture, tradition, and the teachings of Jesus to permit remarriage after divorce, and it would be nothing less than hypocritical for the church not to do likewise for gay and lesbian people.
There is a certain logic to this, of course. If we’re going to set aside the teaching of Jesus for ourselves, shouldn’t we do the same for others? “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” as someone once said. According to Bishop Sauls, this was the most important point he made at the convention. Arguably, it was the most important point anyone in attendance made. The Episcopal Church has now, quite definitively, decided to step out on its own, away from Scripture, tradition, and the rest of the Anglican communion. It was a bold and brave step, for with it the church has decided that it is now a church that takes its own counsel, answerable only to God. No doubt it was a matter of prayerful discernment and conscience for many, and no doubt many will shy away from drawing out the full implications of their decision. But the implications are there nonetheless. It is a brave new thing for the Episcopal Church, a brave new church on its own in the world.
The two key resolutions, D025 and C056, were passed by overwhelming majorities in both houses of the convention, the House of Deputies and the House of Bishops. The first resolution, D025, effectively gave dioceses the green light to elect bishops in partnered homosexual relationships, thus overturning the commitment of the 2006 convention to “exercise restraint” in doing so. The second resolution, C056, committed the church to develop rites of blessing for same-sex unions with the goal of bringing draft versions for approval at the next convention in 2012. In the meantime, the resolution encouraged dioceses to develop and use rites of their own, with the expectation that such on-the-ground experience will be of value in creating a set of official, churchwide liturgies in the near future.
As such, the two resolutions represent a clear and purposeful departure from the requests made of the Episcopal Church by the rest of the Anglican communion, as expressed repeatedly by all of the official bodies of global Anglicanism over the past several years. Contradicting requests for a moratorium on bishops in same-sex relationships, Resolution D025 asserts that “God has called and may call” persons in such relationships to all of the ordained ministries of the church. And, in the face of requests not to authorize public rites of blessing for same-sex unions, Resolution C056 explicitly calls for their development and authorizes bishops to perform them on a trial basis in their dioceses. It is, in short, a clear victory for those such as Bishop Sauls who have argued for the national autonomy of the Episcopal Church and the need to move forward regardless of Anglican communion requests.
Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori has issued a letter to the church about General Convention, which was held July 8-17 at the Anaheim Convention Center in California. "Above all else, this Convention claimed God’s mission as the heartbeat of The Episcopal Church," Jefferts Schori says.
The full text of the Presiding Bishop’s letter follows.
My brothers and sisters in Christ:
The 76th General Convention is now history, though it will likely take some time before we are all reasonably clear about what the results are.
We gathered in Anaheim, as guests of the Diocese of Los Angeles, for eleven full days of worship, learning, and policy-making. The worship was stunning visually, musically, and liturgically, with provocative preaching and lively singing.
Our learning included training in Public Narrative, as well as news about the emergent church, in the LA Night presentation.
We welcomed a number of visitors from other parts of the Anglican Communion, including 15 of the primates (archbishops or presiding bishops), other bishops, clergy, and laity.
The budget adopted represents a significant curtailment of church-wide ministry efforts, in recognition of the economic realities of many dioceses and church endowments, which will result in the loss of a number of Church Center staff who have given long and laudable service. Yet we will continue to serve God’s mission, throughout The Episcopal Church and beyond. This budget expects that more mission work will continue or begin to take place at diocesan or congregational levels. Religious pilgrims, from the Israelites in the desert to Episcopalians in Alaska or Haiti, have always learned that times of leanness are opportunities for strengthened faith and creativity.
Let us leave aside the substantive theological aspects of the recent Episcopal Church General Convention. They are important, of course. But I am interested here in the dynamics of decision-making that underlay the way things turned out. I am interested because these “transactional” aspects, as some call them, may tell us a lot about the future. And we are hearing a lot about these aspects from the Convention: it was surprisingly “respectful”, many have reported; it was engaged without “acrimony” and “contention”, and despite the momentous topics addressed, people were calm and relatively relaxed. All very different from past conventions, with their hand-wringing, protests, weeping and gnashing of teeth. “Where are all the passionate arguments?” many wondered, breathing a slightly uncomfortable sigh of relief. The explanations for the relative peace breaking out varied: some said that the traditionalists of TEC’ had all been “purged” or disappeared or were simply too exhausted and defeated to raise a ruckus; others said that the church had finally moved to a real “consensus” about previously contested matters of sexuality. “This is who we are!”, the Convention could finally say with some coherence.
The “purging” and the “consensus” explanations are probably both right to some degree. But it is a complicated overlap that merits some reflection. This is what I want to offer now. I have been doing some reading of late on the matter of how church councils “decide” things. And inevitably I have had to delve into some of the social scientific literature on related topics. There are two writers in particular who, I think, have something to say about this particular council we call the General Convention that has just met. And applying some of their broad insights can indeed, I suggest, help us to map the future a little bit.
Here, then, are some of the major elements of their thinking that may be pertinent, which I can lay out in the most generalized of ways.
BOB ABERNETHY, Anchor: After decades of debate and division, the US Episcopal Church this week said overwhelmingly that gays and lesbians are eligible to become bishops or serve in any other ordained ministry of the church. At their General Convention, Episcopal leaders also moved toward developing an official rite for blessing same-sex unions. These decisions are likely to widen the divide between Episcopalians and the worldwide 77-million-member Anglican Communion of which they are a part. Kim Lawton has our special report from Anaheim, California.
KIM LAWTON: At their meeting in Anaheim this week, Episcopal bishops, clergy, and lay representatives tackled a host of social issues, from global poverty to justice for Disneyland hotel workers. But the most divisive topic, once again, was homosexuality.
REV. IAN DOUGLAS (Episcopal Divinity School): It wouldn’t be a meeting of the Episcopal Church or the Anglican Communion if we didn’t somehow engage matters of human sexuality.
LAWTON: Despite concerns from many global Anglican partners, convention delegates overwhelmingly voted to move ahead on two of the most contentious questions: whether to ordain gay bishops and whether to bless same-sex unions. On the issue of gay bishops, the delegates asserted that “God has called and may call gays and lesbians to any ordained ministry in the Episcopal Church.” The vote effectively ends a de facto moratorium that was approved three years ago, although it does not guarantee that more gay bishops will be consecrated.
Separately, the delegates also voted to move forward in developing liturgies for blessing same-sex relationships. The issue will be taken up again at the next General Convention in 2012. In the meantime, the measure allows local clergy leeway in blessing same-gender relationships, especially in states where gay marriage is legal.
Reverend Susan Russell is the outgoing president of Integrity, a group that works for the full inclusion of gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgendered people in the Episcopal Church.
REV. SUSAN RUSSELL (Integrity): I think the overwhelming message coming out of this convention, not only for LGBT people but for all who are looking for a community that that embraces peace, justice, tolerance, compassion, and the good news of God in Christ Jesus, is that the Episcopal Church welcomes you.
LAWTON: The measures passed in part because many conservative Episcopalians have left the denomination. Those remaining feel increasingly isolated.
The two presiding officers of General Convention have again written to Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, this time with an explanation of Resolution C056 that calls for the collection and development of theological resources for the blessing of same-gender blessings and allows bishops to provide "a generous pastoral response to meet the needs of members of this church." The letter was also sent to the Anglican Communion’s 38 primates.
"While the resolution honors the diversity of theological perspectives within the Episcopal Church, it does not authorize public liturgical rites for the blessing of same-gender unions," wrote Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori and President of the House of Deputies Bonnie Anderson in their July 17 letter to Williams. "The Book of Common Prayer remains unchanged, the marriage rites are unaltered and the Rubrics of the Book of Common Prayer define marriage as a ’solemn and public covenant between a man and a woman in the presence of God.’"
Resolution C056 was passed on July 17 by the 76th General Convention meeting in Anaheim, California. It acknowledges "changing circumstances" that call for a renewed pastoral response from the church for considering same-gender blessings, including state laws on same-gender marriage, civil-unions and domestic partnerships. The resolution also authorizes the House of Bishops, in conjunction with the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music, to devise an open process that will invite churchwide participation in collecting and developing theological resources and liturgies. The commission is to report its efforts to the next General Convention in 2012.
"This resolution is seen as a continuation of the pastoral response and listening process asked for and encouraged by successive General Conventions and Lambeth Conferences," the presiding officers wrote.
We believe the Episcopal Church, at its most recent General Convention concluded on July 17, has departed from the teachings of historic Christianity and the consistent teaching of Holy Scripture by redefining marriage as a covenant between two committed persons regardless of gender and by opening its ordained ministry to practicing homosexuals. These actions will "tear the fabric of the Anglican Communion at its deepest level" and distance Episcopal congregations from the larger body of Christ.
Though we deeply sympathize with those who may wrestle with issues of human sexuality, and though we sincerely believe we are all equally sinful before God, we must disavow the General Convention’s actions. We remain convinced the covenant of marriage between one man and one woman as defined in Holy Scripture is the standard set forth by God. Likewise, we believe the ordained ministry is to be confined to those who submit and adhere to this standard.
As Christian ministers in Birmingham, we pledge to do our part in sharing the word of God and the Christian hope to the world around us. We promise to continually repent of our own sins and invite any and all, regardless of sexual orientation, to join us in the worship of God the Father, and of our Lord Jesus Christ, and of the Holy Spirit who lifts us from our human condition and sets us free.
We can be better people, in and through Christ. This is our mission, and we will not be distracted.
Frank Limehouse III Dean,
The Cathedral Church of the Advent
Birmingham
Richmond Webster Rector,
Saint Luke’s Episcopal Church
Birmingham
At its recently concluded General Convention, The Episcopal Church passed resolutions that are widely regarded as repudiations of prior commitments to the Windsor moratoria that have been officially implemented by the Anglican Communion. Apparently reacting to the swift denunciation of these actions by many in the Communion, various constituencies in TEC are now scrambling to re-interpret General Convention’s actions. ENS withdrew and revised its story about a key vote and Convention participants have produced wildly inconsistent, if equally far-fetched, interpretations of what took place. Integrity continues to claim, however, that this Convention was a “virtual clean sweep” for their side.
Bishops
There are now multiple conflicting interpretations of the relationship of Resolution D025 to Resolution B033 and the Windsor moratorium on episcopal elections. During the debate on D025 in the House of Bishops, the Presiding Bishop stated (in response to a leading question from Bishop Gulick) that the moratorium would remain in effect until another gay bishop was consecrated. Bishop Gulick has since repeated this claim himself. In any sense in which this is true at all, it is merely a trivial tautology and therefore of no empirical significance or interest. The Windsor Report was not asking TEC to refrain from consecrating another gay bishop only until such time as they consecrate another gay bishop. It was asking TEC to commit not to do so.
A few days later, in their joint letter to the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Presiding Bishop and the President of the House of Deputies stated that “Some are concerned that the adoption of Resolution D025 has effectively repealed Resolution B033. That is not the case. This General Convention has not repealed Resolution B033. It remains to be seen how Resolution B033 will be understood and interpreted in light of Resolution D025.”
Five additional bishops have signed the Anaheim Statement, the letter of dissent to the actions of the 76th General Convention in which bishops pledge to continue moratoria on same-gender blessings, cross-border interventions, and the ordination of gay and lesbian persons to the episcopate.
The addition of the five bishops brings the total number to 34. The five additional names are: the Rt. Rev. Andy Doyle, Bishop of Texas; the Rt. Rev. Dena Harrison, Bishop Suffragan of Texas; the Rt. Rev. Philip Duncan, Bishop of the Central Gulf Coast; the Rt. Rev. Dan Edwards, Bishop of Nevada; and the Rt. Rev. Julio Holguin, Bishop of the Dominican Republic.
The original statement was issued after the Rt. Rev. Gary W. Lillibridge of West Texas read a statement prepared by an ad hoc committee of concerned bishops during the House of Bishops’ afternoon session July 16.
(Clip) Several months ago I asked Bishop Lillibridge to come to our August vestry meeting to report and to answer questions. He has graciously agreed to come Tuesday, August 18, 5:00 PM in the Parish Hall. All meetings of the vestry are open to anyone interested in attending, and I hope you will come if you are interested in hearing from our bishop.
Here are several questions that I hope he will answer:
Is there room in the Diocese of West Texas for a rector (church) that does not support the enactments of General Convention or the Presiding Bishop?
Is there room in the Diocese of West Texas for a rector (church) who cannot call good what the Bible calls sin – who will offer partnered gays and lesbians what he offers all sinners, all parishioners: nonjudgmental love, friendship, encouragement in Christ, AND the gospel of repentance, forgiveness, amendment of life, and God’s healing?
We have declared ourselves a Windsor diocese, and the Windsor Report calls us to adhere to traditional sexual morals (Lambeth 1.10) and calls for a moratorium on ordinations of non-celibate homosexuals and the practice of blessing same-sex couples. This obviously puts us at odds with the majority of Episcopalians, and in complete agreement with those in other Anglican jurisdictions in the United States. Will Christ Church be allowed to work in mission and ministry with Windsor-compliant churches from other Anglican provinces, including being able to call clergy who currently serve in those provinces?
I love the breadth and generosity of our heritage, but I don’t love how TEC has lost its salt and connection to historic Anglicanism. The wider Anglican Communion accepts the Bible as uniquely inspired by God and is our primary authority, while encouraging each member to wrestle with Holy Scriptures for themselves – I love that. It proclaims that we are justified by faith by God’s grace, but allows for diversity and wideness in God’s mercy – I love that. It respects other religions while holding fast to the belief that Jesus is the only begotten Son of God, and no one comes to the Father except through him – I love it. Where gays and lesbians are welcome as everyone is welcome – I love that. That treats sin seriously as a pastoral matter, not as a bludgeon – I particularly love that. This is the fabric of our life together at Christ Church and the core values that attracted me to join you in ministry eight years ago.
These commitments continue to make Christ Church an extraordinary church and will into the future. I can’t help but wonder, though, will there ever be a day when we can focus on reaching more people for Jesus Christ, and worshipping in the beauty of holiness, and growing in our love for one another, without the weight of a deviant denomination on our shoulder?
Conservative bishops believe that The Episcopal Church’s recent decisions favoring gay ordination and the blessing of same-sex unions will only lead to disaster.
Although The Episcopal Church reaffirmed its commitment to the wider Anglican Communion, the denomination’s actions this past week have few orthodox bishops convinced of the authenticity of that pledge.
"Once again, we are saying we want to be part of the Anglican Communion and that we value that partnership," said William Love, Episcopal Bishop of Albany, according to VirtueOnline. "Yet there is always that ‘but’ we want to do it on our terms and we expect you to approve that. The rest of the Anglican Communion says it won’t."
Resolution D025, approved Tuesday by The Episcopal Church’s House of Deputies, states that the denomination is still "deeply and genuinely" committed to their relationships in the Anglican Communion while at the same time stating that access to their ordination process is open to all baptized members, including practicing homosexuals.
The Episcopal Church is the U.S. branch of Anglicanism.
Although Episcopal Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori said in a letter, dated Thursday, to Archbishop of Canterbury Dr. Rowan Williams that the newly passed resolution did not repeal a 2006 resolution that urged restraint concerning the election of bishops whose "manner of life" would cause offense to the wider Anglican Communion, orthodox bishops believe the U.S. Episcopalians have crossed the line.
“…not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.” Galatians 1:7-8
Grace, peace and courage to you in our Lord Jesus Christ, who was lifted high upon the cross that he might draw the whole world into the redeeming love of the Father and sustain us in the power of the Holy Spirit.
I write to you in the aftermath of General Convention 2009. You need to know that the landscape of Anglicanism and The Episcopal Church has once again changed. I haven’t time now to describe these matters in the detail that they deserve and I am still too close to the events to adequately evaluate them. I shall write you at greater length when I return to Charleston next week. But let me answer ever so briefly two questions: Where is the Episcopal Church after General Convention 2009? What does it mean for South Carolina?
Where is The Episcopal Church after General Convention 2009?
First, TEC has contravened the clear teaching of Holy Scripture and breached the bonds of affection within the Anglican Communion. At General Convention 2003 the debate centered on the clarity of Lambeth 1.10. At GC’06 it focused on the Windsor Report and process which had less clarity than Lambeth 1.10. Here in 2009 Lambeth 1.10 and Windsor were hardly mentioned and the debate returned occasionally to B033 which of course was far weaker than what Lambeth 1.10 or Windsor called for. The trajectory is clear—greater and greater autonomy, license, and stepping apart. Yet the official spin of TEC continues unabated.
Secondly, during our debate some protested that we are moving too quickly. The question is not how quickly we are moving. If blessing same-sex unions is morally wrong now, it will be morally wrong in the future. The matter in dispute in TEC is not like the one St. Paul writes about in I Corinthians 8 of a morally neutral activity such as eating meat offered to idols. In that situation whether to eat or refrain from eating was to be guided by the conscience of other Christians. But this question is completely different, it involves the nature of Christian marriage and the teaching of the universal church about the proper context in which to use the gift of sexuality. The problem isn’t the speed at which the train is moving down the rail: it is the destination to which it is headed.
Thirdly, while the full significance of TEC’s adoption of C056 is not yet clear to me, this much is clear: In allowing Bishops “generous discretion” for granting the blessings of same-sex “marriage” we have entered into a new era of pastoral and canonical chaos, with General Convention’s approval.
What Does This Mean for the Diocese of South Carolina?
I will be meeting with the Standing Committee, Deans and others after my return late Wednesday evening. I will be clarifying my thoughts and seeking greater clarity from the Lord in the intervening days. Please keep me in your prayers as you will be in mine. God has prepared us as a diocese to address this hour in the life of our Church—of that I am confident. It is not a time for alarm. It is a time for thoughtful and steady resolve. We face significant challenges. They are no longer the challenges of tomorrow they are the challenges of today. This cannot be brushed aside as if it is of little consequence.
There is an increasingly aggressive displacement within this Church of the gospel of Jesus Christ’s transforming power by the “new” gospel of indiscriminate inclusivity which seeks to subsume all in its wake. It is marked by an increased evangelistic zeal and mission that hints at imperialistic plans to spread throughout the Communion. This calls for a bold response. It is of the utmost importance that we find more than just a place to stand. Indeed, it is imperative that we find a place to thrive; a place that is faithful, relational and structural—and so we shall!
Faithfully yours in Christ,
+Mark J. Lawrence
Bishop of South Carolina
ANAHEIM, Calif. — This week, gay-rights advocates at the Episcopal Church convention here chalked up two major victories — moves that both liberals and conservatives agree are probably a turning point in their church’s history.
Earlier in the week, the church voted to open the door to ordaining openly gay bishops. And on Thursday the bishops voted to start the process of developing rites for blessing same-sex marriages, and to give the green light to bishops who are already doing so.
At the center of all these battles has been Bishop Gene Robinson, the first openly gay bishop in the Episcopal Church. He has been something of a human lightning rod ever since the church voted at its convention in 2003 to consent to his consecration as bishop of New Hampshire.
Since then, he has been lauded as a gay rights hero and vilified as the cause of schism in both the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion, the world’s third largest network of churches. But as a bishop, he has an insider’s seat at the proceedings.
What follows is an interview with Bishop Robinson, conducted during a break at the convention:
Q: Thank you for making the time. You must have a lot of interview requests.
A: Yes, and I’m not doing any interviews, except this one. A lot of requests came in after the bishops’ first vote on Monday (to allow for the consecration of more gay bishops). Of course, the possibility of there being another gay bishop in the House is something I’ve longed for for a long time. But I didn’t feel like talking. I felt very sober. I know that what we’ve done here will be very difficult for a lot of people in that room, and in the Communion.
Q: Many conservatives I’ve talked to say they are feeling very isolated at this convention, and even railroaded.
A: Progressives stayed around and in the Episcopal Church for 30, 40 years when we were the minority, and our voices weren’t heard, and we were pushed out. I think a lot of them have never felt what it felt like to be in the minority. A bunch of straight white guys are now sitting there and having that experience, which is something I think could be valuable for anyone to experience.
Q: But conservatives have been saying for years that the Episcopal Church has been taken over by the liberals.
A: The General Convention in 2003 might have looked like that to people, when there was the vote for my consent (to be consecrated as a bishop). The difference there is they were voting on a person. I had been so active in the church, it was really hard for them to say no. What happened yesterday (with the vote to move ahead on blessings for same-sex marriages) is they opened the way for people they don’t know, and that’s a new and significant thing. It felt much more theological and philosophical than being about an individual.
As conceded by today’s letter to the Archbishop of Canterbury, some bishops and dioceses will respect the moratorium; others will not. And those that do respect the Communion teaching will do so only because they reject the “guidance” provided by General Convention “standards.”
In a joint letter sent today to the Archbishop of Canterbury by the Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church and the President of its House of Deputies, the presiding officers of General Convention acknowledged that that body cannot speak for the whole church in crucial matters affecting the life of the Anglican Communion:
Some are concerned that the adoption of Resolution D025 has effectively repealed Resolution B033. That is not the case. This General Convention has not repealed Resolution B033. It remains to be seen how Resolution B033 will be understood and interpreted in light of Resolution D025. Some within our Church may understand Resolution D025 to give Standing Committees (made up of elected clergy and laity) and Bishops with jurisdiction more latitude in consenting to Episcopal elections. Others, in light of Resolution B033, will not. (Emphasis added.)
This letter thus makes it clear that Resolution D025 releases bishops and standing committees from any commitment and assurances previously given to observe the moratorium on episcopal elections that has been endorsed by all four of the Communion’s Instruments and now implemented in the Communion by vote of the Anglican Consultative Council. Indeed, the official “Explanation” to the final text of D025, which states that it “provides clarification in light of the Windsor Report,” removes any doubt concerning this fact:
The US General Convention’s endorsement of gay bishops and blessings and the sharp cut in funding for the Anglican Consultative Council was not a calculated snub of the Archbishop of Canterbury or the Anglican Communion, but an honest statement of the Episcopal Church’s economic and theological realities, bishops and deputies tell Religious Intelligence.
On July 15, the Church endorsed a new three-year budget that included a one-third cut in its contribution to the ACC — from $600,000 to $400,000 per year, while the House of Bishops gave their approval to the “local option” for same-sex blessings.
Deputy Sally Johnson of Minnesota said the votes on gay bishops and blessings were an “honest” statement of the church’s views on these questions. “It is difficult to have deep meaningful conversation” within the Anglican Communion “without honesty,” she said.
The Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams “told us to be truthful” on July 8. “We were,” Ms Johnson said.
The votes were “not at all a walking apart” from the Communion, San Diego Bishop James Mathes said, and the budget cuts represented the “economic reality of the church.”
By David W Virtue, 
By Jordan Hylden, 
By Chuck Collins,