A Reply to Dr. Caldwell

A parishioner of one of the breakaway parishes, after personally observing one day of the trial, was incredulous upon hearing testimony from lay leaders that they had never considered themselves members of the Episcopal Church. After doing further research, he who once sided with the decision of his parish to join other parishes in following Mark Lawrence out, is re-evaluating his stance (I originally said he changed his mind--he prefers that I stick with his original word, "re-evaluating"). Note: If they never considered themselves a part of the larger Episcopal Church (TEC), what was the leaving for?
CH +

August 5, 2014

My Reply to Dr. Caldwell

Ignorance being bliss, I almost wish I'd never seen beautiful St. George, Home of the Grits Festival. But I was curious and witnessed something that's forcing me to anguishingly reevaluate my thoughts on the schism:

Senior Wardens, under oath, testified that they had NEVER considered themselves members of TEC, but ONLY of their parishes and the diocese. I couldn't believe it.

At 58, I considered myself a member of PECUSA/ECUSA/TEC from the moment my "Episcopal" priest grandfather baptized me as an infant in his Columbus, Ga., parish church, through my confirmation in Charleston by Bishop Temple, through four years in high school at "Episcopal" St. Andrew's School adjacent to the "Episcopal" University of the South at Sewanee with "Episcopal" priests and seminarians, "Episcopal" Order of the Holy Cross monks and an "Episcopal" Order of St. Helena nun on our campus, through my reaffirmation 10 years ago in Charleston by Bishop Haynesworth [Central American Missionary Bishop (ret) (dec)] - no one EVER informing me differently - up until the moment my current parish's unanimous disaffiliation vote was announced to no one's surprise. And, although I strongly supported that outcome based on the information available, I wept to have left the Church which had nurtured me for a lifetime, and the more so since as tales of riven parishes and missions, communities and families, have trickled out.

And individuals in parish authority older and wiser than I could testify they'd NEVER considered themselves members of TEC? ESPECIALLY when it didn't make one whit of difference under state "neutral principles" nonprofit corporate law, principles Judge Goodstein emphasized again and again she was bound by in deference to our Supreme Court's All Saints, Waccamaw decision?

I've discovered since the trial and highly recommend for consideration Fr. Chris Huff's thoughtful 10-part "Why I Stayed" essay on his ACTS TWO SIX blog: axtwosix.blogspot.com. Chris doesn't mention it but in "staying" he and wife Kim sacrificed communion with their elderly mothers and many, many others. He and I also attended "Episcopal"-affiliated Porter-Gaud School which employed an "Episcopal" chaplain.

--Mr. Beau Booker

Is It Worth It? A Version Much Closer to the Truth.

Editor's note: I have posted this Open Letter because I was absolutely nonplussed and rendered almost speechless after reading how former colleague after former colleague testified at the recent trial in Dorchester County that they had never considered themselves or their parishes to be a part of the larger Episcopal Church. Stunning. You will want to read Ron's letter in its entirety.

The next post will contain a response from a Breakaway parishioner who, as a result of personal observation of the trial in Dorchester County, as well as his personal research, is re-evaluating the whole matter.  Key: "DSC" - (breakaway) Diocese of South Carolina under Mark Lawrence. "TEC"-The (National) Episcopal Church, represented in South Carolina by The Episcopal Church in South Carolina under The Rt. Rev. Charles vonRosenberg, and the only officially recognized province of the Anglican Communion in the United States, as well as in South Carolina. 

CH +

Posted with permission from Dr. Caldwell, as found on the link at scepiscopalians.com

From:

The Episcopal Schism in South Carolina (blog)
Dr. Ron Caldwell, Editor

Ron holds a Ph.D. in History from Florida State University, and is a Professor of History Emeritus at Jacksonville State University in Alabama.  He is the former Assistant Head of  the  South  Carolina Room at the Charleston Public Library and author of several books on Episcopal Church history. He is currently working on a history of schism in South Carolina.

IS IT WORTH IT?
--An open letter to the communicants of the independent diocese

By Ronald J. Caldwell, PhD, Professor of History, Emeritus

We have just gone through fourteen agonizing days of a shameful and disastrous scene in what was once known as the most sedate, reasonable, rational, and beautiful of all major denominations. The venerable old establishment church in South Carolina has reached a new low. It lies shattered on the floor of Courtroom D of the Dorchester County Court House in St. George. Will it ever recover? Will its wounds ever heal? Will it ever return to its ancient glory as the premiere religion of the establishment society of South Carolina?

This is an open letter to the majority in that once grand old church, people who have felt the need to leave their ancestral home in the Episcopal Church. Your side will "win" this trial. But when all is said and done, what will you have won? I ask you to consider: Is it worth it? Look at what has happened. Look at the cost and ask yourself, Is it all worth it? I ask you to consider the following factors:

1-On the causes of the split. The old diocesan leaders said the diocese had to leave TEC because of theology, polity, and sexuality. On theology, they said TEC had abandoned the belief in the uniqueness of Christ. On polity they said TEC had acted illegally under its own rules. On sexuality they said TEC was forcing everyone to accept same-sex marriage and transgendered clergy. None of this was true. In fact, TEC has never changed its theology of the uniqueness of Christ. That would take action by the General Convention. It will never happen. On government, TEC operates under a Constitution and Canons which it follows by detailed directions. On sexuality, TEC has allowed diocesan bishops to choose whether or not to have the blessing of same-sex unions. That is not marriage. As for transgendered clergy, all ordinations are at the discretion of the local bishop. He or she cannot be forced to ordain anyone.

The leaders also said that DSC was forced to leave TEC because Bishop Lawrence was mistreated. As I have pointed out in other posts, the public records are very clear that Lawrence was in fact well treated by TEC. Documents show that the Standing Committee planned the schism by unanimous and secret resolution on Oct. 2, 2012 before Lawrence was even informed that he had been certified with abandonment. It was put into effect on Oct. 17, retroactive to Oct. 15. Lawrence refused all efforts of the Presiding Bishop to resolve the crisis after that. In fact, the leaders, and Lawrence, voluntarily left the Episcopal Church. Lawrence was not mistreated. The diocese was not pushed out.

Moreover, the leaders said they had to go to court first because they were about to be attacked by TEC. They did go to court and initiated the first lawsuit, on Jan. 4, 2013 before TEC even had time to reorganize the diocese. There was no sign that TEC was about to attack anyone. The communicants of the old diocese have been misinformed on the causes of the split, on why the diocese left TEC, and on why the diocese went to court. All of this will be clear when the historical record is fully revealed.

2-The old diocesan leaders led the majority to abandon the church of their forbearers and ancestors, a church they had been a part of for 225 years. A great deal of the historic economic, political, and social establishment of South Carolina proudly called themselves Episcopalians. With the possible exception of Virginia, no state in the country was more attached to the Episcopal Church.

3-The old diocesan leaders have developed an institutional structure in the diocese that is far more authoritarian than it has ever been. The bishop has been given the sole power to interpret the constitution and canons of the church, to appoint the deans, and to appoint and dismiss all clergy. The clergy have been given control over local property. For years now, all of the important diocesan councils and committees have been monopolized by like-minded people. For years they have routinely voted unanimously on resolutions. For years they have controlled all public relations in the diocese. Diocesan conventions have become rubber-stamping dumas. Power rests at the top.

4-Since Lawrence became bishop in 2008, the diocese of 29,000 has lost about one-third of itself. 2,000 people left with St. Andrew's of Mt. Pleasant. About 7,000 people remained with TEC. Forty percent of the clergy remained with TEC. DSC has 52 local churches, TEC has 30. Exact communicant numbers are impossible to know. DSC claims 80% of the old diocese, a figure that is certainly exaggerated. Two-thirds is more realistic.

5-The economic cost has been and continues to be great. The diocese shows declining revenues. Local parishes are challenged to keep up income. Meanwhile, 35 local churches have joined the lawsuit, each with lawyers to pay. There were 40 lawyers attending the trial. The trial lasted 14 days. If each lawyer charges $100/hr (a very conservative figure) and each trial day had 8 hours, that amounts to 112 hours and $11,200 per lawyer. 40 lawyers would cost $448,000. And this is just trial time. It does not count the many hours of lawyers' preparations. A fair estimate for this trial would push a million dollars. Imagine how far that amount would have gone to missionary work and to caring for the poor.

6-The ill will that has been generated goes deep and will likely last quite a while. Before the trial, Lawrence called his opponents "the spiritual forces of evil." Alan Runyan et al went after their courtroom opponents with hard-hitting aggression. Genteel Episcopalianism disappeared in the dust. Memories last.

7-Many local churches have suffered the heartbreak of separation. This is especially true in small cities and towns. Friend has left friend, neighbor has left neighbor as long-term relationships have fallen victim. One has only to speak to the people caught in this to see their pain and anguish.

8-All of this has done great damage to the work of the Kingdom of God in lower South Carolina. Both sides have had to devote so much time, money, attention, and energy into the separation that too much has been lost along the way. This is no way to do Christ's work in the world. Besides, how can a church at war attract new members? People want to go to church for solace and comfort, not for conflict. Most people already have enough of that in their lives.

9-The old diocesan leaders have led the majority off to drift into nowhere. What has happened in South Carolina is unique to South Carolina. When Lawrence staged his dramatic pre-planned walk-out from the House of Bishops in July of 2012, not one other bishop joined him. Not one bishop has followed him since then. Not one other diocese has gone along with South Carolina. Why is South Carolina unique? It's because of the leadership that long ago began deliberately distancing the diocese from the Church. It was a revolution from the top down. Not being a popular revolution, it has not been replicated anywhere else.


The alternate primatial oversight scheme with the Global South is a meaningless sham meant to fool communicants into believing they are in the Anglican Communion. The leaders have not even explained how it works. A discernment committee is at work to decide on new affiliation, but the committee were all hand picked by Bishop Lawrence who has steadfastly refused to join the Anglican Church in North America, the supposed replacement structure to take the place of TEC. The independent diocese has no identity. It is not in the Anglican Communion. It is not recognized by the Archbishop of Canterbury or by the official structure of the AC, nor will it ever be.


Thus, the good communicants of the old diocese should ask themselves, Has it been worth it? Is it worth it now? Look at where you have been since you left home, where you are now, and where you are going. Why are you better off now than you were two years ago? Why do you think you will be better off in the future? Again, Is it worth it?

What do you think? I'd like to hear from you. E-mail me atronaldcaldwell1210@gmail.com

Making Room for a Baby: "The Feast of the Incarnation"

A beautiful reflection by Mrs. Ellen J. Dooley, of the editorial staff, and copy editor for, Immaculata University Magazine. Ellen is a parishioner of St. George's Episcopal Church in Summerville, S.C. She serves on the vestry.  Her husband, her three boys and her mother all actively serve God in this congregation. I am honored that she granted permission to share her piece here. This was originally published in the St. George's Newsletter.

Thank you, Ellen.  CH +

The Feast of the Incarnation

…and they shall beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning forks; nation shall not lift the sword against nation; neither shall they learn war anymore.  Isaiah 2:4

The only war on Christmas is the one waged on the battleground of the human heart.

When we are cold instead of warm, bitter instead of sweet, hard instead of supple, closed instead of curious, arrogant instead of vulnerable, stingy instead of lush.

A baby is all of these things:  warm, sweet, supple, curious, vulnerable and lush.
A feast for the senses.  A feast of incarnation.

This is how God loved the world—the noisy, cruel, fallen worldly world:
He came into the thick of it as a baby.  The Author wrote Himself into the story,
starting life smaller even than a mustard seed.

Happy Holidays means, literally, Happy Holy Days.
 The Creator and Sustainer, the Holy One of Israel,

He who delights in the brilliance of Alpha Centauri,
the toothiness of warthogs, the juiciness of pomegranates, is not threatened, neither is He offended.

All days are holy.  All nights are sacred.

All hearts—cluttered, creaking, scarred, mangy, wrecked—
can still make room for a baby.

No grand gestures needed.
Only one thing is needful.

Heave aside the detritus of long, frantic accumulation.
Clear a small space.

That’s all a baby needs.

After growing curled and snug in the womb’s crimson cocoon, a baby needs to nestle beneath a beating human heart.
Hold Me…hold Me…hold Me…

As Mary held Him through whom all things were made,
from the Presentation to the Pietà,
hold Me…hold Me…hold Me…

All days are holy.  All nights are sacred.

All hearts—broken, bleeding, pierced and pleading—
can still make room for a baby.

He needs so little space,
yet transforms even the deepest, darkest squalor
with utter, unquenchable beauty.

Shlama*

*Peace in Aramaic

~ Ellen Dooley

If We Were Only More Aware of Ourselves...

My "boss" (well, he prefers to call us partners in ministry), Rick Luoni, posted this brief reflection based on some reading that he is doing in Emotional Intimacy: A Comprehensive Guide for Connecting With the Power of Your Emotions by Robert Augustus Masters, PhD. 

I offer this as a seed for new personal awareness. Pretty good seed.
--CH+

Rick Luoni, Rector of St. George's Episcopal Church, Summerville, SC


I was reading my new book, Emotional Intimacy, early this morning. 

The chapter was COLLECTIVE FEAR.

COLLECTIVE FEAR is what he called “our” fear and “the” fear, infiltrating us with its energies and core message: “we are threatened, we are in danger, and we are at the mercy of far-from-benign forces.”
He says such fear is amplified by political/religious leaders. 

One can easily see how harmful and destructive COLLECTIVE FEAR can be to the soul of a nation, the soul of the Church, and the soul of a person. “We must fear those who are different!” “We must be cautious of those who do not believe like us!” It was COLLECTIVE FEAR that screamed "Crucify him!"

Masters writes, "When we are in our COLLECTIVE FEAR we may find ourselves sidestepping it, rising above it, withdrawing, and disassociating from it as much as we can."

He adds:
we avoid through numbing
we fight with aggression-- words and actions.
we flee by disassociating
we transmute the energy of fear into the energy of unhealthy anger.
we “righteously target” the shortcomings of those “we” fear.
And then we become (and I found this extremely interesting) "we become obsessed with sexuality"…. What??????
In laboratory studies, the more afraid an overcrowded collection of rats is the more hyper-sexual they become.

Hmmm. That’s strange. Rats obsessed with sex? Apparently some fear-based people become obsessed with sex, according to this doctor.

I wonder how many wars and divisions among people could have been avoided if leaders had done their inner work? Faced their fear rather than avoiding, fighting, fleeing and projecting it on to others? What if they had the courage and faith to explore beneath the surface of the souls, to examine and sit with their fear? “When you are disconnected from your deepest Being, you’re in sin.” (r.rohr) “You or your group cannot be spiritually mature while remaining emotionally immature (disconnected from one’s deeper self and emotions.) (P. Scazzero)

1 John “Perfect love (what we practice; action) casts out fear (what we believe or think). There is no fear in love.”

We don’t THINK ourselves into a new way of living; but we LIVE ourselves into a new way of thinking.

Sadly many or most "leaders" can't or won't hear this... they are too fearful.

I need to be with this for a while.
--Rick

From the Cove

This is a meditation by Kim Huff from her collection entitled "Lost in the Pages"...

We just got back from a get-away on Chris and Lyn’s boat. We took off a few days and rode out to Sandy Point at the back of Kiawah Island. I could write a million things about our 3-day venture, but this morning as I was thinking about it, what really stood out is where we were.

It was a cove, a little creek off of the Stono Inlet. We had taken a leisurely trip out to the point where the boat could snug right up to the beach due the big drop-off at low tide. We stopped to survey where we were, let the dogs out and plan what we wanted to do next. It was windy and overcast with rain in the future, so after the dogs ran for a bit, we left to find a place to anchor for the night. As we came up around the point, we happened by this little creek. With just a little turn to the left, we found ourselves out of the choppy water and all at once the wind stopped. It was still, so still. The chill in the air seemed to disappear under a warm blanket as we were protected from the wind by marsh and dunes all around us. This is where we stayed. We had to gauge the tides just right, because the sailboat could only enter or leave this little haven with a few hours of tide. And when the tide was high, there would be no beach to walk on. Once we were there, we would have to stay put till the tide turned again. So we entered with a rising tide and some beach left to explore, built a fire at sunset, and then it was back to the boat to rest, to sleep as the tide rose and covered nearly everything except the beautiful marsh. We slept soundly and warmly in the little cabin, with only the sound of the wind blowing through the shrouds on the bow. The next morning, we rose at dawn to discover the point covered with pelicans, cormorants and white herons. Dolphin were swimming right past the boat and it was overwhelming, really, at how pristine this scene was. I took so many pictures, one right after the other. Yesterday, I awoke just as the sun was rising, and I quietly opened the hatch so as not to interrupt nature in all of its beauty. I got busy with my camera. I tried to follow the pattern of a dolphin as he rose above the water, then dove down again. A pelican flew over. I missed it. I tried again and missed a heron that flew right in front of me while I was focused on the pelican.  I tried to capture every picture I could and then, it was time to stop. Sometimes, I thought, it is just time to drink it all in. So I did.  I was in a cove, out of the noise. It was still and peaceful but I was becoming too busy. Sometimes, it is important just to stop.

When we got home, I thought more about the time we had out there. I thought about Jesus, being available to the crowds, answering every question people had, teaching, leading, but He went to a garden to pray, he got on a boat and left the crowds to be still. David spoke of peaceful, still waters. He must have been in a creek like ours. It is amazing what you can hear in a cove, in the absence of the noise of the wind and waves and boats which cover the silence. Surrounded by the protecting marsh, I enjoyed being wrapped in silence to do nothing more than just listen. I’ve been listening lately to a meditative CD…one of the songs repeats over and over, “Let me hear, let me hear what you will speak to me, when I turn to you in my heart.” I am still listening.

--Kim Huff  11-18-13

Taking a Cyber-Break

Hi, All. I'm taking a cyber-break for a few days, but will be back. Pray for a release of mind, body and spirit. Thta's what I pray for all who read this. Peace,
CH +

Bricolage 2: Another Perspective to Searching for a Workable Faith

From Richard Beck, psychology professor at Abilene Christian University, from his personal blog "experimental theology": Another example of Theological "Bricolage".  I'm not as broken as he is in my construct, but maybe I should be. It would be more honest. This guy has captured well thoughts and emotions that I have had and felt, especially in the current church situation in South Carolina. CH +

-----
The Shipwrecked and the Catchers

On my bike ride to work today I was trying to think about how this blog might sound to more conservative Christians and how it might appear to the rest of us. This was the analogy I came up with.

If your faith and doctrine are like a beautiful house, with the clean lines of certainty and the firm foundation of God's Truth, then letting me into your house would be, I'd expect, quite unsettling. Because I'd always be looking at a wall and saying "Is this a load bearing wall? Let me knock it down to see!" Day in and day out, this is exactly what this blog would feel like. Me trying to knock down every wall in the house. In short, from this vantage point--inside a beautiful house--all my work appears to be inherently destructive, breaking down and tearing up this beautiful building. So of course you'd want me to stop that. You'd want to protect the house.

But that's not really the best way to understand this blog. See, I had a nice house once. But a hurricane hit it. From a faith perspective I'm in a post-Katrina situation. All I have left is a bunch of rubble.

So what I do here, week in and week out, is to try to piece this rubble back together. In any given post you'll see me holding up two broken pieces of faith and wondering "Do these go together?" Or, because much of what I find in the rubble is broken and beyond repair, you'll also find me in any given post bulldozing stuff out of the way to clear room for the faith I'm constructing.

In short, when you read this blog you are watching a person pick through the rubble of his faith, a person trying to find anything useful that has been left behind.

So if you come here already living in a nice house what I'm doing here is, given your fireside view, going to feel destructive to you. But if you realize I'm actually standing on a heap of rubble hopefully you'll see that what I'm doing is constructive. I'm building, I'm not tearing down.

And this building is very much a work in progress. I don't know where it all is heading. I just keep at the work, looking for ways to build a shelter of faith from the rubble I'm standing on. And this very personal agenda governs the way I search theology. I'm not a theologian. And much of what passes for theology today leaves me cold. So when I read theology I'm actually looking for a lifeline, some new way of thinking about this rubble that allows me to fit the pieces together.
--Richard Beck
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10:28 pm, June 30, 2013

Bricolage I: A Thoughtful Piece by by Michael Downey, Posted by Maggie Ross

Ok. Put on your thinking caps. Remember when I wrote on my "Culture Wars" page that "Christ and Culture in Paradox" is frustrating for those whose theodicy is up for grabs? I should have said it is a frustrating, albeit  healthy place to be, especially when someone's theodicy is up for grabs (perhaps "unconvinced because of upheaval of some kind--it happens to the best of us at one time or another). Simply put, theodicy is the question of "Who is God?", especially in light of of the next question: "And why does He allow evil to exist?"
The following piece by Michael Downey on "bricolage" is deep. Now you fellow conservatives may struggle with  this, but if I were Yoda, I would advise you, "Open your inner eye, and see, you will." CH+

SUNDAY, JUNE 30, 2013

III By Contrast . . .

By Michael Downey, posted by Maggie Ross

We find ourselves within a world context marked on many fronts by disillusionment and disappointment. The reason for disappointment is not hard to find. Efforts in the bygone century to present a persuasive picture of a future filled with promise have failed so many. Ours is a time marked by interruption and disorientation wherein the center no longer seems to hold, and where there is increasing doubt about the trustworthiness of claims to any objective or absolute truth, especially those put forward on the basis of authority alone, even divinely ordained authority. The Church's position in the current world is not as secure as it once was. The recent sexual-abuse scandals and the ostensibly incomprehensible decisions of Church leaders in the face of the sexual misconduct of its members has not helped to safeguard the Church's place as an authentic voice of good news addressed first and finally to the vulnerable and the weak, the last, lost, littlest, and least. Even as the Church continues unabated in an effort to convey a coherent, all-encompassing global vision into which everything fits, there is widespread recognition that it is foolhardy to try to establish a solution that is perennially valid, self-evidently true, and intelligible to any reasonable person.

The French term bricolage suggests how to face complex matters in a chaotic, fragmented world marked by plurality and ambiguity. Bricolage is a lining up of whatever is at hand, gathering bits and pieces, pulling together strands from here and there in the way one would stitch a patchwork quilt, or construct figurines from pieces of scrap metal found in a junk heap. The term describes an approach to a particular matter or concern that gathers insight from whatever is at hand, assembling insights in the way of a conceptual beggar in order to provide some small perspective, recognizing that this is necessarily partial and limited. Bricolage is best done not in strict adherence to a plan set in granite, but to the creative dynamism as it unfolds and gives direction in interaction with the materials at hand.

The theologian must be a sort of conceptual beggar, looking here and there for scraps of insight, hunches and intuitions that impel the desire for an answer to theology's prime question. The theologian strives for a coherent, if not comprehensive, view. But for all our striving for comprehensiveness we know that there are facts in each and every "here and now," in this or that "time and place," that don't fit. As a consequence, the adequacy of the theological system itself is called into question. Necessarily each and every theological system fails to answer theology's single most important question: "Who is God?" and so we begin again. And again. This is unwelcome news for the convinced.

The Case for Staying in the Episcopal Church: A Good Read from Someone Who Went Through it in Pittsburgh

A good read from when Pittsburgh was going through what South Carolina is now

By the Rev. Dr. Jim Simons

SATURDAY, JUNE 28, 2008

The Case For Staying in the Episcopal Church

The purpose of the paper is to reflect on the current plan for realignment from the perspective of those who wish to remain in the Episcopal Church. This is authored by one person but has been reviewed by many who will not realign who have offered helpful suggestions.
While there are many varied reasons for staying we are all in agreement about one thing: We love Jesus and do not want to leave The Episcopal Church without a faithful witness to the Savior of the world. We believe that, like the prophets sent to Israel and Judea, we have an obligation to exhort The Episcopal Church, where necessary, to return to its first love. That is what a prophetic witness always does: calls God's people back. Prophets are not always successful in this, but they are not called to be successful, they are called to be faithful.
This paper will explore some of the practical implications of the realignment vote passing.

1. Is The Episcopal Church Apostate? 

read more...http://3riversepiscopal.blogspot.com/2008/06/case-for-staying-in-episcopal-church.html

A Layperson's take on Mark Lawrence's June 21 Letter: from Lynnette Ras, Guest Author

axtwosix is reposting this piece because of the comments at the end of the article. I encourage participation in this conversation. I even will allow you to comment anonymously, although I would very much like to know who you are. See how nice and understanding I am? Seriously, though, I realize that some of these responses may well be  anonymous because the writers may fear for their jobs---sympahetic, but trapped, in PECDSC (Mark Lawrence's group). My colleagues in PECDSC are in jeopardy of being deposed by the Episcopal Church in short order. For most, this was "done unto them" by PECDSC leadership with no choice or say in the matter. Won't they at least TALK to Bp. von Rosenberg? Weigh their options? Look at what's happening? I have read that both in San Joaquin and in Pittsburgh the clergy were advised to lay low in the run-up to schism in those dioceses. See Jim Simons' post in his blog "Three Rivers Episcopal" (it can be found in the blog list in the side bar to the right). Look for the article entitled "The Case for Staying in the Episcopal Church".  Really sad. Whatever happened to transparency and openness and collegiality? It's not too late. Every bit of what has happened since last October could still be undone with little, if any, consequence. Lynn wonders below what TEC's response would be if any clergy and/or congregations sought to "come back". They would, in fact, be welcomed joyously and with open arms. 

Also, be sure to check out "Why I Stayed" in this blog under "Chris' Reflections"  CH +

This reflection is from Lynnette Ras, Guest Author for axtwosix. 

It is her take on Mark Lawrence's open letter dated June 21 (shown below), describing his thoughts on the former Diocese of South Carolina and its observation status with ACNA and other self-professed "Anglican" entities, bishops and representatives. I put "Anglican" in quotes because, while these entities claim to be anglican in ethos, liturgy and form, they are not officially recognized by Canterbury as in union with the worldwide anglican communion. Indeed, it is the hope of some in ACNA, participants in GAFCON, CANA and the Southern Cone and Africa that some conservative provinces and dioceses will "break off" from Canterbury completely. They will then become their own separate anglican identity with no need, nor desire for, union with Canterbury. The numbers involved would represent a schism in the church that rivals East/West and Rome/England. 

Thanks to Lynnette Ras for her contribution to the conversation. She has a burning desire for God, and for truth among His people. May her search not be fruitless. She is 28 years old, and is really going places.

       "I was just cleaning out my email box and came across this letter (printed below).  You may have seen it already.  The word "transparency" jumped out at me immediately.  The terms that the disassociation of the breakaway church left on seem anything but transparent.  It's hard for me to believe that he would knowingly scheme especially quoting scripture like "refuse to practice cunning".  I found him to be such a good preacher and was particularly intrigued with his gift of praying over people about their spiritual gifts so profoundly.   I think I take it really hard when preachers let me down.  Maybe I hold too high a standard; but maybe not, since the Bible holds preachers to a higher standard.  I don't know.  I do know that I get really offended when it seems like the institution or the Word get twisted into a mechanism for a personal crusade.  Some people think that gay bishop (Robinson) in the Northeast who was the first (openly gay)  to be elected sought to rise to that rank of religious leader to further his own personal plight for his cause.  I'm not sure that's the case.  I'm not sure if his ascendance to that position furthered the welcoming message of the Gospel or did damage to the Body.  I'm inclined to believe it didn't damage because conservatives who leave usually find a safe place to shelter, while those who feel shut out or ostracized don't necessarily keep searching until they find their safe place.  So in any case where a religious leader stands up for something controversial, whether or not it tore or mended the Body (or to what extent) is something we may never know until we reach Eternity.  I'm sure they realize their accountability to the Lord and I hope that if they are in denial, if they suspect something about their motives was self-centered instead of Christ centered, that they do what they can to make amends.  I hope.

I had always liked the diocesan motto "Making Biblical Anglicans for a Global Age: Helping to shape emerging Anglicanism in the 21^st Century"... until now.  Now I see what it meant all along was "Making Biblical Conservatives for a Global Age: Helping to Return Anglicanism to the Old Ways and Preserve it from Being Tainted by Society"  I keep having this weird imagining of what would happen if Bishop Lawrence were to feel the path they took was wrong and try to make amends or reassociate, or even if certain churches that left would become disillusioned and want to come back, how TEC would respond.  In my hopes it would be graceful and forgiving and exemplify Christianity at it's best. I don't know if that's what would happen, but I like to imagine it and anytime I hear a voice say it'll never happen and that it's wishful thinking like a child wishing divorced parents would reunite I try to remember  that with God all things are possible..."
--Lynnette Ras

editor's note: ACNA stands for Anglican Church in North America. It is a confederation of congregations and dioceses thathave left the Episcopal Church of the United States, theonly official branch of the Worldwide Anglican Communion in the United States. CH+

Diocesan Delegation Observers at ACNA's Provincial Council

Dear Friends in Christ,

As many of you know I am at Nashotah House in Wisconsin at the Anglican Church in North America’s Provincial Council (which just concluded yesterday with a Festival Eucharist—an inspiring and joyful worship). This morning they will begin their House of Bishops Meeting. I am present as an observer. Joining me at the Provincial Council was The Very Rev. Peet Dickinson, Dean of the Cathedral, and Mrs. Suzanne Schwank, a member of our diocesan Standing Committee. They returned this morning to South Carolina and I will stay on for the House of Bishops Meeting and return on a late flight Friday in order to be at St. Christopher Camp and Conference Center for its 75^th anniversary this weekend.

As I told the Diocesan Council last month and said at various deanery gatherings, not to mention many parish forums, it has been my intention to attend various gatherings within what I’ve referred to as the Anglican Diaspora in North America to learn the various players and seek greater unity as may be appropriate. So when I met with Archbishop Robert Duncan at the recent New Wineskins Conference, he invited me to attend this Council as an observer and bring a delegation. This struck me as a good way to follow-up on my expressed intentions. 

It has been an enlightening and, frankly, encouraging few days. Near the conclusion of the ACNA Council yesterday, Archbishop Duncan, invited our delegation to address the assembly of bishops and delegates. What follows are my brief comments on this occasion (reconstructed from my notes):

Your Grace, fellow bishops, and brothers and sisters in Christ, I appreciate this opportunity to address you, however briefly, in the midst of your work and business for the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. I make just three comments under the categories of: Gratitude, Observations and Where we are in the Diocese of South Carolina.  

Gratitude: Let me express our gratitude for the gracious hospitality extended to us during these last two days. We have felt welcomed and honored among you—and are profoundly thankful for the prayers that so many have assured us have been offered on behalf of the Diocese of South Carolina: Indeed, for your words of encouragement let me say “Thank you”—for the assurance of your prayers—you have our inexpressible gratitude.  

Observations: We have much to learn about what I have previously referred to as the Anglican Diaspora in North America and therefore are grateful for this invitation to be among you at your Provincial Council. We have been positively struck by an atmosphere of transparency, humility, and prayerful and godly worship.  This combined with your vision for a Biblical, Missionary and United Anglicanism has been heartening. Making these observations has led me to reflect upon the words of St. Paul in 2 Corinthians 4:1-3. Here the apostle speaks of his ministry by the mercy of God as a tested, transparent, and truthful ministry. He writes: “Therefore, since it is by God’s mercy that we are engaged in this ministry, we do not lose heart.”  Here is the inferred reality of a tested ministry.  I know from those of you I have known over the years, and from those with whom I’ve shared conversation in the last two days, that many of you, lay and ordained alike, have experienced and demonstrated a “tested ministry.” That has been quite evident in our observation in these last two days. St. Paul goes on to write: “We have renounced the shameful things that one hides; we refuse to practice cunning or to falsify God’s word;” Here is his commitment to pursue transparency in his ministry. We believe we’ve seen a similar spirit among you.  He goes on to assert: “but by an open statement of the truth we commend ourselves to the conscience of everyone in the sight of God.” While seeking transparency he also strives for a truthful ministry committed to the truth of God’s Word. So we have witnessed this among you as well. Thus we are encouraged by and encourage you in such a ministry.

Finally, under the rubric “Where we are in the Diocese of South Carolina:”Let me say a few words as well.  I have been guided since my first year as bishop by what I trust is the God-given vision of “Making Biblical Anglicans for a Global Age: Helping to shape emerging Anglicanism in the 21^st Century.” Whether we were within The Episcopal Church or now disassociated from TEC we have sought to have our vision guide our decisions. Put another way our vocation guides our decisions rather than decisions guiding our vocation.  

We are presently an “extra-provincial” diocese, not in any formal or officially ecclesial way, but as a fact rooted in our relationship with provinces and dioceses within the Anglican Communion. So we are a diocese without provincial affiliation—we are so provisionally but not, I believe, precariously.  

I have made it repeatedly clear that any provincial affiliation will not be made by the bishop or Standing Committee, unilaterally. As we chose in the late 1700's to affiliate with the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America as a diocese voting at our convention, so in this present era it shall be the diocese in convention that makes any such decision regarding provincial affiliation.  

So we are grateful for this gracious invitation, first to be present among you, and secondly for this opportunity to address you with these few words. May God continue to guide you in your work.

I will be attending the ACNA House of Bishops Meeting these next two days in the capacity of an observer and will look forward to sharing my perceptions with you whenever and wherever appropriate.  As always I remain grateful to serve you as your bishop.

Faithfully Yours in Christ,

Mark J. Lawrence
XIV Bishop of South Carolina