From Christian Today-
In a long and, to many, confusing address to Episcopal clergy in the Diocese of South Carolina, the Very Rev. Mark Lawrence proposed withdrawing from all governing bodies of The Episcopal Church "that have assented to actions contrary to Holy Scripture."
The South Carolina bishop insisted, "This is not a flight into isolation; nor is it an abandonment of duty, but the protest of conscience," during his address last Thursday.
The main protest is against the denomination's controversial decisions last month at the General Convention to approve resolutions that some believe open the ordination process to practicing homosexuals and move the national church closer to the blessing of same-sex unions.
But Lawrence also highlighted the "multitude of false teachings" that has threatened The Episcopal Church for decades.
The core doctrines of their faith that are being "systematically deconstructed" include the trinity, the uniqueness of Christ, scriptural authority, baptismal theology, human sexuality, and the constitution and canons of the church.
He called it the "gospel of indiscriminate inclusion" and contended it is inevitable. This new gospel, he argued, is a movement not only within the church but also within the larger European and North American culture.
Thus, leaving The Episcopal Church would not free any parish or diocese from engaging the challenge, he said.
Supporting neither a "hasty departure" nor a "paralyzed passivity," Lawrence said there is still a need for dynamism and provisionality.
"It is an increasingly fluid landscape in which we are called to do our work and at times seems to change from week to week as developments take place on several fronts. While our principles may stay consistent our strategy must be dynamic and provisional."
More here-
http://www.christianpost.com/article/20090818/s-c-bishop-weighs-future-amid-liberal-episcopal-actions/index.html
2 comments:
'indiscriminate inclusion' ?? what, like Jesus?
It is going to be something of a challenge to understand what differentiation and dissent will look like in the Episcopal Church in the coming years. Those who needed to depart I think have pretty much departed, but those who are committed to remaining within the life of the Episcopal Church still have a lot to sort out. The days of pitched battles in legislative bodies are pretty much over, I think. But what comes next? Personally I wish Bishop Lawrence and our friends of South Carolina would remain engaged, because I do believe the councils of the church will be diminished whenever they are absent. But there are lots of experiments going on, and I guess we'll need to see how this one plays out over time.
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