This news just broke about the Diocese of South Carolina... http://standfirminfaith.com/?/sf/page/29227 Do you think Mark Lawrence would leave TEC?
Boy, this guy is like Basil the Great or Chrysostom... whenever a bunch of bully bishops start urging him to abandon the faith, abolish the distinction between right & wrong, and to deny the Gospel, he walks out on them. Not knowing him thoroughly, but only through his recent actions and statements, I assume such an upright bishop would leave if he thought TEC's damage to the Gospel irreparable. Those prayers underneath the news report are well-placed.
I sure hope not! If he does, we will be left with one less faithful Bishop and one less traditional diocese. Whatever he decides to do, I hope it is something that he puts a lot of time and prayer into and is not reactionary. I understand what he and other faithful Episcopalians are going through. On the one hand, we feel that TEC leadership has gone too far and that there is little hope and no turning back. On the other hand, many of us feel called and continue to feel called by God to stay faithful to this branch of Christ's Church and to stay put. I was very angry after GC77 and i'm still upset by what went down, however, I feel that God is calling me to stay put and to continue the work of the Gospel at the local, parish level. Afterall, with God all things are possible, right?
Sean, your loyalty to the church of your Christian infancy is admirable. The question really is: when does a Church go too far? How many things must be denied before it passes from a hierarchy of Catholic bishops and becomes a mere secular branch of the progressive agenda? One may use "bishop" but hold the office in name only... In a way, +Lawrence must stay in order that he can preach within the Episcopal Church, and save it from itself. In another way, he should leave before his soul is crushed by the weight of despair. It can happen either way... that's why dedicating entire Mattins or Evensong sessions to his integrity is a good idea. Priest. Endue thy Ministers with righteousness. Answer. And make thy chosen people joyful. One goes in hand with the other. The bishop of S. Carolina is righteous indeed. He brings joy to those who have courage. Almighty and everlasting God, who alone workest great marvels: Send down upon our Bishops, and Curates, and all Congregations committed to their charge, the healthful Spirit of thy grace; and that they may truly please thee, pour upon them the continual dew of thy blessing. Grant this, O Lord, for the honour of our Advocate and Mediator, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Thank you my friend and your question is one that has/is weighing on the minds of all of us in TEC. There is a great discussion of this in the following thread: http://www.forums.anglican.net/threads/when-the-church-goes-too-far.128/ In that thread, I said: I still stand by these points and I still believe that TEC, despite its current state of sin, is still a Church. Personally, a gay bishop in New Jersey or a transgendered deacon in California doesn't really affect my ability to serve in my local parish. I'm sure that there are more non-celibate gay clergy/laity (in hiding) in almost all other branches of christianity in America. The difference is that those other branches condemn homosexual relations as sinful, while most in TEC do not, however, homosexuals in church don't stop other Christians from proclaiming the Gospel in their churches and it won't stop me from proclaiming the Gospel in mine either. Afterall, we don't just hold membership in the small TEC, but are members of the entire Anglican Communion as well. Further, like i've said earlier and in other threads, there have been times when I have wanted to leave TEC and explore other options. However, after much prayer and discernment, I find myself being called to stay. I feel that it's God's will that I stay and I must continue to pray and stay faithful to God.
I hope the Diocese of South Carolina takes its time in prayer and discernment and doesn't rush by impulse. It would be better for CP dioceses to stick together. You can make a case that the doctrine and discipline was changed at GC 2012.
Agreed. I'd at least wait to see who is the next Archbishop of Canterbury before I made any rash decision. The next Archbishop certainly can't solve everything, but we can at least get a feel for where the Communion may be moving.
I'd like to see more "church within a church" language and ideology, like the CP movement start to think of itself as the "true" Episcopal Church and using their meetings as an alternative "Convention". That's a bit radical but there's nothing uncanonical about it.
Gordon gets back down on his knees and prays for you poor people that have to put up with all this in North America.....
This is a first time I have heard anyone suggest that Bishop Lawrence might act out impulse in considering his actions regarding the changes in TEC doctrine. I suspect that most others in his position would have been long gone and an ACNA Bishop of the Carolinas by now. Bishop Lawrence will pray about this issue, as he indicated. The Holy Spirit will give him his answer. IMHO, Bishop Lawrence shouldn't leave. My gut feeling is that he will. The more conservatives that leave, the more liberal the remaining TEC is. It really is that simple. The resolution for open communion did NOT pass, precisely because there still are moderates and conservative within TEC. GAFCON and ACNA can make believe that there can be an effective Anglican Communion without the liberals and the moderates who will not ever kick them out. I think that this is folly for many reasons, and certainly with respect to monetary issues.
Bishop Lawrence is in a tough spot. I hope he doesn't leave for the sake of the rest of us, if for nothing else. Numerically, SC is the leader of the conservatives in TEC (Dallas might be a little bigger but SC is more "robust"). If Lawrence leaves -- who will pick up the slack and be the "leader"? Will orthodoxy dissipate?
Hackney, apart from opposing same-sex unions/blessings, how exactly is Bishop Mark Lawrence a conservative? Surely one conviction isn't enough to mark him out totally? What else identifies him as orthodox, specifically, in relation to the rest of TEC? I'd like to understand.