The Episcopal
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Dear Bishop Schori:
Greetings in the name of our Lord and only Savior Jesus Christ.
I am in receipt of your letter to me and wish to make clear from the outset that I have always remained faithful to my vows as an ordained bishop in the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. At my consecration, I vowed to "guard the faith, unity, and discipline of the
In 2003, the General Convention committed itself to a theological path that is irreconcilable with the Anglican faith this Church has received and has torn the fabric of the entire Communion. The Primates repeated calls for repentance have not been heeded. More than half of the Primates and Provinces of the Anglican Communion have declared themselves to be in impaired or broken communion with The Episcopal Church. Beyond our Anglican Communion, relations throughout Christendom have been profoundly strained. With obvious reference to innovations and novelties introduced by The Episcopal Church, last week Pope Benedict XVI publically stated to Archbishop Rowan Williams that recent developments, "especially concerning ordained ministry and certain moral teachings," have affected not only the internal relations within the Anglican Communion but also relations between the Anglican Communion and the Catholic Church.
The Episcopal Church, as an institution, is walking a path of apostasy and those faithful to God's Word are forced to make painful choices.
At a diocesan level, the choice is between continuing membership in an unrepentant, apostate institution or following Holy Scripture and the Anglican faith. Whether or not the Diocese of San Joaquin will continue its institutional membership in The Episcopal Church is a choice that will be made by the people and the clergy and not by me. They will express their collective will as provided in the diocesan governing documents which were approved by the General Convention when the diocese was first admitted to membership.
It is important to point out that the vote at the Diocesan Convention in December 2006 is neither final nor irrevocable. Should the Constitutional amendments being proposed pass the "first reading," then the diocese will simply have positioned itself to make a final decision at a second consecutive Annual Convention in 2007 if that proves God's call.
Under our diocesan constitution, the second and final reading is automatically scheduled for October 2007. The setting of the exact date may be advanced or delayed by the bishop. There are some significant factors that would influence such a decision.
First, at the meeting with the leading Primates of the Global South in
An additional consideration was your letter to me. I believe you have shown wisdom and restraint by not issuing an ultimatum. Instead, you have invited further discussion which could possibly lead to some degree of reconciliation. In recognition of what you have proposed, I, too, will exercise restraint by not advancing the date of what could be an historic and final act. However, should proceedings be instituted against me as threatened in your letter, I would not feel obliged to exercise restraint. My prayer is that neither of us takes action which upsets the delicate balance which now exists until the Primates have given us direction at their February 2007 meeting. Until then, powerful forces will be at work that will ultimately shape the future.
I pray that God's will be revealed to us all.
You may be assured of my prayers for the Holy Spirit's wisdom and guidance.
In Christ,
Bishop of
1 comment:
Jim - here is the Modesto Bee article on this:
Modbee.com
Church places pullout on hold
By SUE NOWICKI
BEE STAFF WRITER
The Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin may become the first diocese to withdraw from the Episcopal Church USA, but it won't happen this weekend.
The diocese posted a letter from Bishop John-David Schofield on its Web site Wednesday evening explaining a change in his proposal. Instead of voting on canon law to split from the U.S. denomination, clergy and representatives to the annual diocese convention will vote on a simpler amendment to change their constitution.
The amendment will position the diocese to remain with the worldwide Anglican Communion in case that body excommunicates the U.S. church, said the Rev. Van McCalister, public relations officer for the diocese.
"It's another way of saying we've recognized that certain parts of the Episcopal Church have moved into heresy, and we're not moving with them," he said.
An open letter from Schofield to Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori on the Web site is equally strong: "The Episcopal Church, as an institution, is walking a path of apostasy and those faithful to God's Word are forced to make painful choices."
The proposed change comes in part because the diocese discovered it legally would have to change its constitution before it could seek a change in canon law to withdraw from the church, said McCalister. Also, after Schofield publicized the original proposal in September, the leaders of the Anglican Communion asked the diocese to wait until it can address the issue of the American church.
The Anglican Communion is led by presiding bishops, also called Primates. Most of them are from the Global South — Africa, Asia and Latin America. They are opposed to actions taken by the U.S. Episcopal church, namely the 2003 consecration of openly gay bishop V. Gene Robinson and statements by Jefferts Schori, who said that Jesus may not be the only way to God.
The diocese hopes that the Global South will create a nongeographic province in the United States for parishes and dioceses opposing the liberal slant of the U.S. Episcopal denomination.
"This is new territory," McCalister said. "The last time something like this happened is when the colonists left England. It's ironic — we're going back in some sense."
A need to grieve and mourn
The Rev. Ron Perry, dean of the Yosemite Deanery that encompasses churches from Merced to Riverbank and Los Banos to Sonora, said the proposal change is good.
"When (canon) changes were first posted, it took my breath away," he said. "We had not talked about this. We need time to talk as a family. We need to go through a period of grieving and mourning."
He said he believes the diocese is doing the right thing, but said his heart goes out to people who have been part of the Episcopal Church all their lives.
"I hate what we're doing to the people," he said. "I've got people who don't agree with what (the national church) is doing, but this is the only church they've known. They ask, 'Why do we have to leave the church? Why don't they leave?'"
McCalister and local priests — including the Rev. Glenn Kanestrom of Christ the King Episcopal Church in Riverbank and the Rev. Rob Tobias of St. Matthias Church in Oakdale — say this issue goes far beyond the Episcopal Church.
"It's a huge issue, and I think the world is watching," said Kanestrom, who calls himself a moderate and opposes an immediate split with the national church. "I believe we have an opportunity to work toward reconciliation instead of what the world is used to — arguing and splitting and going separate ways."
Tobias takes a different view.
"I think in the whole culture, the line's being put in the sand as to where Christians are going to stand on their faith," he said. "I don't think homosexuality or women's ordination or abortion is the real issue. The real issue is that Christ said, 'I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except through me.' Are you going to accept that or not?"
McCalister agreed.
"This is not just an Episcopalian matter," he said. "You see churches struggling over the authority of Scripture all over the country. The interesting thing is where people would once divide themselves as Roman Catholic, Methodists, Calvinists, you now see people crossing the denomination lines to agree on whether Scripture is true."
Representatives to the Diocese of San Joaquin are expected to vote Saturday morning on the constitutional amendment. For more information, visit the diocese's Web site at www.sjoaquin.net.
Bee staff writer Sue Nowicki can be reached at 578-2012 or snowicki@modbee.com.
Posted on 11/30/06 00:00:00
http://www.modbee.com/local/story/13066139p-13720035c.html
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