Call to Action
The earliest stirrings that led to creation of The Episcopal Majority began among a group of current and retired Episcopal chaplains. Today the following letter was sent to that group by the Rev. David Fly (President, TEM).
Dear Friends,
The recent Communiqué issued by the primates in Dar es Salaam has put the House of Bishops under a deadline to respond to the primates’ demands by September 30. Unfortunately, aside from a number of other issues, the Communiqué represents a misreading of the polity of the Episcopal Church. There are a number of reasons to encourage our bishops to refuse to accept the September 30 deadline and to ultimately say “no” to demands of the Communique itself. These are of deep concern to us; I’m sure you will identify additional ones.
- The demand does not take into account our Constitution and Canons.
- The bishops should refuse to deal with the demands of the Communiqué until a Covenant is in place defining the limits of foreign intervention – especially the kind of intervention proposed by creation of the Pastoral Council.
- The bishops should make it clear that to accept the Communiqué at this time would usurp the process of the Covenant Design Group.
- The bishops should say “no” to any moratoriums on legal consecrations or clerical blessings carried out in this Church.
Faithfully,
The Rev. David K. Fly
The Episcopal Majority
posted by Lisa Fox at 2/23/2007 05:45:00 PM
4 Comments:
The Primates understand fully the constitutions and canons of the Episcopal Church, something that apparently cannot be repeated enough. They know, what we should know, that the Bishops can act (not force a canonical change, but can act as a group) to do what was requested of them. And they should.
Anonymous -- how about signing your name? We do not know if they understand our polity. Yes it is within the bishops ability to subvert our clear support of gays and lesbians in our midst. The real subversion is the oversight provision - a wedge in our Province governance and we should say no to any foreign bishop participation. If Katharine and the Executive Council and the bishops make a pastoral plan as in her eariler proposal for a Primatial Vicar - fine - but there should be no outside bishops having a say in it.
I am against any statement or action that militates in the direction of either leftist separatism or right-wing secessionism. I hope I stand in the center of the Episcopal majority (small "m") when I write that. I have written at length on these two forces of separatism and secessionism and their antidote at http://communioninconflict.blogspot.com/2007/02/on-reactions-to-communique.html; the Presiding Bishop herself recently stated, "We are being pushed toward a decision by impatient forces within and outside this church who hunger for clarity. That hunger for clarity at all costs is an anxious response to discomfort in the face of change which characterizes all of life. The impatience we're now experiencing is an idol — a false hope that is unwilling to wait on God for clarity." How is this letter by Fr. Fly not succumbing to that anxiety and impatience? Perhaps I'm simply mis-reading the tone of his demands--the internet is prone to such misunderstandings. If so, I should be grateful for correction and instruction.
Yours in the edification of the church,
MM
I have written my bishop and made clear my view that the HOB should not capitulate to the petty and bigoted demands of bishops outside of and, as a minority, inside of TEC who obviously have no understanding of our polity, nor apparently of the true Gospel message as given to us by Christ.
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