CAMLANN

from Midwest Conservative Journal by The Editor

South Carolina isn’t stupid. South Carolina knows. But South Carolina won’t flinch:

RESOLVED, That this 219th Convention of the Diocese of South Carolina affirms its legal and ecclesiastical authority as a sovereign diocese within the Episcopal Church, and be it further

RESOLVED, That this Convention declares the Presiding Bishop has no authority to retain attorneys in this Diocese that present themselves as the legal counsel for the Episcopal Church in South Carolina, and be it finally

RESOLVED, That the Diocese of South Carolina demands that the Presiding Bishop drop the retainer of all such legal counsel in South Carolina as has been obtained contrary to the express will of this Diocese, which is The Episcopal Church within its borders.

The Ecclesiastical Authority of the Diocese is the Bishop. If there is no Bishop, the Standing Committee is the Ecclesiastical Authority. The Ecclesiastical Authority of the Diocese, with the advice and counsel of the Chancellor, is the sole and final authority with respect to any dispute concerning the interpretation of the Constitution and Canons of this Diocese and its interpretations shall be final and binding in all respects.

Resolved, that the following Section be added to Canon XXX.
Section 6. “It is within the power of the Ecclesiastical Authority of this Diocese to provide a generous pastoral response to parishes in conflict with the Diocese or Province, as the Ecclesiastical Authority judges necessary, to preserve the unity and integrity of the Diocese.”

Explanation:

1. The actions of the Presiding Bishop’s office, now publicly acknowledged, have demonstrated a clear willingness and intent both to legally pursue congregations we consider parishes in good standing, and attempt to utilize diocesan resources to do so.

2. We’ve experienced now as a diocese, in the All Saints, Pawleys Island litigation, the destructive force of such litigation; how it has created animosities and divisions that are not easily healed. It has failed as a positive cohesive force for maintaining the unity of the church and has in fact had precisely the opposite effect. Christians are suing Christians (I Cor. 6:1-8); the reputation of the church is marred, and vital resources are diverted from essential Kingdom work. None of this is honoring to our Savior.

3. It has been the implicit understanding of this Diocese that the Bishop inherently has the authority to deal with such situations. The current practice of the Bishop to deal pastorally with parishes struggling with their relationship with the Diocese or Province must be given explicit canonical force. The discretion exercised by the bishop is the only way to successfully navigate the current challenges before us.



I’ve made it clear again and again how I feel about remaining connected to the Episcopalians. The battle is over and the left has won so continuing to defend little bridges is not brave but spiritually suicidal.

That said, I can’t help but admire South Carolina’s stance. I don’t know what the legal situation in that state is; the Curmudgeon is probably the go-to guy for any questions you might have in that area.

The Gamecocks might be able to hold 815 off for a while, maybe even a long while. But they won’t hold them off forever. After all, Mrs. Schori can muddy the waters whenever the mood strikes her.

We’ve all seen the pattern. The Presiding Bishop will discover that Mark Lawrence has “abandoned communion,” depose him and appoint another one of her sock puppets in his place. The Standing Committee will go next replaced by still more of her tools.

After that, Mrs. Schori will stand back and let the courts decide who the “real” Diocese of South Carolina is and, particularly important in TEO’s case, who gets to spend Diocesan money, thus effectively hamstringing any effective Anglican witness in South Carolina for years to come.

It will be painful to contemplate the possibility that such magnificent Anglican landmarks as St. Michael’s of Charleston, which I visited during my one and only trip to that most enchanting of American cities, or St. Philip’s, which I didn’t get to, might fall, if only temporarily, under the control of that loathsome cult. But we Anglican conservatives brought this on ourselves.

And we need to keep reminding ourselves that here we have no continuing city but we seek one to come.