The Dirty Dozen Charges Brought Against Bishop Lawrence

from Stand Firm by Jackie

A reader asked if we could post just the charges being brought against Bishop Lawrence in plain text. So here are the Dirty Dozen released from their PDF prison.

ADDENDUM

Actions and inactions of Bishop Lawrence, as demonstrated bv the submitted evidence, establish abandonment of the Doctrine. Discipline and Worship of The Episcopal Church (TEC) by Bishop Lawrence. His actions and inactions include, but are not limited to the following:

1) Amendment to the Diocesan Corporate Charter Purpose Statement: "Episcopal Diocese" and The Protestant Episcopal Church "in the United States of America" were eliminated from the Diocesan Corporate Charter Purpose Statement, and replaced with "Diocese of South Carolina." [TAB 1, p. 15: Resolution OverviewOctober 15, 201 0 Reconvened Convention]

2) Amendments to Diocesan Constitution: Articles I, VIII.l.a.2.e, VIII.l.b.2.e, IX, XII were amended, removing accession to The Episcopal Church Constitution where inconsistent with the Diocesan Constitution (Art. I); removing accession to The Episcopal Church Canons (Art. I); removing conformity to TEC Canons and General Convention for new parishes and missions (Art.VIII.1 .a.2.e and VIII.l.b.2.e); and eliminating "Canons of the General Convention" for trials of Clergy (Art. IX). [TAB 1, pp. 6-8: Resolution Overview, given 1nd reading approval October 15, 2010 Reconvened Convention, and 2nd reading adoption February 201 1 ]

3) Amendments to Diocesan Canons: Canons II Sec 1,111 Sec.1, V, VI Sec. 2, IX Sec. 2, XI11 Sec. 9.c, XXI Sec. 3, XXII, XXVII, XXVIII, and XXIX Sec. 5 were amended, removing accession to the Canons of The Episcopal Church, with the exception of retaining the Title IV 2006 disciplinary procedures; and repealing the requirement that all Parish, Mission, or Congregation Property is to be held in trust for the Episcopal Church and the Protestant Episcopal Church in the Diocese of South Carolina. [TAB 1, pp. 8-15: Resolution Overview]

4) Resolution adopted, naming the Bishop as Ecclesiastical Authority, unless no bishop is present, then the Standing Committee is Ecclesiastical Authority. [TAB 1, p. 5: Resolution Overview] Bishop Lawrence took no legal action against the leadership of the St. Andrews Parish, Mt. Pleasant, when it withdrew from (TEC) in March 2010 and retained its property. St. Andrew's website: http://www.wearestandrews.com/default.aspx

5) Resolution adopted and Bishop has declared verbally and in writing many times, that the Diocese of South Carolina is a "Sovereign Diocese;" that "the Presiding Bishop has no authority to retain attorneys in the Diocese;" that the Diocese "demands that the Presiding Bishop withdraw and terminate engagement of legal counsel;" and "the Presiding Bishop has wrongfully intruded into this sovereignty." [TAB 1, p. 4: Resolution Overview, March 2010 Annual Diocesan Convention ]

6) The Diocesan website, http://www.dioceseofsc.org ,approved and electronically published by Bishop Lawrence, who has sole Eccelesastical Authority, has removed substantially all references to TEC. More than half of the parishes with working websites appearing on, and with direct links to the Diosecan Website for the Diocese of South Carolina, either:

(l) have removed "Episcopal" in their parish names or elsewhere on their websites;
(2) have no links or mention of TEC;
(3) are linked as "partners" with Anglican Church of North America (ACNA )/American
Anglican Council (AAC ) /South Carolina Anglican Communion Network (SCACN) organizations; or
(4) have references to parish funds going to the "Anglican Relief and Development."

7) The Bishop appears to have done nothing to stop other parishes which are outwardly moving in the direction of withdrawal from TEC. Of particular importance, some parishes have sought or otherwise obtained legal advice as to what the necessary steps would be to leave TEC. [TAB 2: Attached is a letter written by an attorney who is known as Chancellor to the AMIA parish of All Saints, Pawley's Island to a parish(es) in the Diocese of South Carolina.]

8) Missions are being planted within the Diocese; however, on information and belief, Bishop Lawrence to date, has not recognized or approved the establishment of St. Mark's Chapel, Port Royal, a congregation of loyal Episcopalians, as a parish or mission. http://www.stmarksc.org

9) Bishop Lawrence was referenced in an Anglican Church of North America (ACNA) conference document from September 13, 2009, wherein a report was presented that included Bishop Lawrence and the Diocese of South Carolina. [TAB 10, pp. 1-5]

10) Bishop Lawrence has referred to TEC as a "comatose patient," and a "sidecar on a motorcycle" that has slowed down the motorcycle that maneuvers "our call to shape Anglicanism in the 21st century and to proclaim the gospel, to make disciples, and to grow the church." [TAB 3: Bishop's Address March 2009 Annual Convention, and TAB 11: "A Prognosis for the Body Episcopal" January 2006]

11) Bishop Lawrence has said that "it would be insufferable to see this great Diocese of South Carolina come under way of the same false gospel that has decked so much of The Episcopal Church with decorative destruction and dreadful decline;" and "this false gospel of Indiscriminate Inclusivity (is) like kudzu in an old growth forest that has suffocated the mission ofthe Church and and has helped to set The Episcopal Church denominationally downward spiral of radically decreasing membership and increasing irrelevance." [TAB 5: Bishop's Address October 2010, Reconvened 2010 Convention]

12) On information and belief, Bishop Lawrence ordained his son as priest, when he had not been ordained a deacon in this Church. It is believed that Chad Lawrence, curate at St. Helena's Beaufort, was ordained an Anglican Deacon, and performed "field base training" at Grace Anglican Church (ACNA) in Edgeworth, Pa. [TAB 12, Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) May/June 2009 "Star" Newsletter, Anglican Diocese of San Joaquin].

Of course the list seems to be growing.