Bishop Love (Albany) on TEC’s effort to separate from Diocese of South Carolina

Can’t you just see Darth Schori ordering the 815 Death Star over Bp. Love’s diocese right now?  All she needs is a handful of catspaw revisionists to claim Love+‘s mild dissent constitutes abandonment and she’s in like Flynn.

We have seen the Death Star go after the amicus curiae before. It’s shadow is enough to kowtow most moderates in the empire.

It gets worse. The Fort Worth 7 are now facing charges of misconduct. The Death Star is quite busy.

See:
http://anglicanink.com/article/panel-reference-report-fort-worth-7-finds-misconduct

Yes, Bishop Love is already facing possible charges. So it’s kind of ironic that he says he’ll do all in his power to work toward a resolution of Bishop Mark Lawrence’s situation. He’s in trouble himself! He’s unlikely to have any influence with Schori and her minions. And yes, I’m sure Schori is taking aim at Albany. There are some lovely prizes there for her - including my own church.

#3 Amazing.  So, basically, the conservative bishops were found that their actions violated the (unspecified) canons and they have to go to “conciliation” with their accusers and maybe the Presiding Bishop?  Talk about a Soviet style abuse of mediation and psychology.  How’s that conversation going to go?  “The facts are totally unjust here, but let’s talk about our feelings!”

If the conservative voice is to have any future in The Episcopal Church

Sorry good Bishop but I don’t think that is part of the game plan.

Death Star?  Maybe so since her broom is pretty busy this time of year.

I am a trained Christian Conciliator.  The process begins with a question to be answered honestly by all parties:  What have I done that has contributed to this conflict?  You know, get the log out of your own eye so you can see more clearly.  In this matter who are the parties to whom this will be addressed (assuming that is what the conciliator will do)?  Will the other party be TEC?
If so how will that question be answered?
Conciliation implies a broken relationship. The purpose of the conciliiation is restoration…but it will be all one sided here.  I assume TEC is the plaintiff and it is the one performin,g the conciliation. ( I may be wrong, but I doubt it).
The offer of concilitation here is closely akin to ” Recant, or….”
Remember this having already come this far implies there is a broken relationship the needs to be resotred.  These bishops have nothing to recant, so the relationship will remain broken.

The re-education camps will be opening shortly in the 7 dioceses that don’t already have one.

Note that this makes a mockery of the HoB (as though it didn’t mock itself constantly).  The supposed addressing of this issue at GC was mere prevarication- a stalling tactic.  Once they depose these charged bishops, there will, arguably, no longer be any actual bishops (in the apostolic sense- titles are meaningless) in TEC- having dispatched of its catholic heritage, TEC now abolishes the Apostolic lineage as well.

Too bad, really, that the ABoC and supposed Evangelicals in CoE are backing TEC in all this- not one word from them as they strive to evict the last Anglo Catholics and install a half dozen revisionist women in their HoB to ensure that this will be the future of traditionalists in that church as well.

Darth Schori…love it Jeff!  Classic. 

While I appreciate Bishop Love’s comments, I take issue with this:

If the conservative voice is to have any future in The Episcopal Church, there must be a way to address controversial issues and to differentiate from that which is believed to be inappropriate or offensive

First off, the game is to eliminate the conservative voice not to provide it a future.  Second, it is impossible to differentiate from that which is believed to be inappropriate or offensive when your opponent believes that everything you utter is offensive.

In the mid-80’s I was briefly canonically resident in SC.  I can remember Bp Alison saying of the liberals, “They hate the Blood.” The Cross and all it stands for, biblically, is a horror to them, so anyone who clings to the Cross must be gotten rid of, even if the issue raised is something else.

Several years ago I was talking to a friend of mine from the Diocese of Albany. I told him that as moderate as he felt himself to be in Albany,  in most of the other dioceses of TEC, he would be branded a raving fundamentalist and would likely be denied a license to serve. He responded that I was exaggerating a bit. Later after interviewing in another diocese, he came back and told me “...you were right! They don’t want an orthodox witness!”

In the article we read:

...there must be a way to address controversial issues and to differentiate from that which is believed to be inappropriate or offensive.

I’m not sure what that clause means…

This effort against the Bishop, clergy and laity of South Carolina represents dire times for all of the remaining faithful, Evangelicals and Anglo Catholics alike. What Bishop Alison said may hold truth, but what one can clearly say is that those leveling these charges have much to demonstrate. On their face, these charges can leave one with little impression beyond the accuser’s desire to exercise power rather than any genuine appeals to proper authority. Everyone should keep them in their thoughts and prayers. We have a good idea about the righteousness of the several participants involved. While many may differ as to what the remainding faithful should do, what remains clear is that whatever we elect to do individually and/or collectively, it must be effective in demonstrating our orthodox faith that would be consistent with the countless saints that have come before us.

I’m not sure if Bishop Love realizes it, but +Lawrence is the canary in the coal mine for the orthodox remnant in the heretical cesspit known as TEC.  If they can trump up these charges, try him in secret and purge him as they now attempt to do, it’s just a matter of time before each and every Bishop is either compelled to acquiesce to gay “marriages” or be driven from his job.  I’m not sure there is enough of an orthodox presence anymore to put a stop to this, because it’s clear that there are very few “liberals” left in TEC who are willing to even recognize true injustice and lawlessness, much less stand in opposition to it.

Jeffersonian,  I am afraid you are correct in that analogy of Bishop Lawrence as the canary in the coal mine. Sadly, the purge of the last remaining orthodox dioceses inTEC will just hastens TEC unseemly death. Now…... is THAT what the Episco-leftists really want ?????

TEC can no longer be considered a “broad tent” for a diversity of opinions.  If Mark Lawrence were a gay man, the GLBT activists would be screaming from the rafters, and the actions against Lawrence would be deemed hate speech.

>Sadly, we seem to have reached a point in the life and history of the Church that any action taken by a conservative bishop or diocese to uphold their understanding of Holy Scripture and the traditional teaching, polity and Constitution and Canons of The Episcopal Church risks having charges brought against them if their actions are deemed to threaten or challenge the majority view, particularly in regard to polity issues and the control of Church property and assets.

You make that sound like a bad thing.

>If the conservative voice is to have any future in The Episcopal Church, there must be a way to address controversial issues and to differentiate from that which is believed to be inappropriate or offensive.”

Er, Bishop Love - did you just read your previous sentence?  You have already surmised the truth.  Why, then, ask for it not to be?  What is, is.  Why hope for your persecutors to stop now, especially when they feel invincible?

Finally, I have long held that TEc is a microcosm of the forces at work in the West.  The dominant ideology and those who hold the power in the West are most represented in the ‘Church.’  As such, what you see in TEc now is what is coming to your school, your workplace, local Government and even home.  It is far to late to be averted.

Leap to the East or prepare for a martyr’s crown.  Pray and discern.  But a ‘third way’ in either TEc or the secular West is a pipe dream.

+Love, the “Ft. Worth 7”, and the “Quincy 3” are now charged with crimes against the state-

Surprised this isn’t getting more airplay:
http://www.kendallharmon.net/t19/index.php/t19/article/45674/
(links to same article noted by Ralph above in #3)

note that Matthews/Schori intend “conciliation” for +Love, +Martins, etc.  Not reconciliation, mind you, since that would imply that at some point in time, they were actually part of the same church as the leadership of TEC.  So they are to be “re-educated” in their theology, history, and ecclesiology, if they are to be allowed to continue as ordained persons in TEC.

I think the spirit who speaks to the TEC leadership is not of God. How else can you explain the heresy they teach? It is sad , indeed, when the people who are supposed to be your shepard and protector leads you unto death.

Stepping back a bit - if you recall in the 1st century the new Christians were plenty happy to hang out around Jerusalem and spread the gospel there.  It wasn’t until persecution came that the church began to spread.

Hmmmm….

So, could it be that Darth Shori is really doing the Lord’s work by forcing us out of our buildings and comfort zones and into the world?  Could He be preparing His church for some serious persecution?

God’s thoughts are not our thoughts; God’s ways are not our ways.

Be praying…

B. Hunter, Persecution is already here. Look at what is happening around the globe with Christians in Asia and Africa. I do agree though God’s ways are not our ways. Prayer is one way to begin to align our ways with God’s ways. So yes prayer is definitely needed!

I’m afraid I’ve got to agree with Capt. Father Warren and Nikolaus regarding the future of the biblically orthodox voices remaining within TEC.

#20, you make a good point. What we’re seeing in the actions of the PB does not appear to be the fruit of the Holy Spirit. But, as we read Job in the lectionary, we’re reminded that God sometimes allows that other spirit to join the team.

It’s very clear that DioSC, TEC, ACNA, the Anglican Communion, and all of Christianity are being severely tested. God is certainly watching to see how all of us behave in this era.

I suspect that when the PB signed those first inhibition and deposition letters, taking action against brother bishops, she might have felt a twinge of remorse, regret, or even indecision. I suspect that those feelings were quickly replaced by all-too-human feelings of power and dominance. And, with each letter, it gets easier and easier.

Cranmer’s executioner must have had similar feelings the first time he torched someone. But, I’m sure he got over it.

One doubts that the Fort Worth 7 will recant.

We do need to pray for the PB, that she will ask God to open her eyes, and unstop her ears. And that He will comfort her (and guide her to a really good psychiatrist and spiritual director) when she realizes what she has done, and cannot stop screaming.

Canaries in coal mines warn of impending crises. The canary in this coal mine died 40 years ago.

“I suspect that when the PB signed those first inhibition and deposition letters, taking action against brother bishops, she might have felt a twinge of remorse, regret, or even indecision.”

Why would you think that? There is absolutely nothing in the record prior to her elevation to the papacy to make us suppose she considered any of those early deposed “brothers”- but rather misogynists who were getting what they deserved.  Removing Forward in Faith from TEC was part of the plan from Day 1.

Paradoxymoron.
True enough. There have been many “canary in coal mine” scenarios in TEC over the last several decades. How many have made any difference? Not many. So many people act like ostriches with their proverbial heads in the sand. Perhaps the meeting in St. Louis that gave us the St. Louis Affirmation should have been a huge “canary in the coal mine” moment for TEC. It was for my parents. After that, they decided to leave TEC.

Bishop Love wrote:

Sadly, we seem to have reached a point in the life and history of the Church that any action taken by a conservative bishop or diocese to uphold their understanding of Holy Scripture and the traditional teaching, polity and Constitution and Canons of The Episcopal Church risks having charges brought against them if their actions are deemed to threaten or challenge the majority view, particularly in regard to polity issues and the control of Church property and assets.

Jedi’s response: You make that sound like a bad thing.

Ummm, the word used was “Sadly”. That is different than “bad”. I agree with Bishop Love. I find it very sad indeed that this day has come. It is not surprising nor even bad just sad….....

#25, Forefinger Rub!
(That being said, you might be right, but I’ll give her the benefit of doubt. God knows what’s in her heart. I do not.)

Imagine a young Roman soldier nailing another human being to a cross for the first time. It would be tough for most people. Eventually, it would become routine. Just another day at work.

By the way, using acronyms at this website causes them to be underlined, once posted. When you mouse over the term PB, you get,“Presiding Bishop, Episcopal Church’s equivalent of archbishop.” (Gotta do something about that.)