To the Clergy and Laity of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth
Dear Friends in Christ:
The Primates of the Anglican Communion concluded their six-day meeting in Tanzania on Monday, February 19, by issuing a unanimous Communiqué that points the way forward in these troubled days in the life of our Church. I commend it to you for your careful reading and study. While the meeting avoided a formal schism, it recognized that serious divisions still confront us and called upon The Episcopal Church to take specific actions to heal the breach in relationships caused by actions of our General Convention and a number of our bishops.
The traditional teaching of the Bible, that sexual relations are confined to heterosexual marriage, was reaffirmed as the official teaching of the Anglican Communion, and the House of Bishops of The Episcopal Church has been given until September 30th to reverse practices at variance with this or face the consequences. In particular, we are asked to “make an unequivocal common covenant that the bishops will not authorize any Rite of Blessing for same-sex unions” and to confirm “that a candidate for episcopal orders living in a same-sex union shall not receive the necessary consent” to be consecrated as a bishop.
The Primates responded to the appeals for Alternative Primatial Oversight from several dioceses by agreeing to establish a Pastoral Council that will oversee the ministry of a Primatial Vicar, who will in effect act as the Presiding Bishop for those who are unable to accept the ministry of Katharine Jefferts Schori. There are several problems with this proposal, and it raises some serious questions that warrant further discussion.
Another significant element of the Communiqué urges that all legal actions on property disputes between The Episcopal Church and congregations that have left TEC be suspended. Litigation in secular courts is not the way for the Church to resolve these controversies.
There are many questions that remain unanswered, and there are some serious difficulties that have to be addressed. Do keep these concerns in your prayers as various details and decisions are made in the weeks and months ahead.
Best wishes for a devout and holy Lent. May the Lord Jesus fill you with his grace and peace.
The Rt. Rev. Jack Leo Iker
Bishop of Fort Worth
Shrove Tuesday
February 20, 2007
© 2004-2012 Stand Firm, LLC.
All rights reserved.
[56 : 8.2985]
Welcome to Stand Firm!
Want to advertise on Stand Firm? Click here for rates and info
The Bishop of Fort Worth Issues His Reflections on the Communique
Tuesday, February 20, 2007 • 5:25 pm
6 Comments •
|
More than remarkable ... would make a good PB. In his usual succint way, summed up where we are. The good news is that progress has been made. If the Council of Bishops choses not to radify what was done this past week, the need for an APO won’t exist. As to our liberal brethan concern that we are hormophobic - Scripture states it is prohibited behavior (Lev. 20:13) - and was a major cause of the divine judgement against Sodom & Gomorrah (Gen.19:4-5) - St. Paul listed them amongst he unrigtheous who would not inherit the Kingdom of God (1 Cor 6:9) and declared that God’s wrath stands against such behavior (Rom. 1:26-27). So I believe that men such as the Rt Rev Iker stand firm in their faith and in scripture - which separates us from those who resort to name calling. But beyond that, rather than encouraging their sinway ways which only separates them farther from our Lord, we extend the Love and compassion of Christ to them, welcome them with open arms ... but to turn them back to Him with His help. Proud to know Bishop Iker and men of his like…......... |
|
Fellow Episcopals, |
|
TheMonsignour - Afraid you are right. Just as they apparently are not going to tolerate Father Lawrence as Bishop of SC. Imagine the hypocrisy - ordaining a practicing homosexual while denying a good man such as my friend Father Lawrence. I can only hope that the good folk of SC find an alternative solution that allows them to go forward with Father Lawrence. |
Registered members are welcome to leave comments. Log in here, or register here.
Comment Policy: We pride ourselves on having some of the most open, honest debate anywhere about the crisis in our church. However, we do have a few rules that we enforce strictly. They are: No over-the-top profanity, no racial or ethnic slurs, and no threats real or implied of physical violence. Please see this post for more. Although we rarely do so, we reserve the right to remove or edit comments, as well as suspend users' accounts, solely at the discretion of site administrators. Since we try to err on the side of open debate, you may sometimes see comments that you believe strain the boundaries of our rules. Comments are the opinions of visitors, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of Stand Firm, its board of directors, or its site administrators.
This is an interesting letter from Bishop Iker…Seems like he is at a loss for words… Perhaps he’s baffled and dismayed like the rest of us who were hoping for something with some substance behind it…
God’s peace,
james
http://jamesmerrick.wordpress.com/