Updated: Group Of Bishops Reads Anaheim Statement (in private session) in the House of Bishops
This is the statement (read by Bishop Gary Lillibridge on behalf of the group)
The Anaheim Statement, General Convention, 2009
At this convention, the House of Bishops has heard repeated calls for honesty and clarity. As the conversation has proceeded within the HOB, repeated attempts to modify wording which would have been preferable to the minority in the vote were respectfully heard and discussed, but in the end most of these amendments were found unacceptable to the majority in the House. Many in the majority believed the amendments would make the stated position of this House less honest about where they believe we are as The Episcopal Church.
It is apparent that a substantial majority of this Convention believes that The Episcopal Church should move forward on matters of human sexuality. We recognize this reality and understand the clarity with which the majority has expressed itself. We are grateful for those who have reached out to the minority, affirming our place in the Church.
We seek to provide the same honesty and clarity. We invite all bishops who share the following commitments to join us in this statement as we seek to find a place in the Church we continue to serve.
* We reaffirm our constituent membership in the Anglican Communion, our communion with the See of Canterbury and our commitment to preserving these relationships.
* We reaffirm our commitment to the doctrine, discipline, and worship of Christ as this church has received them (BCP 526, 538)
* We reaffirm our commitment to the three moratoria requested of us by the instruments of Communion.
* We reaffirm our commitment to the Anglican Communion Covenant process currently underway, with the hope of working toward its implementation across the Communion once a Covenant is completed.
* We reaffirm our commitment to "continue in the apostles' teaching and fellowship" which is foundational to our baptismal covenant, and to be one with the apostles in "interpreting the Gospel" which is essential to our work as bishops of the Church of God.
When I spoke to Bishop Lawrence midday, there were 12 bishops who had signed, and my understanding is that as of tonight that number is higher. I do not yet have all the names of those signing it--KSH
Update: Just got off the phone with Bishop Lawrence, and he said Bishop Lillibridge read the statement and it now has over 20 names
The Anaheim Statement, General Convention, 2009
At this convention, the House of Bishops has heard repeated calls for honesty and clarity. As the conversation has proceeded within the HOB, repeated attempts to modify wording which would have been preferable to the minority in the vote were respectfully heard and discussed, but in the end most of these amendments were found unacceptable to the majority in the House. Many in the majority believed the amendments would make the stated position of this House less honest about where they believe we are as The Episcopal Church.
It is apparent that a substantial majority of this Convention believes that The Episcopal Church should move forward on matters of human sexuality. We recognize this reality and understand the clarity with which the majority has expressed itself. We are grateful for those who have reached out to the minority, affirming our place in the Church.
We seek to provide the same honesty and clarity. We invite all bishops who share the following commitments to join us in this statement as we seek to find a place in the Church we continue to serve.
* We reaffirm our constituent membership in the Anglican Communion, our communion with the See of Canterbury and our commitment to preserving these relationships.
* We reaffirm our commitment to the doctrine, discipline, and worship of Christ as this church has received them (BCP 526, 538)
* We reaffirm our commitment to the three moratoria requested of us by the instruments of Communion.
* We reaffirm our commitment to the Anglican Communion Covenant process currently underway, with the hope of working toward its implementation across the Communion once a Covenant is completed.
* We reaffirm our commitment to "continue in the apostles' teaching and fellowship" which is foundational to our baptismal covenant, and to be one with the apostles in "interpreting the Gospel" which is essential to our work as bishops of the Church of God.
When I spoke to Bishop Lawrence midday, there were 12 bishops who had signed, and my understanding is that as of tonight that number is higher. I do not yet have all the names of those signing it--KSH
Update: Just got off the phone with Bishop Lawrence, and he said Bishop Lillibridge read the statement and it now has over 20 names
posted by t19elves at 7:58 PM
15 Comments:
Well, if the last sentence means that others in the AC have reached out to the faithful minorty here, I can understand that. If not, delete it.
There is no need to be grateful to anyone in TEC. TEC has done their level best to ignore, marginalize and shame the faithful minority. Why extend any gratitude to them?
Personally, I love this resolution. Pratically, I realize this has a snow ball's chance in H@ll of passing. It is good "last stnad"effort. Thanks for doing it.
My prayers are with all the faithful at Gen Con 2009.
This is a statement -- not a resolution
"It is apparent that a substantial majority of this Convention believes that The Episcopal Church should move forward on matters of human sexuality."
"forward"?
Naivete about others' use of language (yes, I am speaking about good faith and it's absence)are the rails upon which this train wreck happened.
In all of these discussions where has the discussion of where the Holy Spirit is leading this church been vented? It appears we still have a divided House (at least the bishops). Gay and Lesbian peoples living in the dioceses represented by the bishops who signed this document - well, they might as well look for other alternatives to this communion. A southern bishop once told me that he would not make the same mistake on this issue as had been made during the 1960's with civil rights - I see he kept his promise. Now for the signers - you disappoint me.
One anonymous poster said,"TEC has done their level best to ignore, marginalize and shame the faithful minority." It must be pointed out to this person that many of the folks who support his exclusionary point of view have left The Episcopal Church. They were not present in Anaheim. So they, and he/she, cannot complain if therir viewpoint has fewer supporters in the House of Bishops.
In the first paragraph, who is the minority and who is the majority? This was rather confusing to read, just like all other resolutions and other pieces of literature from this convention. The past six years have greatly bugged me because individuals do not have the spine to just use plain words to say what they mean; they just dance around everything, making it very confusing to the average Episcopalian who has been sitting in the same pew at the same church for 30 years - yes, there are still people like us in churches all across the country, whether the young people today want to believe it or not.
Bob, the real "exclusionary" people are the new liberal-leaning members who have only come to the church in the past few years and have treated all the lifelong members of their congregations with utter disrespect just because they don't want their church to change because it was just fine the way it was. A lot of these new people do not understand all the time and effort so many older members of the congregation have put in their churches, and thus do not want to leave. All the new radical people want to do is marginalize those of us who just want to go to church to actually hear about religion, not about social justice or political issues.
Can you tell us who are the bishops that have signed this document?
Dear Anonymous concerned about "all the lifelong members of their congregations". I don't know if I qualify as lifelong since I was only confirmed in 1956. But as an elder member of my parish, I welcome the changes, even though I still prefer Rite I and the language of the 1928 BCP. It's not just the new church members who want an inclusionary church.
TO: Anonymous
>In case it has escaped your attention, young people are the future of the church. I hope your parish is not at deaths door due to lack of youth attendance.
>Since when has at least some of Jesus' parables not had social justice overtones.
>I am gay and have been attending my parish since 2003
>Most in my parish are aware of this fact and, as long as they are not "bashed over the head with it" they are fine with it.
>Some in my parish who also know my mother have told her how much of a blessing I have been to my church.
The issue, once again folks, has NEVER been about excluding anyone, it's been about being faithful to the Scriptures' teachings on behaviour, and many of these require challenging and difficult self-control and sacrifice. The reality is that the resolutions taken at the General Convention this month again emphasize sexual BEHAVIOUR, not orientation. In my opinion is this once more an example of a gross distortion of God's gift of sexuality and of who He created us to be--the "norm" for Chrsitan living has always been a faithful, monogamous marriage between a man and a worman or celibacy in the single life, regardless of sexual orientation. If one is not called to a married vocation, and wishes to be a faithful Christian, then one is called to a single, celebate vocation. This doesn't exclude ANYONE. The recent and current stances of TEC excludes literally thousands of faithful, life-long Epsicopalians, gay or straight who believe in the received Faith, the Scriptures and the Anglican traditions. This is the highjacking of an institution by a radical minority, which has "won out" because it has suggested in alienating, purging and suppressing the mainstream of the Church. As someone remarked to me recently, "the traditonalists aren't leaving TEC, they left years ago--now it's the moderates and othrodox Christians, who held on in hope that TEC would listen to the pleas of the rest of the Anglican Communion, as well as to most of the world's Christians to repent and return to the Faith." Sad, pathetic and so wrong.
My name is Walter. I attended about half of the sessions of the House of Deputies.
My comment is this:
During the last session, valuable time was spent debating whether a motion should merely cite "all" or "lebians, gays, bi-sexuals, transgenders" (and any other group one can imagine). The fact that such a debate was held at all left me feeling that the Church has left me behind.
well i believe they are guided by the Holy Spirit so theres no need to fuss about it.-hope so.
TO: Anonymous
I note sometime back that you wrote that the issue is not about excluding anyone. Instead you wrote that the emphasis was on sexual behavior. In that connection you went on to write that "If one is not called to a married vocation, and wishes to be a faithful Christian, then one is called to a single, celibate vocation" I as you are aware am gay. I am also currently celibate.
Still, in 1988 a book entitled 20 Hot Potatoes Christians Are Afraid To Touch by Anthony 'Tony' Campolo, an evangelist, was published. In it he wrote "I cannot help but admire these brave saints who endure lives of sexual frustration because of their commitment to what they believe are biblical admonitions against homosexual intercourse. Many such Christians have told me about their long nights of spiritual agony as they have struggled against the flesh to remain faithful to what they believe to be the will of God. Any who believe that these homosexuals who remain celibate for the sake of Christ are anything less than glorious victors in God's kingdom ought to be ashamed of themselves." However, he also wrote ". . . we must do more than simply bid them be celibate. We must find ways for them to have fulfilling, loving experiences so that they might have their humanity affirmed and their incorporation into the Body of Christ insured. Homosexuals are our brothers and sisters and must be treated that way. To do less is sin."
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