TOWARD A RESOLUTION
Part I
(First posted on Jan. 5, 2018)
Today I am beginning a series of blog posts anticipating the inevitable settlement between the two parties of the schism in South Carolina. This is Part I.
The end of the legal war is in sight. The basic decision of the dispute between the two dioceses has been made. On August 2, 2017, the South Carolina Supreme Court awarded 29 of the 36 parishes in question plus Camp St. Christopher to the Episcopal Church diocese. The breakaway diocese has given tacit recognition of this in its Complaint filed in the circuit court of Dorchester County on November 19, 2017. The new suit and the appeal to SCOTUS are DSC delaying tactics that will not change the determination that has already been made about the property. The federal case is ongoing. Chances are the Church side will win a big victory there too. Thus, it is only a matter of time before the following parishes return to control of the Episcopal Church bishop:
All Saints, Florence
Christ/St. Paul's, Yonges Island
Church of the Cross, Bluffton
Holy Comforter, Sumter
Church of the Redeemer, Orangeburg
Holy Trinity, Charleston
St. Luke's, Hilton Head
St. Matthew's, Ft. Motte
St. Bartholomew's, Hartsville
St. David's, Cheraw
St. James, Charleston (James Island)
St. Paul's, Bennettsville
Cathedral of St. Luke and St. Paul, Charleston
Church of Our Saviour, Johns Island
Church of the Epiphany, Eutawville
Church of the Good Shepherd, Charleston (West Ashley)
Church of the Cross, Sullivans Island
Church of the Resurrection, Surfside
St. Philip's, Charleston
St. Michael's, Charleston
St. Jude's, Walterboro
St. Helena's, Beaufort
St. Paul's, Summerville
Trinity Church, Myrtle Beach
Trinity Church, Pinopolis
Trinity Church, Edisto Island
Christ Church, Mt. Pleasant
St. John's, Charleston (Johns Island)
Old St. Andrew's, Charleston (West Ashley)
These 29 parishes have 13,000 communicants. These people now have to prepare to make some dramatic choices. They can stay with the buildings and return to the Episcopal Church, or they can leave the buildings.
What I would like to do in the next few blog posts is to help you in the 13,000 consider your choices using the most informed and reasonable methods. I know many of you read this blog; and I take this seriously. Your decisions are certainly your own. I am not trying to tell you what to do. I expect that some of you will return to the Episcopal Church while others leave to form new congregations elsewhere. I am urging you, however, for your own sake, to gather all the information you can about what happened in the schism to make the best decisions you can for your own future. You should make your own choices and not rely simply on what others tell you.
On gathering information, you should start by reading my book, A History of the Episcopal Church Schism in South Carolina. It is available on Amazon and other sources (Google it). If you do not want to buy a copy, I suggest you go down to your local public library and ask the librarian to order a copy for the library and let you know when it is ready to be checked out. The book is extensive, detailed, balanced, and documented in 2,200 footnotes. It has been out for five months and not one person has publicly disputed a word of it. It will give you a wealth of information about what really happened in the schism, probably all you need to know.
Deciphering the truth about the events leading up to, during, and following the schism is not easy. It takes work. It takes an open and honest mind. All along the way, the leaders of the diocese made certain bold assertions that were effectively conveyed to the faithful by a robust and effective diocesan public relations machine. Only one side was allowed publicity. The diocese now provides a litany of its main claims on its website as "FAQs About the Legal Issues in the Diocese of South Carolina." Find it here . This is an appropriate starting place to get at the truth of what has happened. Here are the main assertions put forth by the DSC leadership:
BACKGROUND OF THE SCHISM:
---The Diocese of South Carolina existed before the Episcopal Church; DSC voluntarily joined TEC and could leave TEC at will; sovereignty rests in DSC, not in TEC.
---TEC abandoned the basic truths of Christianity and the Bible; TEC dropped the doctrine of the uniqueness of Christ and has no single theology; TEC now sees truth as plural.
---TEC wanted to take over DSC to flip it from true religion ("orthodoxy") to secular humanism.
---DSC had every right to regard Episcopal Church laws as it wished; DSC was sovereign and could nullify, disregard, or discard laws of the Church at will. TEC was not hierarchical.
THE SCHISM:
---The issue of homosexuality did not cause the schism. It was all about "theology."
---Homosexuality is sinful, and TEC is heretical for supporting it.
---In 2012, TEC tried to remove Mark Lawrence as bishop of DSC, and this is why DSC was forced to disassociate from TEC.
---The Presiding Bishop mistreated Bishop Lawrence and did so while he was trying to make peace with the Church.
---Bishop Lawrence did not abandon TEC.
---Bishop Lawrence has never renounced his Holy Orders in TEC.
---TEC attacked the diocese as it tried to remove Lawrence.
---The schism was overwhelmingly popular.
AFTERMATH OF THE SCHISM:
---Nothing changed in the schism. DSC went on as before.
---DSC filed the lawasuit to protect the diocese and parishes from an assault of TEC.
---DSC refused TEC's offer of a compromise settlement in June of 2015 because no one in authority in TEC supported it.
---The Church diocese's bishop, Skip Adams, is likely to sell off the parish properties to Muslims.
---The SCSC decision of Aug. 2 would transfer ownership of the 29 parishes and Camp St. Christopher to TEC.
---DSC is part of the Anglican Communion; in joining the Anglican Church in North America, DSC joined a province in the Anglican Communion; the majority of Anglicans in the world support ACNA and DSC.
These are the major assertions put forth by the DSC leadership and, no doubt, still believed by the rank-and-file of the diocese.
Are these assertions truthful? How much truth and how much fiction is there in these claims? This is what the good people of DSC should be asking themselves.
Considering the history of the schism and the DSC talking points about it, we may proceed to consider the main points of contention between the two sides. To help all of us, including the 13,000, get at the truth, I am proposing to address the following questions in forthcoming posts:
Today I am beginning a series of blog posts anticipating the inevitable settlement between the two parties of the schism in South Carolina. This is Part I.
The end of the legal war is in sight. The basic decision of the dispute between the two dioceses has been made. On August 2, 2017, the South Carolina Supreme Court awarded 29 of the 36 parishes in question plus Camp St. Christopher to the Episcopal Church diocese. The breakaway diocese has given tacit recognition of this in its Complaint filed in the circuit court of Dorchester County on November 19, 2017. The new suit and the appeal to SCOTUS are DSC delaying tactics that will not change the determination that has already been made about the property. The federal case is ongoing. Chances are the Church side will win a big victory there too. Thus, it is only a matter of time before the following parishes return to control of the Episcopal Church bishop:
All Saints, Florence
Christ/St. Paul's, Yonges Island
Church of the Cross, Bluffton
Holy Comforter, Sumter
Church of the Redeemer, Orangeburg
Holy Trinity, Charleston
St. Luke's, Hilton Head
St. Matthew's, Ft. Motte
St. Bartholomew's, Hartsville
St. David's, Cheraw
St. James, Charleston (James Island)
St. Paul's, Bennettsville
Cathedral of St. Luke and St. Paul, Charleston
Church of Our Saviour, Johns Island
Church of the Epiphany, Eutawville
Church of the Good Shepherd, Charleston (West Ashley)
Church of the Cross, Sullivans Island
Church of the Resurrection, Surfside
St. Philip's, Charleston
St. Michael's, Charleston
St. Jude's, Walterboro
St. Helena's, Beaufort
St. Paul's, Summerville
Trinity Church, Myrtle Beach
Trinity Church, Pinopolis
Trinity Church, Edisto Island
Christ Church, Mt. Pleasant
St. John's, Charleston (Johns Island)
Old St. Andrew's, Charleston (West Ashley)
These 29 parishes have 13,000 communicants. These people now have to prepare to make some dramatic choices. They can stay with the buildings and return to the Episcopal Church, or they can leave the buildings.
What I would like to do in the next few blog posts is to help you in the 13,000 consider your choices using the most informed and reasonable methods. I know many of you read this blog; and I take this seriously. Your decisions are certainly your own. I am not trying to tell you what to do. I expect that some of you will return to the Episcopal Church while others leave to form new congregations elsewhere. I am urging you, however, for your own sake, to gather all the information you can about what happened in the schism to make the best decisions you can for your own future. You should make your own choices and not rely simply on what others tell you.
On gathering information, you should start by reading my book, A History of the Episcopal Church Schism in South Carolina. It is available on Amazon and other sources (Google it). If you do not want to buy a copy, I suggest you go down to your local public library and ask the librarian to order a copy for the library and let you know when it is ready to be checked out. The book is extensive, detailed, balanced, and documented in 2,200 footnotes. It has been out for five months and not one person has publicly disputed a word of it. It will give you a wealth of information about what really happened in the schism, probably all you need to know.
Deciphering the truth about the events leading up to, during, and following the schism is not easy. It takes work. It takes an open and honest mind. All along the way, the leaders of the diocese made certain bold assertions that were effectively conveyed to the faithful by a robust and effective diocesan public relations machine. Only one side was allowed publicity. The diocese now provides a litany of its main claims on its website as "FAQs About the Legal Issues in the Diocese of South Carolina." Find it here . This is an appropriate starting place to get at the truth of what has happened. Here are the main assertions put forth by the DSC leadership:
BACKGROUND OF THE SCHISM:
---The Diocese of South Carolina existed before the Episcopal Church; DSC voluntarily joined TEC and could leave TEC at will; sovereignty rests in DSC, not in TEC.
---TEC abandoned the basic truths of Christianity and the Bible; TEC dropped the doctrine of the uniqueness of Christ and has no single theology; TEC now sees truth as plural.
---TEC wanted to take over DSC to flip it from true religion ("orthodoxy") to secular humanism.
---DSC had every right to regard Episcopal Church laws as it wished; DSC was sovereign and could nullify, disregard, or discard laws of the Church at will. TEC was not hierarchical.
THE SCHISM:
---The issue of homosexuality did not cause the schism. It was all about "theology."
---Homosexuality is sinful, and TEC is heretical for supporting it.
---In 2012, TEC tried to remove Mark Lawrence as bishop of DSC, and this is why DSC was forced to disassociate from TEC.
---The Presiding Bishop mistreated Bishop Lawrence and did so while he was trying to make peace with the Church.
---Bishop Lawrence did not abandon TEC.
---Bishop Lawrence has never renounced his Holy Orders in TEC.
---TEC attacked the diocese as it tried to remove Lawrence.
---The schism was overwhelmingly popular.
AFTERMATH OF THE SCHISM:
---Nothing changed in the schism. DSC went on as before.
---DSC filed the lawasuit to protect the diocese and parishes from an assault of TEC.
---DSC refused TEC's offer of a compromise settlement in June of 2015 because no one in authority in TEC supported it.
---The Church diocese's bishop, Skip Adams, is likely to sell off the parish properties to Muslims.
---The SCSC decision of Aug. 2 would transfer ownership of the 29 parishes and Camp St. Christopher to TEC.
---DSC is part of the Anglican Communion; in joining the Anglican Church in North America, DSC joined a province in the Anglican Communion; the majority of Anglicans in the world support ACNA and DSC.
These are the major assertions put forth by the DSC leadership and, no doubt, still believed by the rank-and-file of the diocese.
Are these assertions truthful? How much truth and how much fiction is there in these claims? This is what the good people of DSC should be asking themselves.
Considering the history of the schism and the DSC talking points about it, we may proceed to consider the main points of contention between the two sides. To help all of us, including the 13,000, get at the truth, I am proposing to address the following questions in forthcoming posts:
1. DID THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH TRY TO REMOVE BISHOP LAWRENCE FROM DSC?
2. DID THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH ATTACK THE DIOCESE OF SOUTH CAROLINA?
3. DID THE DIOCESE OF SOUTH CAROLINA HAVE THE RIGHT TO WITHDRAW FROM THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH?
4. WAS THE SCHISM A POPULAR UPRISING OR A CONSPIRACY AMONG A SMALL GROUP?
5. DID THE ISSUE OF HOMOSEXUALITY CAUSE THE SCHISM?
6. WAS THE DIOCESE OF SOUTH CAROLINA RIGHT TO ISSUE THE QUIT CLAIM DEEDS?
7. DID DSC LEAVE THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH BECAUSE TEC HAD ABANDONED "THE FAITH ONCE DELIVERED"?
8. WERE THE ACTIONS OF THE DIOCESE OF SOUTH CAROLINA BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER THE SCHISM GOD'S WILL?
9. HAS THE DIOCESE OF SOUTH CAROLINA RESTORED ORTHODOX ANGLICANISM IN THE DIOCESE?
10. WHEN THE DIOCESE OF SOUTH CAROLINA EXHAUSTS ITS LEGAL AVENUES, WHAT ARE THE CHOICES OF ITS COMMUNICANTS?
11. WHAT HAPPENS TO THE PARISH PROPERTY AFTER THE PARISH RETURNS TO TEC?
12. WHAT IS AN ANGLICAN?
An honest, full and reasonable consideration of these questions will help you in the DSC faithful decide your best course of action as the parishes return to Episcopal Church control.
We will begin considering these questions in the near future.
11. WHAT HAPPENS TO THE PARISH PROPERTY AFTER THE PARISH RETURNS TO TEC?
12. WHAT IS AN ANGLICAN?
An honest, full and reasonable consideration of these questions will help you in the DSC faithful decide your best course of action as the parishes return to Episcopal Church control.
We will begin considering these questions in the near future.
