Monday, November 1, 2021

 

SOURCES


on the history of the Episcopal Church schism
in South Carolina
(as of December 8, 2017)

by Ronald James Caldwell, PhD, Professor of History Emeritus



____________________


A. General histories.
     I. South Carolina.
          a. Reference.
          b. General. 
     2. The Episcopal Church.
          a. Bibliography.        
          b. General.
         c. On Conservative Movements.
         d. On the Questions of Hierarchy and Sovereignty.
             (1.) For the Central Sovereignty Side.
             (2.) For the Local Sovereignty Side.
     3. The Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion.
     4. Liberals and Conservatives.
         a. Liberals.
         b. Conservatives.
B. The Issue of Homosexuality.
     1. General.
     2. On Anglicanism and Homosexuality.
     3. On the Episcopal Church and Homosexuality.
     4. On Gene Robinson.
C. The First Four Secessions.
     1. San Joaquin.
     2. Pittsburgh.
     3. Quincy.
     4. Fort Worth.
D. The Diocese of South Carolina and the Episcopal Church in South Carolina.
     1. Diocesan Histories.
     2. Parish Histories.
     3. Online sources.
     4. Paper Documents.
     5. Circuit Court Trial, July 2014.
     6. The U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.
     7. The South Carolina Supreme Court Hearing, September
         23, 2015.
E. Biography.


 ________________________________________


A. General Histories.

1. South Carolina.
a. Reference.


Edgar, Walter, ed. The South Carolina Encyclopedia. Columbia SC: University of South Carolina Press, 2006. 1,077 p. Massive collection of articles by authorities, some with bibliographies. Best single reference work on SC.

Caldwell, Ronald J. Charleston Area History: A Bibliography of Works in the Charleston County Public Library, June 2001. Charleston SC: Charleston County Public Library, 2001. 213 p. Partially annotated topical listing of 3,191 works. Useful for background of the schism.

b. General.

Edgar, Walter B. South Carolina: A History. Columbia SC: University of South Carolina Press, 1998. 716 p. The best recent narrative history of the state.

Wallace, David Duncan. The History of South Carolina. 4 vols. NY: The American Historical Society, 1934-35. The old standard, detailed, multi-volume history of the state.

Fraser, Walter J. Charleston! Charleston! The History of a Southern City. Columbia SC: University of South Carolina Press, 1989. 542 p. The best recent narrative history of the city.

2. The Episcopal Church.

a. Bibliography.


Caldwell, Sandra M. and Caldwell, Ronald J. The History of the Episcopal Church in America, 1607-1991: A Bibliography. NY: Garland, 1993. 528 p.

b. General.

Unfortunately there are relatively few extensive works on the recent history of the Episcopal Church. The best is:
Kirkpatrick, Frank G. The Episcopal Church in Crisis: How Sex, the Bible, and Authority are Dividing the Faithful.  Westport, Connecticut: Praeger, 2008. 219 p. Detailed, even accounting of the recent years.

Also:
James, Nancy Carol.  The Developing Schism within the Episcopal Church 1960-2010: Social Justice, Ordination of Women, Charismatics, Homosexuality, Extra-Territorial Bishops, ETC.  Lewiston: The Edwin Mellen Press, 2010. 259 p. Useful discussion, although not as detailed as Kirkpatrick. Perhaps best for its many interviews with leaders.

Sachs, William and Thomas Holland. Restoring the Ties that Bind: The Grassroots Transformation of the Episcopal Church, Based on Research by the Episcopal Church Foundation. New York: Church Publishing, 2003. 347 p. Discussion of many aspects in the life of the Church in the late twentieth century.

"A Primer on the Government of The Episcopal Church and Its Underlying Theology, offered by the Ecclesiology Committee of the House of Bishops, Fall 2013." 16 p. www.episcopalchurchsc.org/uploads/1/2/9/8/12989303/primer_on_the_government_of_the_episcopal_church.pdf  Actually an historical survey. Refutes myth the Diocese of SC predated the formation of the Episcopal Church.

Walmsley, Arthur E. "The Episcopal Church: A Half Century of Turmoil and Transformation."  18 p.  www.anglican.ca/faith/files/2011/02/walmsley.pdf  Useful accounting, especially on relations of TEC and the rest of the Anglican Communion.

"History of the Episcopal Church (United States)."  Wikipedia. 13 p.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Episcopal_Church_(United_States) .  One should beware of information in this open online encyclopedia; however, this is a useful survey with a good bibliography.

Recent surveys of Episcopal Church history are all brief on the recent years. An example:

Hein, David and Gardiner H. Shattuck, Jr.  The Episcopalians. Westport, Connecticut: Praeger, 2004. 361 p.  1958-2003 on pages 133-59.

The best study of the post-Second World War Church ends in 1985: Sumner, David E. The Episcopal Church's History 1945-1985. Wilton, Connecticut: Morehouse-Barlow, 1987.

The two best recent survey histories of the Episcopal Church are: Prichard, Robert W. A History of the Episcopal Church. 3rd Revised Edition. Harrisburg, PA: Morehouse, 2014 (goes through 2012); and Holmes, David L. A Brief History of the Episcopal Church. Valley Forge, PA: Trinity Press, 1993.

The only recent document collection ends in 1985: Armentrout, Don S. and Robert Boak Slocum.  Documents of Witness: A History of the Episcopal Church, 1782-1985.  New York: Church Hymnal Corporation, 1994. 652 p.

For the ongoing litigation see the annual summary:
Haley, A.S. "Episcopal Church (USA) Annual Litigation Summary 2014" Feb. 12, 2014. Useful listing but highly partisan interpretation by a lawyer involved in the litigation against TEC.  http://accurmudgeon.blogspot.com
"Annual Litigation Survey for the Episcopal Church (USA) 2015," Feb. 22, 2015. Still a useful listing if one discounts the thoroughgoing anti-Episcopal Church bias of the author/lawyer. Some of the information presented on SC is not reliable.

For a discussion of declining membership in TEC:
Coats, William R. "Who (or What) Caused the Decline in Membership in the Episcopal Church." 3 p.  https://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~lcrew/dojustice/j325.html

Roozen, David. "A Decade of Change in American Congregations: 2000-2010." Hartford Institute for Religion Research, 2011. http://faithcommunitiestoday.org  Surveys changes in major denominations showing factors of growth and decline.


c. On Conservative Movements.


Daly, Louis C.  "A Church at Risk: The Episcopal 'Renewal' Movement." Dec. 2001, Institute for Democracy Studies.  http://www.institutefordemocracy.org/art/Insights_Vol02Iss02.pdf

Cooperman, Alan.  "Plan to Supplant Episcopal Church USA is Revealed. The Washington Post, Jan. 14, 2004. A-4.

Naughton, Jim.  "Following the Money."  The Washington Window, the newspaper of the Diocese of Washington, April 2006, p.1-8.

Cooperman, Alan.  "Conservatives Funding Opposition, Priest Says." The Washington Post, October 24, 2003.


d. On the Questions of Hierarchy and Sovereignty.


(1.) For the Central Sovereignty Side.


Dator, James and Jan Nunley.  Many Parts, One Body: How the Episcopal Church Works. New York: Church Publishing, 2010. 192 p. Drawn from Dator's Ph.D. dissertation, "The Government of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America: Confederal, Federal or Unitary?" American University, 1959.

Dator, James. "Where is the Locus of Authority within the Episcopal Church?"  The Journal of Episcopal Church Canon Law Vol. 2, No. 1 (Feb. 2011): 131-90.

Gundersen, Joan R. "A Response to Mark McCall's 'Is the Episcopal Church Hierarchical?'" Progressive Episcopalians of Pittsburgh, Sept. 17, 2008. 8 p.  http://progressiveepiscopalians.org

Mullin, Robert Bruce. "Affidavit of Dr. Robert Bruce Mullin." In the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina Charleston Division, 3/07/13, in vonRosenberg v. Lawrence. Exhibit entry 6-19. 72 p.

Edgar, Walter.  "Affidavit of Walter Edgar."  In the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina Charleston Division, 3/07/13, in vonRoenberg v. Lawrence. Exhibit entry 6-17. 5 p.


(2.) For the Local Sovereignty Side.


McCall, Mark. "Is the Episcopal Church hierarchical?" Anglican Communion Institute, September 2008. 89 p.  www.anglicancommunioninstitute.com

McCall, Mark.  "The Episcopal Church and Association Law: Dioceses' Legal Right to Withdraw."  The Journal of Episcopal Church Canon Law Vol. 2, No. 1 (Feb. 2011): 191-244.

McCall, Mark. "Fatal Flaws: A Response to Dr. Joan Gundersen." Anglican Communion Institute, Sept. 19, 2008. 8 p.  www.anglicancommunioninstitute.com

McCall, Mark.  "Affidavit of Mark McCall." In the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina, Charleston Division, 4/11/13, in vonRosenberg v. Lawrence. Exhibit 13.


3. The Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion.


Hassett, Miranda K.  Anglican Communion in Crisis: How Episcopal Dissidents and their African Allies are Reshaping Anglicanism.  Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2007. 295 p. Outstanding and detailed.

Radner, Ephraim and Ralph Turner. The Fate of Communion: The Agony of Anglicanism and the Future of the Global Church. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 2006. 306 p. Critical of TEC as it calls for greater unity in the Communion.

Solheim, James.  Diversity or Disunity: Reflections on Lambeth 1998. New York: Publishing, 1999. Lengthy discussion of the Lambeth resolutions.

Radner, Ephraim and George R. Sumner, eds.  Reclaiming Faith: Essays on Orthodoxy in the Episcopal Church and the Baltimore Declaration. Grand Rapids: Willism B. Eerdmans, 1993. 298 p. Best discussion of the Baltimore Declaration of 1991.

Douglas, Ian T. and Paul F.M. Zahl.  Understanding the Windsor Report: Two Leaders in the American Church Speak Across the Divide.  New York: Church Publishing, 2005. 184 p. Best guide to the Windsor Report. 


4. Liberals and Conservatives.

a. Liberals.

Evans, Christopher H. Liberalism without Illusions: Renewing an American Christian Tradition. Waco TX: Baylor University Press, 2010. 207 p.

Schmidt, Leigh E. and Sally M. Promey, eds. American Religious Liberalism. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2011. 416 p.

Hollinger, David A.  After Cloven Tongues of Fire: Protestant Liberalism in Modern American History, Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2013, 228 p.

Hedstrom, Matthew.  The Rise of Liberal Religion: Book Culture and American Spirituality in the Twentieth Century. New York: Oxford University Press, 2013. 278 p.

Coffman, Elesha J.  The Christian Century and the Rise of the Protestant Mainline.  New York: Oxford Univesity Press, 2013. 271 p.

b. Conservatives.

Martin, William.  With God on Our Side: The Rise of the Religious Right in America.  New York: Broadway Books, 1996. 418 p.

Cowan, Douglas E. The Remnant Spirit: Conservative Reform in Mainline Protestantism. Praeger, 2003. 248 p. Episcopal Church and three others.

Greeley, Andrew and Michael Hout.  The Truth about Conservative Christians: What They Think and What They Believe. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2006. 206 p.

Hodges, Chris.  American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War on America. New York: Free Press, 2006. 254 p.

Culver, Sheldon and John Dorhauer. Steeplejacking" How the Christian Right is Hijacking Mainstream Religion. Ig Publishing, 2007. 192 p.


Altemeyer, Bb and Bruce Hunsberger. "Authoritarianism, Religious Fundamentalism, Quest and Prejudices."  The International Journal for the Psychology of Religion Vol. 2, No. 2 (1992): 113-22.

Ingham, Michael. "Reclaiming Christian Orthodoxy." Anglican Communion Institute, Oct. 2003.  www.anglicancommunioninstitute.com 


B. The Issue of Homosexuality

1. General.

Boswell, John.  Christianity, Social Tolerance, and Homosexuality.  Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1981. 424 p. The landmark work on its topic. Sees scant evidence of anti-homosexuality before the Middle Ages.

Gagnon, Robert A.J. The Bible and Homosexual Practice. Nashville TN: Abingdon Press, 2002. 522 p. A leading work giving the fundamentalist/evangelical interpretation by a professor at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. Source used by Mark Lawrence in his remarks to the Episcopal bishops. Opposed by Dale Martin, see below.

Gagnon, Robert A. J.  "Does the Bible Regard Same-Sex Intercourse as Intrinsically Sinful?" July 19, 2003.  www.robgagnon.net/ChristianSexualityArticle.htm . Criticism of Powell, see below.

Hill, Wesley. Washed and Waiting: Reflections on Christian Faithfulness and Homosexuality. Zondervan, 2010. 160 p. Professor at Trinity School for Ministry argues for homosexual celibacy.


Martin, Dale. Sex and the Single Savior: Gender and Sexuality in Biblical Interpretation. Louisville KY: Westminster/John Knox, 2006. 268 p. Martin, professor at Yale, is a leading voice among liberals on the issue. Martin and Gagnon give opposing interpretations. See also the critique by opponent Robert Gagnon at www.robgagnon.net/DaleMartinRobertGagnonExchange.htm .


Powell, Mark Allan. "The Bible and Homosexuality." pp. 19-40 in Faithful Conversations: Christian Perspectives on Homosexuality. James M. Childs, Jr., ed. Fortress Press, 2003. 144 p. See Gagnon, "Does the Bible..." above.


"Religious Groups Official Positions on Same-Sex Marriage." The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life (the Pew Research Center), Dec. 7, 2012.  www.pewforum.org/gay-marriage-and-homosexuality/religious-groups-official-positions

Silver, Nate.  "How Opinion on Same-Sex Marriage is Changing, and What It Means."  New York Times Five Thirty Eight Blog  http://fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/26/how-opinion-on-same-sex-marriage-is-changing-and-what-it-means  Landmark statistical study of trends.

Von Drehle, David.  "How Gay Marriage Won." Time Vol. 181, No. 13 (April 8, 2013): 16-24.


"Support for Same-Sex Marriage at Record High, but Key Segments Remain Opposed." Pew Research Center, June 8, 2015. 15 p. http://www.people-press.org/2015/06/08/support-for-same-sex-marriage-at-record-high-but ).


"Same-sex marriage." Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Same-sex_marriage


2. On Anglicanism and Homosexuality.


Siker, Jeffrey S. ed.  Homosexuality in the Church: Both Sides of the Debate.  Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1994. 211 p.

Bates, Stephen.  A Church at War: Anglicans and Homosexuality. London: I.B. Tauris, 2004. 248 p.

Groves, Phil, ed. The Anglican Communion and Homosexuality. London: SPCK Publishing, 2008. 352 p.

Brittain, Christopher Craig and Andrew McKinnon.  "Homosexuality and the Construction of 'Anglican Orthodoxy': The Symbolic Politics of the Anglican Communion."  Sociology of Religion  Vol. 72, No. 3 (Autumn 2011): 351-73.

"Homosexuality and Anglicanism." Wikipedia. 13 p.  http://en. Wikipedia.org/wiki/Homosexuality_and_Anglicanism  Handy review of the Anglican provinces.

"The Meanings of Communion: Anglican Identities, the Sexuality Debates, and Christian Rationality."  http://www.socresonline.org.uk/15/2/3.html  Perhaps the fullest discussion available.


3. On TEC and Homosexuality.


Hall, (the Rev.) Caroline J. Addington. A Thorn in the Flesh: How Gay Sexuality is Changing the Episcopal Church. Rowman and Littlefield, 2013. 308 p. Leading discussion of the subject. 


"LGBT in the Church." Episcopal Church website guide to materials. www.episcopalchurch.org/page/lgbt-church .


Seltser, Barry Jay.  "Episcopalian Crisis: Authority, Homosexuality and the Future of Anglicanism."  Commonweal Vol. 133, No. 10 (May 19, 2006).

"The Episcopal Church and Homosexuality: Activities during 1996."  www.religioustolerance.org/hom_epis2.htm

Markham, Ian.  "Episcopalians, Homosexuality and the General Convention 2006."  Reviews in Religion and Theology Vol. 14, No. 1 (Jan. 2007): 1-5.

Hobson, George. The Episcopal Church, Homosexuality, and the Context of Technology. Eugene OR: Pickwick, 2013. 199 p. Conservative viewpoint; how the computer age has influenced the issue in TEC.

"Same-Sex Relations in the Life of the Church." A report offered by the Theology Committee of the House of Bishops, March 2010. 87 p. http://www.collegeforbishops.org/assets/1145/ss_document_final.pdf    A collection of articles by authorities on both sides and equally balanced between "traditionalists" and "liberals."


Alexander, J. Neil. This Far by Grace: A Bishop's Journey through Questions about Homosexuality. Cambridge MA: Cowley Publications, 2003. 94 p. Discusses topics of homosexuality in theological and scriptural contexts.


Sedgwick, Timothy F. Sex, Moral Teaching, & The Unity of the Church: A Study of the Episcopal Church. Morehouse Publishing, 2014. 104 p.


4. On Gene Robinson.


Robinson, Gene. In the Eye of the Storm: Swept to the Center by God. New York: Church Publishing, 2008. 176 p.
Adams, Elizabeth. Going to Heaven: The Life and Election of Bishop Gene Robinson. Brooklyn, NY: Soft Skull Press, 2006. 291 p.


"Love Free or Die: One Man's Fight for Equality," Documentary on Robinson by Macky Alston, 2012, Wolfe Video, DVD, 83 minutes.


C. The First Four Secessions.


1. San Joaquin.


Lamb, Jane Onstad, ed. Hurt, Joy, and the Grace of God: A Resurrection Story of the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin, California.  NY: Applecart Books, 2012. 166 p. 17 essays of Episcopalians' experiences in the Diocese of San Joaquin.

Goodstein, Laurie and Carolyn Marshall.  "Episcopal Diocese Votes to Secede from Church." New York Times Dec. 3, 2006.  www.nytimes.com/2006/12/03/us/03episcopal.html

"Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin."  Wikipedia  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Episcopal_Diocese_of_San_Joaquin

"Anglican Diocese of San Joaquin (ACNA)." Wikipedia.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglican_Diocese_of_San_Joaquin_(ACNA)


"An Interview with Bishop John David Schofield." video. 2011. 1hour, 24 minutes. Amazon Instant Video.  www.amazon.com  [unreviewed]


2. Pittsburgh.


Brittain, Christopher Craig. A Plague on Both Their Houses: Liberal vs. Conservative Christians and the Divorce of the Episcopal Church USA. London: Bloomsbury, 2015. 280 p.


Bonner, Jeremy. Called Out of Darkness into Marvelous Light: A History of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh, 1750-2006. Eugene OR: Wipf and Stock, 2009. On the run-up to schism.


Lewis, Harold T. The Recent Unpleasantness: Calvary Church's Role in the Preservation of the Episcopal Church in the Diocese of Pittsburgh. Wipf & Stock, 2015. 132 p. Author was rector of Calvary Church, 1996-2012.

Richards, Samuel J. The Middle Holds: A History of St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Canonsburg, and the Community it Serves. Closson Press, 2016. 155 p.

Gundersen, Joan R.  "History Revisited: Historical Background of the Proposed Amendment to Article 1, Section 1 of the Constitution of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh." Progressive Episcopalians, Oct. 13, 2004. 4 p.  http://progressiveepiscopalians.org

Mandak, Joe.  "Pittsburgh Diocese Votes to Split from Episcopal Church."  USA Today Oct. 6, 2008.  www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2008-10-06-episcopal-divided_N.htm 


"Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh." Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Episcopal_Diocese_of_Pittsburgh 


"Anglican Diocese of Pittsburgh."  Wikipedia  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglican_Diocese_of_Pittsburgh


3. Quincy.


"Episcopal Diocese of Quincy."  Wikipedia  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Episcopal_Diocese_of_Quincy 


"Diocese of Quincy (ACNA)." Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diocese_of_quincy_(ACNA)


4. Fort Worth.


"Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth (Episcopal Church)."  Wikipedia  http://wikipedia.org/wiki/Episcopal_Diocese_of_Fort_Worth_(Episcopal_Church) 


"Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth (ACNA)." Wikipedia  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Episcopal_Diocese_of_Fort_Worth_(ACNA)  



D. The Diocese of South Carolina and the Episcopal Church in South Carolina.


1. Diocesan Histories.




Caldwell, Ronald James. A History of the Episcopal Church Schism in South Carolina. Eugene OR: Wipf and Stock, 2017. 523 p.

Dalcho, Frederick. An Historical Account of the Protestant Episcopal Church in South-Carolina, from the first settlement of the province, to the war of the revolution... Charleston SC: printed by Arch'd E. Miller for E. Thayer, 1820. 613 p. Classic, detailed history covering up to 1820. Online: https://archive.org/details/anhistoricalacc00dalcgoog .

Thomas, Albert Sidney. A Historical Account of the Protestant Episcopal Church in South Carolina 1820-1957, being a continuation of Dalcho's account, 1670-1820.Columbia SC: Bryan, 1957. 879 p. Online: https://archive.org/stream/historicalaccoun00thom/historicaccoun00thom_djvu.txt .

Zeigler, Eugene N., Jr. When Conscience and Power Meet, A Memoir. Columbia SC: University of South Carolina Press, 2008. 378 p. Memoir of the chancellor of DSC, 1985-2004 p. 305-325.

2. Parish Histories.



Way, William and Virginia Kirkland Donehue, By Grace, Through Faith, A History of Grace Church, Charleston, 1846-1999. Charleston: Grace Episcopal Church, 2000. 188 p.

McIntosh, William, III, The Spiritual Journey of St. Philip's Church, Charleston, S.C., 1906-2012. Charleston: William McIntosh III, 2013. 408 p.

Porwoll, Paul, Against All Odds, History of Saint Andrew's Parish Church, Charleston, 1706-2013. Bloomington IN: WestBow Press, 2014. 454 p.

3. Online Sources.

 
There is a great deal of material readily available in various online sources, some documentary, some leaning to TEC, and some favoring DSC.


For documents, the best websites are:


The Diocese of South Carolina (www.diosc.com). The annual convention journals are given from 2006 to 2016. 

Jubilate Deo, the diocesan newsletter is online starting at June/July 2006. Also provides some court documents.

The Episcopal Church in South Carolina (www.episcopalchurchsc.org). "Legal News" gives photocopies of the actual court papers on both sides starting February 28, 2013.

Episcopal Archives (www.episcopalarchives.org). Provides a great number of national church documents in various collections as far back as 1962.

"Clarity Ensued," Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori's lengthy question-and-answer exchange with the clergy of DSC Feb. 25, 2008 at St. Andrew's of Mt. Pleasant. Video is available in 12 parts at  www.livingchurch.org/clarity-ensued  . Unfortunately these videos are edited to about 90 minutes and omit many other parts of the conference.


Anglican TV


Anglican TV (http://anglican.tv) provides several videos of Bishop Lawrence:

1-"Mere Anglicanism 2012: The Rt. Rev'd. Mark J. Lawrence" Jan. 23, 2012, 59 minutes; 

2-"Bishop Mark Lawrence's Address SC [February] 2011" 41 minutes; 

3-"Anglican TV Interviews Bishop Lawrence" (Nov. 18, 2012), 45 minutes, discussion of the disassociation.

Anglican TV also interviewed A.S. Haley, aka the Anglican Curmudgeon, on Anglican Unscripted Episode 91 (Feb. 8, 2014), @21-31 minutes. Haley summarizes his views and says TEC is trying "to punish" Lawrence.


YouTube


YouTube (www.youtube.com) offers several videos, as of Mar. 20, 2013: 

1-"Bishop Mark Lawrence Address SC 2011" 41 minutes (see Anglican TV above); 

2-GC2009: A Conversation with Bishop Lawrence" 28 minutes (July 2009, Anaheim CA), from Anglican TV; 

3-"DSC 2010: Bishop Lawrence Addresses Special Convention" 48 minutes (March 26, 2010), from Anglican TV; 

4-Bishop Lawrence's address to special convention, Nov. 17, 2012;

5-"Anglican TV Interviews Bp Mark Lawrence," [Mar. 19, 2014], 18 min.;

6-"Interview with Canon Kendall Harmon after SC 2010 Convention" 12 minutes, Anglican TV; 

7-"DSC 2010 Convention: Alan Runyan Explains Canons" 11 minutes, Anglican TV; 

8-"Convention: The Episcopal Church in South Carolina, January 26, 2013" 1 hour, 56 minutes; 

9-"Bishop vonRosenberg's Address to the Convention" 13 minutes (March 9, 2013); 

10-"Kendall Harmon & Susan Russell on McNeil Lehrer" 9 minutes (February 2007); 

11-"The Anglican Crisis: Its Not about Sex" 6 minutes (Kendall Harmon, August 21, 2009); 

12-"Standing Firm Interviews: Dr. Kendall Harmon" 3 minutes (June 19, 2006); 

13-Standing Firm Interviews: Dr. Kendall Harmon" 3 minutes (June 21, 2006);  "Standing Firm Interviews: Dr. Kendall Harmon" 4 minutes (June 19, 2006); 

14-"Carey and Harmon on A161 Vote" 1 minute (June 20, 2006).


Other Audio/Video


"The Personal Testimony of Mr. Alan Runyan, Attorney for the Diocese of South Carolina." www.kendallharmon.net Posted Jan. 13, 2014.  Audio recording of Alan Runyan's presentation at Christ-St. Paul's Church, Jan. 12, 2014.

"Choose this Day" and "The Decision," DVD featuring Kendall Harmon, given out to the attendees of the ACN meeting in Pittsburgh in November of 2005. Strongly condemns TEC and implicitly urges secession from TEC. No longer available online but the full transcripts of both can be found at:  http://www.sarmiento.plus.com/anglican/choosethisday.html and http://www.sarmiento.plus.com/anglican/thedecision.html


News articles from the TEC side:

Episcopal News Service (http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com). Articles starting in 2010.

Episcopal Café (www.episcopalcafe.com). Articles beginning April 12, 2007.

The Living Church (www.livingchurch.org). An old semi-official magazine with a conservative bent. No archive of articles; but it does have a search engine.

South Carolina Episcopalians (scepiscopalians.com). A personal blog by the irrepressible Steve Skardon who invariably takes the anti-TEC side to task. His articles cover Oct. 24, 2009 to present.

Episcopal Forum of South Carolina (www.episcopalforumofsc.org). Newsletters and documents

News articles from the DSC side

Titus One Nine (www.kendallharmon.net). A blog by the formidable Rev. Dr. Kendall Harmon, a powerful conservative voice in DSC since 1990. Articles are available from May 22, 2007 to present. Primary scope is SC.

Virtue Online (www.virtueonline.org).  The major website of news and editorials from the "orthodox" Anglican viewpoint for two decades. Although the scope is worldwide, there are many articles on SC. Articles are archived from December 1995.

American Anglican Council (www.americananglican.org). Much information on conservative movements in articles since July 18, 1996.

Anglican Communion Institute (www.anglicancommunioninstitute.com). A conservative think tank that produces numerous like-minded essays, some lengthy, on current topics. Articles are from August 2006 to present.

4. Paper Documents.



The archives of the old Diocese of South Carolina and the post-schism DSC, in Diocesan House, Charleston, are closed to the public. Crucial information in the Standing Committee minutes and in the bishop's papers and correspondence remain sealed. Some records of the Standing Committee were turned over to the ECSC lawyers in the "discovery" pre-trial phase in Circuit Court. Among the other valuable paper documents now available:

---The Journals of the annual meetings of the convention of DSC. Published in book form. (Bishop's address, Bishop's diary, Resolutions, financial statistics).

---Jubilate Deo, the newsletter of DSC.

On the TEC side, records are readily available at the Episcopal Archives website listed above.


5. Circuit Court Trial, July 2014.


Both the DSC and ECSC websites provide many legal documents. For the Circuit Court Trial held in July of 2014 in St. George, the ECSC site provides the full transcript: www.episcopalchurchsc.org/july-2014-trial-in-state-court.html . Under "Information Regarding the Trial in the Circuit Court in Dorchester County," there are 14 files, one for each day of the trial:

[Day 1] "State of South Carolina, County of Dorchester, Court of Common Pleas, Case No. 2013-CP-18-00013, Transcript of Record, July 8, 2014, St. George, SC." pages 1-211.

[Day 2] "Volume II, State of South Carolina...July 9, 2014..." pages 212-436.

[Day 3] "Volume III, State of South Carolina...July 10, 2014..." pages 437-682.

[Day 4] "Volume IV, State of South Carolina...July 11, 2014..." pages 683-896.

[Day 5] "Volume V, State of South Carolina...July 14, 2014..." pages 897-1120.

[Day 6] "Volume VI, State of South Carolina...July 15, 2014..." pages 1121-1331.

[Day 7] "Volume VII, State of South Carolina...July 16, 2014..." pages 1332-1486.

[Day 8] "Volume VIII, State of South Carolina...July 17, 2014..." pages 1487-1673.

[Day 9] "Volume IX, State of South Carolina...July 18, 2014..." pages 1674-1756.

[Day 10] "Volume X, State of South Carolina...July 21, 2014..." pages 1757-1915.

[Day 11] "Volume XI, State of South Carolina...July 22, 2014..." pages 1916-2135.

[Day 12] "Volume XII, State of South Carolina...July 23, 2014..." pages 2136-2325.

[Day 13] "Volume XIII, State of South Carolina...July 24, 2014..." pages 2326-2438.

[Day 14] "Volume XIV, State of South Carolina...July 25, 2014..." pages 2439-2523.

The Exhibits, or pieces of evidence, officially entered daily into the trial amounted to 1,315 listed items. The Exhibits themselves were not reproduced in the transcript record. Perhaps the most important evidence entered in the trial was the deposition of Mark Lawrence (made to Atty. Thomas Tisdale on June 3, 2014). It was entered in Volume XII (July 23), page 2137 (page 2205 of transcript text): Exhibit D-24 "Deposition Transcript - Mark J. Lawrence." Lawrence's official deposition is 194 pages.

The judgment in the trial was released on February 3, 2015 as the "Final Order" of Judge Goodstein. It is online at: www.episcopalchurchsc.org/uploads/1/2/9/8/1/12989303/dorchester_county_ruling_2-3-2015.pdf  and  www.diosc.com?sys?images/documents/tec/15_2_3_final_order.prf .


6. U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.


Audio of the hearing of January 28, 2015: www.ca4.uscourts.gov/oral-arguments/listen-to-oral-arguments .

7. The South Carolina Supreme Court Hearing, September 23, 2015.

A video recording of the hearing is available online at: www.judicial.state.sc.us/scvideo/indexArchived.cfm . An audio copy is available from the Clerk of the Court's Office. There is no official written transcript of the hearing.

A video recording is also available online at YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yu8CShvWcC8.


E. Biography.


 Biographical sources on SC are scarce and scant. The Wikipedia articles on the bishops and judges are useful.

Almost all of the participants in the story of the schism in SC are alive and active.


A cursory glance of the documents shows certain names outstanding (This is a tentative short list):

CLERGY:
PRESIDING BISHOP:
Jefferts Schori, Katharine


BISHOPS:
Allison, Christopher FitzSimons ("Fitz")
Daniel, Clifton, III
Hathaway, Alden Moinet
Henderson, Dorsey F., Jr.
Lawrence, Mark Joseph
Salmon, Edward L., Jr. ("Ed")
Skilton, William J. ("Bill")
vonRosenberg, Charles Glenn ("Charlie")
Wood, Stephen Dwain ("Steve")


PRIESTS:
Barr, John, III
Burwell, John B.
Fuener, Paul C.
Harmon, Kendall S.
Hills, William L., Jr. ("Roy")
Kronz, Gregory Joseph ("Greg")
Lewis, James B. ("Jim")
Limehouse, Frank F., III
McCormick, John Haden ("Haden")
Miller, Jeffrey S. ("Jeff")
Mills, Ladson Frazier, III ("Punchy")
Sanderson, Marshall Dow ("Dow")
Smith, Colton M.
Smith, Roger W.
Snyder, Gregory ("Greg")
Thurlow, David
Walpole, Calhoun ("Callie")
Wright, J. Michael A.


LAITY:
Behre, Holly
Douglas, Hillery P.
Evans, Lydia
Hamilton, Lonnie, III
Hicks, Josephine H.
Hunter, Joy
Logan, Wade H., III
Lucka, Melinda Adelle
Mann, Barbara
Pennewill, Elizabeth Crommelin ("Boo")
Pringle, Jan
Runyan, C. Alan
Skardon, Steve, Jr.
Tisdale, Thomas Sumter
Wilder, Virginia
Willis, Ann Hester


OTHERS:
Goodstein, Diane Schafer
Houck, Charles Weston
Toal, Jean H.
Hearn, Kaye
Hewitt, Blake





Friday, October 29, 2021

 



BANKRUPTCY COURT ISSUES ORDERS FAVORING ALL SAINTS EPISCOPAL CHURCH, 29 OCTOBER 2021



The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Texas, in Ft. Worth, issued four orders today, October 29, 2021, all favoring All Saints Episcopal Church, a 1,500-member congregation that remained in the Episcopal Church. After the Texas Supreme Court ruled entirely in favor of the breakaway entity in the schism of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth and the U.S. Supreme Court denied cert, the victorious association (going under the name of the Episcopal Diocese of Ft. Worth, even though it has no connection to the Episcopal Church) moved to seize the property and assets of All Saints parish. On Oct. 26, the church went to the bankruptcy court for relief. The major problem for the local church was that the secessionist entity had gone after the parish's bank accounts and the bank had frozen them leaving parish officials unable to access the parish funds and pay bills.

Today, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court at Ft. Worth issued four orders, all favorable to All Saints. Find them listed here . 

---the most important order authorized All Saints to maintain the existing bank accounts.

---order granting the paying of wages.

---order prohibiting utilities from disrupting services.

---order setting another hearing for November 16, 2021, 1:30 p.m.

The Court cannot forestall the schismatic diocese from seizing all the property and assets of the parish (as of the start of the litigation), but it can ease the transition in favor of the loyalist parish that has to surrender its property and it can force the victorious secessionist diocese to back off its scorched earth tactics.




EPISCOPAL CHURCH SIDE ANNOUNCES ITS LAWYERS FOR 8 DECEMBER HEARING



This morning, 29 October 2021, the Episcopal Church side sent an email letter to the Clerk of the Court, of the South Carolina Supreme Court, naming their lawyers for the hearing of Dec. 8, 2021. They are:


Thomas Tisdale and Bert G. Utsey III for the Episcopal diocese and


Mary Kostel, for the Episcopal Church


There are two parties on the church side, the diocese (called the Episcopal Church in South Carolina in the court proceedings) and the national Episcopal Church. The other side has only one party, the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina. 


Tisdale has represented the diocese from the start of the litigation. No one knows more about the details of the many legal actions over the past eight years than he. 

Utsey is a partner in the Clawson, Fargnoli and Utsey firm, of Charleston. Find their website here . According to the information on their website, they specialize in personal injury cases. To my knowledge, Utsey has never been involved in any of the litigation of the church case. If he has not participated in the legal actions in this case and is not a specialist in appellate litigation one may wonder what his qualification for this assignment would be.

Kostel has represented the national church in this case for years and knows the issues thoroughly. She was in the courtroom for the hearings of the circuit court after the 2017 SCSC decision. It is the Order of the circuit court that is before the SCSC justices now. Kostel knows the issues involved in this appeal very well.


I do not understand why the church side listed three lawyers when the directive from the Clerk limited the lawyers for each side to two. If only two attorneys for a side can be in the courtroom at one time, one of these three above will have to leave the room unless an exception has been made.  

Thursday, October 28, 2021




RED FLAG AT THE ADVENT, IN BIRMINGHAM



There is a red flag floating above the tower of the Episcopal Cathedral Church of the Advent, in Birmingham, Alabama. It comes in the form of next Sunday's preacher, the Rev. Ashley Null. An Episcopal clergyman, Null is a prominent evangelical theologian who for years has defended and supported movements critical of the Episcopal Church. Given the highly unsettled history of the Advent in the last few months, the choice of Null to preach at all three services is both surprising and concerning.

In an ordinary parish in ordinary times, the choice of Null would not be out of the ordinary. He is a learned and prominent theologian and specialist in Reformation thought, particularly that of Thomas Cranmer. 

However, the Advent is not an ordinary parish and it is not in an ordinary moment in its history. It has been through a great deal of turmoil in the last few years, much of it theological. The last dean of the cathedral, Andrew Pearson, had made a major point of Cranmer's theology in his effort to push the parish to the limit, perhaps beyond the limit, of evangelical Anglicanism. This was far from the mainstream of the Episcopal Church. His ally among the clergy of the Advent, Zac Hicks, a Presbyterian, had even called Rite I of  The Book of Common Prayer "anti-Christ." Both Pearson and Hicks resigned (Pearson said he was forced out). The vestry of the Advent made a Covenant with the bishop of Alabama essentially combining an evangelical identity and Episcopal prayer book religion. In short, the leadership of the Advent voted to stay in the Episcopal Church. It was clear the parish was moving to healing and reconciliation. This is what is so discordant about inviting in someone with the partisan baggage of an Ashley Null.

A simple Google search will tell one what one needs to know about Null's ties to the anti-Episcopal Church movement. The first item that comes up shows him as "Theological Advisor to the Diocese of the Carolinas." This diocese is in the Anglican Church in North America. It is an overlapping jurisdiction based in Mt. Pleasant, a suburb of Charleston, headed by Bishop Steve Wood. Its two largest parishes, All Saints, of Pawleys Island, and St. Andrew's of Mt. Pleasant, have quite a history in the anti-Episcopal Church movement in the lowcountry. BTW, the dean of the diocesan cathedral was recently elected the next bishop of the ACNA Anglican Diocese of South Carolina, presently led by Mark Lawrence. This is the group that made the schism in the Episcopal Church in South Carolina.

One can also find videos of conversations with Null displayed on the GAFCON website. GAFCON is the coalition of Anglicans in the world set up to prevent homosexuals from gaining equality and inclusion in the church. It has denounced the Episcopal Church and has recognized the ACNA as the legitimate Anglican province in the United States. 

Google Null and the Jerusalem Declaration and one will find a video of his defense of the JD. The JD was drawn up in 2008 by homophobic and misogynist forces in the Anglican world who were out to stop the movement for equality and inclusion of non-celibate homosexuals and women in the life of the church. In one point, the JD denounced marriage equality by declaring marriage to be only between one man and one woman. In another point, the JD rejected the authority of churches, e.g. the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church of Canada, that varied from aforementioned marriage declaration.

In their efforts to block rights for gays and women, the conservatives have fallen back on the position that Anglicanism is a confessing and doctrinaire religion. In fact, this is a new innovation and not the historic essence of Anglicanism. The Jerusalem Declaration and GAFCON are modern creations out of sequence in the history of Anglicanism.

Historically Anglicanism is a non-confessing and non-dogmatic religion open to a wide variety of theological understandings and forms of public worship. It was created as a national church by the English monarchs of the Sixteenth Century to be a generic Christian religion. It could not be too doctrinaire because it had to be broad enough to combine the essence of traditional Catholicism and the new Protestant theologies. In fact, the prayer book was in formation for thirty years and moved back and forth from Catholic to Protestant sides before settling down to the via media. Cranmer's work with theology and the prayer book was part of a much larger picture that went on for years after his death. Cranmer, heavily influenced by Calvinism, alone did not define Anglicanism.

If the goal of the leadership of the Advent is now to nudge the parish back to a clearer Episcopalian and evangelical identity as the recent events suggest, one may wonder why people prominently associated with forces working against the Episcopal Church would be invited to address the parish. But then, one could wonder if reconciliation with the Episcopal diocese is indeed the thinking of the parish leadership. Is it that the ghosts and Pearson and Hicks are still guiding the vestry? This would be surprising given the break between the vestry and the two and its Covenant with the bishop. Nevertheless, one may wonder, What is the goal of the parish leadership, reconciliation with the Episcopal Church or differentiation from it? 


Wednesday, October 27, 2021




ANGLICAN DIOCESE OF SC NAMES ITS TWO LAWYERS FOR HEARING OF 8 DECEMBER



The Anglican Diocese of South Carolina submitted to the South Carolina Supreme Court, on 25 October, the names of the two attorneys who will represent the ADSC side in the hearing before the justices of the SCSC on 8 December 2021.

The two are:  C. Alan Runyan and C. Mitchell Brown. 

Since Runyan himself filed the paper with the SCSC, one may wonder if he will be the lead in the hearing. He has been the highly visible director of the ADSC litigation since he filed the suit against the Episcopal Church on January 4, 2013. He was the lead in the circuit court trial of 2014, the ADSC presenter in the hearing before the SCSC in 2015, and the lead in the circuit court proceedings of 2016-2019. He has had a mixed score card. He won in the circuit courts and lost in the state supreme court. The Anglican side also suffered a major loss in the federal district court, in Charleston, which recognized the Episcopal diocese as the sole owner of the historic diocese and placed an injunction on the Anglican side from pretending to be the continuation of the pre-schism diocese. That decision is now on appeal but is not under a stay.

Brown is a partner in the Nelson and Mullins firm, in Columbia SC. According to their website , he is a specialist in appellate law and has deep presence in South Carolina. 

According to the COVID-19 protocols of the SCSC, each side is limited to two lawyers in the courtroom for the hearing of Dec. 8. The Episcopal Church side must inform the court of the names of its two lawyers by next Monday, Nov. 1. I will relay the names here as I receive them.

Runyan and Brown will have 25 minutes to present their case. They will speak after the Episcopal side makes its 25 minute presentation. After Runyan and Brown give their presentation, the Episcopal side will have 10 minutes for rebuttal. That will be the end of the hearing. 

So, Runyan and Brown will have only 25 minutes in which to make their best case. They will argue to uphold the Dickson Order of 2019 which ruled that the parishes had not acceded to the Dennis Canon and the local properties remained in the hands of the local churches, not the Episcopal Church. The SC Supreme Court decision of 2017 had ruled that the Episcopal Church was the owner of 29 of the 36 parishes in question along with Camp St. Christopher. The Episcopal Church lawyers will argue that the SCSC decision was binding and Dickson had no right to relitigate the issues settled by the SCSC and therefore his Order of 2019 should be reversed by the high court. 

Tuesday, October 26, 2021




SC LAW ON APPOINTMENT

OF AN ACTING JUSTICE IN CHURCH CASE



It has come to my attention that South Carolina law requires the appointment of a fifth "Acting Justice" in the church case pending before the SC Supreme Court. 

There are five justices on the SC Supreme Court. One of the five, Justice Kaye Hearn, has recused herself from the case. This leaves four justices, two of whom are new to the case, that is, were not involved in the SCSC written decision of 2017. 

The number of justices is an important issue because the case before the SCSC now is an appeal of a circuit court Order (Judge Dickson's decision of 2019 that purported to ignore the 2017 SCSC decision and to award all to the breakaway side). A reversal of a lower court decision requires a majority vote of the SCSC justices. If there are four justices, an overturn of Dickson would require agreement of three or four justices. A tie of two to two would leave Dickson's Order in place. If a fifth justice is on the bench, there can be no tie. There would have to be a majority of at least three to two. 

Thus, the number of justices is potentially crucial. Four justices would lean to the breakaway side's chances while five justices would improve the Episcopal side's chances.

As I read it, the South Carolina Code of Laws requires the court to appoint a fifth acting, or temp judge, to fill out the bench. It is not an option, but a clear requirement. This is in Section 14-3-60 of the 2017 SC Code of Laws. Find it here .

Presumably, Chief Justice Donald Beatty would nominate an Acting Justice who would be approved by the governor, normally a formality. An interesting wrinkle in this is that Beatty has become an important part of the breakaway's attack on the 2017 SCSC decision. As I understood it, the breakaway lawyers argued that Beatty's opinion in the 2017 decision was contradictory and that his explanation of the Dennis Canon really meant he rejected the parishes' accession to the Canon (even though he concluded with the majority that the parishes had irrevocably acceded to the Canon). Thus, it will be fascinating to watch Alan Runyan (presuming he is the ADSC presenter) argue to Beatty's face that his (Beatty's) opinion did not mean what it said.

We will know for sure who the fifth justice is on December 8, 2021 at the hearing. If I learn the identity of the Acting Justice before then, I will relay it here. Meanwhile, it is clear state law requires a fifth, or acting justice, in this instance. 

Friday, October 22, 2021




NOTES,  22 OCTOBER 2021



Greetings, blog reader, on Friday, October 22, 2021. Let's catch up on some of the topics we have been following of late.

On the pandemic, all signs show a decline in new cases, hospitalizations, and deaths. It is clear the third great surge is waning. Booster shots are now available in some places and others soon. Children will soon get the vaccine. While life has not returned to "normal," it is much closer than a year ago. 

As for the church litigation, we are in a lull now. We know that SC Supreme Court will hold a hearing on Wednesday, December 8, 2021 and that only the 4 appointed lawyers will be allowed in the courtroom. Everyone else may watch on the court provided live-stream. We still do not know two important pieces of information:  1-The names of the two lawyers on each side. These are to be submitted to the SCSC Clerk by November 1, 2021; and 2-Whether the Court has appointed a fifth Acting Justice to take the place of Justice Hearn who recused herself from this appeal. 

The first point is not very important, but the second is. If the Court appoints an Acting Justice, this will improve the Church side's chances. If the Court does not appoint an AJ, this will improve the breakaway's chances. The reason is that a reversal of Judge Edgar Dickson's 2020 Order will require a majority vote of the participating justices. If there are only four justices, the Church would need three or four to overturn Dickson whereas the breakaway side would need only two justices to keep Dickson in place. If there is a fifth justice appointed, the breakaways would need three votes. So, a great deal rests on whether the Court appoints an acting justice to hear this appeal. Bear in mind, the hearing is on the appeal of the Church side of Dickson's Order which gave all in question to the secessionist party. 


On another issue, the death of General Colin Powell, news broke yesterday that there will be a memorial service for him in the National Cathedral, at noon on November 5. It will be by invitation only, and with limited seating. The news report did not mention live coverage, but my guess is the Cathedral will at least live-stream the service even if the major TV networks do not carry it. Find a news article about the memorial service here .


Meanwhile, autumn is gradually sweeping across the south bringing with it the colorful splendor of the changing season. Two nights ago, the moon put on a spectacular show in what was called "the hunter's moon." It was unusually big and bright. I went outside to take a picture of the moon: 


Moon rise, 20 Oct. over my house in Jacksonville AL. I wanted to capture a clear image of the rising Hunter's Moon, but this is what I found instead. My first impulse was to delete this, but then I thought, no, this is the perfect metaphor for our present life: dark night, cloudy sky, but an irrepressible bright light shining through it all. For a year and a half we have been in a dark night and our lives are filled with cloudiness but through it all is the never-failing light of God's presence. Peace.



Tuesday, October 19, 2021




 SC SUPREME COURT ORDERS RESTRICTIONS FOR 8 DECEMBER HEARING

__________________


Public not allowed in courtroom

__________________


Hearing to be live-streamed



On yesterday, 18 October 2021, the Clerk of the Court, of the South Carolina Supreme Court issued the protocols for the church case hearing scheduled for December 8, 2021.


THE PUBLIC WILL NOT BE ALLOWED IN THE COURTROOM. I telephoned the Clerk's office this morning and was told the public will not be allowed inside the courtroom during the hearing. (This is part of the SCSC protocols for COVID-19.)


According to the Clerk's directive of yesterday:

---The hearing will be at 9:30 a.m., 8 December 2021, in the SCSC courtroom. 

---The Episcopal side will be allowed 25 minutes for presentation. The Anglican side will then be allowed 25 minutes for presentation. Finally, the Episcopal side will be given 10 minutes for rebuttal. (In all hearings, the justices interrupt the lawyers for questions and discussion, so the time for presentation is not entirely for presentation.)

---Each side is limited to 2 lawyers in the courtroom, for a total of 4 lawyers in the room.

---Each side must submit the names of its two lawyers to the Clerk by November 1, 2021.

---The hearing will be livestreamed. Find it at this address:  www.sccourts.org/SCvideo . An audio recording will also be made.

---Lawyers may enter the SC building no earlier than 10 minutes before the hearing. Lawyers entering will be screened for COVID-19.

---Masks must be worn at all times on the property of the SCSC.

---Lawyers must use hand sanitizers at podium and restrooms.


The Clerk's letter of yesterday was addressed to three lawyers: Bert Utsey, of Charleston; Alan Runyan, of Beaufort; and Harry Easterling, Jr., of Bennettsville. Apparently, Utsey will be the lead for the Episcopal side and Runyan for the Anglican side. We should know on 1 November who the four presenting lawyers will be.

Saturday, October 16, 2021




ELECTION OF A BISHOP COADJUTOR,

ANGLICAN DIOCESE

OF SOUTH CAROLINA,

OCTOBER 16, 2021

_______________

CHARLES 'CHIP' EDGAR, III ELECTED BISHOP COADJUTOR, WILL BE II BISHOP OF ADSC



Oct. 16, 2021, 9:00 a.m. 

The Anglican Diocese of South Carolina is set to elect a bishop coadjutor today. He will succeed Bishop Mark Lawrence as the II bishop of the ADSC. 

The Anglican Diocese of South Carolina was created in 2012 when the majority of the clergy and laity of the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina left the Episcopal Church and the Diocese of South Carolina. The new contingent declared itself to be a diocese and recognized Mark Lawrence as the bishop. It entered a lawsuit against the Episcopal Church for possession of the old diocese. It also joined the Anglican Church in North America, a new denomination set up in 2009 to keep non-celibate gays and women from full equality and inclusion in the life of the church. The ACNA, and the ADSC, are not in the Anglican Communion. The Archbishop of Canterbury has said more than once he is not in communion with the ACNA.

The ACNA has a process of selecting new bishops different than that of the Episcopal Church. In TEC, women are allowed to be bishops; and bishops-elect must get majority approval of the bishops and the standing committees of the dioceses. The ACNA is a closed patriarchy. Only [heterosexual] men can be bishops. Moreover, a bishop-elect from a diocese must procure a two-thirds approval of the ACNA House of Bishops to be consecrated as a bishop. One-third plus one of the ACNA bishops can veto any bishop-elect. The laity of the ACNA have no input in affirming new bishops. At present, the bishops of ACNA number around 52.

For the rules of the voting in today's meeting, see here .

According to the rules, a parish may have 4 delegates but casts only 1 vote. A majority of the 4 will decide which candidate will get their one vote. If the delegation splits 2-2, there is no vote. As for a mission, it may have 2 delegates. They decide on their 1/2 vote. If they split 1-1, there will be no vote. For a candidate to win, he must get a concurrent majority in the Order of the Clergy (all clergy get one vote) and the Order of the Laity (parish=1 vote, mission=1/2 vote). 

The three candidates:

1---Edgar, Charles "Chip". Dean of the Cathedral Church of the Apostles, Columbia SC.

2---Sturdy, Robert "Rob." Anglican chaplain at the Citadel, Charleston.

3---Warner, Christopher "Chris." Rector, Holy Cross, Sullivans Island.

Edgar is in the ACNA Diocese of the Carolinas. Steve Wood, rector of St. Andrew's in Mt. Pleasant SC, is the bishop of that diocese. Sturdy and Warner are internal candidates.


The Livestream is scheduled to begin at 10:00 a.m. EDT. Find the link to the livestream here .


I shall return at 10:00 to make running commentary during the election process.


10:05 a.m.  Livestream on. Chatroom disabled.


Bishop Lawrence opens convention by thumbing his nose at the federal court. At the start he refers to the 2009 diocesan convention "as bishop in this diocese." He knows as well as anyone the federal court has a standing injunction against the ADSC from claiming to be in any way the pre-schism diocese. The ADSC did not exist before 2012.

Assembly is overwhelmingly white men (mostly older). Women in distinct minority. Few blacks (I count three). Clergy at altar all white men.

Hymn, "The Church's One Foundation." Really? How about the part "from schisms rent asunder...."? Are these people completely devoid of irony?

11:05 a.m. Livestream interrupted.

11:25 a.m. Livestream resumes.

Voting to begin soon. 87% of the local congregations present; 74 % of the clergy present. More than 2/3 necessary for quorum.

Chancellor announced the clergy would vote first and this will be announced to convention; then, laity will vote and this will be reported. Thus, the two orders will not vote at the same time.

Bishop from ACNA addresses convention. Repeatedly calls ACNA a "province" and says it is part of the Anglican Communion. It is unworthy of a Christian denomination to deliberately misinform and mislead its followers. ACNA is not a province of anything and not in the AC. It is an independent Christian denomination.

11:55 a.m. Voting about to begin. Clergy will vote first.

100 clergy present. Laity vote is total of 42.5.


FIRST BALLOT. CLERGY

Edgar-46

Sturdy-40

Warner-14

LAITY:

Edgar-15

Sturdy-17

Warner-8.5


Edgar is the leading choice among clergy and Sturdy is the leading choice among laity. Warner is far behind in both orders.

Break. Voting to resume at 12:36 p.m. It will be interesting to see if Warner withdraws.

A majority vote in Clergy Order is 51. Edgar needs 5 votes. A majority vote in Laity Order is 22. Sturdy needs 5 votes to reach this. There must be a concurrent majority in both houses. With different front runners, one order will have to bend to the other. 

The second ballot will show shifts, probably from Warner to the top two. 


SECOND BALLOT. CLERGY

Edgar-49

Sturdy-42

Warner-9

LAITY

Edgar-19.5

Sturdy-17

Warner-4

(Split=2)

No election  on 2nd Ballot. Most movement to Edgar. He now needs 2 more votes in Clergy Order and 2.5 in Laity Order to win election. 

WARNER WITHDRAWS.

Third Ballot to be between Edgar and Sturdy. Edgar in lead in both houses on 2nd Ballot.

Interesting to note Sturdy picked up no new votes on 2nd Ballot among the laity. The Laity Order moved to reflect the Clergy Order choices, choosing Edgar first. Edgar likely on cusp of election.


THIRD BALLOT. CLERGY

Edgar-55

Sturdy-44

LAITY

Edgar-23.5

Sturdy-18

EDGAR ELECTED BISHOP COADJUTOR!


Comments:

The clergy and lay delegates of the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina have chosen an outsider to be their next bishop. They rejected the two internal candidates.

However, the diocese was split. At first, the majority of both clergy and laity did not choose the outsider. The majority voted for the insiders.

Edgar was the leading choice of the clergy but not the laity. The laity then moved to follow the lead of the clergy.

Choosing the dean of the cathedral of the Anglican Diocese of the Carolinas may well foreshadow the union of the two dioceses, both in the ACNA. Steve Wood is bishop of the Diocese of the Carolinas. When Lawrence leaves, the ADSC may well merge into the Diocese of the Carolinas. 

Making Edgar the next bishop indicates both a dissatisfaction with the old diocesan leadership and a willingness to give up the identity as the old diocese of South Carolina. This makes sense if the ADSC loses in the state supreme court and winds up with just 6 local parishes. It will almost certainly lose its appeal in the federal court and lose forever its claim to be the historic diocese of South Carolina. If ADSC loses in both the SCSC and the federal court, it would be wise to merge with another body. Today's election suggests that. This would be an indictment of the choices the diocesan leaders made in 2012 when they broke up the old diocese and went to legal war. It did not turn out well for them.  

It is too soon to jump to conclusions about these possibilities. But, today's election is a powerful sign that the resolution of the schism is closer than ever. 

Now, it is on to the SC Supreme Court for its decision on the local properties.