TOWARD A RESOLUTION
Conclusion
SUMMARY OF QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
ON THE SCHISM
(First posted on Feb. 1, 2018).
Having looked in detail at the issues involved, in my opinion these are the most reasonable conclusions to draw on the questions at hand:
1. Did the Episcopal Church try to remove Bishop Lawrence from the Diocese of South Carolina?
1. Did the Episcopal Church try to remove Bishop Lawrence from the Diocese of South Carolina?
No. Bishop Lawrence took an oath to obey the discipline of the Episcopal Church at his consecration in 2008. In 2012, TEC imposed discipline on him for flagrant violation of Church law. Lawrence refused the discipline and left the Episcopal Church. He could have cleared himself by letter to the Presiding Bishop or appeal to the House of Bishops. Lawrence removed himself from the Episcopal Church.
2. Did the Episcopal Church attack the Diocese of South Carolina?
2. Did the Episcopal Church attack the Diocese of South Carolina?
No. The action of the Episcopal Church to discipline Bishop Lawrence was for him alone. It had nothing to do with the Diocese of South Carolina which is separate from the bishop. There is no evidence to support the wild claim that TEC was out to flip the diocese from conservative to liberal.
3. Did the Diocese of South Carolina have the right to withdraw from the Episcopal Church?
No. South Carolina gave full accession to the constitution and canons of the Episcopal Church when its representatives signed the documents in 1789. The C and C set up a General Convention to make rules for the whole church. There was no provision in the C and C allowing a diocese to disregard or nullify an action of GC. There was no provision in the C and C to allow a diocese to withdraw from the union outside of the terms in the C and C.
4. Was the schism a popular uprising or a conspiracy among a small group?
The schism of 2012 was planned and carried out by a group of no more than two dozen people. This cabal enacted it in secret (Oct. 15), then announced it to the world two days later as an accomplished fact (Oct. 17). The clergy and laity of the diocese were confronted with it. There was never a discernment or open discussion in the diocese about the critical issues of the day or whether to disaffiliate from TEC in 2012.
5. Did the issue of homosexuality cause the schism?
Yes, the issue of homosexuality was the direct cause of the schism. The leaders of DSC led a backlash against TEC after every General Convention from 2003 to 2012. They used homosexuality as the wedge issue to inflame the diocese against the Church. By cumulative effect, the leaders had the confidence to enact the schism after the 2012 GC approved a liturgy for the blessing of same-sex unions. No other issue was remotely as important as this in the run-up to the schism.
6. Was the Diocese of South Carolina right to issue the quit claim deeds?
No. The Dennis Canon was a law of the Church. DSC had no right to ignore a law of the Church. The Dennis Canon said that all parish property is held in trust for the Episcopal Church and the Church diocese. DSC had no right to surrender the Church's or the diocese's trust interest in the local properties. The legal validity of the quit claim deeds is open to question.
7. Did the Diocese of South Carolina leave the Episcopal Church because TEC had abandoned "the faith once delivered"?
3. Did the Diocese of South Carolina have the right to withdraw from the Episcopal Church?
No. South Carolina gave full accession to the constitution and canons of the Episcopal Church when its representatives signed the documents in 1789. The C and C set up a General Convention to make rules for the whole church. There was no provision in the C and C allowing a diocese to disregard or nullify an action of GC. There was no provision in the C and C to allow a diocese to withdraw from the union outside of the terms in the C and C.
4. Was the schism a popular uprising or a conspiracy among a small group?
The schism of 2012 was planned and carried out by a group of no more than two dozen people. This cabal enacted it in secret (Oct. 15), then announced it to the world two days later as an accomplished fact (Oct. 17). The clergy and laity of the diocese were confronted with it. There was never a discernment or open discussion in the diocese about the critical issues of the day or whether to disaffiliate from TEC in 2012.
5. Did the issue of homosexuality cause the schism?
Yes, the issue of homosexuality was the direct cause of the schism. The leaders of DSC led a backlash against TEC after every General Convention from 2003 to 2012. They used homosexuality as the wedge issue to inflame the diocese against the Church. By cumulative effect, the leaders had the confidence to enact the schism after the 2012 GC approved a liturgy for the blessing of same-sex unions. No other issue was remotely as important as this in the run-up to the schism.
6. Was the Diocese of South Carolina right to issue the quit claim deeds?
No. The Dennis Canon was a law of the Church. DSC had no right to ignore a law of the Church. The Dennis Canon said that all parish property is held in trust for the Episcopal Church and the Church diocese. DSC had no right to surrender the Church's or the diocese's trust interest in the local properties. The legal validity of the quit claim deeds is open to question.
7. Did the Diocese of South Carolina leave the Episcopal Church because TEC had abandoned "the faith once delivered"?
The diocese did not leave the Church, certain members did. The idea that the Christian religion was born full grown and has been handed down from one generation to the next unchanged is not true. Outside of the core belief in the Kerygma, much of Christianity has changed and evolved over the centuries. Despite some controversial remarks of certain Episcopal bishops, the Episcopal Church has not changed the doctrines and beliefs of the church, only the institutional practices, as ordination of women and equal rights for non-celibate homosexuals. Any revision of the doctrines of faith would have to be made by the General Convention which has not done so.
8. Were the actions of the Diocese of South Carolina before, during, and after the schism God's will?
8. Were the actions of the Diocese of South Carolina before, during, and after the schism God's will?
No one can know the mind of God. It is beyond human comprehension. Yet, DSC leaders often said the diocese was favored by God, identified their courtroom adversary as evil, and touted the legal victories as signs of the divine approval. Since the state supreme court ruled against DSC on Aug. 2, 2017, the DSC leaders have not mentioned God's will in reference to the litigation.
9. Has the Diocese of South Carolina restored orthodox Anglicanism in the diocese?
9. Has the Diocese of South Carolina restored orthodox Anglicanism in the diocese?
No, DSC abandoned classical, traditional Anglicanism at the schism and has veered off into a fundamentalist-oriented evangelical church out of the mainstream of Anglicanism. This was finalized in 2015 in the four documents issued by the Marriage Task Force.
10. When the Diocese of South Carolina exhausts its legal avenues, what are the choices of its communicants?
10. When the Diocese of South Carolina exhausts its legal avenues, what are the choices of its communicants?
In all likelihood, DSC will exhaust its avenues in state court and will lose in federal court. The state supreme court decision returning 29 of 35 parishes to control of the Episcopal Church will almost certainly stand. The clergy and the 13,000 laity in the 29 churches will have to decide whether to stay with the buildings and return to the Episcopal Church, or leave the buildings.
11. What happens to the parish property after the parish returns to the Episcopal Church?
11. What happens to the parish property after the parish returns to the Episcopal Church?
There will be no change. The parish will continue to own the deed to the property. The Episcopal Church and the Church diocese will not own the property but merely hold trust control over the property. In practical terms all this means is that the parish cannot sell the property without permission of the Church and diocese. For many years before the schism this was the set up and there was no problem with it.
12. What is an Anglican?
12. What is an Anglican?
The dictionary defines "Anglican" as one in communion with the Archbishop of Canterbury. In the U.S., the only church in communion with the ABC is the Episcopal Church. TEC is one of the 39 provinces of the Anglican Communion. Since the schism, DSC has not been part of the Anglican Communion. It has joined an independent denomination, the Anglican Church in North America, that is not in the Anglican Communion. Being recognized and supported by GAFCON and Global South bishops does not make one an Anglican.
SOME FINAL THOUGHTS FOR THE 13,000 COMMUNICANTS IN DISCERNMENT
You have a hard task ahead of you. My thoughts and prayers are with you as you pass through this difficult time. Having seen the pain that came with the brokenness of the schism in 2012, I know the anguish in store for you.
First, you should know by now that a great deal of what you have been told was not true, or was only partially true, selectively true, or misconstrued.
It is a terrible thing to realize that one's esteemed and fondly-regarded leaders were wrong, even disastrously wrong. It will be hard for you to sort out the truth of what happened in the schism. We naturally want to trust that what our church leaders tell us is always true and right. I have provided a great deal of documented information to help you do this in my book, A History of the Episcopal Church Schism in South Carolina and in this series of blog posts, of which this is the conclusion. The 300,000 word book should tell you all you need to know about how you got into the situation you are in. It is readily available on Amazon and other Internet outlets. I have done all that I can to help you reach a truthful understanding of the schism. You have an enormous amount of verified facts easily at hand. What you do with all of this is up to you. You and your church family alone should decide the best way forward.
Before we leave, let us take a moment to be honest and frank about the driving issue that led to the schism, homosexuality. If people return to the Episcopal Church do they have to approve of homosexual acts? No. Let me explain.
When the General Convention adopted a liturgy for the blessing of same-sex unions in 2012 and same-sex marriage in 2015, it provided for local option. No diocese, parish, clergy or lay person is required to condone or support these measures. In fact, most of the ultra conservative (those who refused to recognize the validity of non-celibate homosexual ordinations) Episcopalians remained in the Church. A number of bishops announced they would not allow the reforms in their dioceses; and they had every right to do that. In the Church diocese in SC today, the local vestries, mission councils and clergy are completely free to refuse the blessings and marriages. Thus, when parishes return to the Episcopal Church they too will have the same right to exclude the pro-homosexual reforms. All the Church asks is that we allow others to have access to the reforms. There is a key difference between the DSC and TECSC today. DSC has institutionalized intolerance while TECSC allows a free choice.
Thus, the choice facing the 13,000 boils down to two: 1-returning to the Episcopal Church and classical Anglicanism, or 2-following the DSC leaders into an independent, fundamentalist-oriented sect.
Eventually, there will be a resolution of the schism, one way or another. At least 29 parishes will return to the Episcopal Church although no one can know how many parishioners will return. The leaders of the independent diocese have shown every sign of going on with a separate "diocese" whatever happens. Whether you choose to return to your ancestral home in the Episcopal Church or depart with the new independent diocese, you should be at peace with your choices.
It is a terrible thing to realize that one's esteemed and fondly-regarded leaders were wrong, even disastrously wrong. It will be hard for you to sort out the truth of what happened in the schism. We naturally want to trust that what our church leaders tell us is always true and right. I have provided a great deal of documented information to help you do this in my book, A History of the Episcopal Church Schism in South Carolina and in this series of blog posts, of which this is the conclusion. The 300,000 word book should tell you all you need to know about how you got into the situation you are in. It is readily available on Amazon and other Internet outlets. I have done all that I can to help you reach a truthful understanding of the schism. You have an enormous amount of verified facts easily at hand. What you do with all of this is up to you. You and your church family alone should decide the best way forward.
Before we leave, let us take a moment to be honest and frank about the driving issue that led to the schism, homosexuality. If people return to the Episcopal Church do they have to approve of homosexual acts? No. Let me explain.
When the General Convention adopted a liturgy for the blessing of same-sex unions in 2012 and same-sex marriage in 2015, it provided for local option. No diocese, parish, clergy or lay person is required to condone or support these measures. In fact, most of the ultra conservative (those who refused to recognize the validity of non-celibate homosexual ordinations) Episcopalians remained in the Church. A number of bishops announced they would not allow the reforms in their dioceses; and they had every right to do that. In the Church diocese in SC today, the local vestries, mission councils and clergy are completely free to refuse the blessings and marriages. Thus, when parishes return to the Episcopal Church they too will have the same right to exclude the pro-homosexual reforms. All the Church asks is that we allow others to have access to the reforms. There is a key difference between the DSC and TECSC today. DSC has institutionalized intolerance while TECSC allows a free choice.
Thus, the choice facing the 13,000 boils down to two: 1-returning to the Episcopal Church and classical Anglicanism, or 2-following the DSC leaders into an independent, fundamentalist-oriented sect.
Eventually, there will be a resolution of the schism, one way or another. At least 29 parishes will return to the Episcopal Church although no one can know how many parishioners will return. The leaders of the independent diocese have shown every sign of going on with a separate "diocese" whatever happens. Whether you choose to return to your ancestral home in the Episcopal Church or depart with the new independent diocese, you should be at peace with your choices.
