Reformed Churchmen

We are Confessional Calvinists and a Prayer Book Church-people. In 2012, we remembered the 350th anniversary of the 1662 Book of Common Prayer; also, we remembered the 450th anniversary of John Jewel's sober, scholarly, and Reformed "An Apology of the Church of England." In 2013, we remembered the publication of the "Heidelberg Catechism" and the influence of Reformed theologians in England, including Heinrich Bullinger's Decades. For 2014: Tyndale's NT translation. For 2015, John Roger, Rowland Taylor and Bishop John Hooper's martyrdom, burned at the stakes. Books of the month. December 2014: Alan Jacob's "Book of Common Prayer" at: http://www.amazon.com/Book-Common-Prayer-Biography-Religious/dp/0691154813/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417814005&sr=8-1&keywords=jacobs+book+of+common+prayer. January 2015: A.F. Pollard's "Thomas Cranmer and the English Reformation: 1489-1556" at: http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Cranmer-English-Reformation-1489-1556/dp/1592448658/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420055574&sr=8-1&keywords=A.F.+Pollard+Cranmer. February 2015: Jaspar Ridley's "Thomas Cranmer" at: http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Cranmer-Jasper-Ridley/dp/0198212879/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1422892154&sr=8-1&keywords=jasper+ridley+cranmer&pebp=1422892151110&peasin=198212879

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

American Anglican Watch: Episcopal Church Takes Action Against the Bishop and Diocese of SC

Bishop Mark Lawrence, Bishop of Diocese
of South Carolina
http://www.diosc.com/sys/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=452%3Athe-episcopal-church-takes-action-against-the-diocese-of-south-carolina-special-convetion-called&catid=1%3Alatest-news&Itemid=75

 
Episcopal Church Takes Action Against the Bishop and Diocese of SC
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Diocese of South Carolina Seal
On Monday, October 15, 2012, Bishop Mark J. Lawrence, the 14th Bishop of the Diocese of South Carolina was notified by the Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church, Katharine Jefferts Schori, that on September 18, 2012 the Disciplinary Board for Bishops had certified his abandonment of The Episcopal Church. This action by The Episcopal Church triggered two pre-existing corporate resolutions of the Diocese, which simultaneously disaffiliated the Diocese from The Episcopal Church and called a Special Convention. That Convention will be held at St. Philip’s Church, Charleston, on Saturday, November 17, 2012.

Bishop Lawrence was notified of these actions taken by the Episcopal Church between two meetings, one held on October 3 and one to be held on October 22, which Bishop Andrew Waldo of the Upper Diocese of South Carolina and Bishop Lawrence had set up with the Presiding Bishop to find a peaceful alternative to the growing issues between The Episcopal Church and the Diocese of South Carolina. The meetings were to explore “creative solutions” for resolving these issues to avoid further turmoil in the Diocese and in The Episcopal Church. A timeline of these events and their associated documents may be found below.

Two of the three charges had previously been determined by a majority vote of the Disciplinary Board for Bishops in November 2011 not to constitute abandonment. The Diocese has not received a signed copy of the certification and also remains uninformed of the identity of those making these charges.

We feel a deep sense of sadness but a renewed sense of God’s providence that The Episcopal Church has chosen to act against this Diocese and its Bishop during a good faith attempt peacefully to resolve our differences. These actions make it clear The Episcopal Church no longer desires to be affiliated with the Diocese of South Carolina.


Documents from the Episcopal Church


Certification of Abandonment


Exhibit A – Index of Quit-Claim Deeds

Exhibit B - Corporate Purpose Statements

Exhibit C – 219th Convention Documents

Exhibit D – 220th Convention Documents

Restriction of Ministry
 
Documents from the Diocese of South Carolina

Timeline of TEC Actions Against Bishop Lawrence

Attachment A - Minutes of the Board of Directors of the Diocese

Attachment B - Disciplinary Board Ruling - No Abandonment

Attachment C - Interpretation of Constitution and Canons

Attachment D - Motion Disaffiliating and Withdrawing from Episcopal Church

2 comments:

Allen Lewis said...

I suspect TEC is about to get its head handed to it on a platter.

This may be a case of the Episcopal Church (TEC) going "a bridge too far." The SC Supreme Court has already ruled that the Dennis Canon is a non-starter in South Carolina.

What new wrinkle the TEC bullies, er lawyers, have up their sleeve remains to be seen.

Interesting times, indeed!

Allen Lewis
former member of the Diocese of SC

Mary Wadleigh Wright Harrison said...

It is so sad that the Diocese of South Carolina which has been my Diocese of confirmation and family heritage cannot be flexible enough to work within The Episcopal Church instead of cutting itself off from it. Progress is never easy and reactionism is not progress..