South Carolina delegates leave TEC General Convention early

“The bulk of the deputation to the House of Deputies from the Diocese of South Carolina has left General Convention one day early, following the actions of the Convention thus far to (a) add transsexual persons to the list of people who cannot be denied work at any level in the Episcopal Church (USA); (b) adopt a rite for the blessing of same-sex unions, in violation of both the Book of Common Prayer and the ECUSA Constitution; and (c) refuse to act at this time on the proposed Anglican Covenant. …”

– Story from The Anglican Curmudgeon.

South Carolina statements here –

“It is with heavy hearts that Bishop Mark Lawrence and the South Carolina deputation to General Convention must report the final passage and adoption of Resolution A049, the Resolution to Authorize Liturgical Resources for Blessing Same-Gender Relationships. The Bishop and our deputation, in both speaking and voting against its passage, remain united and unanimous in our support of the historic understanding of ‘the doctrine, discipline and worship of Christ as this Church has received them.’…”

Related: Why is the Episcopal Church near collapse? – Beliefnet. (h/t SydneyAnglicans.net)

“This is no longer George Washington’s Episcopal Church – in 1776 the largest denomination in the rebellious British colonies. Membership has dropped so dramatically that today there are 20 times more Baptists than Episcopalians.”

TEC affirms “gender identity and gender expression”

“‘Gender identity and gender expression’ have been added as a category of protected classes of personas and behavior for the Episcopal Church. On 9 July 2012 the House of Deputies adopted resolutions … forbidding discrimination in the employment, ordination and the ‘life, worship, and governance’ of trans-gendered or transsexual persons……”

– George Conger reports at Anglican Ink.

No censure for “Fort Worth 9” in TEC House of Bishops

“The push by the provisional bishops of Fort Worth and Quincy to censure nine bishops for disloyalty to the Episcopal Church has failed in the House of Bishops and has likely sunk any attempt to discipline the accused through the church’s legal system. …”

– George Conger reports at Anglican Ink.

Bishops respond to accusations

“Our Constitution … specifies no office or body with supremacy or hierarchical authority over the Ecclesiastical Authority of the diocese for matters within a diocese. And as bishops, we take no vow of obedience to any other office or body.”

– Six of the nine bishops accused of violating TEC’s canons have written an open letter to the TEC House of Bishops and Presiding Bishop. A report and the letter at The Living Church.

Related:

“The lawyers for Bishop Iker’s Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth continue to stay several moves ahead of their ECUSA opponents. Bishop Ohl’s and Bishop Buchanan’s tactic of trying to lower the boom on the seven Bishops signing an amicus brief with the Texas Supreme Court in the Fort Worth case may be said to have backfired. …”

– read more at The Anglican Curmudgeon.

TEC Presiding Bishop’s opening remarks to General Convention

TEC Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori:

“If this convention is The Episcopal Church’s family reunion, then go find somebody who represents the outlaw side of the family for you and spend a few minutes learning your relative’s story.… Episcopalians are increasingly engaged in creative reconciling work…”

– for anyone interested, the full text of the opening remarks to the TEC General Convention in Indianapolis can be read here. (Photo: ENS.)

Calculated to intimidate?

“It turns out that in the Diocese of Quincy litigation, each side was scheduled to file last Friday, June 29, a list of the witnesses, both lay and expert, whom they plan to call to the stand at the trial scheduled for next April.

What a curious coincidence, then, that on the day before the Anglican Diocese of Quincy had to file its statement (i.e., on June 28), one of the Bishops which they planned to list as an expert witness received an email from the Intake Officer, the Rt. Rev. F. Clayton Matthews…”

– A S Haley, The Anglican Curmudgeon, asks about the timing of the notification from TEC of ‘disciplinary proceedings’ against nine bishops.

TitusOneNine has a good summary – Bishopsgate: A Guide with Links.

TEC strikes again

“Disciplinary proceedings have been initiated against three bishops of the Episcopal Church under the provisions of Title IV for having endorsed a legal pleading filed in the Quincy lawsuit.

On 28 June 2012, the Rt. Rev. Edward L. Salmon, Jr., former Bishop of South Carolina and Dean of Nashotah House seminary, the Rt. Rev. Peter H. Beckwith, former Bishop of Springfield, and th Rt. Rev. D. Bruce MacPherson, Bishop of Western Louisiana received an email from the Rt. Rev. F. Clayton Matthews stating that the charges had been leveled against them…”

– George Conger reports at Anglican Ink. Photo of Bp Edward Salmon: Nashotah House.

Related: Comment from The Anglican Curmudgeon.

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