The Bishop's
Address
One Hundred
Twenty-seventh Regular Synod
Normal, Illinois
October 1-2, 2004
BELOVED IN CHRIST, ON THIS
OCCASION OF THE ONE HUNDRED TWENTY-SEVENTH REGULAR SYNOD, I HAVE THE
PRIVILEGE OF ADDRESSING YOU AS YOUR BISHOP IN THE THIRTEENTH YEAR OF THIS
EPISCOPACY, AND I DO SO IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER, AND OF THE SON AND OF
THE HOLY SPIRIT. Amen.
I am pleased to welcome you
to this Regular Synod of the Diocese of Springfield with a sincere
appreciation for our hosts -- the Rector, Wardens and people of Christ the
King Episcopal Church, Normal, Illinois.
Here I also want to recognize
the members of the Diocesan Staff who are an effective team for whom I am
most thankful. They are the Venerable Shawn Denney, Archdeacon, Mrs. Sue
Spring, Diocesan Administrator, Mr. Jim Donkin, Financial Officer and
Treasurer of the Diocese, and Mr. Bill Boyd, Volunteer Property Manager
and Sexton. It is a privilege to be surrounded by these dedicated
Christian people who play a very large part in the good ministry that
happens in the Diocese of Springfield.
At this Synod, we are blessed
to have a number of very special guests in attendance. Though you will
have the opportunity to meet them as they bring greetings to this Synod, I
want to introduce each of them now. I am asking them to stand as I call
their names. First, it is a privilege to welcome the Rt. Rev. Robert
Duncan, the Bishop of Pittsburgh. He is also the Moderator of the
Anglican Communion Network and the former Vice President of the American
Anglican Council. Bob is a valued colleague because he is a courageous
defender of the faith and a gentle but fierce spiritual warrior for
Christ. He will be available to anyone who wishes to engage him and he
will deliver the homily at Evensong tonight and the sermon at the
Eucharist in the morning.
Also with us is our esteemed
neighbor, the Rt. Rev. Keith Ackerman, the Bishop of Quincy. Welcome my
friend.
Representing the Rt. Rev.
John Holder and our Companion Diocese of Barbados is their Archdeacon, the
Venerable Eric Lynch. We are very pleased to have you join us.
The Rev. Dr. Jacqueline
Linden-Schade, is here representing Bishop Warren Freiheit and the
Central/Southern Illinois Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of
America.
Last, but certainly not
least, is the Rev. David Anderson, Executive Director, Illinois Conference
of Churches. Welcome to you, one and all.
In addition to those just
introduced, we have two other guests who I want you to meet, and I call on
Mr. Tunji Akande, Synod Representative from St. Mary’s Church, Robinson,
to make the introductions.
[NOTE: Mr. Tunji Akande
introduces his father, the Honorable Chief Josiah Adeagbo Alabi Popoola
Akande, who is the Otun Balogun of Ijaye, which is in the Nigerian Diocese
of Ibadan South, and his mother, Wuraola Akande.]
Welcome to you both.
As mutual members of a sacred
community, the Church, of which Christ Himself is the head, it is
appropriate for me to recognize and welcome those who have joined us in
ordained ministry or their ministry status has changed since our last
synod. Please stand as I call your name:
The Rev. Canon Richard Swan,
Canon Missioner for the Diocese in the Hale Deanery, has come back to us
after a five-year interlude in the Diocese of Ohio;
The Rev. Mark Winward, Active
Duty Navy Chaplain with the rank of Lieutenant, has come to us from the
Diocese of Maine. He is assigned to Marine Aircraft Group 39, Camp
Pendleton, California;
The Rev. Robert Giffin,
former Priest in the Catholic Apostolic Church of Brazil, has been
received as a deacon and priest and now is the Vicar of St. Alban’s,
Olney, and, St. Mary’s, Robinson;
The Rev. Ann Alley has been
ordained deacon and is assigned to St. Christopher’s Church, Rantoul;
The Rev. Donald E. Coventry
has been ordained deacon and is assigned to St. John’s, Decatur;
The Rev. Bruce U. DeGooyer
has been ordained deacon and is assigned to St. Matthew’s, Bloomington;
The Rev. G. William Howard,
III, has been ordained deacon and is assigned to the Hale Deanery Team
Ministry;
The Rev. Sylvia L. Howard has
been ordained deacon and is assigned to Trinity Church, Mt. Vernon;
The Rev. Gene R. Tucker has
been ordained deacon and is assigned to the Hale Deanery Team Ministry
and, God willing will begin his duties in residence on November 1; and
The Rev. Thomas D. Patton has
been ordained priest and continues to serve as a chaplain in the State of
Illinois Department of Corrections at Logan Correctional Center in
Lincoln.
In addition, the Rev. Dr.
Thomas P. Murphy has begun his ministry as the Interim Rector of All
Saints, Morton, and the Rev. Dr. Robert B. Clarke has been chosen Interim
Dean at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Springfield and officially
began his duties on September 1. Moreover, the Episcopal Parish of Alton
has called the Rev. David Boase as their Rector and we pray he will be in
place soon. In all these cases, their presence and ministry is welcomed as
we labor together in this portion of our Lord’s vineyard. Indeed, “the
harvest is plentiful and the laborers are (far too) few.”
During this past year, the
following letters dimissory were issued by me:
Rebecca Crummey, deacon, to
the Diocese of Colorado;
John Seymour, deacon, to the
Diocese of Chicago;
Gary Way, deacon, to the
Diocese of Virginia;
D. Joe Dunlap, priest, to the
Diocese of Chicago; and
James Harris, priest, to the
Diocese of Florida;
Now it is my solemn task to
declare a moment of silence as we remember the clergy of this Diocese who
died this past year. They are the Very Rev. William Davis,
Priest-in-Charge of St. Bartholomew’s Church, Granite City, and longtime
Regional Dean of the Darrow Deanery; the Rev. Canon Leslie Wilson and the
Rev. Canon Charles Draper, both retired priests of this Diocese, and the
Rev. Robin Cona, Deacon and longtime layperson of the Diocese of
Springfield. They all have been valued members of our community, and we
thank God for them and for their good ministries. We acknowledge that our
common family is diminished by their deaths, and we grieve their deaths
along with their families.
-- (SILENCE) --
May their souls rest in
peace, O Lord, and may all who grieve know God’s most gracious consolation
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The theme of this Synod is
“Stewards of Grace and Instruments of Peace.” Truly our ministries
are nothing if they do not embody the theological understanding that we
are stewards of God’s grace and instruments of His peace.
As always, the primary
responsibility of this address is to report to you on the state of the
Church. As I approached that task this year, I wish I could say I feel
like the person who went to the doctor and said, “Doc, I think I have a
serious problem. When I touch my head, I experience severe pain; and when
I touch my heart, I experience severe pain; and if that weren’t bad
enough, when I touch my stomach, I experience that same severe pain.” The
doctor said, “Well, let’s see here, Hummm. Oh, now I see. Thankfully,
it’s not nearly as bad as you may think.” The doctor then added, “What we
have here is a broken finger!”
It should be very clear the
Church has much more than a proverbial broken finger. To think not is to
be in either deep denial or serious psychosis. The reality is the heart
and soul of our Church is in a very serious if not a mortal crisis. In
facing it we should be clear about a number of things.
First, and perhaps most
important, is that this Church belongs to God. It is not unusual these
days for me in my prayer time to remind Him that He has a problem with His
Church down here. Of course He knows that, but I need to remind myself
that it’s not up to me to fix it, but it is my responsibility, along with
each of you, to be a resource for God to use as He goes about fixing it.
Not too long ago I was on a
panel addressing the Church’s crisis. Another panelist said he thought
the Episcopal Church is beyond redemption. I disagreed. “Redemption,” I
said, “is in the realm of God’s Providence, and with God all things are
possible.” What I said my fear was is that the leadership of the
Episcopal Church, primarily the House of Bishops, will refuse to let God
use us to that end. The problem is we, as a body, seem to think there
isn’t anything wrong except for the biblical fundamentalists who don’t
recognize the appropriateness of these latest ecclesial innovations. And
of course they could be right. However, the largest majority of the
Church Catholic don’t think so. Rather, they believe and I believe by our
action at the 74th General Convention, we have turned our backs
on the Faith once delivered to the saints.
A key indication of that fact
is the impact a year ago last summer has had on our ecumenical
relationships. The Roman Catholics refused to meet again in the long
established Anglican/Roman Catholic talks until the Anglican co-chair, the
Most Rev. Frank Griswold, our Presiding Bishop, resigned and, even with
that, future talks have been put on hold until the outcome of this mess is
determined.
One of the great recent
accomplishments of our Church, I think, was how we assisted the Russian
Orthodox Church to establish a chaplaincy to minister to their country’s
armed forces after the fall of the Soviet Union. Bishop Charles Keyser, a
retired Navy chaplain himself and, at the time, our Suffragan Bishop for
the Armed Forces and who has been both a personal mentor and a longtime
friend, was instrumental in that work. However, after the consecration
last December of V. Gene Robinson as Bishop of New Hampshire, in which
Bishop Keyser participated, the Russian Orthodox won’t have anything to do
with us.
Over the years, the Episcopal
Church has had an extraordinarily positive, though informal, relationship
with the Greek Orthodox Church in this country. All of that essentially
has been shredded. If our inclination is to reply, “What’s wrong with
them?” we may be beyond help!
Perhaps what was most
disturbing to me was coming to understand that after the dust settles, no
matter the outcome, it is very unlikely the Episcopal Church, USA, and,
indeed, the Anglican Communion will ever be what it was prior to the
summer of 2003. I realize there are those who think that is both
appropriate and positive. I don’t! Rather, the current direction of our
Church looks to me like it is going down a one-way, dead-end street. But
what I have discovered over the last year is that for a long time I have
been committing the sin of idolatry. I have valued the institution and
the trappings of the Episcopal Church more than I have valued Jesus and
more than the Gospel of His Kingdom. In that conviction, as difficult as
it has been to face, I believe my faithfulness as a Christian has
increased substantially. For the last couple of decades, it’s as if our
Church leaders, including myself, haven’t been paying attention, and for
that I, too, share in the culpability.
We certainly haven’t listened
to Samuel Seabury, who lived from 1729 to 1796 and was the first Bishop of
the Episcopal Church. Specifically, I’m referring to the strong
sentiments he clearly stated in his “Second Charge to the Clergy,” in
which he addressed the liturgical revisionism and the novel theology of
his day. There he said:
“And now, Reverend Brethren,
that you may see how necessary it is for you to exert yourselves in
support of the Holy Catholic Faith, let me request you to direct your
attention particularly to this country; and when you observe how low some
have set the doctrines and principles of religion -- how some are
degrading the Priesthood of Christ’s Church -- on the one side -- his
divinity denied on the other ---- two of the old Creeds, the guards of the
true Faith against Arianism and Socianism, thrown out -- the descent of
Christ into Hell, the invisible place of departed souls, by which his
perfect humanity, and our perfect redemption, of soul, as well of body,
are ascertained, rejected from the Apostles’ Creed -- Baptism reduced to a
mere ceremony, by excluding the idea of regeneration -- and you will own
with me, that the strongest obligations lie upon us, to hold fast, and
contend earnestly for, the faith as it was once delivered to the Saints --
to abide by the government, support the doctrines, retain the principles,
explain the true nature and meaning of the sacraments and offices of the
Church, and endeavor to restore them to that station and estimation, in
which the primitive Christians held them.”
If Bishop Seabury were alive
today, it would not be difficult to imagine he would be viewed in most
dioceses of our Church as a narrow-minded, dissident, extreme
fundamentalist who at best would have difficulty in being endorsed for
seminary and Holy Orders, let alone allowed election as a bishop.
Nor would I say we’ve heard
what G. K. Chesterton said in 1926:
“The next great heresy is
going to be simply an attack on morality; and especially on sexual
morality… I say that the man who cannot see this cannot see the signs of
the times; cannot see the sky signs in the street that are the new sort of
signs in heaven. The madness of tomorrow is not in Moscow but much more
in Manhattan.”
And how could we have heard
what theologian Wolfhart Pannenberg has stated?
“If the Church were to let
itself be pushed to the point where it ceased to treat homosexual activity
as a departure from the biblical norm, and recognized homosexual unions as
a personal partnership of love equivalent to marriage, such a Church would
stand no longer on biblical ground but against the unequivocal witness of
Scripture. A Church that took this step would cease to be the One, Holy,
Catholic and Apostolic Church.”
The following authored by a
person unknown to me must surely be foreign to us:
“Clergy and lay people who
stand the Bible on its head, no matter how well-intentioned they may be,
are thoroughly distorting Judaism and Christianity. Intellectual honesty
demands that they either support same-sex marriage solely from a secular
standpoint or create a new religion from which to do so.”
Could we possibly have heard
the concerns expressed by West Virginia lay persons to their bishop just
before the Minneapolis General Convention last year?
“Our witness for Christ
before the world is impugned as our Church looks no different from the
world. We as a Church appear to have nothing to offer a sinful world that
needs repentance and Christ’s salvation. Instead of demonstrating how to
lead a blameless life in Christ, we appear to the world to be accepting
sinful loves. Why should they join us when we seem to be offering what
they already have?”
And how could we have heard
what I believe is attributed to C. FitzSimons Allison, the retired bishop
of South Carolina and my seminary Church History professor and faculty
advisor?
“…understand, first, that the
seriousness of the current crisis should not be underestimated. Both sides
may view this as a salvation issue, and, if that is true, the two
understandings of the meaning of salvation are incompatible and mutually
exclusive. Therefore concern about this issue is not fundamentally
ecclesiological, sacramental, doctrinal, or biblical, (as critical as all
those issues are). Rather, it is first and foremost a profound pastoral
issue, for in classic Christian teaching, homosexual actions leave the
actors facing God's judgment without Christ’s mediating work. Teaching
which encourages such behavior is profoundly cruel, as it encourages
people to sin and, in defiance of the gospel, to call that sin an act of
grace. Toleration of such teaching is equally cruel, and makes one
complicit in the sins of both the actor and the teacher. This issue
matters to us because people matter to us, and both heaven and hell are
genuine alternative destinies.”
Truly, as someone else
has said, “There
is no division between sound spirituality and good common sense, and we
are called to exercise good common sense.”
Alas, our Church
appears to be the proverbial person with ears but cannot hear!
So, what’s going to happen? There is a wide
spectrum of possible results prompted by the Lambeth Commission Report,
which was completed last month and I understand was to be given to the
Archbishop of Canterbury just yesterday (September 30). It is due to be
made public this month on the 18th of October. On the one
hand, the Episcopal Church could be reduced to “observer status” or
receive some kind of verbal reprimand on the other. If we were reduced to
“observer status,” barring our repentance, the Episcopal Church would no
longer be what we have always been – Anglican. That would be a travesty
both for us and the larger Communion. If we were to receive only a verbal
reprimand, a majority of Anglicans if not Provinces are likely to
disassociate themselves from Anglicanism as they already have done in
their relation to the Episcopal Church. That also would be a travesty,
because if we are honest what would be left essentially would be a dying
Church. Whatever happens officially, will not happen in the next month or
so. A number of crucial meetings are being scheduled in order for various
Church entities to craft ways forward individually if corporate progress
becomes impossible. They are as follows:
--An All Africa Meeting will
be held October 24 through October 31, 2004 in Lagos, Nigeria;
--A special meeting of our
House of Bishops will convene January 12 and 13, 2005, in Salt Lake City,
Utah;
--The Anglican Primates from
the 38 Provinces of the Anglican Communion will meet February 20 through
26, 2005, in Belfast, Ireland; and
--The Anglican Consultative
Council, which is the Archbishop of Canterbury’s advisory council, is
scheduled to meet in March 2005. Then within a relative short period of
time the Archbishop of Canterbury will make a decision as to what to do.
Surely by Pentecost 2005, the die will have been cast.
The tragedy is, all this
could have been avoided had our Church and especially we who are leaders
had been living in the words of St. Augustine, when he said, “…In
essentials unity, in non-essentials diversity, in all things charity.”
The fact that our Church seems unable to agree on the nature of “charity,”
let alone what is “essential” and what is “non-essential” is particular
distressing.
Nevertheless, until the
report is seen and studied and the Archbishop of Canterbury makes his
decision, we should avoid crass speculation and any major decision
affecting a personal or corporate relationship with the Episcopal Church.
There will be sufficient time for that, and what a pity it would be if we
took inappropriate action which might have been avoided if we just had
been a bit more patient and received critically pertinent information.
Above all, we should not fail to pray for our beloved Church that in every
case it may be what God has ordained it to be and that any actions we
might take will not make the situation worse.
Amidst all the gloom and doom
which can manifest itself in numerous ways and at any turn in this life,
there is Hope with a capital “H.” Hope, for good reasons, is the second
of the three Theological Virtues and defined as “The ability of the soul
to hold its eternal destiny in firm anticipation.” Never lose sight of
the fact that we are the Resurrection people. And, though we are
temporally confined to a physical existence in this world and can and do
suffer terribly in it, we are only mere “resident aliens.” We are passing
through to that place God has prepared for all His people eternally in the
heavens.
Remember, in God’s
providence, nothing has changed. You and I are called through the
Sacrament of Baptism to be “Stewards of Grace and Instruments of
Peace.” We are fed and strengthened by the Sacrament of Holy
Communion and empowered by the Holy Spirit in the Sacraments of
Confirmation and Ordination to make a positive and holy difference for
having passed through this life. Finally, never forget, as St. Paul
reminds us in the eighth chapter of his Epistle to the Romans, “God is at
work for good in all things.”
It is clear to me as I travel
the Diocese that there are positive signs of significant ministries in
each of our congregations and each is doing God’s work. At the diocesan
level, I believe a very positive sign is that in conjunction with ten
other bishops and their dioceses I, along with the Diocese of Springfield,
am in full communion with every other Province in the Anglican Communion.
The remaining ninety-seven or so dioceses of the Episcopal Church cannot
say that. Our diocesan unity with the rest of Anglicanism is a reality
because of the action of our Diocesan Council in affiliating with the
Anglican Communion Network. I would sincerely hope this Synod will not
change that reality as a resolution which will come before us proposes to
do.
Without question, this Synod
is charged with doing God’s work and we have an opportunity to make a
significant difference. There are many resolutions before us, the
majority of which appear designed to embarrass me if not undermine the
ministry of which I am the steward in this place at this time. I ask you
to consider carefully the consequences of passing resolutions based on
fallacious assertions no matter what the intention, even as I would ask
you to elect persons to leadership offices in this Diocese who will serve
by example and represent us with grace and dignity, and most importantly
assist me defending the faith rather than simply opposing what they
perceive might be my leadership style or policy position.
Certainly, part of the genius
of the Constitution and Canons of our Church is that on a parish level,
ministry cannot succeed unless the clergy work with the lay people and the
lay people work with the clergy. Likewise, on the diocesan level ministry
will succeed best if you work with and through the bishop, rather than
trying to work around him. I pray the ministry of this Diocese will not
be hampered by this Synod because the latter, as is being attempted, is
endorsed by this body.
In closing, I wish to leave
you with this thought, again authored by G. K. Chesterton:
“It is easy to be a madman:
it is easy to be a heretic. It is always easy to let the age have its
head; the difficult thing is to keep one’s own. It is always easy to be a
modernist; as it is easy to be a snob. . . . It is always simple to fall;
there is an infinity of angles at which one falls, only one at which one
stands. To have fallen into any one of the fads from Gnosticism to
Christian Science would indeed have been obvious and tame. But to avoid
them all has been one whirling adventure; and in my vision the heavenly
chariot flies thundering through the ages, the dull heresies sprawling and
prostrate, the wild truth reeling but erect.”
And to all of this I say, “Amen,
Amen.”
