This just passed by an overwhelming majority–KSH.
Resolution R-2
Subject: A Resolution on the Uniqueness of Christ
Offered by: the Very Rev. Craige Borrett, the Rev. Dr. Kendall Harmon, Christ Saint Paul’s, Yonges Island
That this Diocesan Convention, while valuing and affirming the importance of cultural and religious diversity, affirms that the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ is for all and must be shared with all including people from other faiths or of no faith and that to do anything else would be to fail to love them as our neighbor; and that to this end, this Convention:
(a) recommits itself to living out daily the Baptismal Covenant’s call to “proclaim by word and example the Good news of God in Christ;’’ and
(b) urges all Christians to encourage sensitive and positive sharing of faith with people of all faiths and none whilst being willing to learn from and be enriched by people of other faiths.
Explanation:
In the beginning of the 21st century we live in a global village in which the world is indeed flat and there are many spiritual and religious ideas competing together for people’s attention. It is more important than ever that we as Anglicans affirm, speaking the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15), the unique claim that Christ and his cross has on the whole world, a claim we have been given by the apostles and by those earlier Christians in history on whose shoulders we now stand.
In their most recent General Synod in February 2009, the Church of England passed a resolution which read:
That this Synod warmly welcome Dr Martin Davie’s background paper ”˜The witness of Scripture, the Fathers and the historic formularies to the uniqueness of Christ’ attached to GS Misc 905B and request the House of Bishops to report to the Synod on their understanding of the uniqueness of Christ in Britain’s multi-faith society, and offer examples and commendations of good practice in sharing the gospel of salvation through Christ alone with people of other faiths and of none.
This resolution also allows us to support our sisters and brothers in the Church of England who rightly see the importance of “the uniqueness of Christ” in a multi faith world.
Nice work. Will you be submitting these resolutions to GenCon?
Woohoo! Way to go South Carolina. Thanks for the encouragement and the wonderful example Kendall!
Both this and the previous resolution passed are models for what true membership in the Anglican Communion and faithful adherence to the defining principles of Christian faith should look like. Prayers that they become the focus for a groundswell of CP bishops to make a united push for these to come to a roll-call, up-or-down, no tabling in committee vote at GC09.
Why?
Why do we need such a resolution?
Why do we feel a need to legislate the truth?
Why do we waste time with such things?
How did this resolution serve the Church?
PB&J;, of course this resolution should not be necessary to define any Christian church. Sadly, this is TEC we are talking about and, as such, the most simple, fundamental basics of Christian faith can’t be assumed, can they?
Um. PB&J;, it may have passed you by but TEC has seriously challenged this silly trivial notion of Christ being the only way to God [see Buddhist Bishop-elect as exhibit 5,978] and furthermore the COE has affirmed overwhelmingly Christ being the only way to God. It appears that the diocese of SC wished to set itself in alliance with the COE and by definition as opposed to the beliefs of many of the bishops and PB herself of TEC.
It’s hard for me to believe that people have missed these conflicts over the past five years . . . but I suppose if one doesn’t hang out at blogs more than once a month or so, it’s very possible.
PB&J;, since the Church has always done this, I think you should explain each of your questions as to how “not” will serve. Eagerly anticipating your responses……
My frustration is not in defining the tenants of our faith but in what I believe to be a waste of time in Convention to do so. Do we really believe that this resolution will make difference? Do we think that the PB and her cohorts would read this and shake in fear or mend their way or repent? I do not. I don’t believe that a resolution passed at Convention makes a difference. I believe action makes a difference.
@Sarah – don’t presume for a minute that this has passed me by for five years. TEC has been unraveling for much longer than five years.
@dwstroud – Time and money – This diocese has spent thousands of dollars, thousands of hours in public and private but has done nothing of significance to make the world sit up and take notice this we stand with Christ and that we stand against TEC. We talk, we posture, we pass resolutions, we have statements but we DO nothing.
The institution of the Diocese continues to be more concerned with the institution and less concerned with rescuing souls.
RE: “Do we really believe that this resolution will make difference?”
Depends on how you define “difference.” I personally believe that it is always important and necessary to publicly reassert truth. After all, we do it every Sunday by reasserting the Nicene Creed publicly.
RE: “Do we think that the PB and her cohorts would read this and shake in fear or mend their way or repent?”
No. But what does that have to do with publicly reasserting truth?
RE: “I don’t believe that a resolution passed at Convention makes a difference. I believe action makes a difference.”
If you’re like so many others who cry out “action” I have to assume you actually mean “I believe leaving TEC makes a difference.”
RE: “. . . don’t presume for a minute that this has passed me by for five years.”
Okay. Hard to tell from your first comment, but I believe you.
RE: “The institution of the Diocese continues to be more concerned with the institution and less concerned with rescuing souls.”
I haven’t noticed that from the diocese of SC. I notice their actions being very concerned about evangelism.
Unless . . . by “concerned with rescuing souls” you actually mean “when can we leave TEC?”
Bishop Salmon always used to admonish the South Carolina convention: “We do not vote on the Faith of the Church.”
Maybe too many have forgotten what that is.
Stand up, stand up for Jesus!
Thanks for the support S.C.
PB&J;, such a resolution was in fact quite hot as a topic in Englanc just recently and a definitive resolution was reached. The call to do so and the failure to do so will etch yet another endelible line in the glass between what the ECUSA/TEC/GCC/EO-PAC actually does and does not do and does and does not believe in comparison with Anglicanism.
I do appreciate your point about not doing anything seemingly substantive. At least my former episcopal diocese of Missouri had the gonads to deny BO33 and calll for its revocation, call for partnered same-sex persons at every level of ministry, call for the development of same sex liturgical blessings at the diocesan and national levels, and whiningly continue the support to the Diocese of Lui in the Sudan so “our understanding of the gospel(sic)” could be furthered among the Sudanese. I left because I cannot support such a program as remotely Christian and certainly not a Gospel that an apostle would validate. You have some small blessing in your location. There are Christians there who do not alter the Gospel to suit their fancies of the moment.
So if and when the Anglican Communion ever gets around to do something to its cash cow the USA/Canada (a very, very big IF), such resolutions demonstrate the Gospel in SC versus the gozpell in say, the Diocese of Missouri. I doubt the SC or English resolutions would pass here. Although I did personally hear +George Wayne Smith say at a discernment conference in 2006 that he at least like candidates to believe in the Trinity, I should not be one whit surprised to see Missouri vote to approve the UPM-irregularly, noncanonically nominated Buddhist?Christian as a bishop.
GC2009 ought to be a blast that even the deaf can hear and perhaps wake up the pew potatoes remaining and warn the “it’ll never happen in my parish”-ers.
PB&J;,
Umm… unless you were at the 218th Convention for the Diocese of SC, I doubt you really understand what happened here. My husband was a delegate from our parish. I was there for the Bishop’s opening address to the convention. Let me give you some of my thoughts on what happened here.
Bishop Lawrence is an incredibly articulate speaker who gave us a clear understanding of what he want us to do as diocese. Have you read Kendall’s brief outake from Bishop Lawrence’s address ? That will give you an idea of what the Bishop is asking us as a diocese to do. His FIRST point was that we are to fulfill our committment to proclaiming the Gospel in WORD and Sacrament ! NO DOUBTS about his priorities for us! STRAIGHT to the Gospel he leads us!!
Perhaps it was felt by the authors of this resolution that the resolution was needed to make CLEAR what this diocese understands about the uniqueness of Christ. The bishop mentioned continuing to “differentiate” ourselves from TEC in his address. So Sarah is probably right, that this is a resolution to make clear what this Diocese believes and to differentiate us from the “unbelieving” liberals in TEC.
Please read the resolutions as they do give some background as to WHY the resolution was proposed. Kendall is one author of some of these proposals. So if he wanted, he could clarify in jiffy the reasoning but truthfully, the reasoning is ALREADY there. READ it.
One last point, PB & J. Funny you mention the institition of the Diocese being concerned with the institution and not rescuing souls. ARE you KIDDING ? Have you looked at the numbers for the Diocese of SC?? We are one of the few dioceses that is actually growing ! AND it is not just people moving to the geographical region of SC that is the Diocese of SC. New believers are being baptized and discipled in this diocese. I don’t just mean babies either. New ADULT believers!
I am beginning to think that anything less than having the entire diocese of SC leave TEC would not make you happy. Alas, THAT is NOT your decision -so puh-leese stop telling us what to do. Umm, perhaps we are too busy making new disciples for Christ to worry too much about leaving TEC. I thought our faith IS about making new disciples (to use your words: rescuing souls). Right??
PB &J;. I agree with you, TEC has been unraveling in a very public way since the 1970s and the establishment of the Diocese of the Holy Spirit.
Your answer @dwstroud – “Time and money – This diocese has spent thousands of dollars, thousands of hours in public and private but has done nothing of significance to make the world sit up and take notice this we stand with Christ and that we stand against TEC. We talk, we posture, we pass resolutions, we have statements but we DO nothing.
The institution of the Diocese continues to be more concerned with the institution and less concerned with rescuing souls.”
UMM, if you are talking about the Diocese of SC, I disagree. Actually our faith and actions are indeed being heard and seen around the world. Bishop Lawrence receives e-mails from around the world on a regular basis. Kendall has just been appointed by the bishop to head an effort from the diocese to be involved in International Anglican Development. I don’t know exactly what this entails but I promise you, our actions are being heard and felt around the world. Bishop Lawrence mentioned that the Diocese of SC is one of a few or the only diocese in TEC that is IN COMMUNION with every province of the Anglican Communion.
In fact, one of Bishop Lawrence’s “mottos” he mentions in his address is:
“Making Biblical Anglicans for a Global Age”
VBG! I can already imagine the T-shirt being sold over the internet. How cool would that be? I want one !!!
@blu cat lady – I read the resolution and the background notes. No, I was not present at the convention – that’s why I am curious as to why such a resolution was presented. By it’s very nature, resolutions are legislative. To me voting on whether or not Christ is unique is pointless.
Whereas I believe that leaving TEC as a diocese would make a difference in the corporate lives of our parishes, I, at no time, previously suggested that was the proper and Godly course of action. I attempted to tell no one what we should do.
“Making Global Anglicans for a Global Age” – Just what does that mean anyway? How is that to be worked out in our diocese? If Bp Lawrence is putting that out there as a vision or mission, then he needs to be more articulate about how to implement it and explain what it means. If it’s a motto, then it’s about as useless as this resolution.