Dr. Kendall Harmon, Canon Theologian for The Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina, calls the vote a “unilateral departure from the Christian faith and practice.”
“It’s a continued intransigent insistence on their own way in the face of repeated requests by all the Anglican instruments of communion, most recently the Archbishop of Canterbury [Rowan Williams], who in the midst of the debate said after the House of Deputies voted and before the bishops voted, that he thought it was an unfortunate vote because it was going to further hurt the unity of the Communion,” he notes. “And nevertheless, the bishops went ahead and clearly overturned any kind of meaningful moratorium.”
Unilateral, yes; but isn’t it rather extreme to assert “departure from Christian faith and practice”?
(One could always ask if the reporter got it correctly.)
Faith and practice are two different things.
Faith: How does one depart from “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen”? Or did you mean doctrine rather than faith?
Practice: Are you saying that we no longer say the Lord’s Prayer? Are you saying that we have ceased trying to love God with all of our hearts, souls, and minds and our neighbors as ourselves?
What is the basis for your allegation of departure?