The Rev. David Thurlow, rector of St. Matthias Episcopal Church in Summerton, was a member of the standing committee that drafted the resolutions, along with Barr. Thurlow said that despite a certain consensus on the issue, the decision wasn’t easy for anyone.<\/p>\n
“It’s sad that it’s come to this, that this is the situation that the church finds itself in, where members of the church are clearly going in a direction that is apart from the Scripture and tradition,” he said. “Our church voted for the resolutions because we are taking a stand for the catholic faith and order, which has been passed down to us through the centuries … These resolutions are the diocese’s way of differentiating itself from those in the church who are doing just that \u201d\u201c conforming matters of faith and doctrine to the pattern of the world, rather than the pattern of God’s word.”<\/p>\n
[The Rev. John] Barr said he believes good things will come from the crisis.<\/p>\n
“It’s been agonizing; it’s been painful,” he said. “But it’s also been a huge blessing, in that people are searching for Christian essentials \u201d\u201d not the bric-a-brac. Not the side alleys, the ancillaries. People want to know when everything falls apart, what are the essentials of my Christian faith?”<\/p>\n