Bishop Lawrence did raise questions about the appropriateness of a hostile legal probe occurring within his diocese, and noted that he has not heard from the Presiding Bishop regarding this probe.<\/p>\n
But he also explained the deeper motivation of his decision to delay the diocese\u2019s convention for three weeks: \u201cThis is not a time for precipitous action; nor is it a time for congregations or members to strike out in unilateral directions destructive to the common life and witness God has called us to make in the world and the Church.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n
If this is a bishop willfully disregarding the rights of Episcopalians within his diocese, he has a strange way of showing it. No: What Bishop Lawrence is disregarding is the Presiding Bishop\u2019s lawsuit-happy response to any congregation that votes itself out of affiliation with the Episcopal Church.<\/p>\n