Burlington Free Press
Editorial
Tuesday, October 21, 2003

IT’S MY TURN: DIVERSE OPINION STRENGTHENS EPISCOPAL CHURCH

By the Rt. Rev. Thomas C. Ely

On Oct. 16, the editorial page of The Burlington Free Press featured a commentary by the Episcopal bishop of Fort Worth, Texas. Bishop Iker offered his account of a recent meeting in Dallas as well as his analysis of two actions taken this summer at the General Convention of the Episcopal Church. While it was interesting and provocative to read this article, readers of the Free Press should understand that the opinions and assessment of the bishop of Fort Worth are not widely shared by most Episcopalians in Vermont or by its bishop.

Bishop Iker disagrees with the General Convention's consent to the election of the Rev. Gene Robinson by the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire to be their next bishop. Some Episcopalians in Vermont share that disagreement. In my judgment, Bishop-elect Robinson is a faithful, committed Christian, a fine priest and a recognized leader in and beyond the Diocese of New Hampshire. The people of New Hampshire know him best and elected him because of his gifts and skills and because they believe he will be an effective bishop. I agree.

Bishop Iker also disagrees with a resolution passed by the General Convention that said in part, "We recognize that local faith communities are operating within the bounds of our common life as they explore and experience liturgies celebrating and blessing same-sex unions." I support this resolution as an important recognition of the full inclusion of gay and lesbian persons in the Episcopal Church and an affirmation of our diocesan commitment to gay and lesbian persons and their ministries among us. This resolution recognizes, with honesty, the reality of the pastoral care our church has quietly been extending to gay and lesbian persons for a very long time.

In the Episcopal Church, the Bible, Christian tradition and our human reason all play an integral part in the formation of our teaching and practice of the Christian faith. Our governance is highly participatory and democratic. As partners in the worldwide Anglican Communion (over 77 million strong), we bring to the mission of the larger Christian community a model of being the Body of Christ in which people of faith can hold diverse opinions, interpretations of Scripture and strong disagreements, and yet remain in communion. Our diversity, our capacity to embrace mystery and ambiguity, our openness to God's continuing revelation and our commitment to evangelism, social justice and outreach are not only our strengths, they are crucial to our identity.

Following their recent meeting in England, leaders of the 38 provinces of the Anglican Communion wrote, "We affirm our pride in the Anglican inheritance of faith and order and our firm desire to remain part of a Communion, where what we hold in common is much greater than that which divides us in proclaiming Good News to the world." As long as there is an Anglican Communion there will be differences and disagreements in the way in which the various provinces engage God's mission in the unique contexts of their local situations. Sometimes those disagreements will cause deep pain for some of us, and we must never dismiss or minimize that reality. I surely do not.

Schism will come to the Episcopal Church only if some among us choose to leave our heritage behind and deny the integrity of who we are as Anglicans and what we offer as our witness in the larger church and in the world. I pray that Bishop Iker and others who share his views will not choose that route. None of us can or should say to another, "I have no need of you."

Go to Primates' Statement
Go to NH Standing Committee Response to Primates
Go to Bishop Ely's Response to Primates