Ohio Bishop Rebuffed

Sometimes people need to choose between God and His representatives. For example, the disciples had the following conflict with the religious rulers of the day in Acts 4:18-20:

18Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19But Peter and John replied, "Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God's sight to obey you rather than God. 20For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard."

A similar impass occurred yesterday in Ohio. There people from six Episcopal churches were not confirmed by their local bishop but by other retired bishops and a bishop from Brazil. The reason is Bishop Grew's support of the ordination of a practicing homosexual. The Cleveland Plain Dealer reported the following on their front page:

Hundreds gathered to hear the Gospel, sing hymns, receive Communion and celebrate the confirmation of 110 people, ranging from junior high students to seniors in their 70s.

But one person was missing from the festive, Episcopal gathering in Fairlawn Sunday afternoon - the bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Ohio.

Six area congregations unhappy with Bishop J. Clark Grew II's support of the election and consecration of an openly gay bishop in New Hampshire broke church protocol and brought in retired bishops from outside the diocese to conduct the confirmation service.

They secretly planned the service and held it in an Orthodox church so that Grew could not stop it and they later could not be accused of holding an improper service in an Episcopal Church.

"We don't know what repercussions there will be, but we certainly expect some," said Cynthia Brust, a spokeswoman for the conservative American Anglican Council that helped arrange the service at Presentation of Our Lord Orthodox Church. She said about 800 people attended.

The view of the ECUSA is that it breaks "protocol".

"It's a breach of protocol, and Bishop Grew will be working on some sort of response," said spokesman R. Stephen Gracey.

The view of the American Anglican Council is that Biblically faithful congregations have not been given adequate alternative oversight promised to them by the Archbishop of Canterbury and all the Primates of the Anglican Communion, including the Episcopal Church. Former Bishop Maurice Benitez made the following statement at the confirmation service:

Good afternoon!

I am Maurice Benitez, former Bishop of the Diocese of Texas, and I have the pleasure of presenting to you the other bishops who are with us today: Bishop C. FitzSimons Allison, former Bishop of South Carolina; Bishop William Cox, former Assistant Bishop of Oklahoma and more recently Assistant Bishop of Texas; Bishop Alex Dickson, former Bishop of West Tennessee, and Bishop William Wantland, former Bishop of Eau Claire.

Next, it is my honor to present our highly honored guest, the Rt. Rev. Robinson Cavalcanti, Bishop of Northern Brazil.

Our presence today is in direct response to the Archbishop of Canterbury, and the rest of the Primates of the Anglican Communion, who called for “adequate provision for episcopal oversight” in their statement of October 2003. To date no such oversight has been offered by ECUSA. We represent a spectrum of congregations and Provinces within the Anglican Communion, and our actions represent a spectrum of possible responses to the Primates directive. Our participation in today’s Service represents “emergency measures” for those ECUSA congregations in revisionist dioceses who cannot in good conscience accept the radical actions taken by our General Convention last year and who now find themselves alienated from their bishops and diocesan leadership who voted for and support such actions. Our active bishops are currently seeking means for providing Adequate Episcopal Oversight, and if an acceptable plan is approved, these kinds of measures may no longer be necessary. But right now, we consider these actions an essential and imperative response to a pastoral emergency in Northern Ohio.

We come as pastors who care very much about you, the Clergy and Lay members of the six congregations gathered here today. We come because the lay persons among you have asked us to come. We come knowing well your predicament in feeling estranged from your bishop, your diocese and the Episcopal Church.

The actions of the Church at General Convention last summer abandoned 4000 years of Biblical teaching and doctrine which declares sexual relations outside of marriage between a man and a woman, as wrong in the sight of God and clearly contrary to His Will. We want to emphasize that the heart of the matter is not sexuality or sexual orientation but rather the authority of Holy Scripture in the life of the Church.

The schism we have in the Church today was not caused by us or by those who believe as we do, but rather by the leadership of the Episcopal Church at General Convention who voted to approve local option for blessing of same sex unions as well as to confirm the election of V. Gene Robinson as Bishop Coadjutor of New Hampshire and by those who subsequently consecrated him. These actions have led 21 global Provinces, representing the majority of the worldwide Anglican Communion to declare either “impaired or broken communion'' with the Episcopal Church in the United States.

The goal of those who are here today is to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to call people to repent, to embrace godliness and righteousness, and to obey Biblical doctrine and the Apostolic faith “once delivered to the Saints”. Our goal is to call all of us to be authentic and faithful Anglicans and to be the true expression of Anglicanism in America, one that is in full communion with the rest of the Anglican Communion.

We did not come here today to argue or to say harsh words about anyone, but rather to speak the truth in love, and to pray for all of us, and for the Church. My brothers and sisters in Christ here in Ohio, we reach out to you today because we agree with you, and we believe, in the name of God, that you are right!

We honor each of you, and we thank God for your faithfulness! Above all, we came here from distant places to join with you in once again recommitting our lives to Jesus Christ in this service of Confirmation and Holy Eucharist that is now beginning.

AMEN.

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Update: The Bishop and Bishop-Elect of Ohio have responded:

From the Ven. Mark Hollingsworth Jr., Bishop-Elect of Ohio:

I am disappointed that the parish priests from the Diocese of Ohio and the six bishops of the Church who were involved in this service chose to begin their relationship with me, not with direct and honest dialogue, but by acting in this manner. I certainly don't want anyone to think that this behavior is characteristic of Christian community, especially the young people of those congregations.

An action of this sort, designed to break down the community of faith, has no place in our polity. No one group can define for the whole Church what constitutes an "emergency." The laity and the clergy of the Diocese of Ohio, meeting in convention last November, clearly articulated their support of an inclusive theology in the larger Church, and their affirmation of its actions in last summer's General Convention. It is a singular privilege to begin serving with them in this diocese at a time of such great potential for the Church.

From the Rt. Rev. J. Clark Grew, II, Bishop of Ohio

It is unfortunate that five Episcopal parishes, gathering people for sacramental purposes, have felt the need to participate in an unauthorized and clandestine service. I am not yet clear on what prompted such an action, one that was also decided and planned in secret, except perhaps an anxiety on their part caused by having the majority of clergy and parishes in this diocese take up the work of mission at home and abroad after the events of last summer, and center themselves in the gospel imperatives with renewed energy in anticipiation of shared service with Bishop-elect Mark Hollingworth.

It saddens me that these five congregations had to create a disturbance with our common Church polity, in order to focus attention once more on their minority position. There is no crisis in the Diocese of Ohio, except the one created by a group that hopes to hold on to attention that is slipping away as time passes, a group that may use the threat of further extracanonical action as a way to manipulate the House of Bishops in its deliberations on the matter of alternative oversight.

Neither the House of Bishops nor the Diocese of Ohio is likely to be swayed by sudden confrontational actions. Any response by the Diocese of Ohio in this matter will be prayerfully considered and characterized by the life of Jesus himself, who calls us all to unity of the Spirit in the bonds of peace.