DIOCESE OF DALLAS: Bishop Requests Direct Pastoral Oversight from Archbishop of Canterbury

By David W. Virtue
www.virtueonline.org

DALLAS (7/5/2006)--The Bishop of Dallas, James M. Stanton has written a letter to Dr. Rowan Williams, the titular head of the Anglican Communion requesting a direct pastoral relationship with the archbishop, following the recent ECUSA General Convention that saw a woman elected to the church's highest office who holds views on sexuality at variance with Scripture and the Anglican Communion.

In a pastoral letter to the diocese, Stanton called on Dr. Williams for "direct primatial relationship for the purpose of mission, pastoral support, and accountability."

A spokesman for the diocese, Canon Neal Michell, told VirtueOnline that Bishop Stanton's request differs from the other six dioceses that have sought "alternative primatial oversight" in that he is asking for direct oversight from Dr. Williams and not to "pick a primate".

"The bishop did this because the American Episcopal Church does not have a primate in the same way England has primates (Canterbury and York). In the U.S. Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold (who recently added the title Primate) is only one among many. In the United Kingdom the primate has a direct relationship with a bishop which is not the same as in the US, hence it differs from APO," said Michell.

The Canon for Strategic Development cited an instance where Bishop Stanton went to England to ordain a deacon for the Diocese of Dallas and had to receive permission from Dr. Williams to do so.

Michell told VOL that Bishop Stanton is also appointing a panel to hear the concerns of the people of the Diocese of Dallas to prepare a report for their upcoming diocesan convention which will study their relationship with The Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion.

He said that Christ Church, Plano, the largest attended parish in the Episcopal Church with some 4,000 members which recently pulled out of the Episcopal Church, still recognized Bishop Stanton as its bishop. "We are treading uncharted waters here," said Michell.

The Diocese of Dallas has 40,000 members and is one of the fastest growing dioceses in the Episcopal Church. Bishop Stanton is evangelical and theologically orthodox in faith and morals.

The Dioceses of Fort Worth, Pittsburgh, Springfield, Central Florida and South Carolina have all requested "Alternative Pastoral Oversight" asking Archbishop Williams to assign them another Primate for ecclesiastical control. Dr. Williams has yet to respond.

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DIOCESE OF DALLAS CALL FOR DIRECT PRIMATIAL OVERSIGHT

July 3, 2006

To the faithful People of the Church in the Diocese of Dallas: Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

We, the Standing Committee of the Diocese of Dallas, have met and reviewed the actions of the 75th General Convention just concluded.

This General Convention of the Episcopal Church has not, in our view, answered the Windsor Report recommendations with sufficient clarity or resolve to maintain the bonds of affection that hold the Anglican Communion together.

In addition, the General Convention elected to the office of Presiding Bishop one who gave consent to the consecration of the Bishop of New Hampshire in 2003, and who has actually authorized the blessing of sexual relationships outside the bonds of marriage within her Diocese. These are the very sorts of actions which provoked the present crisis in the Communion.

She has also called resolution B033, which calls for restraint in consenting to the consecration of bishops whose manner of life may be problematic for the rest of the Communion, a matter of policy which can be reversed or revised very soon.

Further, the clear teaching of Scripture regarding marriage, human sexuality, God's redemptive work in Christ, and the ministry of this Church, among others, has been further eroded by the actions and resolutions of this General Convention. We hold, and the Canons, Constitution and Customary of our diocese manifest, our commitment to the received historic and biblical faith and teaching of Christ's Church.

The Diocese of Dallas has historically made clear where it stands in relation to the pressing issues before the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion:

* We are committed to the Apostles' teaching and fellowship and the power of Jesus Christ to transform lives; * We are committed to Lambeth Resolution I.10 of 1998 as the agreed teaching of the Anglican Communion on sexuality;
* We are committed to the Anglican Communion Network; and
* We are committed and submitted to the Windsor Report.

We, the Standing Committee, declare our support of and commitment to the vision and way toward an Anglican Covenant set forth by the Archbishop of Canterbury. We call upon the Bishop to provide the next Diocesan Convention with a thorough explanation of the Archbishop's plan.

However, we believe that the lengthy timetable for the realization of such a covenant might well make it ineffectual. We believe the mission of this Diocese, as well as the spiritual health and growth of its congregations, are both compromised and jeopardized by association with leaders and institutions that, by their words and actions, have confused, changed or contradicted the Apostles' teaching. Therefore we call upon the Bishop to disassociate the work of this Diocese from these actions and leadership.

The consequence of the actions of this General Convention are to lead the Episcopal Church to walk apart from the rest of the Anglican Communion and to make necessary a disengagement of those dioceses and congregations which affirm its actions from those who cannot and will not.

To this end, we call upon the Bishop to appeal to the Archbishop of Canterbury for a direct primatial relationship with him for the purpose of mission, pastoral support and accountability.

Further, we ask the Bishop, in concert with all who support the Windsor Process, to lead the diocese in vigilantly pursuing:

* protection of congregations, clergy and assets of the faithful who are resident in those dioceses of the Episcopal Church which oppose, in action or precept, Lambeth Resolution I.10 of 1998;

* effective and adequate episcopal oversight to those same congregations and clergy, and as defined by them, on a long-term basis;

* an appropriate realignment or, if it becomes necessary, an "ordered and mutually respectful separation" of congregations and dioceses who desire to "opt-in" to the Anglican Covenant, proposed by the Windsor Report and the Archbishop of Canterbury himself, as distinct from those portions of the Episcopal Church which do not desire to do so.

Moreover, we call upon our brothers and sisters with whom we are partners in ministry to:

* be diligent in daily prayer and study of Scripture;

* teach and preach the Word of God with increased diligence and discipline;

* be diligent in teaching the Christian virtues of chastity and sexual purity;

* instruct youth and adults, committed to your charge, in the faith once delivered to the saints, and in our Anglican polity, doctrine, discipline, and worship. We ask for your continued prayer for our common mission in the diocese, trusting in our Father's provision, our Savior's love, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Faithfully yours in Christ,

The Rev'd Henry L. Pendergrass Rector, St Nicholas' Church, Flower Mound
The Rev'd Canon David H. Roseberry Rector, Christ Church, Plano
The Rev'd Dwight D. Duncan, SSC Rector, St Matthias' Church, Dallas
Charles A. Hinton, Jr Trinity NE Texas, Mount Pleasant Robert R. Gerber Holy Nativity Church, Plano
Cheryl M. Wetzel Good Shepherd, Cedar Hill
The Episcopal Diocese of Dallas Official Press Statement

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