TENNESSEE: WE ARE A CHURCH SERIOUSLY DIVIDED, THERE IS NO MIDDLE GROUND

"We are a church seriously divided; there is no middle ground."

An address to the 172nd annual convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Tennessee by the Rt. Rev. Bertram Nelson Herlong, D.D.

Delivered in Christ Church Cathedral, Nashville

January 31, 2004

Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ!

Welcome to the lay and clergy delegates, observers and friends as we meet together for the 172nd time in the annual convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Tennessee in the 175th year of our establishment and in the 11th year of my consecration. I am pleased to announce that Bill and Fletch Coke have agreed to be co-chairs of the 175th anniversary celebration committee to find ways and means to celebrate this milestone in our history.

We want to express our gratitude to Dean Swanson, the staff and congregation of Christ Church Cathedral for their gracious hospitality, to Pete Stringer, Sandra Merritt and the members of the convention committee for their work in arranging this meeting, and to the cathedral choir and Michael Veltlng, organist and / choirmaster for their wonderful music.

On behalf of the whole diocese, it is our great pleasure to welcome Alfredo Morante, Bishop of Litoral, our companion diocese in Ecuador, and Father Geronimo Alava who are our special guests, and to Bishop Charles Jenkins who gave us such a wonderful message last night at our convention banquet and his wife, Louise. It is always a joy to have our own Bishop Sanders with us. I am grateful for the assistance and support he gives so freely to me and to the diocese.

We wish to give thanks and recognize our diocesan staff and volunteers—first volunteers: the members of our administrative support team, Dr. Paul Teschan, and Mr. David Herbert; editor of the Cross and Croz1er, Charlie Appleton. Our staff: secretary/receptionist, Angela Hardy, our financial secretary, Judy Buttner, and our office manager and secretary to the bishop, Colette Barrett, the Canon to the Ordinary, Bob Dedmon, whose work is essential for the operation of the diocese and on whom I depend greatly, and our Canon for Ministry, Bob Brodie. The Canon for Ministry position is not funded with diocesan money but through a generous gift, which includes one-half of the salary of our secretary/receptionist. There are so many people who give freely of their time and talents to help the diocese carry out its mission—will all who serve on committees and commissions of the diocese please stand?

It has been an interesting year! Someone told me it was like being on a roller coaster. Someone else said it was a train wreck! Unfortunately, the second half of the year has been almost totally occupied with the reactions to the actions of the 74th General Convention. As a result of those actions, here are a few of the things that have happened.

Nineteen of the thirty-eight provincial churches and archbishops of the Anglican Communion have declared broken or impaired communion with the Episcopal Church. The primates of the Global South, the Anglican Church of Kenya, the Anglican Church of Tanzania, the Archbishop of the Church in the Province of South Africa, the Church of the Province of West Indies, the House of Bishops of the Church of the Province of Uganda, the Bishop of the Episcopal Church in Egypt, North Africa and the Horn of Africa, the Nigerian House of Bishops, the dioceses of Chile, Peru, Paraguay and Bolivia, the Anglican Bishop of Port Elizabeth, Bishop Peter Lee, Church of the Province of South Africa, the Anglican Bishop of Wellington, New Zealand, Bishop of Karachi and Balochistan Diocese, Pakistan, Presiding Bishop of Jerusalem and the Middle East, House of Bishops, Church of the Province of Uganda, West African Province of the Anglican Church, Bishop of the Anglican Church in Swaziland, Diocese of Sydney, the Church of North India.

The Russian Orthodox Church has suspended relations with the Episcopal Church. The Coptic Orthodox Church, the Syrian Orthodox Church and the Armenian Orthodox Church have suspended their dialogue with the Episcopal Church. The Muslims have cancelled their inter-faith dialogue with the Episcopal Church. The Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church resigned as Anglican co-chair of the Anglican Roman Catholic International Commission when the Roman Catholics refused to meet if he was present. He was un-invited to the enthronement of the new Archbishop of Uganda.

Closer to home, I don't know of a single congregation in this diocese that has not been affected by the decisions of the General Convention. The same is true in every other diocese of which I have knowledge. For example, in one neighboring diocese, two groups of people have left their parishes and formed new congregations under the Bishop of Bolivia. In another, two priests have left the Episcopal Church. In another, the bishop has reduced a parish to mission status, fired the vestry and named a new mission council. On Wednesday, a Province IV bishop told me he was losing two major parishes to the Anglican Mission in America. The list could go on and on.

In this diocese, we have had vestry members and mission council members resign. Church members have left the church. Others have moved to another congregation, and many have withheld their pledges. This is clearly reflected in the fair share pledges of congregations to the diocese and thus in the 2004 diocesan budget. Clergy have been under fire. Groups have organized on both sides and one to try to promote domestic tranquility. I have met with several vestries, some more than once, several congregations, some more than once, and several individuals, some more than once. The mail and the e-mail and the phone calls have been unending. In that regard, let me thank all who have written or called to support me. I have been strengthened and upheld by your prayers. I am grateful. To those who have written or called to insult and degrade me, especially those who wrote me judgmental letters accusing me of being judgmental, I forgive you.

While some celebrate the decisions of the General Convention as movement toward a more inclusive church, a matter of justice for persons on the margins, others feel abandoned, bereft, betrayed, and some are angry. We have been forced to take a side, whether we want to or not. We are a church seriously divided; there is no middle ground.

No matter which side you are on in this situation, those are the facts. What has happened has happened. The question before us and the rest of the Episcopal Church is, "So what are we going to do about it?" Passing resolutions will not help. The trouble with legislative solutions is that they produce win/lose conclusions. Is there a way that we can produce a win/win solution? Can we model in the Diocese of Tennessee the kind of behavior that can offer the whole church a way forward? Can we find a way for two disparate theologies to live together in one church? If not, what is the alternative?

The fact is, we have been living together with our differences for a long time. The recent General Convention's actions simply identified the elephant in the living room, and now we must deal with it. If you think about it, that may be a good thing. In addition to those negative things I mentioned earlier that have happened here in this diocese, there are some positive realities. There is an increased interest on the part of the laity—in fact, more concern and involvement and energy than I have ever seen. There is a very significant increase in Bible reading and study. People have had to seriously question just what they do believe, what is the authority in the church, what place does the Bible have in the church and in their lives.

Why don't we agree that there are two different theologies and recognize that those who disagree with us are not any different than they were before August 5, 2003? We were doing pretty well before then. Membership in our diocese has grown 20.7% since 1991. Pledged giving in congregations is up 79%, and attendance at worship is up 26.3%. We have started six new congregations in the last seven years. Percentage-wise, we are the fastest growing diocese in the American church. If you want an idea of the strength of our diocese, read the "Diocesan Ministry Outreach 2003" booklet found in your convention packets. It is a compilation of much, but by no means all, of the outreach ministries that are already going on through our congregations. It is a testimony to the magnitude and vitality of our service to others in the name of Jesus.

The present situation in the church has been developing for a long, long time, and it is going to take a long, long time to find any resolution. Let me suggest some simple things that we can do. First, have patience—I know that is hard; it is very hard for me, but this may not be resolved during my lifetime. Let's stop demonizing each other. Those who disagree with the General Convention actions should not vilify those who agree. Those who agree with General Convention talk a lot about inclusiveness; therefore, they should not exclude those who disagree with them. Let me put that on a personal level. I am frankly tired of being shot at by those who disagree with me. No one likes to be insulted by mean-spirited behavior. I don't, and neither should you. I have always been willing to tell you where I stand and what I believe. But in case there is any doubt, I think the actions of the 74th General Convention are wrong. Resolution C051 does not tell us to do anything, and although it has been used to justify blessing of same-sex unions in other dioceses, it has no effect in this diocese. Neither does the approval of the consecration of Gene Robinson. I do not recognize him as a bishop and have declared that my communion with the Diocese of New Hampshire is impaired. That is my personal decision as a bishop; it is not a decision of the diocese. I will continue to stand for and uphold the traditional doctrine of the church and will defend the faith as I promised when I was consecrated a bishop in this church. At the same time, neither the diocese nor the bishop has or will act in ways that are punitive to those who disagree with the bishop. Whether we like it or not, we are in the same diocese, and that means we are the only ones who can work things out.

Second, we can do our work. Our mission is clear. It is on page 855 of the Prayer Book: "The mission of the church is to restore all people to unity with God and each other in Christ." We cannot do that when our energies are focused on our disagreements. This is a critical time for our mission. It is a time when we need to be more diligent in our evangelism and our outreach, more generous in our support. If we back off now, then we have let the issues of the moment defeat us. It is our intention to continue to press forward on our major goals: to have a trained youth worker connected to every congregation by 2006, to increase the services and support of the diocese to congregations, to make every congregation a missionary outpost, and to plant one new congregation every year till 2006.

Third, we must pray. If there is anything that the present crisis has done, it has increased exponentially the prayers of our clergy and people for the church and for each other. Remember, prayer doesn't change God; it changes us. We all need to repent, and we all need to be redeemed. We all need to pray.

All of the actions and reactions to General Convention actions have been emotionally loaded. And when our sensitivities are heightened and our feelings are on the surface, then everything that happens seems to have greater significance than it would otherwise. Things that previously would not have had any particular meaning become hostile actions and conspiracies against us. Rumors arise and are spread. When you hear a rumor, check it out, go to the source and find the truth. Let me dispel a few things that I hear that need to be put to rest. I am not going to leave the Episcopal Church or lead the diocese out of the Episcopal Church (I couldn't do that anyway, and wouldn't if I could). The actions of the Bishop and Council are not pejorative; they are simply dealing with the realities of the moment. No congregations have left the Episcopal Church, and no clergy have renounced their orders or done anything of an illegal, immoral, or extra-canonical nature.

I know that at this convention you will speak with respect and moderation. While the issues we will consider are important, they need not be divisive. Here is a public opportunity to demonstrate the true character of the Diocese of Tennessee. I know that your behavior will be positive and graceful.

I know that the way ahead is difficult and painful. But I also know about the strength and will of our clergy and people. I know and have seen the power of God working in and through you. I know that the present threats can stifle hope and initiative. But we have an unbelievable opportunity to do the best of things in the worst of times. In World War II, when Britain was at her lowest point and the enemy had brought her to her knees but she refused to surrender, Winston Churchill said, "This was our finest hour!" So may this crisis in our church open new opportunities and new possibilities for ministry and service. As St. Paul reminds us, "Having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart." We must never surrender. May it be said of us, "This was their finest hour!"

Friends, we are on an incredible journey. I don't think that reconciliation is possible at this point in time. But time passes. I have appointed Richard Kew and Ken Swanson to help us find ways to keep talking to each other. That work has already begun. You will be hearing more about this as time goes on. I am calling on every Episcopalian in this diocese to remember who we are and whose we are; to remember that our faith is not in the church but in God. The church is not infallible; it can and does make mistakes. But the church is indefectible; that is to say, it will not be ultimately defeated because it is God's church. And as I say so often and believe with all my heart, God is still in charge, and God will win in the end. We are God's beloved children; we are ultimately defined, not by our job or position or our personality or our sexuality or by our theological or political position, but by the image of God that has been created within us. We are all called to ministry and service and committed to grow into the perfection that we have seen and known in Jesus. We do that by living out the great summary of the law—to love God with all our heart and mind and soul and strength and to love our neighbor as ourselves—and in so doing, fulfill the Great Commission: to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all that Jesus has commanded us.

In the first "Lord of the Rings" movie, "The Fellowship of the Ring," Frodo Baggins, a hobbit—the smallest and weakest people of Middle Earth—takes counsel with the leaders of the other peoples about how to deal with the evil that confronts them. The question is who will take the ring of evil power and control and go on a journey into the unknown to literally save the world. Frodo is insecure, anxious about what it all means, and he is deathly afraid. But in the end he says, "I will take the ring although I do not know the way."

In our present situation in the church, we are insecure, anxious, and afraid. God is offering us a ring—a ring of holiness and truth—and asking us to take a long journey into the uncharted territory to literally save the world. Will you join me in taking the ring and the journey into the unknown? We talk a lot about trusting God. Well, here is an opportunity to do just that with all that we have and are. Will you trust God? Will you put your faith in Jesus as your Savior and follow Him as your Lord? And will you depend on the Holy Spirit to lead us into all truth? Will you take the ring? Amen.

End.