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A Statement by the Rev. Todd H. Wetzel, Executive Director,
ANGLICANS UNITED & LATIMER PRESS
Anglicans United applauds the unprecedented actions of 5 Faithful
bishops in confirming 110 people in Ohio this past Sunday.
For more than a decade, the liberal faction of the Episcopal church
has acted in a way that proves it is easier to get forgiveness than it
is to get permission. They were repeatedly denied permission for their
agenda of ordaining homosexual persons and performing same-sex
marriages by successive General Conventions. Yet, they "in good
conscience," they continually permitted or "looked the other way" while
same-sex blessings and homosexual ordinations proceeded unabated.
Now that these agenda items have been approved by General
Convention, it is time for all Faithful Episcopalians to consider
actions of ecclesiastical disobedience for reasons of conscience.
Faithful Episcopalians in the Diocese of Ohio have stood by through
James Moodey and Clark Grew and watched the evisceration of this once
proud diocese. Twenty years ago, it numbered over 40,000. It now
numbers less than 24,000.
If you are in a diocese headed by an apostate bishop, disobedience
of Canon Law - exactly mirroring what the liberals have done for the
past decade - is "in good conscience". The liberals have said that we
must listen to them and observe their ways. We have. We, sadly, must
now meet and match their repeated defiant behavior in support of the
Gospel and the Lord we love.
As a father of two boys, I can assure you that I made hard decisions
about which bishop would lay his hands on my sons' heads. These parents and
priests have done the same. This weekend's House of Bishops meeting must come to
grips with the fact that application through the bishop for alternative
oversight will not work. It will be fraught with arrogant egos instead of true
compassion for every single sheep. The old notion of diocesan boundaries has
already been destroyed by the liberals. Now, conservative and faithful, orthodox
Episcopalians have the right to be ministered to by a Godly Bishop. The
Rubrics and Canons make the definition of Godly clear. Today, many Episcopal
Church, USA bishops do not fit the definition.
Anglicans United strongly urges the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal
Church and the House of Bishops to provide more than "adequate" oversight. We
challenge you to make access to Godly oversight available to every traditional
parish in these United States.
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