The document also relies on a variety of other articles by or about the bishop, including one reference to a meeting between the Archbishop of Canterbury and seven bishops of the Episcopal Church who belong to Communion Partners. The diocese also released a one-page letter [PDF] by Josephine H. Hicks, a church attorney for the disciplinary board, alleging the ordination of his son, Chadwick E. Lawrence, to the priesthood was a violation of the canons of the Episcopal Church.

Another document presented as evidence is the diocese's vote to endorse the proposed Anglican Covenant, including its request that "the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Primates, and the Anglican Consultative Council ... allow dioceses lying within provinces which may choose not to abide by such a Covenant to sign their support of such a covenant, and be recognized as full members of the Communion."

An essay Bishop Lawrence wrote for The Living Church also is presented as evidence, but the document cites a version published in the Beaufort [S.C.] Tribune as "The axe swinging isn't working."

Another act of disaffiliation, according to the document, was the diocese's repudiation of the Episcopal Church's financial support of the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice.

The Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina took steps at a reconvened convention in October of 2010 to further distance itself from the "national" Episcopal Church by passing resolutions asserting its sovereignty.

The meeting, held at St. Paul's Church in Summerville, was a continuation of the March convention. Last year, delegates voted "to begin withdrawing from all bodies of the Episcopal Church that have assented to actions contrary to Holy Scripture, the doctrine, discipline and worship of Christ as this Church has received them."

The instigators of this action were first thought to come from the Episcopal Church's Presiding Bishop, but it was later revealed by Bishop Henderson that they had come from a group calling themselves the Episcopal Forum of South Carolina who say they are Episcopalians working for unity and inclusion within the Diocese of South Carolina. They are a small but strident group bent on leveraging the bishop out of the diocese. Headlines at their Blog scream, "Do Bishop Lawrence's acts of rebellion constitute 'abandonment of Communion'"? and "Diocese sticks to dubious claim that its rejection of 'accession' to the national church's constitution is legal."

Lawrence and the Very Rev. Paul C. Fuener, president of the diocese's standing committee, wrote in a letter to members of the diocese on Sept. 29 that "since several of these allegations also include actions taken by the Convention of the Diocese of South Carolina, after sustained prayer and discernment, it has seemed appropriate to both the Bishop and the Standing Committee to make these allegations available to the members of the Diocese."

When the news landed in cyber space, it went viral almost immediately with an attorney and theologian weighing in with accusations that this action would bring down the Episcopal Church.

Constitutional Episcopal attorney Alan S. Haley commented, "To anyone who still cares about what was once a fine old and traditional church, I will say only this: what the present leadership of the Episcopal Church (USA) is sowing, so shall they also reap. To invade one of its existing Dioceses in a bid to overthrow its diocesan officers, its infrastructure and its stalwart Christian supporters is utter madness. It will produce only an orgy of self-destruction, from which the Church herself cannot emerge intact."

Theologian Ephraim Radner from the Anglican Communion Institute, an organization that is generally pro TEC, blasted the action against the South Carolina bishop saying, "The allegations against Bishop Lawrence, and the claim that they may amount to 'abandonment' of TEC are so absurd as to cross the line into deceit and malice. The fact that these allegations are being made and taken seriously by the leadership of TEC in itself constitutes an affront to the commitments for which a Christian church stands - honesty, charity, care for the witness of the Church's unity."

A source inside the diocese familiar with what is going on said the news did not shock or in any way surprise people; it was more one of sadness and resignation. "Prior to mid-summer word on the street (most from outside the diocese) was that it would come from the Province IV bishops. Later in the summer, this changed to those connected to the Forum. The rumor is that some of their less discreet members were bragging that this was in the works."

When VOL asked why this was happening now, we were told that South Carolina law will not allow the National Church to get the properties and this is a revenge act.

The Dennis Canon, fostering an implied trust on parish property, was struck down by the South Carolina Supreme Court, which asserted the sovereign right of the diocese over property matters. Canon XXIX.5 no longer applies to South Carolina and has been removed from the Diocese of South Carolina's list of canons.

Resolution R-11 dealt with the Corporate Charter Purpose Statement which was amended to read: "The purpose of the Corporation is to continue operation under the Constitution and Canons of The Protestant Episcopal Church in the Diocese of South Carolina." The words "of an Episcopal Diocese" and "United States of America" were stricken.

The Diocese of South Carolina has emphatically rejected the new hierarchical mindset of The Episcopal Church. Its members have asserted their right to proclaim the Gospel and unite around their bishop without undue interference from outside forces as they live out their faith as Episcopalians along the shores of South Carolina's Lowcountry.

Said the source, "Replacing Lawrence on trumped up charges is the only way to gain control of the diocese and that he will be replaced by John Buchannan (who did this in Quincy) and the national church is counting on the silent masses to stay quiet and to tend to matters at home. This may in fact be their mis-calculation.

"Lawrence is respected in this diocese even by the liberal clergy who completely disagree with him so the question becomes-have they overplayed their hand?"

Lawrence has called a meeting of all active and canonically resident clergy for this coming Tuesday, October 11, 2011 from 10:00 -12:00 noon at the Ministry Center of St. James Episcopal Church, James Island.

"Rest assured we will do all in our power to defend gospel truth and catholic order. We and the members of our Standing Committee ask your prayers for God's guidance and wisdom," Bishop Lawrence stated.

END