John-David Schofield, former bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin, was deposed from ordained ministry by the House of Bishops this week for (purportedly) taking his diocese out of the Episcopal Church and into the Province of the Southern Cone. Mr. Schofield responded that he had already resigned from the House of Bishops and was now a member of the Southern Cone's corresponding body (you can't fire me, I already quit). Today, Father Jake reproduces an essay by Bryan Taylor-Ferguson, an Episcopalian from the Diocese of Fort Worth, in response to Mr. Schofield's statement. It pulls no punches; I see nothing in it to disagree with. Here's an excerpt (italics in original, bold-faced emphasis and extra paragraphing added):
He wasn't deposed for abandoning the Faith. He was deposed for abandoning and otherwise violating the discipline of the Episcopal Church. ...
NEITHER the House of Bishops of TEC nor the House of Bishops of the Southern Cone "belong" to the Anglican Communion. Their churches do.
And yes, they ARE two churches, not one. The Anglican Communion is not a church (much less "The" Church). It is a federation of freely allied but independent and autonomous churches. That's still all it is, regardless of who says or thinks or wishes otherwise.
* * *
... it is precisely the same tolerance for diversity of belief that has allowed Schofield, Iker, and others to retain their status as bishops and allowed them wide latitude within their dioceses all these many years. ...
Schofield enjoyed exactly the same tolerance as Spong, and for exactly the same reason, until he crossed over from conspiracy to actual schism.
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