Open Letter Concerning Election of Spong Issued
Episcopal News Service. April 8, 1976 [76124]
Perry Laukhuff
ROWAYTON, Conn. -- In spontaneous reaction to the election of the Rev. John S. Spong as Bishop Coadjutor of the Diocese of Newark, 70 Episcopal priests and laymen from all parts of the country have joined in issuing an Open Letter to all Diocesan Bishops of the Episcopal Church, as well as the Presidents of the Standing Committees of all dioceses. The letter expresses the concern felt by the signers as to the Rev. Mr. Spong's theological soundness in the light of a public statement he made in 1974 which appeared to deny the Church's teaching that Christ is divine. The letter also cites a number of quotations from a book by the Rev. Mr. Spong which are on their face unorthodox.
The signers call upon the Bishops and Standing Committees to examine into these statements and to withhold their consents to his consecration if they find that he still stands upon the apparent meaning of what he has said and written. Under Article II, Section 2, of the Constitution of the Episcopal Church, no one may be consecrated Bishop until a majority of the Bishops holding jurisdiction and a majority of the Standing Committees have given their consent.
The Open Letter clearly reflects the widespread concern which has been aroused in the Episcopal Church by this election, inasmuch as it has been signed by churchmen from 35 dioceses in all parts of the country and by a wide variety of Anglo-Catholics and Evangelicals, "High" Churchmen and "Low" Churchmen, old-fashioned conservatives and charismatics, clergy and laity, men and women.
Dear Right Reverend Sirs and Presidents:
You will be called upon to give or withhold your consents to the ordination and consecration of the Rev. John Shelby Spong, who was elected on March 6th to be Bishop Coadjutor of the Diocese of Newark.
The Rev. Mr. Spong is reported to have said publicly in Richmond, Virginia, in the course of a series of dialogues held in October and November 1974, that "... it would be inaccurate both historically and theologically to portray the Christian position as asserting that Jesus is God. " Subsequently, the Rev. Mr. Spong acknowledged the accuracy of the foregoing quotation, in a letter which he wrote to a Virginia layman on April 4, 1975.
We ask you to examine carefully into this matter and to question the Rev. Mr. Spong about it as well as other views of the Christian faith which he holds (some quotations from his writings are given in an addendum to this letter). The Creeds and the Church have taught us quite clearly that Jesus Christ is both God and man. If you find that the Rev. Mr. Spong still stands upon an unorthodox view of the nature of Our Lord, or other matters of Christian belief, we call upon you to withhold your consents and those of the Standing Committees to his ordination and consecration as a Bishop in God's Holy Church.
In asking you thus to help prevent a scandal in the Household of Faith, we venture to believe that we speak for all who desire to see the faith preserved "whole and undefiled," especially among the Bishops, the traditional Guardians of the Faith.
Respectfully and faithfully yours,
The following Episcopalians have authorized their names to be subscribed as signers (Name, City, Diocese):
The Rev. Michael W. Adams, CSA, Picayune, Miss. - Mississippi; Dr. John Aden, Nashville, Tenn. - Tennessee; The Rev. Kenneth Aldrich, Westville, N.J. - New Jersey; The Hon. W. R. Baker, Ashland City, Tenn. - Tennessee; The Rev. John D. Barker, Hollywood, Calif. - Los Angeles; The Rev. David W. Brown, Montpelier, Vt. - Vermont; The Rev. Richard Bryant, Schenectady, N.Y. - Lexington; William A. Burke, Westfield, N.J. - New Jersey; The Rev. Timothy E. Campbell-Smith, Norwalk, Conn. - Connecticut; Stuart Casper, Lloyd Harbor, N. Y. - Long Island; Dr. Dora P. Chaplin, New York, N. Y. - New York; The Rev. James Brice Clark, Woodland, Calif. - Northern California; The Rev. Gerald L. Claudius, Kansas City, Mo. - West Missouri; The Rev. Gerald Wayne Craig, Columbus, Ohio - Southern Ohio; Donald Creighton, San Diego, Calif. - San Diego; Mrs. Albert W. Crowell, Westport, Conn. - Connecticut; The Rev. James P. DeWolfe, Jr., Fort Worth, Tex. - Dallas; The Rev. Dr. Dale D. Doren, Pittsburgh, Penna. - Pittsburgh; The Rev. Samuel C.W. Fleming, Charleston, S.C. - South Carolina;The Rev. Howard L. Foland, Eureka Springs, Ark. - West Missouri; The Rev. Everett L. Fullam, Darien, Conn. - Connecticut; The Rev. Martin Dewey Gable, Jr., Atlanta, Ga. - Atlanta; Prof. Don Gerlach, Akron, Ohio - Ohio; Dr. Marcus Selden Goldman, Urbana, Ill. - Springfield; The Rev. Jack C. Graves, San Diego, Calif. - San Diego; The Rev. Stanwood E. Graves, Plainfield, N.J. -New Jersey; The Rev. George G. Greenwav, Springfield, Mo. - West Missouri; The Rev. Dr. Don H. Gross, Glenshaw, Penna - Pittsburgh; The Rev. John Guest, Sewickley, Penna. - Pittsburgh; The Rev. Neal J. Harris, Springfield, Mo. - West Missouri; The Very Rev. William K. Hart, CSA, Picayune, Miss. - Mississippi; J. Richard lander, Las Vegas, Nevada - Nevada; The Rev. Richard W. Ingalls, Detroit, Mich. - Michigan; The Rev. Kenneth H. Kinner, Casper, Wyo. - Wyoming; The Rev. Darwin Kirby, Jr., Schenectady, N.Y. - Albany; Perry Laukhuff, Norwalk, Conn. - Connecticut; The Rev. Frederic Howard Meisel, Washington, D.C. - Washington; The Rev. Robert S. Morse, Oakland, Calif. - California; The Rev. C. Osborne Moyer, Jackson, Miss. - Mississippi; The Rev. Edmond T. P. Mullen, New York, N. Y. - New York; Ralph E. Murphy, New Britain, Penna. - Pennsylvania; Emily Gardiner Neal, Pittsburgh, Penna. - Pittsburgh; The Rev. Edwin A. Norris, Jr., Chicago, Ill. - Chicago; Andrew Oliver, Esq., Boston, Mass. - Massachusetts; Dorothy Mills Parker, Washington, D.C. - Washington; The Rev. Robert A. Pearson, Long Branch, N.J. - New Jersey; The Rev. Paul W. Pritchartt, Dallas, Texas - Dallas; The Rev. John R. Purnell, Boston, Mass. - Massachusetts; The Rev. William H. Ralston, Jr., Savannah, Ga. - Georgia; The Rev. Sterling Rayburn, Winter Haven, Fla. - Central Florida; Ann H. Robinson, New Canaan, Conn. - Connecticut; The Rev. George Rutler, Rosemont, Penna. - Pennsylvania; The Rev. Canon Paul G. Satrang, San Diego, Calif. - San Diego; The Rev. Robert A. Shackles, Muskegon, Mich. - Western Michigan; The Rev. Dr. Carroll E. Simcox, Milwaukee, Wis. - Milwaukee; Dr. Rosamond Kent Sprague, Columbia, S.C. - Upper South Carolina; The Very Rev. Robert F. Stub, Milwaukee, Wis. - Milwaukee; Dr. Walter Sullivan, Nashville, Tenn. - Tennessee; The Rev. Clark A. Tea, Boulder City, Nev. - Nevada; The Rev. Dr. Duane Thebeau, Oceanside, Calif. - San Diego; Adelaide S. Thomas, Riverside, Conn. - Connecticut; The Rev. Anthony P. Treasure, Peekskill, N.Y. - New York; The Rev. Kenneth E. Trueman, Wauwatosa, Wis. - Milwaukee; The Rev. Charles B. Upson, Quincy, Ill. - Quincy; The Rev. Paul D. Urbano, Phoenix, Ariz. - Arizona; The Rev. Herbert A. Ward, Jr., Boulder City, Nev. - Nevada; The Rev. Edward L. Warner, Kansas City, Mo. - West Missouri; Dr. Harold Weatherby, Nashville, Tenn. - Tennessee; The Rev. Fred C. Wolf, Jr., Chillicothe, Ohio - Southern Ohio; The Rev. Norval R. Yerger, McComb, Miss. - Mississippi