The Acts of Convention

House of Deputies

Original Text of Resolution:

(C009)

Resolved, the House of Bishops concurring, That the 73rd General Convention of the Episcopal Church express concern about the acceptance by the Bishops assembled at Lambeth (1998) of the Virginia Report, especially its call to study "whether effective communion, at all levels, does not require appropriate instruments, with due safeguards, not only for legislation, but also for oversight" (Resolution III.e, citing the Virginia Report, para. 5:20) and whether the Primates Meeting should be given "enhanced responsibility in offering guidance on doctrinal, moral and pastoral matters." (Resolution III.6); and be it further

Resolved, That the73rd General Convention affirm the traditional Anglican view of authority as an authority dispersed among the many autonomous provinces of this communion and that this authority is shared among lay, clerical, and episcopal orders of this communion; and be it further

Resolved, the 73rd General Convention affirm the traditional understanding of the Anglican Communion that scripture, tradition, and reason together provide the basis for our discernment of God's will in our lives.

Committee Substitute:

Resolved, the House of Bishops concurring, That the 73rd General Convention of the Episcopal Church celebrate the diversity of cultures and races of the member churches of the Anglican Communion; and be it further

Resolved, That the Convention note that the breadth of cultural differences in the Communion today is both a gift and a challenge to understandings of authority in our communion; and be it further

Resolved, That the Convention affirm the Anglican experience of shared provincial authority as an authority shared among lay, clerical, and episcopal orders as well as among the many and diverse churches of the Anglican Communion; and be it further

Resolved, That the Convention commend the Episcopal Church's ongoing participation in the variety of ways Anglicans come together as the Body of Christ including, but not limited to, diocesan and national conventions, the Anglican Consultative Council, Lambeth Conferences, the Primates Meeting, Anglican Congresses, and official and unofficial networks; and be it further

Resolved, That the Convention encourage the continuing evolution of conciliar modes of discernment in the practice of an authority that relies upon scripture, tradition, and reason as the basis for our discernment of God's will in our lives.

Motion carried

Substitute resolution adopted

(Communicated to the House of Bishops in HD Message #114)