It is commendable that the bishops are considering a proposal to avoid schism [TLC, Oct. 17], but two essential issues remain unresolved: 1. Is the Episcopal Church a Christian church or a new church of scientology with man-made ideas about the ordering of male-female relationships? 2. Is the theology of the Episcopal Church compatible with that of the Anglican Communion as expressed at Lambeth?

Traditional Episcopalians increasingly are marginalized in the Episcopal Church by those who would supplant the historical teachings of Christianity with New Age concepts of "pluriform truth." It is more than a gentlemen's disagreement. It is a dispute over our core beliefs which requires resolution. Schism may not be all bad if it means Episcopalians who believe in the moral precepts set forth in holy scripture can worship as true Anglicans rather than as part of an enterprise rebelling against all that is right and holy.

Charles Wicks

Elkhart, Ind.