A Pastoral Word from the Bishops of the Episcopal Church to Their People on Five Continents
Diocesan Press Service. October 29, 1972 [72163]
From The House Of Bishops
God is the Lord of history. The past, the present, and the future belong to Him. It is our destiny to live in a turbulent time. There seems to be no slackening of that turbulence. God seems to be thrusting us forward at dizzying speed into a new era, and it is into this future that our God is leading us.
The dismay over disappearing landmarks is relieved by the recognition of new achievements. The Lambeth Conference in 1968 reminded us that "the New Testament does not encourage Christians to think that nothing should be done for the first time. " Our God has accomplished much in our time through those who were willing to venture in faith and faithfulness into His future.
We rejoice in our trust in the Triune God Who moves us to share in His creation, Who supports us with His love, Who empowers us to proclaim and manifest that love in all of life, to all His children.
Therefore, God's people have a distinctive role to play in that future which He is unfolding. In a strange new world they are to serve -- under Christ, Who remains the same -- the familiar needs of mission and ministry to God's people, the perennial needs of faith and hope and love.
This high calling necessarily at times draws the Church's attention to its own internal life. This is not because the life of the Church is more important than the life of the world, but because the life of the Church is vital to the life of the world. The Church, as instrument of salvation, must see to it that it is the most nearly adequate instrument it can be.
This divine obligation has led us to consider two of our most central traditions -- our liturgical practices and our understanding of Holy Orders. The re-formulating of our liturgy and the re-formation of the ordained ministry were the two issues which have most occupied our efforts. The ancient traditions we cherish stem from certain times, certain places, when the Church said "yes " to new opportunities. And because new opportunities often conflict with old traditions, our proper response is sometimes difficult to determine. So has it been with us. Our endorsement of the continuing work of renewing our liturgies came after hours of discussion and evaluation of the experience of the Church through several years of study, research and trial use. We endorsed the rightness of no longer excluding women from any of the orders of the ministry. However, though after discussions at the Lambeth Conference, a report from a special committee of the House of Bishops which was discussed in small groups before debate, and then our formal debate itself, our endorsement was far from being of one mind -- yes, 74; no, 61; abstentions, 5. Yet our fellowship has not been fractured but deepened by the realization of the profundity of our unity. We have differed, we do differ, but we maintain the bond of our oneness in Christ. The House of Bishops is a body whose lack of uniformity has in no way imperiled its unity. We pray for that same unity throughout our Church.
Our Church seeks to know God's will by looking to Scripture, tradition and the present leadings of the Holy Spirit. However, when real issues are forced upon us and demand decisions, the Church determines its actions in response to God's will through democratic processes. The General Convention, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, is the highest decision-making body in our Church. The questions of liturgy, and women in Holy Orders, will be settled there, where every diocese will be represented by bishops, priests and laity. At the same time, it is the responsibility of the House of Bishops to provide leadership to the Church in matters of faith and worship, just as it is the responsibility of a bishop in his own diocese, and similar to the responsibility of a priest in his congregation.
But the leadership of the bishops in the Church of God is also pastoral in nature. We were sobered in our discussion of issues at this meeting by a concern for our people. We are deeply aware of some confusion, even resentment, perhaps, so understandable in a time of rapid change. The words of the Litany are very meaningful to us:
" From all blindness of heart; from pride, vainglory, and hypocrisy; from envy, hatred, and malice, and all uncharitableness, Good Lord, deliver us."
But we would be faithless and unworthy shepherds if we did not strive to lead our flock to the pasture we believe God intends for us. We ask His help in guiding our people safely over the rocky road from where we are to where we believe God wants us to be.
We say to you, and we believe, that if we have the courage to seek to know what God would have us do, God will grant us the wisdom to know it, and the strength to do it.