Executive Council Responds to Gulf War, Forges Ahead on Environmental Policy
Episcopal News Service. February 14, 1991 [91033]
SAVANNAH, Feb. 1 -- Two weeks after the war in the Persian Gulf erupted, news about the war -- and feelings surrounding it-covered the meetings here of the Episcopal Church's Executive Council in a pall. Like the heavy fog that clung to this small Southern city during the meetings, the war contributed to the sober, almost melancholy mood of the attending members.
"The casualties and damage inflicted by this war could be very great indeed -- certainly in human and material terms -- but perhaps even more so in the things of the spirit," said Presiding Bishop Edmond L. Browning, in his opening address from the chair (see full text in Newsfeatures section).
Browning recounted his own involvement with the Bush administration -- from his conversations with President Bush to prayers with Secretary of State James Baker on the morning hostilities broke out. "Some people have been disturbed that I seem to have been disloyal to our president. There were news reports about the president's bishop being 'on the other side.' Well, those perceptions are false.
"George Bush is a child of God and a member of this body," Browning said. "I love that man, even though I have held from the beginning that going to war was not the answer to the crisis in the Persian Gulf."
Browning said that Bush and he "have been clear about our positions, and each of us has recognized that we are both acting in integrity and speaking as we must." He pledged to continue "strenuous peacemaking efforts in cooperation with other religious leaders... and all who refuse to give in to despair. Even in the heat of battle Christians are called to be peacemakers."
The Presiding Bishop's Fund for World Relief and the suffragan bishop for the Armed Forces were already at work in response to the crises caused by the war, according to Browning. In addition to the practical response to the war, Browning continued to call on the church to pray and reflect on the broader implications of the crisis. "The themes of repentance, reconciliation, and witnessing to God's love in this darkness seem to be the motif of our common life right now," he said.
By week's end -- and after a great deal of prayer, discussion, and attention to television news accounts -- council members adopted an extensive, five-part resolution condemning the invasion of Kuwait, commending the presiding bishop's witness in the crisis, and calling for long-term solutions to the broader conflict in the Persian Gulf (see full text of resolution in the Newsfeatures section).
In spite of the all-encompassing effect of the war on the meetings here, the council considered a wide range of issues. "Even in war, life goes on," Browning said in his opening remarks.
For nearly two days the council grappled with its leadership role in regard to developing an environmental policy for the church. The council launched the process suggested by the Planning and Development Committee, which included small groups centered around prayer, Bible reflection, and discussion, as a means to address the theological and practical implications of an environmental policy for the church.
The council pored over a variety of materials provided by an Ad Hoc Committee on the Environment and Sustainable Development and grappled with several questions: What are the challenges for the national church in developing an environmental policy? What arenas for action are appropriate for the national church? What elements and strategies should be included in an environmental strategy?
"We are in need of a complete paradigm shift if the church is going to address the theological dimensions of the environmental crisis," said Marcy Walsh of Summerville, South Carolina, in a report of her small group to the council. "This will force us to think -- not in terms of adding a program here or there -- but in terms of the 'long haul' if we're going to have any impact," she said.
"We've got to avoid the danger of a shallow trendiness," said Hugh Jones of New Hartford, New York, on behalf of his small group. He agreed with Walsh that serious attention should be paid to the theological dimension of the environmental crisis and that this should undergird all the practical strategies of the church's response.
Many of the council members criticized the national church for being "years behind" the scientific and ecological community, and to some extent behind the local parishes in involvement. Yet, most agreed that even on the local level there was often a lack of understanding of the global dimensions of the problem. "It's not just a matter of getting rid of styrofoam cups at the coffee hour," said one council member.
At the conclusion of the meeting, the council directed the ad hoc committee to prepare "a policy and plan along with a statement of theological basis on the environment and sustainable development" to be presented for action at the General Convention in Phoenix.
Some observers of the process speculated that the lengthy small group discussions would have an invaluable impact on the church's ability to address the environmental crisis. "Even though this took a lot of time here, I think the process will mean a deeper commitment by the church in the long run," said the Rev. Linda Grenz, associate for the Overseas Development Office at the Church Center, and a member of the Planning and Development Committee. "In previous years, we would have legislated a resolution and then forgotten about it. Now, I think these discussions will have a lasting impact on the direction of the church's response," she said.
Canon Robert Tharp of East Tennessee and chair of the Planning and Development Committee, told the council that the format developed for longrange planning -- sharing of stories and discussion in small groups -- was a success. "We are testing new ways of making decisions. It works," he said.
Dean David Collins, president of the House of Deputies and chair of the General Convention Committee on Planning and Arrangements, reported that plans were now under way to redirect the scope of the convention in Phoenix to focus on civil rights and a simpler lifestyle.
According to Collins, the convention would include daily Bible sharing and Eucharist in small groups for seven days of the convention, a space for common noontime meals, a smaller "transformed" exhibit space, special worship services focused on civil rights and reconciliation, a call on deputies and bishops to refrain from conspicuous consumption, and the establishment of a Martin Luther King, Jr., Legacy Fund to support minority scholarships.
"The committee, under the leadership of Dean Collins, made good progress in shaping a new vision for General Convention," Browning said in his opening remarks. "I am more sure than ever that the decision to go to Phoenix was right. This convention has given us a special opportunity to put the issue of institutional racism back on the front burner, where it belongs," Browning added.
"I feel very good about the new emphasis in the convention," Browning said in an interview at the conclusion of the meeting. "I think the idea of the legacy scholarships has gained a lot of enthusiasm."
Ellen Cooke, treasurer of the Episcopal Church, reported that although revenues are increasing at the parish level, fewer dollars make their way to the national church. She reported that some dioceses have yet to fully meet their pledges to the national church for 1990. Cooke said that in 1991 there is a difference of approximately $800,000 between what dioceses have pledged and what they were assessed. As a result, the Church Center has placed a moratorium until February 28 on compensation increases and all new hires.
The council adopted a budget of more than $30 million for 1992, and a proposal to change the formula of assessment in 1992 that would be based on parish disposable income rather than on the diocesan assessments.
In other action, the council adopted resolutions:
- establishing a Martin Luther King, Jr., Legacy Fund for the education of minority students;
- recommending that the 1991 General Convention choose Indianapolis as site of the 1994 General Convention;
- affirming and supporting the Diocese of Alaska's opposition to development of federal lands that would endanger Porcupine Caribou herds and the survival of Gwich'in Athabascan Indians;
- confirming the appointment of the Rev. Abigail Hamilton, the Rt. Rev. Orris Walker, Cheryl Parris, and Dr. Timothy Sedgwick as members of the General Board of the National Council of Churches for the next quadrennium.