[Magdalen] Conscience's clause

[Lynn Ronkainen]

Roger wrote: I recall a diocesan synod when I happened to be sitting next to 
the
Prolocutor of the Canterbury Convocation.  The post title suggests the
role - he was the one to speak on behalf of the clergy in the Province
of Canterbury - the majority of the Church ofg England.  As such he was
part of the inner councils of the Church.  He commented that we do noit
have a Church so much as 43 feudal monarchies - a slight exaggeration
but you get the drift.


About two years into my 'acceptance' into TEC the GC in Detroit commenced. 
This would be the one where GC affirmed fidelity in marriage. I went to my 
rector and asked, why do we have to do that? and as he began to explain his 
'take' on why/what etc... I remarked: "sounds like each diocesan bishop is 
like a pope"... and in many ways over the last 30 bumpy years, that has been 
so.

Lynn

website: www.ichthysdesigns.com

When I stand before God at the end of my life I would hope that I have not a 
single bit of talent left and could say, "I used everything You gave me." 
attributed to Erma Bombeck
 "Either Freedom for all or stop talking about Freedom at all" from a talk 
by Richard Rohr

--------------------------------------------------
From: "Roger Stokes" <roger.stokes65 at btinternet.com>
Sent: Tuesday, June 30, 2015 3:59 PM
To: <magdalen at herberthouse.org>
Subject: Re: [Magdalen] Conscience's clause

> On 30/06/2015 21:17, James Oppenheimer-Crawford wrote:
>> The highest defacto authority in TEC is the diocese in most cases, and in
>> most dioceses a great deal of that power rests with the bishop, for good 
>> or
>> for ill. If one goes from one diocese to another, you will find that they
>> do things in very different ways.  This is hardly a matter of evil versus
>> good but a matter of responding to the local customs and needs. Every
>> parish handles it a bit differently, due to the experiences and 
>> background
>> of the people involved.
>
> I recall a diocesan synod when I happened to be sitting next to the 
> Prolocutor of the Canterbury Convocation.  The post title suggests the 
> role - he was the one to speak on behalf of the clergy in the Province of 
> Canterbiry - the majority of the Church ofg England.  As such he was part 
> of the inner councils of the Church.  He commented that we do noit have a 
> Church so much as 43 feudal monarchies - a slight exaggeration but you get 
> the drift.
>
> Like me Martin has served in a number of C/E dioceses but perhaps not been 
> as close to or observant of how the wheels of power turn. The dioceses, 
> and the parishes within them, each have their own dynamic (or stasis in 
> some cases) according to local circumstances. Sometimes direction of 
> organization happens from the centre, but it is not always effective such 
> as wehen a new deanery is formed and the best place for them to meet is 
> outside the diocese because of the topography.
>
> It will be interesting to see how our newest diocese (which does not yet 
> have a diocesan synod) of West Yorkshire and the Dales evolves from the 
> three dioceses of which it is largely formed.  Suffice it to say that the 
> word is that the next time they do a diocesan reorganization they will 
> have a different approach having learnt from their mistakes this time.
>
> The Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral wisely, in my view, left how the 
> historic episcopate (and I would argue by implication the whole question 
> of Church organization) continues was left in the hands of the local 
> Church.
>
> Roger
>
> Roger