The Episcopal Church is different now than it was a mere two weeks ago, but for more than just the headline-grabbing issues of same-sex marriage and Prayer Book revision.
A number of other issues also got people’s attention during the 79th General Convention of The Episcopal Church held in Austin, Texas, and the Diocese of Central Florida deputation was there to witness it all.
Bishop Greg Brewer, one of 11 people from the Diocese of Central Florida to participate in the triennial event, said one of the most striking differences between the Episcopal Church of old and the new Episcopal Church is the emergence of an “extraordinarily strong Latin American voice coming out of Province IX,” namely Bishop Lloyd Allen of the Episcopal Diocese of Honduras.
“Bishop Lloyd Allen out of Honduras … stopped the House of Bishops with his demands for translation in a way that reverberated through the rest of the convention,” said Brewer, referencing Bishop Allen’s complaint about the lack of translation of the proposed “Covenant for the Practice of Equity and Justice for All in The Episcopal Church” for Spanish-speaking clergy and laity out of Province IX (Dioceses of Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Central Ecuador, Ecuador Litoral, Honduras, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela). The Episcopal News reported that the covenant was put forth in response to the July 4 “Liturgy of Listening.”
Bishop Allen shortly thereafter asked for all people in the House of Bishops who were men and women of color to come stand beside him, according to Bishop Brewer. The dramatic stand cast Province IX into the spotlight and made them a real player on the Episcopal stage in some people’s eyes.
“In fact, in some ways, it would be safe to say that the party of Biblical orthodoxy has now really shifted to include in a very significant way Bishop Lloyd Allen as well as the rest of the communion partner bishops,” said Bishop Brewer, who served as secretary of Evangelism and Church Planting at the convention. “(Them) working together will only increase their level of influence as we as a church pay more and more attention to making room for people who are not Anglo. In some ways, Province IX is on the forefront and we look forward to see how that will continue to shape the future.”
Another topic that grabbed people’s attention was the Me Too Movement and its impact on The Episcopal Church. A movement against sexual harassment and assault that went viral in October of 2017, the Me Too Movement was discussed early on in this year’s convention.
“(One) whole evening was devoted to stories being read within the context of worship of both women and men who have been abused inside the halls of our hallowed churches,” Bishop Brewer said. “It was repeated elsewhere where I and others heard story after story of sexual abuse happening, some of which was in the Church, and some of which was in our schools, in a way that really has fortified the sense of this should never ever happen again. And there will be ripples throughout our Church as a result of this, as a way of genuinely trying to make the Episcopal Church and our schools safer places and better protected against this kind of sexual assault.”
Bishop Brewer also was captivated by passage of Resolution A068, which calls for a memorialization of the 1979 Book of Common Prayer as a Prayer Book in the Episcopal Church, but allows for liturgical renovation. The resolution was a pared-down result of the original resolution that called for complete renovation of the Prayer Book over a 12-year period to the tune of a whopping $10 million.
“One can safely say that anyone who wants to use the use the 1979 Prayer Book is completely free to do so,” Bishop Brewer said. “It is still the official book of the Episcopal Church. In fact, one of the things that happened was that in some ways we ran out of time. Resolutions around doing a lot of amending for supplemental texts didn’t make it to the House of Bishops and it is not funded by our general budget. So, while there will be some people who work on it, it definitely did not have the force that it had when the convention started, which really was a profound commitment to completely rewriting the Prayer Book from top to bottom.”
Regarding same-sex marriage, Bishop Brewer said the center of the Episcopal Church has shifted, but not in a complete way that some would imagine. The oft-amended Resolution B012 was passed by both the House of Deputies (twice) and House of Bishops after five days of debate, but includes an amendment that protects bishops who oppose gay marriage.
Under the resolution, trial-use of marriage rites for same-sex and opposite-sex couples can be provided by rectors or priests in charge of a congregation within a diocese. However, if a bishop does not theologically support same-sex marriage, he or she can request another bishop to give pastoral support to a couple asking for marriage rites, along with clergy and the respective congregation, according to the Episcopal News Service.
“I would say that the center of the Episcopal Church really has shifted to include gay marriage couples,” Bishop Brewer said. “In fact, one of the things that was surprising, particularly to conservatives, was that some of their most ardent supporters of not changing the Prayer Book came from young men and women, some of whom were gay, some of whom were straight; but they were united in wanting to make sure that the Prayer Book remains the official Prayer Book of the Church.”
That view was reiterated in a text that Bishop Brewer said he received from a young lesbian married to an Episcopal priest. “She said there’s a lot I’d like to see changed in the Prayer Book, but I am not willing to jettison or even risk jettisoning, an orthodox view of the atonement,” Bishop Brewer said. “So, in some ways, that’s the new center. Some might not be happy with that, but that’s exactly how things are these days.”
The redefinition of orthodoxy in the Episcopal Church comes from many sources, though, Bishop Brewer said. “A very clear Afro-Caribbean hue, Latin American force and a center that now really does include … orthodox gay people,” he said. “So, we will see where this takes us in terms of the future. Probably the thing that will most deeply affect us besides the Me2 Movement – realigning ourselves in a whole new way with people who have really been orthodox all along, meaning people from Central America and the Caribbean – is how we wrestle with the issue of gay marriage for really the whole Church and what that might mean for us in terms of the future,” Bishop Brewer said. “Protections have been put into place for those who cannot biblically support gay marriage, and I’m one of those people. But it is also safe to say that this is part of our new normal.”
Bishop Brewer said time will tell how the resolutions of this year’s General Convention will impact future generations of Episcopalians: “We will see where the next three years take us and, more importantly, the Episcopal Church; how the wider Anglican communion will respond. The Episcopal Church is still being examined for discipline because of their moving forward with gay marriage. Nothing has happened so far except for the most limited prohibitions and yet there are people in the Anglican Communion who deeply support the Orthodox within the Episcopal Church. So, continue to serve well wherever you are.”
In addition to Bishop Brewer, six others from the Diocese of Central Florida received deputation assignments. They were: the Rev. Phyllis Bartle, vice chair of Stewardship & Socially Responsible Investing; Sonya Shannon, Christian Formation and Discipleship; Krisita Jackson, secretary of Privilege and Courtesy; the Rev. Jim Sorvillo, Congregational and Diocesan Vitality; Tom Alday, Evangelism and Church Planting; and Erick Perez, Prayer Book, Liturgy and Church Music.
Also representing the Diocese of Central Florida were the Rev. Canon Tim Nunez, Canon to the Ordinary; the Rev. Canon Dr. Justin Holcomb, Canon for Vocations; and Father Jose Rodriguez, and Heather Rodriguez.
“If you are from Central Florida, you should be enormously proud of our deputation,” Bishop Brewer said. “Each one of us worked extraordinarily hard and I have to say made a substantive difference in the future as well as the present direction of the Episcopal Church.
“I look forward to getting back with my brothers and sisters in Central Florida, sharing further what’s actually happened and helping us think though the implications for our diocesan life,” Bishop Brewer said. “But safe to say we are continuing to move forward and I do believe with all my heart that God has His hand for the good on this Church.”
Bishop Brewer will hold a debriefing and answer questions about the General Convention proceedings on Saturday, July 21, from 10 a.m. to noon, at the Church of St. Luke and St. Peter, 2745 Canoe Creek Road, St. Cloud, FL. The event is open to the public.
For more information contact: Sarah Caprani at the Diocesan office at 407-423-3567 or via scaprani@cfdiocese.org www.cfdiocese.org on the internet.