Disaffiliation with ECUSA Frequently Asked Questions

 

1. What are the issues?

The central issues are the authority of Scripture and the unique person and ministry of Jesus Christ: Is the Bible the revealed word of God that offers authoritative standards on the way we live, promising transformation through belief in Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit? Is Jesus Christ the way, the truth and the life - the one and only means of salvation?

SRC is an orthodox, Bible-based and Anglican Communion affirming Church. All six of our Core Values are grounded in the truth and authority of the Bible. We were deeply grieved and offended when the ECUSA House of Bishops at General Convention 2003 (GC2003) defeated Resolution B001 that reaffirmed "God's Word written"--the Bible, as our ultimate authority, as well as the historic Nicene and Apostolic Creeds. Our own Bishop Lee was one of only a few Bishops who abstained from taking any position on this resolution.

2. Isn't this really about sexuality and the election/consecration of Gene Robinson?

No, sexuality is not the central issue. The dispute about homosexuality can best be understood as a presenting symptom of the deeper theological disease. The Bible teaches clearly that sexuality is designed for, and should be expressed only between, a man and woman in the bonds of marriage. That standard was affirmed in Resolution 1.10[1] at the 1998 Lambeth Conference and subsequently was affirmed by the other three Anglican Instruments of Unity: the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Primates, and the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC). When the Episcopal Church consecrated a non-celibate homosexual as bishop and acknowledged same sex blessings as a "part of our common life", it abandoned the teaching of Scripture as well as Anglicanism. ECUSA also ignored warnings from the Communion who said: "Don't do it; don't go there." ECUSA's actions have precipitated an unprecedented crisis and torn the fabric of the Communion.

3. What is the position of the Diocese of Virginia?

Bishop Lee and the majority of the Virginia delegation supported the decisions of GC2003. Furthermore, at Diocesan Annual Council 2004, the Episcopal clergy from our own Loudoun County region sponsored a resolution that called for the "discipline" of any priest belonging to the American Anglican Council. (Both Fr. Phil and SRC are members of the American Anglican Council, and known as such to the clergy who sponsored this resolution.) The resolution was only narrowly defeated.

4. Why leave ECUSA now?

The national and diocesan situation has grown significantly and steadily worse. The Presiding Bishop and ECUSA's official delegation to the ACC have made it unambiguously clear that ECUSA will not turn back from the decisions of GC2003. The Episcopal Church has failed to comply with the Windsor Report, and they seem poised to choose "walking apart" at the 2006 General Convention thereby endangering their membership in the worldwide Communion.

Within the next 2 years we expect Bishop Lee to call for the election of his successor as Bishop of Virginia. We have every reason to believe that the divisions will grow deeper and more polarizing under his successor, and even more threatening towards Bible-believing, Lambeth 1.10 affirming Episcopalians.

5. Why have we joined the Anglican Church of Uganda?

Since 2002 (well before the crises brought about by the leadership of ECUSA), we have been visited and blessed by missionaries (The Lebers and the Fountains), clergy, and a Bishop from Uganda. We have a Ugandan priest studying at VTS serving most Sundays at SRC with Fr. Phil. We have reciprocated by sending Fr. Phil and Steve Studabaker to the Diocese of Ruwenzori to begin building a missionary partnership. We believe these genuinely Holy Spirit-initiated friendships are God's way of showing us our new spiritual home in the Anglican Church of Uganda.

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[Footnote 1] Lambeth 1.10 refers to a Resolution (#1.10) made at the Lambeth Conference of 1998 that upholds the Scriptural and traditional teaching on marriage and human sexuality. Amongst other statements it affirms that the Conference "... in view of the teaching of Scripture, upholds faithfulness in marriage between a man and woman in lifelong union, and believes that abstinence is right for those who are not called to marriage."

 

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Letters of Encouragement

A Letter From Dr. Leighton Ford:

My dear Phil:

I write to wish you and the South Riding Church God's very best as you move forward into the future he has for you.

As you do, please keep in mind Paul's words to the Ephesians: that we are "God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

It's fascinating that the word Paul uses for workmanship is "poiema" - literally, we are "God's poem"!

How wonderful to think that God is the poet, and we - including the body at South Riding - are his poem!

To understand a poem we have to know the poet's intention. And clearly God's intention is that through South Riding Church many will come to know the truth and love of God in Jesus Christ in a transforming way.

I pray this may be so.

Every blessing,
Leighton Ford

Leighton Ford (the Rev. Billy Graham's brother-in-law) is an evangelist, an author - including Transforming Leadership, and the president of Leighton Ford Ministries

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A Letter From The Rev. Praveen Bunyan:

Dear Friends at South Riding Church:

Greetings to you in the name of our risen Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ from your fellow believers at St. James Church in Newport Beach, California.

May the Lord bless your decision to stand for orthodoxy in the church. Your decision was not an easy one, but it was the right one.

Know that we stand with you and we are praying moment by moment for your strength and courage. You will be a beacon to many who are searching for a church that stands firm and fast in the faith.

Christian brothers and sisters, may the Lord's peace fill you and nurture you.

Faithfully in our Lord Jesus,

The Rev. Praveen Bunyan
St. James Church
Newport Beach, CA

St. James Church, Newport Beach is also part of the Anglican Church of Uganda.
 

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A Letter From Samuel B. Casey:

My dear Phil:

Grace and peace to you and all our brothers and sisters in Christ at SRC. Be encouraged that Jesus always invites us to trust Him by obeying His Word. We are so encouraged that SRC is evincing such trust and obedience as it unites itself with the Diocese of Ruwenzori, Uganda under the oversight of Bishop Benezeri Kisembo. Remember how Jesus began to build His Church by inviting Peter, James and John to innovate their "fishing methods" by casting their nets in a new way for a better reason -- not to just eat, but to help everyone live with God forever. So all of us here at the Christian Legal Society congratulate SRC on your courageous and wise decision to obey God's Word and align yourselves with the Christ-following, Scripture-honoring community of faithful believers worldwide. As you do so, we stand with you as you cast aside all that may encumber so that you may run well the journey of faith before a great crowd of witnesses for the worship and glory of God and the love of neighbor.

Samuel B. Casey

Sam Casey is the Executive Director & CEO of the Christian Legal Society.