Resolution to Affirm Agreement
with the October, 2003, Statement
of the Anglican Primates

Episcopal Diocese of East Tennessee
Holiday Inn and St. John Episcopal Church, Johnson City
February 6-7, 2004

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Resolution No. 4
Action: rejected

[Note: This proposed resolution was submitted with notations for text changes in the explanation section.
The original wording for which a change was proposed is shown here in gray italic text;
the wording as changed is shown in red bold text.]

PROPOSED BY: Thomas M. Hale, delegate, Ascension, Knoxville
DATE: January 6, 2004

RESOLVED, That the Diocese of East Tennessee reaffirms its commitment to the historic faith of the worldwide Anglican Communion and wishes to express its agreement with the Anglican Primates statement of October 16, 2003 in which they: (1) reaffirm the Biblical teaching about sexuality as well as the 1998 Lambeth Resolution regarding the same; (2) repudiated the actions of the ECUSA general convention; (3) warned of fragmentation in the Anglican Communion; (4) urged provision for the disenfranchised throughout the Anglican Communion; and (5) established a commission to study the impact of unilateral provincial decisions on the Anglican Communion; and be it further

RESOLVED, That consistent with the foregoing and the vote of the Bishop of the Diocese of East Tennessee, the Diocese of East Tennessee disagrees with, and thus rejects, consecration of Canon V.Gene Robinson to the Episcopate on November 2, 2003; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Diocese of East Tennessee disagrees with, and thus rejects the action of the Episcopal Church of the United States of America which would allow the blessing of same sex unions, and affirms the statement of the Bishop of the Diocese of East Tennessee that such unions may not be blessed by clergy in this Diocese.

EXPLANATION OF RESOLUTION: The proposer recognizes that he is but one member within the Episcopal Church of the United States of America ("ECUSA") and the worldwide Anglican Communion. Further, the proposer sincerely believes that he, as well as the people of all parishes within ECUSA, the Anglican Communion and all other faithful Christians in the world, regardless of church affiliation, are all a part of Christ's body through which He acts in the world.

While it is recognized that all of us are sinful and fallen, we the proposer believes that to be a faithful part of said body, our church, on all questions of the Doctrine and Discipline governing the conduct of said Body in the world, must first and foremost seek to discern the teachings of Christ as expressed through the Scriptures. We profess to hold fundamental beliefs and values in common with all members of the Anglican Communion, especially those beliefs and values spiritual in nature, and therefore we must be obedient to mutually acceptable governance structures through which to prayerfully discern those commonly held beliefs and values.

The proposer believes in good conscience that the acts of ECUSA in approving the election of a bishop who is engaged in an active homosexual relationship and in approving the blessing of same sex unions, is promoting a lifestyle contrary to the Church's teachings as evidenced by both the statements of the Primates of the Anglican Communion following their meeting in October, 2003, and the traditional teachings of the Anglican Communion, as well as the commonly held beliefs and values upon which the Anglican Communion and ECUSA were founded. and He further believes that said acts were taken not only in violation of those commonly held beliefs and values, but contrary to the adopted governance structures of ECUSA without the benefit of an intellectually honest examination and explanation of the scripture and theological basis for reaching consensus as to changes the contradiction in or any attempt to teach the basis for the change in values its commonly held beliefs and values. As such, the acts of ECUSA are believed to be contrary to the best interest of this Church and its people. The proposer also notes strongly that the Bishop of the Diocese of East Tennessee voted in opposition to the election of said openly gay bishop, and also has indicated his position that in this Diocese same sex unions may not be blessed.