About the Speaker

Thomas B. Woodward is an Episcopal priest who has served the Episcopal Church over 42 years as university chaplain at a number of campuses and as rector of St. Paul's, Salinas, California, John Steinbeck's parish church. He has written two books for Seabury Press, Turning Things Upside Down and To Celebrate. His book, The Parables of Jesus Your Pastor Never Preached, is one parable short of completion. He served recently as a member of a Task Force appointed by Bishop Steenson ( former Bishop of the Diocese of Rio Grande) to assist the diocese in dealing with its conflicts constructively. He also serves as a member of the Executive Council's Committee on the Status of Women. He and his wife, Ann, now live in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

What is at stake for Episcopalians in the Diocese of Ft. Worth?

1. What we have valued most: The process that honors and includes doubt and a sacramental understanding of life. Agape love comes as a gift of God and the quality of relationships between human beings is at stake. We must not accept reducing love to discussion of "body parts" as though love is only related to what we do with certain parts of our bodies or with whom we do those things. We need to recognize and honor all that love is...caring for and responding to each other as human beings.

2. The place of the Laity: Since the beginning of our denomination, the laity has held veto power over everything...when issues are being decided, if the laity votes for or against an issue, their votes determine the outcome. In this diocese, the bishop is taking the authority to determine the outcome of all decisions and his followers have given him this power. The lay voice is at stake.

3. Biblical scholarship is at stake: This bishop and his followers have adopted a new fundamentalism that says essentially, "We don’t care what scholars say. We have our interpretation and what we hold as relevant and that’s it."

Fort Worth Myths

1. This diocese can disaffiliate from the Episcopal Church of the United States of America. Individuals can leave ECUSA, but a diocese cannot leave. Church property is held in trust for all Episcopalians (all those who attend or will ever attend that parish). When a diocese is formed, the Accession Clause must be signed which states that the Constitution and Canons of the ECUSA will be honored and adhered to. When formed, Parishes and Missions must accede to the Constitution and Canons of the diocese. Bishops, Priests and Deacons must sign a vow to accede to the Constitution and Canons of ECUSA when they are ordained or consecrated. This is not a vow that accedes to what they want it to be or hope it will become or wish it was, but a vow to what it is. Rev. Woodward suggests one might term it "spiritual adultery" to draw salary or benefits while remaining in a state of failure to honor that vow. To demand property and benefits is dishonorable. Bp. Steenson’s resignation as Bishop of the Diocese of the Rio Grande is a shining example of the honorable way to deal with this situation

2. If the majority of a parish’s members vote to leave the ECUSA, they can do so as a parish. Property cannot be claimed by the members of a parish or the bishop of a diocese and removed from the jurisdiction of the ECUSA. The money we give to our parishes and missions does not buy us anything. We have no ownership in or control over what is done with that money once we give it, nor should we. The gift of our money to the church is meant to be a free offering with no designations or strings attached. We trust our duly elected vestries to be fiduciaries of ECUSA and they must act in the best interest of the parish within the canons of ECUSA.

3. Those who leave ECUSA will still be Anglicans. Those who leave the Episcopal Church of the United States of America will not be considered Anglicans. Canterbury does not recognize any of the groups who have split off from ECUSA.

Distortions About ECUSA Rev. Woodward states that those who might be considered "right wing" within ECUSA have defined our terms, reasserting old ideas which have been discarded in the light of new realities. These people cannot be considered orthodox because their thinking is outside the historic perameters of the Anglican Communion. Distortions they have presented and promote include the following:

1. Revisionists (anyone who does not believe as they do) do not believe the Creeds

2. Revisionists don’t respect the Bible or they wouldn’t stay in the ECUSA. (Rev. Woodward shared with us the fact that he had asked many opposition clergy for discussion of Matthew, Mark and Luke and was refused. Those opposed to ECUSA will only discuss the Gospel of John, and dismiss the other three gospels as not relevant to the discussion of their issues.)

3. The Presiding Bishop of ECUSA doesn’t believe Jesus is the Christ. (Rev. Woodward states that nothing could be farther from the truth and from personal discussions with her he is convinced that she is one of the strongest believers he has ever known. She believes we cannot limit God and that the Beatitudes clearly express "who’s in and who’s not.)

4. The Presiding Bishop is threatening Bp. Iker. (Rev. Woodward was very clear about the fact that no one is threatening anyone in this situation. He likened the Presiding Bishop’s communications with Bp. Iker to a situation he had with his wife during a particularly severe winter storm in New Mexico. Mrs. Woodward warned him that if he went out that night, he would end up in a ditch. He shared that, indeed, a very nice man pulled him out of the ditch later that evening. Our Presiding Bishop is simply pointing out the ditch Bp. Iker is headed for.) What Does It Mean to Be Episcopalian?

Reduced to the very simplest terms, being Episcopalian means receiving Communion at an Episcopal Church and trying to follow Jesus. There are other things that can be considered such as our beautiful liturgy and prayer book, our hymns and so forth, but being Episcopalian just means that’s the church where we receive that Communion which enables us to go out into the world and live the gospel as Jesus taught us.

Requirements to be Episcopalian now, as stated by those in authority in our Diocese:

1. There is only one way to interpret the Bible.

2. The Nicene Creed is to be taken literally. It is in no way metaphorical.

3. Certain folks are in or out and those in authority know who’s who.

4. The Bible is a rule book that tells us what to do and does not invite or provoke thought.

5. Lay involvement in the church is an experiment that has failed. Bishops and Primates rule now.

6. The faith was once delivered to the saints, period. It is not outdated or outmoded and must be accepted as it was in the times in which it was first received.

How Do Episcopalians Read the Bible?

1. In many ways...fundamental, literal, evangelical, pentacostal, scholarly...there is no one acceptable way in which to read the Bible.

2. As though it reveals as well as instructs.

3. As history, poetry, laws, prayers, sermons, rules, myths, metaphors...and the list goes on.

4. As metaphor and analogy

5. As a diverse document

6. As open to scholarship

7. As an opportunity to encounter ultimate reality- God- through what Jesus says and does and what he chooses

Ordination of Women

All of the roles of a Deacon, Priest or Bishop are the traditional roles assigned to women. Roles like caring for the young and old (Pastoral duties), preparing and serving meals (Eucharist), tending the sick and dying, teaching morals and giving guidance, and so forth. It seems odd to question whether or not a woman should perform these roles as a priest or bishop. Rev. Woodward suggests it might be more reasonable to ask how it came to be that those opposed to ECUSA believe that men are the only acceptable people to be serving as ordained ministers.

How do we talk with those who believe themselves to be the Orthodox?

1. Never be defensive. We have nothing to be defensive about. Be proud of who we are and tell them what’s important to us about ECUSA. Rev. Woodward suggests that if we can only tell one another about our "beautiful stories of God" instead of hammering on our differences and disagreements, we would find conversation much easier and more rewarding. We need to try to look for the spirituality and depth of belief in one another.

2. Express our concern that only one Gospel is being respected and suggest that our understanding of sacraments cannot be reduced to body parts. Suggest that morality must be relevant to what Jesus said and did and must be reflected in what we say to and do with one another.

3. Point out that we honor comprehensiveness in ECUSA and speak of narrowness and certainty as concerns.

4. Say that the catholic faith is expressed in different ways in different cultures and that Scripture was written for people under persecution. Point out that in many parts of our world, persecution still reigns and the Bible speaks to these people now where they are. The Gospels should be expressed as though they are through Jesus.

5. Mention that ECUSA has a different vocation than other national churches. Our experience is different as many of us have cultural forces brought to bear on us in personal ways. Many families have homosexual family members, for example, and so have turned to their expression of faith for validation and have found that in ECUSA. Rev. Woodward shared with us that from personal experience he has been told that ECUSA is the "word of hope" to persecuted others in this nation and around the world where terrible persecution is being perpetrated...and that this "word of hope" is that we have a female Presiding Bishop and a homosexual Bishop among us.

6. Finally, Rev. Woodward stated that our vocation as the ECUSA is different than we thought it was even 5 years ago. We would do well to bear in mind and perhaps even remind those who call themselves orthodox that in fact, they are not orthodox, as they are so far from what Jesus is and what he said and did when he walked among us so long ago. Our denomination rests on three supports- tradition, reason and scripture. Part of reason is experience and experience guides us as to how God expresses Himself and how He is expressed. We must feel sympathy for those who are limiting God. The Kingdom is so much richer and deeper than that.

Anyone interested in reading more of what Rev. Woodward has to say can find his writing at the following websites:
www.episcopalmajority.blogspot.com www.turningthingsupsidedown.blogspot.com