The New Commandment Task Force

&

The Four ECUSA Regional Reconciliation Meetings

Task Force Purpose

The New Commandment Task Force is tasked with promoting reconciliation in the Episcopal Church by (a) teaching the members of the Church to be more loving in their words and actions toward each other as they deal with their disagreements, and (b) conducting four Regional Reconciliation Meetings designed to find reconciling ways to deal with the Church's internal disagreements over issues related to homosexuality.  The group's name is derived from two biblical passages:

• John 13:34ff:  "I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."
• John 15: 12ff:  "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you."

It is not expected that this effort will lead to agreement on the subject matter of the issues -- it is hoped instead that the effort:

• will lead to the discovery and adoption of ways to live with each other as brothers and sisters in Christ in spite of our disagreements, and
• will lead us into putting our energy into cooperating in doing the work that our Lord is calling us to do.

For instance, Republicans and Democrats disagree on a lot of things, but when either side loses an election -- or even a series of elections -- that side doesn't go out and try to start another country!  The two sides disagree regularly, sometimes vehemently, but they still deal with each other in the same institution.  

Or consider the image of a married couple where one spouse is Jewish and the other spouse is Christian -- and where the couple lives in happy cooperation.  These Jewish and Christian spouses have far, far greater religious differences than any two Episcopalians.  Why can't the factions in ECUSA do business more like that couple?

Website Purpose

The purposes of this website are:

• To give info for potential participants in the Regional Reconciliation Meetings, so that (a) they can decide whether to volunteer for this important project, and (b) they have directions for actually making the application.
• To give to participants (and to anyone else interested in these issues) background info on the issues and on possible approaches to reconciliation (cooperative coexistence) so that the participants will have summaries of reconciliation discussions that already have taken place.  The availability of this info should reduce any tendency to "reinvent the wheel" and should allow the later Reconciliation Meetings to build upon the work of those who have gone before. 
• To explain the New Commandment effort to anyone interested, which may include members of other Anglican Communion Churches

The Co-Chairs of the New Commandment Task Force are The Rev. Brian Cox of Santa Barbara, CA and Dr. Louie Crew of Newark, NJ.  Both were members of the steering committee which designed and conducted the Seattle 22 meeting in November 1999 (see below). The full Task Force consists of Cox, Crew and six others:  The Rev. Ed Bacon of Pasadena, CA; The Rev. Mary Hays of Pittsburgh, PA; The Rev. Elizabeth Kaeton, of Newark, NJ; The Rev. Richard Kew, of Murphreesboro, TN; The Rev. Dorsey McConnell of Edmonds, WA; and Mr. Ted Mollegen, of Glastonbury, CT.  All eight were members of the Seattle 22.

Info on the Regional Reconciliation Meetings

• Press release announcing the New Commandment Task Force.  The press release outlines the schedule of the four Regional reconciliation meetings, and the qualifications need for participation in one of the meetings.
• Information form to be filled out by volunteers wanting to participate in one of the Regional Reconciliation Meetings.
• Standard agenda now being used at Regional Reconciliation Meetings.  As a particular meeting proceeds, the attendees may choose to modify the agenda. Basically the same agenda was planned for the Seattle 22 meeting, but the time ran out before the work could be completed.  That is why another day has been added to the agenda.
• Report on Regional Reconciliation Meeting #1 ("The Short Hills Report"), which was held  in Short Hills, NJ, May 15-19, 2000.  Minority report filed by the one attendee at Short Hills who could not sign the group report, which was signed by the other 14 persons present. General Convention Deputies who were present in Short Hills proposed a reconciliation-related Resolution at the July 2000 General Convention, which with modification, was adopted by the Convention.  To see the Resolution, click here.
• Report on Regional Reconciliation Meeting #2 ("The Dallas Report"), which was held in Dallas, TX, June 12-16, 2000.  (There was no minority report for this meeting.)
• Report on Regional Reconciliation Meeting #3 ("The Pasadena Report") which was held in Pasadena, CA, October 30 - November 3, 2000.  (There was no minority report for this meeting.)
• Report on Regional Reconciliation Meeting #4 ("The South Bend Report") which was held in South Bend, IN, November 13-17, 2000.  (There was no minority report for this meeting.)  A general description of the meeting appeared in the Christianity Today issue of July 9, 2001.  It was written by Doug LeBlanc, a professional journalist.  It does not violate any of the confidentiality agreements about personal information volunteered by participants, and could in fact be considered a description of the other meetings as well.  To read the article, click here.

Dates and Locations of the Four Regional Reconciliation Meetings

1. Christ Church - Short Hills, NJ, May 15-19. (See report link immediately above.)
2. St. Christopher's Church, Dallas, TX - June 12-16. (See report link immediately above.)
3. All Saints' - Pasadena, CA  October 30 - November 3. (See report link immediately above.)
4. Episcopal Cathedral of St. James, South Bend, IN - November 13-17. (See report link immediately above.)

All meetings have been Monday 2:00 pm to Friday (approximately) 12:00 noon.  

Background Information on the Reconciliation Issues

Participants may find that familiarity with the work that has gone on before will help them be more effective in their own meetings.

The following info comes from prior meetings, prior  e-mail messages and Internet postings, and other sources.  It includes:

• The press release summarizing the Seattle 22 meeting last November.
• Brief summaries of the arguments against and for approving homosexual acts
• Summaries of post-Seattle discussions among some of the Seattle 22 participants
  • Gamaliel principle and discussion
  • nihil obstat discussion
  • difficulty of General Convention's making irreversible long-term commitments, and a possible solution to that difficulty
  • local option - by diocese or by congregation?
  • accountability of bishops
  • some definitions of important concepts in reconciliation negotiations - of particular importance is the concept of consensus-based legislation, as compared to traditional adversarially-voted "winner-take-all" legislation
  • other
• Original May 1999 proposal by the Rev. Brian Cox for an ECUSA Reconciliation Initiative related to reconciling those in ECUSA who have important disagreements over the sexuality issues.
• August 1999  mark-up of Rev. Cox's proposal by Mr. Ted Mollegen to present in what Mollegen considered to be a more balanced way the description of the differences between the conservative and liberal positions
• Resolution A-53 of the 1979 General Convention concerning "the ordination of homosexual persons," along with comments on the resolution from the associated House of Bishops pastoral letter.  The resolution does not outlaw the ordination of "practicing homosexuals" -- it merely recommends against it.  The House of Bishops letter points out that the choice of a non-legislative approach was intentional.
• Summary of General Convention actions re homosexuality 1976 - 1994.  (Does not include the most recent Convention, 1997.)  Includes statements which were issued because of Convention actions, but which were not themselves actions of Convention.   No Constitutional or Canonical actions have been taken re homosexuality; thus no binding legislation has been adopted.  Note: The internal links (anchors) on this single very long page do not work with Netscape browsers, but do work with Microsoft browsers.  Viewers with Netscape browsers can nonetheless find the info they want simply by scrolling down the page, as the items are listed in chronological order.
• One of the Task Force members, Ted Mollegen, has posted on his personal website his own set of analyses and proposals. These are not official NCTF materials, and have not been approved of (or disapproved of) by other NCTF members.
• Also see the individual reports of the Regional Reconciliation Meetings (links are above).

This page last updated 4/11/00 4/25/00 4/27/00 5/21/00 6/7/00 11/17/00 11/22/00 5/15/01 7/10/01.