I missed the deadline to propose resolutions for this year’s diocesan convention, by 22 hours and a lot of planning. Ooops. For your amusement, here are the first drafts; they need consultation and review with wiser minds than mine, and co-sponsors.
TO PROVIDE FOR FREE DEBATE
Resolved, that applause, cheers, jeers, hoots, hollers, and other indications of passionate affirmation or antagonism shall be suppressed in Convention; and be it further
Resolved, that all votes of the Diocese in Convention, whether for election or resolution, shall be by secret, written ballot by order; and be it further
Resolved, that Canons 3.5 and 10.8 of the Diocese, and other canons applicable as determined by the Chancellor, shall be revised to reflect the intent of the resolutions above.
EXPLANATION
The Lord our God speaking through the prophet Isaiah says, “Come, let us reason together” (Isaiah 1:18). Discerning the will of God requires free and open discussion in good faith.
The deaf cannot hear and the mute cannot speak, and thus vote by voice acclamation explicitly prevents their involvement and removes them from the body politic.
Our sincere desire to ensure good relations with our fellows and our sympathy with others may lead us to follow the loud voice of the crowd rather than the still small voice in our heart. We may betray our conscience to seek the approval of our peers, or to avoid the displeasure or seek the favor of those in positions of power over us.
TO ENSURE THEOLOGICALLY SOUND RESOLUTIONS
Resolved, that all propositions brought before the Convention, excepting those of a purely grammatical or procedural nature, shall be prefaced and justified by a specific Scriptural authority, or logically so derived from a specific authority, that directs us so to proceed; and be it further
Resolved, that Canon 4.3 of the Diocese be amended to reflect the above.
EXPLANATION
The Lord our God has commanded us that we shall have no other gods before Him. Further, that we should love the Lord our God with all our heart and with all our mind and with all our soul. The Church, being the Body of which our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is the Head, should therefore put God first in all we do. God has provided us with the Word of God in the form of the Holy Scripture, as affirmed by the ecumenical Councils of the Church, containing all things necessary to our life and our salvation.
TO AFFIRM OUR ALLEGIANCE TO CHRIST THE KING
Resolved, that no entity of this Diocese shall display any flag or heraldic emblem other than that of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States as adopted by the General Convention of 1940, or of the United States, or of the several states, or of any administrative division thereof, except when visited by representatives of another temporal or ecclesiastical power and due honor is desired to be shown to said guest.
EXPLANATION
The Lord our God has commanded us that we shall have no other gods before Him, and that we should love the Lord our God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our mind. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has said no one can serve two masters (Matthew 6:24, Luke 16:13). Yet the Apostles Paul, Peter, and James counsel us to submit to temporal authority (Romans 13:1).
Flags and heraldry are symbols of allegiance. This church should clearly demonstrate that all authority comes from God and that we are subservient only to God.
TO AVOID THE SIN OF PARTIALITY
Resolved, that this Diocese of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States shall neither require nor teach any material identifying itself as anti-racist.
EXPLANATION
We are assured by our faith that there is no redemption but through Christ Jesus. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ welcomes all to his embrace. The Apostle Paul assures us that in Christ there is neither Greek nor Jew. The Apostle James warns us against the sin of partiality, that is, of preferring one above the other due to his or her physical or economic characteristics. Our duty to God requires that we should neither condone nor teach doctrines abhorrent to the Word of God.
Yet certain members of the Church in former times erroneously identified the curse of Ham with the peoples from the African continent, taught that those peoples were inferior, kidnapped them from their homes, and enslaved them in an unfamiliar land. Aware of our sin the Church, attempting to redeem itself, has further sinned.
Racism and anti-racism both violate the clear directive of Holy Scripture by teaching that some children of God are inherently better than others. Contrary to its promises, instruction in anti-racism has been shown to result in racist behavior [1]. These teachings cause dissension among the people of God and are to be avoided.
[1] https://networkcontagion.us/wp-content/uploads/Instructing-Animosity_11.13.24.pdf
TO CONDEMN MEDICAL ASSISTANCE IN DYING
Resolved, that intentional euthanasia, whatever its forms and motives, is murder, gravely contrary to the dignity of the human person and to the respect due to the Creator; and be it further
Resolved, that in those jurisdictions where euthanasia is legal and assistance may be compelled, medical professionals must refrain from providing such assistance for they imperil their immortal soul; and be it further
Resolved, that those providing such assistance may not come to the table until they have confessed their sin, repented, and no longer engage in said sin.
EXPLANATION
Thou shalt not kill.
New York State’s legislature has recently passed a bill permitting doctors to kill their patients. [1] It awaits Gov. Hochul’s signature. Whether called medical assistance in dying, assisted dying, or assisted suicide, euthanasia perverts the practice of medicine from the restoration of wholeness. By enlisting the aid of another in one’s death it turns doctors into murderers. It replaces palliative care. Evidence from other jurisdictions, particularly Canada and the Netherlands, shows that regardless of the stated intentions of its advocates, there are no safeguards [2], becoming merely a scheme to kill off the economically nonviable. It condemns those deemed useless and unworthy of life to the ovens.
The early Church distinguished itself from the pagan world by its care for the poor, the sick, and the weak. Christians were known for being those strange people who did not kill the infirm, the elderly, or children; and who instead took in the abandoned, the widows, the orphans.
That we are silent or even advocating for these deaths on the grounds of “consent” shames the Church.
[1] https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/S138
[2] https://www.thenewatlantis.com/publications/no-other-options, https://www.thenewatlantis.com/publications/compliance-problems-maid-canada-leaked-documents
TO AFFIRM THE GOODNESS OF GOD’S CREATION
Resolved, that God made man and woman in God’s image, and declared that they were good; and be it further
Resolved, that life is a great gift; and be it further
Resolved, that the bodies that God has given us are good, suitable for God’s purposes and our needs, and to be used in harmony with God’s will as revealed in Holy Scripture; and be it further
Resolved, that to assert that God has made a mistake by placing a man in a woman’s body, or vice versa, is to place ourselves above God, and is idolatry and hubris; and be it further
Resolved, that none of us is without sin; and be it further
Resolved, that the Church loves and cherishes all those who comprise the body of Christ.
EXPLANATION
The Holy Scriptures teach us that in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth, and that on the sixth day God brought forth living creatures according to their kinds, among which were Man and Woman, and that all that God created was good. “So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. … And God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good.” (Genesis 1:27,31 NRSV)
Some people feel that they and their bodies are incongruent, that their nature is different from how they are embodied. Some seek to use technical interventions to choose a different body. Some others after doing so regret those choices. These technical interventions are both irreversible and impossible: one cannot change one’s sex, only the appearance of one’s sex. To unquestioningly affirm the perceived incongruity does not offer guidance according to God’s Word, abandons all those who later change their mind, and leaves the advocate liable to suit. A properly pastoral approach reminds us that God’s creation is good, that we have difficulty living in harmony with God’s intent, and seeks to guide the perplexed to understanding.
TO ENCOURAGE OBSERVANCE OF THE SABBATH
Resolved, that the 249th Convention of the Diocese of New York encourages all the faithful to avoid participation in sports leagues that play or require travel on Sunday; and be it further
Resolved, that the Convention encourages the faithful to refrain from activity on the Lord’s Day that is not essential to life or health, or which prevents others from observance of the Sabbath; and be it further
Resolved, that the Convention encourages the faithful to advocate for legislation that would allow families to enjoy time together to worship the Lord our God.
EXPLANATION
We are commanded by the Lord our God to remember the Sabbath and keep it holy.
Many families today participate in sports leagues that schedule games on Sunday or require travel on Sunday, often on the erroneous assumption that these sports will increase the likelihood that their children will be granted entry into the college of their choice. This prevents or discourages those families from attending worship services.
Other families are compelled by economic circumstances or the exigencies of their employment to work on the Lord’s Day, often in professions that are not essential to life or health. Many activities we enjoy on the weekend compel others to work for us, thus hindering their worship and rest.