ANAHEIM, CA - Episcopal Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori says it's "heresy" to believe that an individual can be saved through a sinner's prayer of repentance.  
In her opening address to the church's General Conference in California, Jefferts Schori called that "the great Western heresy: that we can be saved as individuals, that any of us alone can be in right relationship with God."    
The presiding bishop said that view is "caricatured in some quarters by insisting that salvation depends on reciting a specific verbal formula about Jesus."
According to Schori, it is heresy to believe that an individual's prayer can achieve a saving relationship with God. "That individualist focus is a form of idolatry, for it puts me and my words in the place that only God can occupy."
Associated Press July 9, 2009

The above quote by Bishop Schori is on the surface so disturbing as to cause one to question their salvation. Before you get too excited though it would be good to understand what she actually said. This supposedly well educated leader in the church, whom one might assume is well versed in the Word of God as presented in Holy Bible, is obviously ignorant of the meaning of words. Heresy is (according to every source that I found) “An opinion or a doctrine at variance with established religious beliefs, especially dissension from or denial of Roman Catholic dogma by a professed believer or baptized church member.” Therefore her statement is categorically in opposition to the core teaching of her own faith.
By definition her statement is heresy.

It seems that we are all guilty of imprecise use of the English language and it causes no end of problems. We scatter words around with careless abandon and assume the people we throw them at will understand their meaning. As a believer in Jesus Christ I am called to use the Holy Bible as my standard for understanding, belief, and behavior. God through James makes a scathing indictment against the tongue in James 3:7-8 “All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by, but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.” God who created each of us is telling us to guard our tongues. I forget that on a daily basis and my relationships suffer because of my inattentiveness.

Back to the Bishop, I understand her concern about putting herself in the place of God it is something that we must all guard against. The challenge here is that God’s word is very clear about His plan for our salvation. When I look at the scriptures I see first, we are lost to sin (separation from God) by the action of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Second, God still loves us and wants us to be in fellowship with Him. Third, God sent His only Son into to the world to pay the price for our sin and provide for our salvation. Fourth, God said that whoever (each individual) would believe in Jesus Christ (His Son), confess and repent his own sin would be saved by faith in Jesus Christ. The Holy Bible says that God has called each to make a choice for their salvation. So to Bishop Schori I would say that perhaps you should rely on the Word of God and not your own understanding.

You have been given a high office with great responsibility please guard your tongue and stay focused on Jesus Christ.