Their Separate Ways (Episcopal Schism)

WSJ ^ | 7/17/2009 | PHILIP JENKINS

[markomalley]

For a decade now, the Episcopal Church USA (ECUSA) has been bitterly divided over the issue of ordaining openly gay clergy. The matter reached a new intensity this past week when the church's triennial convention ended the ban on gay candidates serving in ordained ministry. After years of protesting ECUSA's liberal policies and doctrines, seceding conservatives have now organized a rival church -- the Anglican Church in North America, or ACNA -- which claims 100,000 believers, compared with two million in ECUSA. This week's dramatic decision is sure to widen the rift even further, causing what church historians might officially label a "schism."

The presiding bishop of the mainstream Episcopal grouping, Katherine Jefferts Schori, predictably condemns ACNA, protesting that "schism is not a Christian act." But it is not wholly clear who is seceding from whom. In approving gay bishops, ECUSA is defying the global Anglican Communion, which had begged Americans not to take a move that could provoke believers in other parts of the world. The Anglican Communion, though noticeably "progressive" in its American and British forms, is a world-wide church of 80 million. Indeed, the majority of Anglicans today live in African and Asian countries where progressive views are not so eagerly embraced. For American conservatives, it is Bishop Jefferts Schori's church that has seceded from global Anglicanism.

[markomalley]

Watching this is like watching a slow train wreck. Tragic. But riveting.

Prayers for the faithful who find themselves stuck in this train wreck.

[markomalley]

ping

[Raycpa]

today live in African and Asian countries where progressive anti-biblical views are not so eagerly embraced.

[Nosterrex]

Every church body inflates its membership rolls. Some are worse than others. I would venture to guess that the Episcopal Church USA has less than half of the membership that it claims to have. At the rate that it is dying, there will soon be one priest for every layman.

[DollyCali]

perhaps of interest Ping

[Campion]

The presiding bishop of the mainstream Episcopal grouping, Katherine Jefferts Schori, predictably condemns ACNA, protesting that "schism is not a Christian act."

That's like a 3-layer cake of hypocrisy, considering that Schori is (a) an ex-Catholic; (b) leading a church which traces its roots back to Henry VIII's schism from Rome; (c) which is itself now in de facto schism from Canterbury.

[STONEWALLS]

....the Episcopal church neeeds a “Go in Peace” resolution to allow conservative congregations to leave AND take their property/money with them....so do Presbyterians...but the Leftists that have hijacked the denomination won’t permit it...like Leftists everywhere, they want control...secessionist movements terrify them.

[DHC-2]

Every church body inflates its membership rolls. Some are worse than others. I would venture to guess that the Episcopal Church USA has less than half of the membership that it claims to have. At the rate that it is dying, there will soon be one priest for every layman.

Anybody see a parallel here with this subject and the deathwatch of the dinosaur media? CNN saying they are "the most trusted name in news" ... MSNBC bragging about how smart they are vs the rest of the world. They think it is so "cool" and the "rest of us" out here don't go along with it. The NYT's stock drops to worthless, nobody watches MSNBC, but these people are the same "ilk" that's killing the Episcopal Church. A bunch of "do-gooders" that believe people should have the freedom to do anything they want ... regardless of their church's "discipline." They believe they are right and that they are in the majority ... yet their decline continues...the greater their effort, the greater the decline. There will not only soon be one priest for every layman, MSNBC will have one broadcaster per listener. What is it that drives these people to their own destruction? Amazing to watch, and it is not difficult to see ... its right there in front of us. Dante had a place in hell for these folks, they ate their own limbs.

[bobjam]

The Episcopal Church has an average Sunday attendance (ASA) of around 750,000. That figure is only the tip of the iceberg. It’s worse considering the average age of regular church goers is in the 60’s, and that few parishes get more than 100 people a Sunday. Because the ASA is so dismal, the Episcopal Church is going to replace it with a figure that reflects “persons served and cared for”. In other words, they want to know how many are fed in the soup kitchen, how many are tutored by members of the parish, etc.