Posted on 11/20/2006 5:23:28 PM PST by sionnsar
The bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin met with parishioners in Bakersfield Tuesday to say that the diocese plans to split with the U.S. Episcopal Church.
Bishop John-David Schofield told about 125 in attendance at St. Paul's Episcopal Parish that the conservatives and progressives are at an impasse.
"We now have two separate religions in the Episcopal Church," Schofield said. "The Episcopal Church has become an apostate to the point of heresy."
The split could mean protracted lawsuits over church property within the diocese and general harassment by leaders of the national body, Schofield said.
"You people need to be prepared for the battle of a lifetime," Schofield said.
The bishop was scheduled to meet with leaders of the Anglican Communion this week at an undisclosed location on the East Coast to discuss the possibility of the diocese aligning with an Anglican province.
The schism is the culmination of 40 years of internal bickering between Episcopal conservatives, who view the Bible as unerring, and the progressives, who view God's word as a continuing revelation.
When in June at the Episcopal General Convention the church elected Katharine Jefferts Schori as presiding bishop, conservative bishops were outraged, citing her support of gay unions and liberal interpretations of Scripture.
At the time, the San Joaquin and several other dioceses asked the archbishop of Canterbury, the spiritual leader of the Anglican Communion, to place their diocese under the authority of someone other than Schori.
In recent months, Schofield realized that the theological differences between the two groups were insurmountable, he said.
Schofield said worship services would not change drastically with the impending realignment and the same priests would remain in the pulpit.
No timetable has been set for realignment.
The San Joaquin diocese oversees 50 Episcopal churches in the Central Valley, including three in Bakersfield. It's part of the U.S. arm of the worldwide Anglican Communion, which has 77 million members.
The Anglican Communion is made up mostly of Bible-believing conservatives, while the majority of Episcopal parishes are characterized as liberal. The Episcopal Church has lost thousands of members over the years. Once 4 million strong, the church now has 870,000 parishioners, Schofield said.
During questions and answers with the bishop, Bakersfield resident Louis Wildean objected to the split. "We need to maintain the integrity of the diocese," he said. "I think it's a big mistake."
Still, many in attendance supported the bishop.
"I think of myself as an Anglican," Cathi Chrisco of Bakersfield said after the event. "I will follow (Schofield) because he's firm in the faith and true to Scripture."
Denise Irvin, who attends St. Paul's, said: "We're going to be Anglican again, praise God."
Traditional Anglican ping, continued in memory of its founder Arlin Adams. Anyone have a scorecard? Orthodoxy 7, Heresy 0.
I have absolutely no idea who you are but I've known +Schofield for a couple of decades and more. He's human, defnitely with his own failings, but from everything I have seen he is a good Christian man working to uphold the faith.
I think the quote is "it is better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven". It is from Dante quoting Satan.
I think you may have misunderstood his reference.
You do realize it means we have personal responsibility that cannot be defeated by submission to corporate entities, don't you?
Slander ill becomes one who professes to adhere to the faith once for all delivered to the saints. Rome, look to your own sins and REPENT!
Before consigning Bishop John David Schofield to Hell, I would recommend a closer look.
I invite you to cite your sources for the comments you attribute to Bishop John David Schofield and I particularly ask for the complete context (where? when? to whom? about whom? witnessed by whom? a propos of what?)
I also ask that you present your credentials in a verifiable manner before you ask me to accept your opinion as valid.
I have known Bishop John David Schofield for at least a couple of decades and I can vouch not only for his character but for his spiritual integrity as well. He has been outspoken about his beliefs and he has caught hell for it. He is leading an overwhelmingly conservative diocese out of an apostate church and for that I bless him.
It is easy for those outside the situation to cast stones, isn't it?
Seek help.
Nothing fallen on my path, babe. A bigtime Zot coming your way.
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