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To: sionnsar

I guess this is as good a place to post this comment. I go to St. Clement's church in El Paso. It's over 100 years old and is the Pro-Cathedral for the Diocese of the Rio Grande. Our Bishop Jeffery Steenson is a conservative, orthodox Bishop who has protected the churches in the Diocese from the majority of the turmoil in the church. I am concerned that the focus on the ownership of the real estate clouds the real issues. If Anglicans believe we're doing the right thing and upholding the Gospel, then we should be prepared to walk away from the real estate to worship how we believe, wherever we find ourselves. I am prepared to do that, and so should all Anglicans. Churches are just buildings. How many beautiful cathedrals in Europe are vibrant, growing congregations? Not many, I bet.


4 posted on 02/11/2007 8:41:49 AM PST by neodad (USS Vincennes (CG-49) Freedom's Fortress)
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To: neodad
If Anglicans believe we're doing the right thing and upholding the Gospel, then we should be prepared to walk away from the real estate to worship how we believe, wherever we find ourselves. I am prepared to do that, and so should all Anglicans.

I fully concur -- but then my wife and I walked away from ECUSA altogether 24 years ago, to join a small Continuing church-in-a-box. 3-1/2 years later we held our first service in our new building.

But I don't think summarily abandoning the property is necessarily a good thing either -- you simply fund the heretics' activities further.

The ONLY reason the Dennis Canon even exists is to stem the departure of congregations, as happened in the late 70s and early 80s, and the hook to keep them in was the property. It may have worked for congregations (most of the time), but the individual departures continued.

And seem to be picking up a little, if my church's visitation rate is an indicator -- though not everyone who visits, or stays, is coming from ECUSA.

8 posted on 02/11/2007 4:53:57 PM PST by sionnsar (†trad-anglican.faithweb.com†|Iran Azadi| 5yst3m 0wn3d - it's N0t Y0ur5 (SONY) | UN: Useless Nations)
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