Posted on 04/27/2007 8:04:21 PM PDT by fgoodwin
Episcopal Bishop says few leaving over same-sex issues
http://content.hamptonroads.com/story.cfm?story=123562&ran=89412
By STEVEN G. VEGH, The Virginian-Pilot
April 26, 2007
Last updated: 12:16 AM
VIRGINIA BEACH - The Episcopal Church's presiding bishop on Wednesday downplayed the notion of a denominational schism over homosexuality, saying only a tiny fraction of congregations have moved to break away.
In an interview, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori said the congregations had "gotten a lot of attention and been very noisy," but accounted for less than 1 percent of the country's total number of parishes, which she put at 7,500.
"The Episcopal Church is alive and well," she said. Jefferts Schori was in Virginia Beach on Wednesday to speak at the Episcopal Communicators annual meeting at The Cavalier Hotel.
In the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Virginia, which encompasses Hampton Roads, a couple of the approximately 120 parishes have left the denomination.
She was elected last year as the first female to head the 2.4 million-member Episcopal Church. The denomination is part of the 77 million-member worldwide Anglican Communion.
Episcopal conservatives, as well as some in the wider Anglican Communion, were outraged in 2003 when the denomination endorsed the ordination of a non celibate gay man as a bishop in New Hampshire.
Jefferts Schori, who voted for Gene Robinson's ordination, likened the ongoing debate to past controversies over the ordination of women and changes to the Episcopal hymnal and prayer book.
What is different, she said, are the global dimensions of the debate over gay ordination and church blessing of same-sex unions.
She credited the spread to unhappy Episcopal conservatives who contacted "other parts of the Communion that probably wouldn't have paid nearly as much attention, or been so concerned, without some encouragement."
She said research indicated 15 percent of Episcopalians were unhappy with the denomination's stance on gay issues, while 15 percent want the church to liberalize more quickly.
"The bulk of the church is really committed to including people of all sexual orientations," she said.
Many conservative Episcopalians say the controversy reflects a wider debate within Anglicanism over how literally the Bible should be interpreted. But Jefferts Shori said Anglicans have long avoided basing moral decisions only on the Bible.
Jefferts Shori said the controversy had created "a little bit of turmoil" in a couple Southern Virginia parishes but had no major impact on the diocese.
One local parish, Church of the Messiah in Chesapeake, voted last year to leave the denomination. It still claims ownership of its property and grounds, though the dioces e calls itself the legal owner.
At Galilee Church in Virginia Beach, traditionalists split away from the parish and the Episcopal Church this spring to form Trinity Church.
Galilee remains in the Southern Virginia diocese, but is hardly peaceful: three associate staff ministers recently left. One of them, the Rev. David Ball, said this week that none of the three would comment on their departure.
The Rev. Coleman Tyler, Galilee's senior minister and a critic of the denomination, could not be reached Wednesday.
The Southern Virginia diocese is led by an interim bishop pending the election in May 2008 of a permanent bishop. The diocese has about 35,000 members spread across the southern part of the state.
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Reach Steven G. Vegh at (757) 446-2417 or steven.vegh@pilotonline.com
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When did she move to the State of Denial?
So it’s time to start sneaking adult-child sex as a “lifestyle” endorsed by this false church. Then maybe bestiality. Who’s to judge?!?! (God’s Word doesn’t count with these people)
A social club, not a church (at least not a Christian church). A place to gather on Sunday and talk about social events. Mayhap, to have a dinner on the grounds.
Christianity nowhere to be found.
REPLY:
The name tells you a lot about what kind of so-called church these people claim to be.
They sound like the church that Paul wrote about at Corinth.
1,000 prostitutes working the alter and anything goes as long as the money rolls in.
Ms. Numbnuts Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori says the Episcopal Church is alive and well.
Well Ms. Numbnuts Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori so is Satanic worship and hell.
KJS is too intelligent to be in a state of denial. This is simply more pure propaganda from the left for the usual purposes.
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And I will stay gone as long as Jefferts Schori and Gene Robinson are the "leaders." in that Church.
Congregations that leave en masse are relatively rare, but she's not being honest about the incidental bleeding going on otherwise. She's not including parishes that closed because departures left them too stretched to maintain themselves, and I bet those greatly outweigh the en masse departures.
My own departure for the APCK a quarter-century ago would not show up in her tally at all, but I'm gone nonetheless. And today, happier for it.
I would say this is true. FEW are leaving over just the same-sex issues... most have left and are continuing to leave over the blatent disregard for God's Word as authority ..
.. oh and that little thing about Jesus not being the only way ..
.. oh and watering down the message of repentance so everyone can feel comfortable in their sin .. ......
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