Good news. I just sent this to some liberals who have told us that we have put with what happens in the national church, and if we didn’t like it we could leave.
Looks like they can leave and go to a liberal church versus us as these cases continue to be on our side.
I’m rejoicing very much in this, since hearing about it at 6:30 AM.
A bit of caution though:
1) This is a Virginia court ruling in respect to a unique Virginia law, passed in the ‘90s which says in the event of a major denominational split, allows the congregation to keep the property. The court only ruled that yes, this statute does apply (TEC had actually argued it was just malcontents, not an actual split at the denominational level!). No other state that I know of has the same statute, hence, unless you are in Virginia this decision won’t help your parish.
2) The other major prong of TEC’s argument is that this Virginia law is unconstitutional...in that it allows government to interfere in the internal affairs of a religion—making an “undue entanglement.” The constitutionality of the Virginia law has yet to be decided. I think it would seem kind of silly for the judge to say the law applies, but the law itself is invalid....but, God knows legal decisions: Much more prayer needs to be made.
3) It would appear that the real legal strategy of the deep pockets TEC will be to appeal endlessly, so as to bleed the (much shallower pocketed churches) dry with legal costs. So I doubt we’ll see an end to this for many years to come, even if the law is ruled constitutional.
4) Personally, I think the best hope might be for more politically and PR sauvy TEC members to say enough is enough to Schori and Beers...as all of this can’t help but really make TEC look like the petty, grasping, vindictive hypocrits that they are.... What I’m saying is that stopping the whole “sue them down!” strategy may have to come from within.
I simply cannot imagine letting a minority of congregations leave with their properties would seriously jeopardize TEC funds in the long run, as much as the bad PR, legal costs, and of course rank apostasy this whole episode epitomizes.