Posted on 12/19/2008 4:22:34 PM PST by rabscuttle385
McLEAN, Va. (AP) — Nearly a dozen conservative church congregations in Virginia have won a lawsuit in which they sought to split from the U.S. Episcopal Church in a dispute over theology and homosexuality.
The final rulings came Friday from a Fairfax County judge who said the departing congregations are allowed under Virginia law to keep their church buildings and other property as they leave the Episcopal Church and realign under the authority of conservative Anglican bishops from Africa.
Several previous rulings had also gone in favor of the departing congregations. The diocese said it will appeal.
Eleven Virginia congregations were involved in the lawsuit, including two prominent congregations that trace their histories to George Washington — Truro Church in Fairfax and The Falls Church in Falls Church.
(Excerpt) Read more at google.com ...
Anglican ping!
Glad to hear this...
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Fantastic news!
Hooray for sanity! And morality.
You can’t claim something has been true since the writing of the scriptures and then change it just because Gallup comes up with new numbers.
This is good, s!
Finally!! SOME good news!!!!!
Generally, each congregation pays for its own building. In some of these cases, the congregation existed long before the ECUSA came into being.
I would think that the building should go to the people who paid for it if there is a split.
That would certainly be the fair and just outcome. But after a recent ruling in Oklahoma, a congregation had to pay $1.75 million to buy back a facility that they had built and paid for. (Kirk of the Hills Presbyterian).
One of the Bishops in Florida was smarter, and thought ahead. He got the congregations to put the property in his name when they bought it. (In most cases, that was long before his office showed its true liberal leanings). He, of course, didn't have any legal problems with kicking out the Christians.
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