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Loading ...3rd Episcopal diocese splits from church over gays
11.10.2008 4:36pm EST
(New York City) A third theologically conservative diocese has broken away from the liberal Episcopal Church in a long-running dispute over the Bible, gay relationships and other issues.
The Diocese of Quincy, Ill., took the vote at its annual meeting that ends Saturday.Two other dioceses – San Joaquin, based in Fresno, Calif., and Pittsburgh – have already split off. Next weekend, the Diocese of Fort Worth, Texas, will vote whether to follow suit.
The three breakaway dioceses are aligning with the like-minded Anglican Province of the Southern Cone, based in Argentina, to try to keep their place in the world Anglican Communion. The 77-million-member Anglican fellowship, which includes the U.S. Episcopal Church, has roots in the missionary work of the Church of England.
Meanwhile, National Episcopal leaders are reorganizing the seceding dioceses with local parishioners who want to stay in the church. Complex legal fights have already started in San Joaquin over control of millions of dollars in diocesan property and assets.
The head of the New York-based denomination, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, said in a statement Saturday: “We lament the departure” in Quincy.
The Quincy diocese, based in Peoria, has 24 churches and missions, and about 1,800 members.
The Rev. John Spencer, a diocesan spokesman, said local leaders would comment after the convention concludes. Clergy and lay delegates at the Quincy meeting approved withdrawal on a 95 to 26 vote.
Episcopalians and their fellow Anglicans have been debating for decades over how they should interpret what Scripture says on issues ranging from salvation to sexuality.
Tensions erupted in 2003 when the denomination consecrated its first openly gay bishop, V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire, pushing the Anglican family toward the brink of schism. The majority of overseas Anglicans hold traditional views of Scripture and believe the Bible bars gay relationships. Many have pushed for the ouster of the Episcopal Church from the communion.
Within the U.S. church, the outlook is different. Most of the 2.2 million Episcopalians don’t consider their theological differences cause to leave the denomination.
Still, several Episcopal conservative leaders have concluded they could no longer remain and have begun building direct links with sympathetic Anglicans in other countries.
The Anglican Church of Nigeria has formed a Virginia-based network of Episcopal breakaway parishes, called the Convocation of Anglicans in North America. Some individual Episcopal parishes have separately aligned with Anglican provinces in Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda.
Bishop Robert Duncan, head of the breakaway Diocese of Pittsburgh, is among leaders trying to form a North American province for Episcopal traditionalists that would rival the U.S. church.
I’ve followed the reports about the growing tensions in the Episcopal Church and the greater Anglican fellowship ever since the ordination of Bishop Robinson. Many articles create a dramatic impression that the U.S. Church is hemorrhaging. But, in fact, the number of conservatives splitting away is minuscule, no more than about 1% of the total membership, according to one article.
Frankly, I think the liberals have been far too tolerant and lenient towards the conservatives, even as the conservatives have been taking every opportunity to demand their own way or no way. Long ago, the conservatives should have been shown the door and told not to let it hit them on the rear on their way out.
After all, if the conservatives were the majority, that’s what they would do to the liberals.
To LOrion,
Make an effort. The Episcopal Church is wonderful community (a few narrow-minded Cro-Magnon notwithstanding.) My husband and I celebrated a full High Church Nuptial Mass on October 18 at our parish church, St. Thomas the Apostle Episcopal (Anglican) Church in Hollywood. No shilly-shallying around with “covenant” or “blessing” ceremonies. It was a full blown marriage, done by a guest priest (a dear friend) with our rector serving as deacon, and preaching the homily. There could be no greater affirmation of our place as equal members in our community of faith than that.
I also agree with gew…let them go. Just check the property at the door. The generations of the faithful who provided the donations to build your churches had no intention of ever placing them under the authority of Rwanda, Argentina, or any other Philistine prelature.
Cheers,
Dave Lynch
Quincy was and is a small, weak anglo-catholic diocese in the old Upper Midwest “Biretta Belt”, so called because the faith was planted there by Tractarian missionaries in the 19th century. They have 1,800 people in the DIOCESE; contrast that with All Saints’ Episcopal Church, Pasadena CA, a long-time leader in the fight for equality for all: they have 4,000 people in one PARISH.
Quincy isn’t much of a loss. Their bishop probably believes that WOMEN don’t have souls, never mind GLBT people. I have debated him before. The notoriously homophobic rector of All Saints’ 6th Ave in San Diego is now a part of that diocese. Good riddance to all!
Bud Burgoon-Clark
San Diego CA
Married to a MAN and proud of it!
If I can get myself to believe in a God again who allows his name to be used to promote hate, I would renounce my Catholocism and become Episcopal I think.
And this is a form of cleansing for the Episcopal Church. The church is stronger without these splinter groups. I’m just sorry that so much effort has been given to keep the splinter churches in the fold.
They are not splitting over gays. That is their talking point so that they do not have to talk about how they are splitting over equal rights, like, we have ours and that is quite enough for us.
The dioceses of Quincy and Fort Worth have also been two of the most notoriously resistent to women clergy for many years. So its not like this is a surprise.
C’mon kids, it’s time for another rousing chorus.
“And they’ll know we are Christians by our love by our love, yes they’ll know we are Christians by our love.”
Let ‘em go. Open the doors wide and let the goats go.