Episcopal Rift Over Gay Bishops Widens

[davidinalameda]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/30/AR2006063001126.html

Two more Episcopal dioceses that consider gay relationships sinful are distancing themselves from the denomination by seeking oversight from fellow Anglicans overseas instead of the American church.

The Dioceses of Springfield, Ill., and Central Florida have joined three other dioceses in rejecting the authority of the Episcopal presiding bishop-elect _ a step short of schism _ and asking Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams to assign them another leader.

Springfield Bishop Peter Beckwith said in a statement Friday that his diocese objects to Nevada Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, who will be installed Nov. 4, because she supports ordaining partnered gays and blessing same-sex couples, among other reasons. Earlier this week, the Dioceses of Pittsburgh, South Carolina and San Joaquin, Calif. made similar statements.

The Episcopal Church, with more than 100 dioceses, is the U.S. branch of the global Anglican Communion, the association of churches that trace their roots to the Church of England.

just leave and be done with it!

[Ian David]

1. But will the American churches still send food and medicine...

to their third-world brethren?

[ChazII]

3. According to the few Episcoplains that I know

some members have designated that their money go only to charity and to their own church building. Not exactly sure how that works, but from what I told these members believe that they are still taking care of the less fortunate, while not supporting policy that they disagree with.

[JerseygirlCT]

6. At least in my diocese, a certain percentage of pledges made is

supposed to be sent to the diocese. Some people are choosing to continue to *give* to their church, but not *pledge*, thus lowering the amount the diocese gets out of it.

[ChazII]

12. Thank you

[BOHICA06]

17. In the Diocese of Southwest Florida ....

10% of all pledge and plate income goes to the Diocese. 22% of all money received by the Diocese goes to the national church.

Parishes and individuals have the option of redirecting their funds to the Diocese's Dominican Republican mission rather than send them to the national church. This is a Southwest Florida option only - other dioceses may but they may not allow such an option.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

2. The work of the money...

of Howard Ahmenson and Richard Mellon Scaife. Know it.

[JerseygirlCT]

8. Oh absolutely! It's really scary, isn't it? nt

[TallahasseeGrannie]

4. I think the concept of "leave and be done with it"

might have it backwards. The Anglican Communion believes the ECUSA has left.

Unless that is what you meant? Maybe I had it backwards.

[davidinalameda]

10. take it either way

I don't think that the ECUSA has left the Anglican Communion

I think that the Anglican Communion has left the ECUSA

I do wish these renegade dioceses would hurry up and leave the ECUSA so we can get our with our mission

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

5. Sad, especially for those Episcopaleans

who believe in equal rights for all people to have to live in a diocese where there is such intolerance. May all hearts be opened on this matter, throughout the world.

[JerseygirlCT]

7. I agree with you

there will be schism not just between the Anglican Communion and the ECUSA, not just between the ECUSA and the hard-core conservatives within it, but down to separate parishes. What if your diocese is one of the affected ones? Do you travel to another to worship?

While I still hope there is some way to find a way to continue together, it seems less and less likely. It will be painful for so many people!

[SPKrazy]

9. This Is Asinine

Did they take a vote of the parishes in the diocese?

Or are the Bishops just making these decisions?

I'm heartbroken that the Episcopal Church (of which I belong to a liberal parish) is going this direction.

But, maybe it has to happen. The history of Christianity is one of Churches splitting and new denominations forming.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

11. Interesting, isn't it?

Even those hardcore dioceses MUST have a liberal parish or two.

Will they now withdraw from their renegade diocese and ask to be under the supervision of a neighboring bishop?

But Tandalayo is absolutely right. This is The Institute for Religion and Democracy (cough-cough) at work with Scaife and Mellon money, trying to destroy the liberal denominations from within by playing on the sexual hangups of certain people.

[SPKrazy]

13. Good Points n/t

[davidinalameda]

14. I don't know

I would think that the liberals would have left the church by now

Maybe this will be the catalyst for some people coming back the the Episcopal Church

[SPKrazy]

15. The Liberals Would Have Left The Church?

you mean the ones in the 5 diocese' that are "breaking away"?

Maybe congregations in those diocese' that are liberal will break away.

Until now they really haven't had a reason. I mean the diocese only has so much power in the Church. Ultimately the parishoners of each parish are the ones with the power, their pocketbooks and their voices.

[davidinalameda]

16. If I was a living in one of those dioceses with those bishops

I would have definately left the church

religion, like politics, is local

in San Francisco, you have probably the most liberal Catholic parish in the world and many of it's members are gay

I can't for the life of me as a gay Christian understand how anyone can be a gay Catholic

to me, that is more of an oxymoron than gay Republican

but this church is thriving

I think that the ECUSA, or whatever it will be, will make inroads into these areas-we have to

we have a duty to those Episcopalians and Christians as a whole to spread our message of God's love and acceptance

we need to show people that these bishops and their followers are not what the Episcopal and Anglican faiths are about