Updated Tuesday evening
At the risk of overkill, here are some further links to reports about or comments on the Virginia parish defections from ECUSA (how come Christ Church Plano didn’t get similar coverage?)
Stephen Bates has written on Comment is free about The problem of dissolution.
Rachel Zoll of the Associated Press has a report, Leader: Episcopal Church not splintering.
Dave Walker has another cartoon, How a chain of evangelistic carpet shops could help the Episcopal church.
The Diocese of Virginia has issued two further press releases:
News Update from the Diocese of Virginia
Diocesan Leaders to Reach Out to All Episcopalians
Episcopal News Service had Virginia diocese promises ‘every encouragement’ to Episcopalians remaining in disaffected congregations by Mary Frances Schjonberg
The Anglican Communion Network (or NACDAP) issued this press release:
Network Moderator Commends Virginia Churches
The Living Church has Seven Virginia Parishes Vote to Leave Diocese by George Conger and also Virginia Diocese Will ‘Assert’ Canonical and Legal Rights.
Statistics on the voting, membership, etc. of the departing parishes is being maintained in a spreadsheet here (thanks Karen B).
For American local TV reports, scroll down at this titusonenine entry, and follow the links there.
Religion News Service Episcopal Split Accelerates as Va. Parishes Vote to Leave by Daniel Burke.
The Washington Post has Diocese Declares Time Out on Lawsuits by Michelle Boorstein.
And the Richmond Times-Dispatch has Legal action put on hold in Episcopal split by Alberta Lindsey.
The Washington Times had Julia Duin saying Diocese approves freeze on litigation.
Updates
Another Episcopal News Service report, ‘Large, viable remnant’ wants to continue as Episcopal congregation.
Another Comment is free article, Anglicans in America by Bruce Bawer.
The Daily Show, a comedy news program on a US cable channel, mentioned the dustup under the title Episcolypse Now.
Is anyone saying “woopiedoo, they so pure and holy”? When *all* the press is concerning schism as though that’s a bad thing (and it is), what exactly have they achieved?
I hope those who left these parishes as they became so sharply defined will now contact the diocese so they can be considered continuing members.I remember that happening with other parishes that left other dioceses in the past. Columba Gilliss
Ah, but Tim, the schismatics will look at the secular press as *proof* of their heroic martyrdom.
Simon: “how come Christ Church Plano didn’t get similar coverage?”
Wash DC GOP power-elite in VA?
As a TEC member in an inclusive congregation, I send you Christmas greetings and a prose snapshot of Advent and Christmas at our church. I have been with my partner in faithful monogamy for 20 years. Two Sundays ago when the Advent greenery was dedicated to the memory of my parents, the stewardship chair reported that our congregation grew by 15 families last year. Last Sunday, our vestry gave a gift to our (woman) priest in honor of the 11th anniversary of her ordination and her 2nd anniversary with our congregation. My altar guild team has Christmas Eve duty, so… Read more »
Thank you Susan, for sharing that lovely story of your home parish. I may have wept yesterday at the decsions made over the weekend, but you have brought tears of joy and hope for your honesty and selflessness.
Ruidh. Thanks for making me laugh. Susan, It is lovely to hear of the graciousness of your parish. I think one thing that a lot of people forgot or glossed over was that both Robinson and Schori were elected by majorities. It wasn’t some covert action by an elite guard issuing documents and making pronouncements on behalf of their charges without due consultation. Maybe that is why they haven’t responded as wisely as expected, they are so used to acting with impunity within their own dioceses that they have become blind that souls not used to such strong arm tactics… Read more »
“Ah, but Tim, the schismatics will look at the secular press as *proof* of their heroic martyrdom.” — JCF
I really don’t understand how Anglicans can say things like this.
Aren’t these people just following the Anglican model of Richard Hooker:
“That which they call Schism, we know to be our reasonable service unto God, and obedience to his voice, which crieth shrill in our ears, ‘Go out of Babylon, my people, that you be not partakers of her sins, and that yea receive not of her plagues.'”
“Crieth shrill in our ears.”
Indeed.
Oh, but Lay Druid,
“Babylon” in 16th century parlance is Rome.
Babylon would also apply to any nation foolish enough to have aspirations of becoming a “pax empire” aka Roman empire.
Cheryl and Choirboy, Thank you for your kind responses to my greetings. There are two things I forgot to mention. First, our rector is a grandmother. She went to seminary when she was in her 40s; her vocation was first discerned by members of the parish where she grew up. Her husband has fully supported her call and her children are regular visitors in our parish. Second, our convocation also has a fast-growing, inclusive mission led by a woman vicar. It will soon break ground on a permanent church building and we hope to see it become a parish in… Read more »
Stepping back from all the new conservative hoo-ha for just a second, maybe what we are witnessing is the rumblings of a new sort of Reformation – as received institutional structures fail to give equal oxygen to all believers, and as so many different believers search across and beyond and outside of the established structures for what their best discerments tell them is the really breathable air. If so, what we so far lack is the sort of leadership that the last Protestant Reformation offered, along with of course its overall cultural continuities.
Goran – you so often miss the point and focus on some small detail which proves nothing…. there is a great English phrase you should have a look at which goes, “You cannot see the wood for the trees.”
Ley Druid is right – the “network” people are just being “protestants” and following honourable examples like Luther in not being bound by corrupt institutions when there are higher priorities and loyalties
There is a much more encouraging view of life within the Diocese of Virginia here:
http://holycomforter.typepad.com/holycomforter/2006/12/25_years_ago_to.html
Would that some of those “Covenanted Evangelicals” of the other current thread would have his long-term experience to parish-based ministry.
I wonder what the total years experience of parish ministry among those who have signed -ie outside eclectic churches and theological colleges or para-church organisations.
Tom Thankyou for your posting, it leads to another good point for this time which is that early Christians survived without formal structures. Also, Jesus put up as role models stories of individuals who acted independently and spontaneously in the course of their lives e.g. the good Samaritan story. Then, of course, there was Abraham and Sarah, whose life was dedicated to bringing people into relationship with the one true God and were yet careful not to be aligned with any one faction or tribe. For example, Jewish writers note that they made a point of setting up camps at… Read more »
“Many different believers search across and beyond and outside of the established structures for what their best discerments tell them is the really breathable air.” — drdanfree However unfortunate, this seems like a more honest assessment of the situation. With respect to leadership, howevermuch some might pine for 16th century leaders and polemic, I suspect we are stuck with the postmodern leaders we actually have. Consider Bishop Lee of the Diocese of Virginia, who, unlike some people on this thread, does not mention schism or schismatics, but rather says: “The leadership of the Diocese of Virginia has labored for three… Read more »
Siblings, I found something that might help us keep our difficulties in some perspective: http://episcopalhospitalchaplain.blogspot.com/2006/12/another-opportunity-to-keep-things-in.html
It could be worse.
Marshall
Cute link. The sad thing is that things would be this bad if there were not fears of litigation and accountabilty through the tools of the secular state to keep some extremists under control. (My apologies to any moderates who are horrified at this suggestion – but you have no idea how far some people would go. Just as most people did not participate in Klu Klux Klan activities but that did not stop the strong haters from their covert organised lynchings).
Again, I sing praises to the secular state.
Let me hasten to add yet again, that I exempt PB KJS in TEC – is that enuff initials for today? – from my lament for effective religious leadership among all the believers searching for breathable institutional air. Everything she has done as leader so far suggests she is the right women for this difficult moment in our varied local, provincial, and worldwide relationships. Thank goodness, thank God. There are many others, too, who are doing the daily best that makes our common lives possible. One prays, one hopes they just keep on keeping on as things run their various… Read more »
Further to the statement by Bishop Duncan, the Calvary lawsuit against him has been reactivated (from calvarypgh.org/calvary.html): CALVARY FILES PETITION IN COURT OF COMMON PLEAS In October 2003, following a Special Convention of the Diocese of Pittsburgh, Calvary Church, together with its rector and senior warden, brought suit against Bishops Robert Duncan and Henry Scriven, and other officials of the Diocese. St. Stephen’s Church, Wilkinsburg, and Mr. Herman S. Harvey, a parishioner of St. Stephen’s Church, Sewickley, later joined Calvary in the action as plaintiffs. One of the reasons for the action was the passage of Resolution Six, “Title to… Read more »
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/19/AR2006121901282.html?referrer=emailarticle This is the url of an Article in the washington Post by Harold Meyerson entitled “Episcopalians Against Equality”. It is worth noting that an alliance with the Diocese of Nigeria and the exclusiveness of these “anti-gay” congregations is an embarrassment to anyone concerned with basic human rights, let alone Christian love. Akinola is an embarassment to the Christian Faith, let alone Anglicanism. But he wants to be the African version of the Archibishop of Canterbury and he won’t mind the financial and other perks of aligning himself with the wealthy white Southern Episcopalians, many of whose ancestors (and maybe… Read more »
Richard – have a look at what JC said- all of it in context – his mission was very different to your human rights agenda and a lot of his language was far from inclusive – you cannot make up your own JC and ignore him when it suits you
Richard. Some people seem to have become confused about what Jesus stood for, and no amount of evidence from the bible will convince them otherwise. Plus they completely gloss over looking for consistency in God’s character between the gospel and the Old Testament. Thus they diminish Jesus ministry by not highlighting the OT cross corroborations.
Don’t let such people diminish you or others. They also don’t even seem to be able to recognise biblical passages, even if you give them chapter and verse numbers.
Why not, NP? You and everyone else does. In any case, we only have second-hand statements to go on – which is why literalism is so dangerous.
NP,
Neither can you. I’m intrigued that you can think that defence of the oppressed is not part of the Kingdom.