While some Churchs reconcile, others divide
Written by Benaiah on December 4th, 2006The Orthodox and Catholic Churches are healing old wounds, but the Episcopal Church is on the verge of splintering.
Two of the country’s largest and most historic Episcopal congregations — both in Fairfax County — will vote next week on whether to leave the U.S. church on ideological grounds and affiliate instead with a controversial Nigerian archbishop. The decision could lead to a bitter court battle and the loss of $25 million in property.
Many members of The Falls Church and Truro Church, as well as some conservative leaders around the country, hope a split will establish a legal structure that would make it easier for dozens more like-minded congregations to also depart the national denomination.
At center of the split is the continuing divide between liberal and conservative wings of the Episcopal Church.
Some conservatives in the Episcopal Church, the U.S. wing of the worldwide Anglican Communion, believe the church abandoned Scripture by installing a gay bishop in New Hampshire in 2003, among other things. Those feelings of alienation were strengthened when Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori — who supports the New Hampshire bishop — was elected this summer to lead the national church.
It goes further, The Anglican Church, the Episcopal Church’s English brother, recently backed calls to end the life of babies born with severe disabilities. This movement is already prevalent among many US doctors and is simply Eugenics under a different name. Embryonic stem cell research being another tenant of the same meme.
It is the adoption of these and other liberal doctrines that threatens all of Christendom. The Epicopal Church fracture will setup opposing extremes that are more political than Biblical.
If the votes at The Falls Church and Truro succeed, as their leaders predict, the 3,000 active members of the two churches would join a new, Fairfax-based organization that answers to Nigerian Archbishop Peter J. Akinola, leader of the 17 million-member Nigerian church and an advocate of jailing gays. The new group hopes to become a U.S.-based denomination for orthodox Episcopalians.
Akinola and the Nigerian government are wrong for jailing those who commit homosexual acts because their is no grace in doing so, but are correct in standing up against the doctrinal lapses of the Anglican Communion. When the Episcopal Church splits, as it most certainly will, American Episcopalians may find themselves in a bitter feud that could last another 1000 years or until the 2nd coming.
4
PM
The problem is, they DID abandon scripture. New Hampshire’s bishop is an adulterer who abandoned his family and his wife for a man. He is an utter failure of a man, and he’s been put in a position of leadership.
5
AM
Yes your right, Joe, but we are all failed men. Remember that.
5
AM
Excellent post Michael. I think there are great possibilities that can come out of this.
8
PM
Michael,
You cant put a person that is activly in sin in a leadership position. if he was a homosexual before he accepted Jesus as savior that is forgiven and forgot. but to be currently active in sex outside of the confines of marrage is reason to be stripped of a leadership roll.
example, I see my pastor take a woman who is not his wife, into a hotel where i work. i then confront him and tell him he must either repent or this will be brought before our church. if he refuses i do and he is given another chance by our church if he doesn’t repent then he will be put out.
That is the scriptual way to handle it. when we get saved we are a NEW creature. We know better, we are no longer slaves to sin.
I grew up in the Epicopal Church my parents attend a Anglican congrigation near here. They left because they didn’t want to be yoked with unbelievers.
Ted