Friday 16 November 2012

A denomination tearing itself apart

In case you're wondering, I don't mean the Church of England. Things aren't that bad yet!

No, this is that body which describes itself somewhat grandiosely as The Episcopal Church. In my lifetime it has been the Protestant Episcopal Church of the United States of America (PECUSA), then it dropped the Protestant bit (thankfully, for those of us who are), and finally it dropped the territorial limitation bit and added a capital to the 'The'.

Anyway, this body has now been suing itself and taking legal action against itself for some years -- or, if you take the 'official' line, it has been saving its property from being stolen by renegade bishops and intruders who have taken over the leadership of dioceses and then tried to leave. Of course, the reason they have 'tried to leave' is invariably a disagreement with TEC policy. But rather as in the American Civil War, this is a gentleman's club which, once you have joined, you are not free to go -- unless it is without the things with which you arrived.

Hey ho. If you want to read the gory details, and a lot of comments from people who mostly seem to think this is really wonderful go over to the Thinking Anglicans website. To me it always feels like going through the looking glass, but no doubt it looks the same to them when they visit here.

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1 comment:

  1. For a denomination that is rather free on the subject of divorce, the Episcopal church has a difficult time dealing with its own irreconcilable differences.

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