Rupture in U.S. Episcopal Church
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. - Since its founding in this affluent town 55 years ago, St. James Church has turned to the Episcopal bishop of Los Angeles 50 miles north to confirm its worshipers, ordain its priests and give it guidance. Now, St. James has decided to follow a bishop in Uganda, more than 9,000 miles away.
St. James and two other churches in the Diocese of Los Angeles announced in mid-August that they were leaving the Episcopal Church U.S.A. and aligning themselves with the Anglican Church of Uganda. The rupture occurred over the Episcopal Church's decision last year to permit the blessing of same-sex unions and to consecrate an openly gay man as bishop. Conservatives here and abroad have warned that the Americans' decisions set the stage for possible schism in the worldwide communion. The American church and the Ugandan church are part of the larger Anglican communion, whose 38 provinces trace a common lineage to the Church of England.
To address the problem, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, has appointed a commission to make recommendations, which are expected on Oct. 18.
Few priests and scholars expect a split in the Episcopal Church. But there are signs of fraying in a community that has dwindled sharply over the last 35 years to 2.3 million members now. Donations have fallen in some places, individuals have left the church and angry congregations have disavowed bishops whose views differ from their own.
"There could be a range of particular explosions," in various regions of the United States, said Timothy F. Sedgwick, professor of Christian ethics at Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria, an Episcopal institution. "I think all hell could break loose, and there could be a host of legal actions."
The dispute has become most bitter in the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles, the country's fourth largest. The diocese is suing the three churches for control of the property. Bishop J. Jon Bruno of Los Angeles has suspended the priests and assigned the congregations to new ones. The priests have six months to reconsider or risk being defrocked.
Yet at St. James, life continues as usual, except that a gleaming golden sign with the word "Anglican" has replaced "Episcopal" at its entrance.
"We're not part of the American church anymore,'' said Jim Dale, the top lay member at St. James. "We're part of Uganda."
Congregations have broken from the Episcopal Church before over issues like its involvement in the civil rights movement and its ordination of women. The difference this time is that congregations have found a safe harbor with bishops abroad, said the Rev. Jan Nunley, a church spokeswoman.
That kind of shopping for bishops threatens the polity of the Episcopal Church, say church officials. Bishop Bruno said, "The churches' leaving is similar to, say, the U.S. making a decision on desegregation, and states that don't like it, like Alabama or Mississippi, leaving to join South Africa."
But conservatives argue that the American church has flouted scriptural teachings on human sexuality and that aligning with a foreign bishop allows dissidents to remain in the Anglican communion. "Look at it this way: If a child is running away from home, the first question that must be asked is, why is he running away?" said Archbishop Henry Luke Orombi of Uganda, a vocal critic of the Episcopal Church, in a telephone interview. "We didn't look for them or hunt for them. We are responding to a need."
St. James and the other two breakaway congregations, All Saints Church in Long Beach and St. David's in North Hollywood, are known for their conservatism. Bishop Bruno, who describes himself as a liberal, met with the parishes in a conciliatory gesture after the consecration last year of a gay man as bishop of New Hampshire, the Rev. V. Gene Robinson. But in May, Bishop Bruno blessed the same-sex union of a retired priest, further angering the conservative congregations.
"In all the reconciliation efforts, what has come to light is that on the basic tenets, there is no room for reconciliation," said the Rev. Praveen Bunyan, rector of St. James.
Disagreements within the church over what the Bible says about sexuality have flared in different forms. Recently, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, George Carey, held confirmation ceremonies at Truro Church in Fairfax, Va., after some churches objected to their own bishop because he had voted for last year's measures.
In Atlanta, large parts of two congregations left their churches and property to establish new parishes, this time under the oversight of the Bishop of Bolivia. In the diocese of western Tennessee, two congregations have sought to affiliate themselves with a diocese in Kenya. Still, it appears most Episcopalians do not want to leave the church. A recent survey of congregations by the Episcopal Church Foundation showed about 60 percent "neither uncritically endorse or oppose" the decisions on homosexuality, said the Rev. William L. Sachs, director of research at the foundation. The foundation, an independent organization, follows grass-roots trends in the church.
About 15 percent to 20 percent of parishioners applaud the church's decisions on homosexuality, the Rev. Sachs said, and a slightly smaller percentage are affronted. The Lambeth commission, which was appointed by the Archbishop of Canterbury and led by Archbishop Robin Eames, primate of the Church of Ireland, is not supposed to rule on the morality of homosexuality. Rather, its task is to develop recommendations that would allow people on opposing sides of the debate over scripture and sexuality to remain in communion with one another. Other Anglican commissions would have to vote on the recommendations next year.
Ten of the 38 provinces of the communion, mainly in Africa, Asia and Latin America, have restricted their ties to the Episcopal Church, or are in "impaired communion" with their American counterparts, said Ms. Nunley, the spokeswoman. Some are turning down money from the Episcopal Church.
The furor over homosexuality arises in part from deeper issues that may roil the communion for years, scholars and priests said. The growth of the Anglican Church in the developing world has generally brought different mores and interpretations of the Bible.
"People have different world views, and they're trying to live in one church together,'' said the Rev. Brian Cox, rector of Christ the King parish in Santa Barbara, Calif., and the leader of an effort to reconcile people in the Los Angeles diocese. "And this issue has surfaced as the line in the sand."
NEELA BANERJEE
L.A. Times
St. James and two other churches in the Diocese of Los Angeles announced in mid-August that they were leaving the Episcopal Church U.S.A. and aligning themselves with the Anglican Church of Uganda. The rupture occurred over the Episcopal Church's decision last year to permit the blessing of same-sex unions and to consecrate an openly gay man as bishop. Conservatives here and abroad have warned that the Americans' decisions set the stage for possible schism in the worldwide communion. The American church and the Ugandan church are part of the larger Anglican communion, whose 38 provinces trace a common lineage to the Church of England.
To address the problem, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, has appointed a commission to make recommendations, which are expected on Oct. 18.
Few priests and scholars expect a split in the Episcopal Church. But there are signs of fraying in a community that has dwindled sharply over the last 35 years to 2.3 million members now. Donations have fallen in some places, individuals have left the church and angry congregations have disavowed bishops whose views differ from their own.
"There could be a range of particular explosions," in various regions of the United States, said Timothy F. Sedgwick, professor of Christian ethics at Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria, an Episcopal institution. "I think all hell could break loose, and there could be a host of legal actions."
The dispute has become most bitter in the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles, the country's fourth largest. The diocese is suing the three churches for control of the property. Bishop J. Jon Bruno of Los Angeles has suspended the priests and assigned the congregations to new ones. The priests have six months to reconsider or risk being defrocked.
Yet at St. James, life continues as usual, except that a gleaming golden sign with the word "Anglican" has replaced "Episcopal" at its entrance.
"We're not part of the American church anymore,'' said Jim Dale, the top lay member at St. James. "We're part of Uganda."
Congregations have broken from the Episcopal Church before over issues like its involvement in the civil rights movement and its ordination of women. The difference this time is that congregations have found a safe harbor with bishops abroad, said the Rev. Jan Nunley, a church spokeswoman.
That kind of shopping for bishops threatens the polity of the Episcopal Church, say church officials. Bishop Bruno said, "The churches' leaving is similar to, say, the U.S. making a decision on desegregation, and states that don't like it, like Alabama or Mississippi, leaving to join South Africa."
But conservatives argue that the American church has flouted scriptural teachings on human sexuality and that aligning with a foreign bishop allows dissidents to remain in the Anglican communion. "Look at it this way: If a child is running away from home, the first question that must be asked is, why is he running away?" said Archbishop Henry Luke Orombi of Uganda, a vocal critic of the Episcopal Church, in a telephone interview. "We didn't look for them or hunt for them. We are responding to a need."
St. James and the other two breakaway congregations, All Saints Church in Long Beach and St. David's in North Hollywood, are known for their conservatism. Bishop Bruno, who describes himself as a liberal, met with the parishes in a conciliatory gesture after the consecration last year of a gay man as bishop of New Hampshire, the Rev. V. Gene Robinson. But in May, Bishop Bruno blessed the same-sex union of a retired priest, further angering the conservative congregations.
"In all the reconciliation efforts, what has come to light is that on the basic tenets, there is no room for reconciliation," said the Rev. Praveen Bunyan, rector of St. James.
Disagreements within the church over what the Bible says about sexuality have flared in different forms. Recently, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, George Carey, held confirmation ceremonies at Truro Church in Fairfax, Va., after some churches objected to their own bishop because he had voted for last year's measures.
In Atlanta, large parts of two congregations left their churches and property to establish new parishes, this time under the oversight of the Bishop of Bolivia. In the diocese of western Tennessee, two congregations have sought to affiliate themselves with a diocese in Kenya. Still, it appears most Episcopalians do not want to leave the church. A recent survey of congregations by the Episcopal Church Foundation showed about 60 percent "neither uncritically endorse or oppose" the decisions on homosexuality, said the Rev. William L. Sachs, director of research at the foundation. The foundation, an independent organization, follows grass-roots trends in the church.
About 15 percent to 20 percent of parishioners applaud the church's decisions on homosexuality, the Rev. Sachs said, and a slightly smaller percentage are affronted. The Lambeth commission, which was appointed by the Archbishop of Canterbury and led by Archbishop Robin Eames, primate of the Church of Ireland, is not supposed to rule on the morality of homosexuality. Rather, its task is to develop recommendations that would allow people on opposing sides of the debate over scripture and sexuality to remain in communion with one another. Other Anglican commissions would have to vote on the recommendations next year.
Ten of the 38 provinces of the communion, mainly in Africa, Asia and Latin America, have restricted their ties to the Episcopal Church, or are in "impaired communion" with their American counterparts, said Ms. Nunley, the spokeswoman. Some are turning down money from the Episcopal Church.
The furor over homosexuality arises in part from deeper issues that may roil the communion for years, scholars and priests said. The growth of the Anglican Church in the developing world has generally brought different mores and interpretations of the Bible.
"People have different world views, and they're trying to live in one church together,'' said the Rev. Brian Cox, rector of Christ the King parish in Santa Barbara, Calif., and the leader of an effort to reconcile people in the Los Angeles diocese. "And this issue has surfaced as the line in the sand."
NEELA BANERJEE
L.A. Times
posted by R7 | 10/03/2004 11:53:00 PM
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