For Ralph Jones, the 2003 consecration of an openly gay man as bishop of New Hampshire was the last straw in his longstanding uneasiness with the direction of the Episcopal Church.
The Yucaipa man opposed the church’s decision to allow female priests and to change parts of its liturgy.
But he believed bestowing a leadership role on a priest in a same-sex relationship was so clearly against biblical teachings that it forced him to leave the church.