Fairfax Circuit Judge Randy I. Bellows overruled all objections by lawyers representing the Diocese of Virginia and The Episcopal Church during morning testimony by bishops Martyn Minns and John Guernsey on Nov. 14. Paul Julienne, a member of the vestry at Truro Church, Fairfax, and the Diocese of Virginia’s reconciliation commission, also testified on the second day of what is expected to be a six-day trial.
The Diocese of Virginia brought suit after the majority at 11 Virginia congregations voted to leave The Episcopal Church. Most of the congregations subsequently affiliated with the Anglican Church of Nigeria. All Saints’, Woodbridge, the parish where Bishop Guernsey served as rector for more than 20 years, affiliated with the Anglican Church of Uganda. The diocese is seeking eviction of the breakaway Anglican congregations and court recognition that it lawfully holds title to the properties which are worth tens of millions of dollars.
Bishop Minns testified first, responding to questions for about 30 minutes for lawyers representing the breakaway congregations. He was then cross-examined by lawyers for the diocese and national church for about 20 minutes. Bishop Guernsey testified next for about 20 minutes with 10 minutes of cross examination.
You left out the juiciest part, Kendall:
[blockquote]Yesterday afternoon Judge Bellows overruled diocesan lawyers who objected when lawyers for the breakaway congregations introduced evidence indicating that a key Virginia statute had been used as many as 20 times in the past to settle previous church property disputes. [/blockquote]
Precedent, anyone?
As someone who is (I know, naively) hoping for peace and unity in the Protestant Episcopal Church, I have a question for 815:
If you lose these suits, what is your strategy?
May I suggest what you should have done in the first place: let people peacefully go, ask for forgiveness for hurts caused, and try to keep lines of communication open
BabyBlue posted today that the trial is over. Judge’s ruling expected arounf Jan 17th.
Sorry, “arounf” should be “around”
[blockquote]Judge Bellows overruled lawyers for the diocese and national church who objected several times to responses they believed strayed impermissibly into theological doctrine. [/blockquote]
Again, the losing side in the sense of Paul (1 Cor 6:7, [b]already[/b] utterly defeated) wants this to be a business matter instead of a church matter.
See the Anglicans Ablaze [url=http://anglicansablaze.blogspot.com/2007/11/cost-of-unfaithfulness.html ]blogsite[/url] for a damning essay.
Liberals, if you win the lawsuits, then you lose. If you lose, you lose. Call up your presiding Unitarianess and tell her to desist.
Again:
TEC doesn’t necessarily want to own all of these vacant or near-vacant buildings. They just want to make sure their rivals don’t have them. Selling them off to pad the endowment is just a bonus.
robroy
Just a pet-peeve: She’s not Unitarian. She is a Trinitarian Universalist.
Her big box, “a Way, not the Way”, is unitarian.
Actually, Brian, I see your point. Her theology is so muddled (deep in horse hockey) that I can’t tell if she is Unitarian or Trinitarian. But, most unitarians aren’t Unitarians anyway, in the sense that they gladly welcome atheists to their social clubs. Similarly, KJS would welcome a true Unitarian to her inclusive social club, the most notorious being Spong, whom she invited to Nevada as a celebrated speaker.
Anyway, I trust you will be writing to her (her email address is pboffice@episcopalchurch.org if you lost it) and telling her to stop this outrage because only defeat or Pyrrhic victory awaits her.
“She’s not Unitarian. She is a Trinitarian Universalist.”
Big deal; she’s still a heretic as a universalist, and so has no business being a janitor, let alone a “bishop,” in a Christian denomination.
Brian, if Dr Jefferts Schori can’t confess Jesus as God in an irreducible and unique sense, in the same way as the Father and the Holy Spirit, then she isn’t trinitarian at all.
If Jesus is nothing other than a way to God, then he isn’t God, now, is he? At most he is a prophet, an enlightened being (perhaps even uniquely attuned to the Divine), or some sort of demigod in a putative pantheon of ways to the Divine. One can be a trinitarian universalist only if one confesses that Jesus is the only Way – not merely a way – to the Father.
I’m still trying to figure out the whole “Mother Jesus” thing.
This whole court case stinks. As noted in previous posts, it is a defeat for TEC any way you look at it. I personally don’t think TEC will carry the day in the Virginia court. For a judge to accept the argument that there is no division in TEC the Judge would need blinders or be blind, deaf and have not sat in his court room. If there is no division what is every body doing in his court! I really, at this point, don’t care what + KJS theology is, it is just obvious that her leadership and crisis management skills are about as sound as her stated muddled theology. I hope every body that voted for her is happy with the results (ESPECIALLY THOSE THAT APPLAUED). IF,(big if) people want to kiss and make up at some point after this is all settled (law suits in VA, Co etc) +KJS has left such a bitter taste in peoples mouths it will be that much more difficult for them to embrace. Some one said +KJS speaks from a deep place. The deep place is the deep pockets of the lawyer’s pants she is lining. The purpose of a shepherd is to keep sheep safe not guard property. Jesus is called the Good Shepherd not the Excellent Rent a Cop.