During a telephone news conference Wednesday from the bishops’ retreat center in Texas, Episcopal Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori appeared to caution Schofield from trying to hold on to church property in the diocese, estimated to be worth millions of dollars.
“Since he is no longer the bishop of San Joaquin, it would be inappropriate for him to retain title,” she said.
Since the Dec. 8 secession vote, competing diocesan structures — one Anglican, one Episcopal — have emerged in the sprawling territory of San Joaquin, which stretches from Sacramento to Bakersfield. There are now two diocesan headquarters, two diocesan websites and a number of painfully divided congregations, including St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Visalia and St. Mark’s in Tracy.
Schofield has continued to work from his Fresno headquarters, celebrating the Eucharist, meeting with clergy and going about the business of the diocese, said his spokesman, the Rev. Van McCalister.
Wednesday’s action was “kind of meaningless from our perspective,” McCalister said. “Our feeling was let’s just be done with it and move forward.”
TEC is fighting for its corporate existance. The legal fight must take place. TEC must make this an example to what will happen if Bishops Duncan and Iker take the same action. Is it Christian? No, but it is business.
Which means that TEC is no longer Christian Church, but an Episcopal Organization with a left wing secular political purpose and agenda. Despite the fact that the Diocese of San Joaquin will continue to worship as it always has, the Corporate identity of the Episcopal Organization must be defended at all costs.
What BillS said…the morphing of TEC is nearly complete…
Concerning legal fights, Bro. Michael queries: “Is it Christian? No, but it is business.”
Perhaps so. But keep in mind that the same Paul who said to the Corinthians that it is a shame for a christian to haul another christian into court, and THAT before heathen judges, without apology, himself used the court system (I appeal to Caesar), the entire rest of his life to to defend the Gospel.
He lost. (or did he?)
One generation — the most arrogant, spoiled, and self-justified ever — will probably destroy a Church for which serious Christian gave their lives. Our only hope is to outlive this theological coup and hope something is left.
Okay somebody help me here: where are the two competing “diocesan websites”?
[size=2][color=red][url=http://resurrectioncommunitypersonal.blogspot.com/]The Rabbit[/url][/color][color=gray].[/color][/size]
HELLO L.A. TIMES! Anyone home? Bishop Schofield resigned…..left…..The Episcopal House of Bishops FOUR DAYS before he was “expelled!”
It could call itself The Episcopal Coporation and keep its acronym.
anglicanlutenist: Paul wasn’t suing other Christians….
Oh, and just in case anyone hasn’t noticed: The is nothing “purported” about our move to the Southern Cone…..it is a “done deal!” We’re gone. End of story.
Rabbit,
I couldn’t find it either. The closest was the “Remain Episcopal” link, but it resulted in “site not found”. Interesting.
Usma87, there is also a link in the Times article at the words “reconstituted Episcopal diocese”, namely, http://www.diosanjoaquin.org, but the link doesn’t work for me.
[size=2][color=red][url=http://resurrectioncommunitypersonal.blogspot.com/]The Rabbit[/url][/color][color=gray].[/color][/size]
The link worked for me.
Thanks, Brian, they must have had it offline for a short time. I notice that they list ten churches plus three “faith communities.”
[size=2][color=red][url=http://resurrectioncommunitypersonal.blogspot.com/]The Rabbit[/url][/color][color=gray].[/color][/size]
Don’t believe the numbers of “remaining” churches. They’re probably counting the entire parish even if there are only one or two people who want to stay. As I have pointed out before, TEC still counts the “L.A. Four” (gone for nigh on four years now.) The last I heard, there were just two women who claim to be the “true church” of my parish, and they just happen to be the ones in whose names the diocese and TEC are suing us. According to them, we, the overwhelming majority, have usurped [i]their [/i]parish.
Those “ten churches” are actually only six…..the rest are start-ups, the last I heard. There are “moles” at work in the Anglican Diocese of San Joaquin, and I know some of them.
The true diocese of San Joaquin has a nice, colorful website:
http://sanjoaquin.anglican.org/
They even have a blog.