The Rev. Stan Gerber has preached his last sermon at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Tomball. On Sunday, the Episcopal priest, most of his staff and an expected majority of churchgoers will worship in a local junior high school.
Their departure is the latest casualty in the ongoing crisis in the Episcopal Church and the doctrinal debate between conservatives and liberals over sexuality and biblical interpretation. Nationwide, about 55 churches and a California diocese also have left the national denomination over its liberal stands.
From an “orthodox” point of view, Gerber said, “The culture has begun to influence the church, rather than the church influencing the culture.”
Conservative Episcopalians point to 2003 as the breaking point. That’s when V. Gene Robinson, an openly gay priest living with his male partner, was confirmed as the bishop of New Hampshire by the church’s General Assembly.
“Their departure is the latest casualty…”
No. It is the latest courageous act of former Episcopalians who are willing to abandon property, but not the Anglican Communion or the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Fr. Stan Gerber and about 12 of his parishioners drove all the way from Houston today after the first Mass at St. Timothy’s to be present for the Common Cause Partners-North Texas gathering in Dallas this very afternoon. He reported that 557 people attend the first Mass of St. Timothy’s which met at a junior high school.
Praise be to God with Whom all things are possible.
I wish media reports would qualify the “55” number — the number of congregations who have left is much, much larger. I can think of five just in this diocese, and this is a pretty conservative diocese to begin with. When you add in the people who have left [i]en masse[/i] to start new churches, the number gets very large indeed.