Tradition-minded church leaders who want the Anglican family to stay together despite its rifts will attend. They will undoubtedly ask Jefferts Schori about complaints that the 2.2 million-member U.S. church is mistreating its conservative minority.
Of the tensions within the American church, Jefferts Schori said “we’ve attempted to deal with it in the Christian community” but haven’t always been successful.
Although the exact figure is in dispute, Episcopal officials say that fewer than 100 of the more than 7,000 U.S. Episcopal parishes have voted to split off since Robinson was elected.
The entire Diocese of San Joaquin, based in Fresno, California, voted to withdraw from the denomination, and the Diocese of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania, is poised to do the same this fall.
The national church is suing to retain hold of the San Joaquin diocese and its many millions of dollars in property. Another lawsuit is moving through the courts over 11 breakaway churches in Virginia. Critics have called the legal fights “un-Christian” and have asked Episcopal leaders to halt the lawsuits.
But Jefferts Schori said, “We really don’t have the authority or the moral right to give away those gifts that have been given by generations past and for the benefit of generations now and the benefit of generations to come.”
I believe the PB should be careful in sailing treacherous waters as she seems to be doing. Paraphasing a declaration made over a century ago: “D**n the torpedoes, full speed ahead – BOOM!!
She just hasn’t figured out how to build gas chambers and crematoria for the Orthodox yet. But wait…just wait….
The PB of TEC keeps using the figure of 100 parishes that have left TEC. This figure does not include the number of parishes that have
lost a part of their membership. My rough estimate from reading blogs, etc., is that over 140 parishes have already been so affected. And her statement also does not include the closing of small parishes that have experienced the slow “death of a thousand cuts”. And if Fort worth, Quincy, and Pittsburgh depart this will mean another lost of perhaps 150 parishes. A closing thought: in 1955 it took about 31 baptized members of TEC to produce ONE baptism; in 2006 it took 59 baptized members to produce ONE baptism. Any US business that had a productivity record that abysmal would have long ceased to exist. Statmann
The handwriting has been on the wall ever since 2003, and TEC’s leaders have seen it, but have they read it? Yes, but they’ve “interpreted” it to mean what they want it to mean…..which means the opposite of what it means.
“We do not have the moral authority to give gifts away…” ?? What about the redirection of all those gifts that were for evangelization and now go for MDGs?? May the Lord send his locusts.
“We do not have the moral authority to give gifts away…â€
AGREED but that same argument means that the you were equally without moral authority to altar the faith of those very people who tended the buildings and intended that future generations would worship a biblical, apostolic and traditional faith.
Cannot have it both ways Schori- and in fact by leaving YOU and those who preach your lies such parishes are actually honouring the Christians who went before them.
Honestly- your her theological ability to reason is little better than I would expect from children.
The numbers game has been interesting to watch when it comes to the PB playing.
If she wants to keep insisting that “only 100 have left” I hope she is not still using the “2.2M” membership figure. Some revisions are in order.
I shouldn’t get aggravated to listen to her, once again, using the vaguest of platitudes and then using them to suggest very specific conclusions, conclusions that are all of apiece of her agenda. But I do get aggravated, over and over. And I know full well that when she says the loss of parishes and dioceses is a matter of small consequence, she genuinely believes it because that is true to her purpose. AS it is true to her purpose to say t hat VGR’s violating the ABC’s prescription is no a matter of consequence to her -as it is not.
And after all, she has momentum on her side. Who dares to stop her? Who has the strength? L
The way the PB is following is down, wide and slippery. She still has a chance to brake herself but will she??