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Christianity Today, March (Web-only), 2007 |

Ready to Walk Apart?

Episcopal bishops reject oversight from "distant" prelates.

Timothy C. Morgan | posted 3/22/2007 09:04AM

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A brilliant idea with no chance of success, such as the oversight plan seems to have become, leaves both conservatives and liberals in the increasingly fractious Anglican Communion with the bleak prospect of the primates' ultimatum turning into a global game of lose-lose.

Timothy C. Morgan is deputy managing editor of Christianity Today.

Related Elsewhere:

Timothy Morgan reported on the recent primates' meeting in Tanzania in "Global Ultimatum."

Our special section on the widening division in the Anglican Communion has news stories and opinion pieces.

Several blogs are following the crisis in the Episcopal Church, including TitusOneNine and Stand Firm.

The Episcopal Church website offers an article on the bishops' March 20 resolutions, 'A Message to God's People,' and Jefferts Schori's homily.

Related news articles include:

Episcopal bishops reject Anglican ultimatum on gays | The Episcopal House of Bishops has rebuffed an ultimatum from the worldwide Anglican Communion to establish a church-within-the-church to minister to parishes and dioceses that dissent from the U.S. church's stances on homosexuality and the Bible. (USA Today)

Episcopal bishops reject Anglican demands | Episcopal Church bishops meeting in Texas resolved yesterday not to kowtow to "spiritually unsound" demands from worldwide Anglican Communion leaders to allow a separate council to oversee theologically conservative dioceses unhappy with the church's position on gay clergy and same-sex marriages. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Episcopal Church Rejects Demand for a 2nd Leadership | Responding to an ultimatum from leaders of the worldwide Anglican Communion, bishops of the Episcopal Church have rejected a key demand to create a parallel leadership structure to serve the conservative minority of Episcopalians who oppose their church's liberal stand on homosexuality. (The New York Times)

Episcopal Bishops in U.S. Defy Anglican Communion | The nation's Episcopal bishops have rejected a key demand from the larger Anglican Communion, saying a plan to place discontented U.S. parishes under international leadership could do permanent harm to the American church. (The Washington Post)

Episcopal-Anglican rift deepens | The Episcopal Church moved closer Wednesday to a showdown with the worldwide Anglican Communion, even as the church's bishops emphasized their desire to remain within that body. (The Los Angeles Times)

Anglicans closer to schism as US bishops reject gay ultimatum | The Anglican Church took another step towards its apparently inevitable schism when US Episcopal bishops rejected the ultimatum from primates of the Anglican Communion to fall into line over homosexuals. (The Times, London)

Christianity Today's Weblog covered Episcopal bishops' response to the primates' communiqué.

Christianity Today's recent articles on ECUSA and Katharine Jefferts Schori include:

Church Divorce Done Right | Denominational splits just aren't what they used to be. By Ted Olsen (Mar 7, 2007)

Dividing the Faithful | Conservatives fleeing the Episcopal Church regroup —apart. (February 9, 2007)

Falling Apart | Controversial decisions at the recent General Convention have accelerated the break-up of the Episcopal Church. (August 1, 2006)

Episcopalian General Convention Adopts Vague Resolution | Call for 'restraint' in consecration of practicing gays falls short of recommendations of Anglican leaders. (June 22, 2006)

General Convention Brushes Against Its Deadline | Conservatives, liberals can't agree on response to the Windsor Report. (June 21, 2006)

Conservatives Stunned by Bishop's Election | The new church leader supports same-sex marriages, vows to bend over backwards for those she disagrees with. (June 20, 2006)

Episcopalians Elect Female Nevada Bishop as Top Leader | Conservatives see election as confirmation of church's 'revisionist theology,' while one diocese appeals for alternative oversight. (June 19, 2006)

Gays in the Church Debated | Conservatives press Episcopal convention to repent of gay bishop's consecration. (June 16, 2006)

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AC	Posted: March 23, 2007 5:05 AM

To assume that "pro-homosexual religious folks" never read the Bible is a little ridiculous. There are different ways of reading the Bible; even those who claim to take the Bible "literally" do not follow everything in it. They also "pick and choose" the passages that they want, reading them through different lenses. I always find it interesting that people will say that the opposition to homosexuality does not mean that God does not love homosexuals--and then they bring up the idea that they are worthy of death! I am glad that the Bishops finally took a stand against the primates, in essence calling the latter's hand. This has to do with more than homosexuality--it has to do with power, which is what the conservatives want, among other things. Maybe it is time for the Episcopal Church to break with the Anglican Communion, which might be a good thing. Unity for its own sake is an overrated, and often dangerous, concept anyway.

J. Victor Cardoo

Posted: March 22, 2007 3:59 PM


Just one word sums up the Episcopal Church in the USA as it is today - apostasy! Those who are truly born again should get out! No room for compromising the Word of God as the Episcopal Bishops are doing. They have turned their backs on God and God will give them up - Romans 1 vs.18-32 It´s so tragic! I live in Brazil where this kind of problem is just beginning. We need to watch and pray.

gary b.

Posted: March 22, 2007 2:06 PM


I think maybe this coming split will finaly show who the true Bible believing people really are. What's wrong with having a church that wants to be conservative, and follow the Bible's teachings on sin and repentance? It's almost seems that sin has become a bad word in our churchs today. Let the liberal Christians go there own way. Ultimately they will have to answer to God in the end.

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