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http://www.newsmax.com/us/episcopalians_secession/2007/12/06/55185.html
Diocese May Break With Episcopal Church
Thursday, December 6, 2007
FRESNO, Calif. -- Headed into a critical vote, an Episcopal diocese in
central California is poised to split with the national denomination over
what its bishop sees as the threat of moral decay in the church.
The Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin is expected to vote by Saturday to
secede from the U.S. church, becoming the first full diocese to do so
because of a conservative-liberal rift that began decades ago and is now
focused on whether the Bible condemns gay relationships.
An affirmative vote would place San Joaquin under the leadership of a
like-minded, conservative Anglican diocese in Argentina. It is almost
certain to spark a court fight over control of the diocese's
multimillion-dollar real estate holdings and other assets.
In a letter to parishioners, Bishop John-David Schofield said "those who
claim they want to remain Episcopalians but reject the biblical standards of
morality ... will _ in the end _ be left solely with a name and a
bureaucratic structure."
The head of the U.S. denomination has warned Schofield against secession.
"I do not need to remind you as well of the potential consequences of the
direction in which you appear to be leading the Diocese of San Joaquin,"
Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, head of the U.S. denomination,
wrote in a letter Monday to him. "I do not intend to threaten you, only to
urge you to reconsider and draw back from this trajectory."
Schofield responded that the diocese would go forward with the vote during
its annual convention, which starts Friday. He all but predicted that
delegates would choose to break with the Episcopal Church, the U.S. member
of the global Anglican Communion.
"It is The Episcopal Church that has isolated itself from the overwhelming
majority of Christendom and more specifically from the Anglican Communion by
denying Biblical truth and walking apart from the historic Faith and Order,"
Schofield wrote.
Last year, a majority of the lay people and clergy who attended the diocesan
convention voted to take the first step to secede from the national church.
That proposal would become final if it receives a two-thirds majority vote
at the meeting.
The Fresno-based congregation has explored breaking ties with the American
church since 2003, when Episcopalians consecrated the church's first openly
gay bishop, V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire. The resulting uproar
throughout the world Anglican fellowship has moved the 77-million-member
communion toward the brink of schism.
Christian advocates for accepting gay relationships, including Jefferts
Schori, say they are guided by biblical teachings on social justice and
tolerance. But Schofield and other conservatives believe Scripture bars
same-sex relationships. San Joaquin also is one of three dioceses in the
Episcopal Church that will not ordain women. Jefferts Schori last year
became the first woman elected to lead the denomination.
The diocese's holdings include 48 church buildings, including the lush
Fresno headquarters, a series of mission-style buildings surrounded by
olive, Chinese elm and cherry trees. Its total assets are worth millions,
said the Rev. Van McCalister, a diocesan spokesman.
About 55 conservative Episcopal parishes have split from the church in the
last few years and some have affiliated directly with Anglican provinces
overseas, according to national church statistics. But the courts have
mostly ruled against them, said Valerie Munson, a Minneapolis-based lawyer
who specializes in religion and law.
"If the San Joaquin diocese succeeds in taking its property, it would set a
precedent that would affect not only the Episcopal Church but other churches
that are similarly organized," Munson said. "It could set off a chain
reaction."
San Joaquin is one of four Episcopal dioceses out of 110 _ along with Fort
Worth, Texas; Quincy , Ill., and Pittsburgh _ taking steps toward breaking
with the U.S. church.
"Who owns what is ultimately going to be controlled by the civil courts,"
said James Quillinan, a San Jose-based estate and probate attorney. "What's
certain is that when local chapters break off from the national group, it
almost always results in litigation."
Diocese May Break With Episcopal Church
Thursday, December 6, 2007
FRESNO, Calif. -- Headed into a critical vote, an Episcopal diocese in
central California is poised to split with the national denomination over
what its bishop sees as the threat of moral decay in the church.
The Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin is expected to vote by Saturday to
secede from the U.S. church, becoming the first full diocese to do so
because of a conservative-liberal rift that began decades ago and is now
focused on whether the Bible condemns gay relationships.
An affirmative vote would place San Joaquin under the leadership of a
like-minded, conservative Anglican diocese in Argentina. It is almost
certain to spark a court fight over control of the diocese's
multimillion-dollar real estate holdings and other assets.
In a letter to parishioners, Bishop John-David Schofield said "those who
claim they want to remain Episcopalians but reject the biblical standards of
morality ... will _ in the end _ be left solely with a name and a
bureaucratic structure."
The head of the U.S. denomination has warned Schofield against secession.
"I do not need to remind you as well of the potential consequences of the
direction in which you appear to be leading the Diocese of San Joaquin,"
Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, head of the U.S. denomination,
wrote in a letter Monday to him. "I do not intend to threaten you, only to
urge you to reconsider and draw back from this trajectory."
Schofield responded that the diocese would go forward with the vote during
its annual convention, which starts Friday. He all but predicted that
delegates would choose to break with the Episcopal Church, the U.S. member
of the global Anglican Communion.
"It is The Episcopal Church that has isolated itself from the overwhelming
majority of Christendom and more specifically from the Anglican Communion by
denying Biblical truth and walking apart from the historic Faith and Order,"
Schofield wrote.
Last year, a majority of the lay people and clergy who attended the diocesan
convention voted to take the first step to secede from the national church.
That proposal would become final if it receives a two-thirds majority vote
at the meeting.
The Fresno-based congregation has explored breaking ties with the American
church since 2003, when Episcopalians consecrated the church's first openly
gay bishop, V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire. The resulting uproar
throughout the world Anglican fellowship has moved the 77-million-member
communion toward the brink of schism.
Christian advocates for accepting gay relationships, including Jefferts
Schori, say they are guided by biblical teachings on social justice and
tolerance. But Schofield and other conservatives believe Scripture bars
same-sex relationships. San Joaquin also is one of three dioceses in the
Episcopal Church that will not ordain women. Jefferts Schori last year
became the first woman elected to lead the denomination.
The diocese's holdings include 48 church buildings, including the lush
Fresno headquarters, a series of mission-style buildings surrounded by
olive, Chinese elm and cherry trees. Its total assets are worth millions,
said the Rev. Van McCalister, a diocesan spokesman.
About 55 conservative Episcopal parishes have split from the church in the
last few years and some have affiliated directly with Anglican provinces
overseas, according to national church statistics. But the courts have
mostly ruled against them, said Valerie Munson, a Minneapolis-based lawyer
who specializes in religion and law.
"If the San Joaquin diocese succeeds in taking its property, it would set a
precedent that would affect not only the Episcopal Church but other churches
that are similarly organized," Munson said. "It could set off a chain
reaction."
San Joaquin is one of four Episcopal dioceses out of 110 _ along with Fort
Worth, Texas; Quincy , Ill., and Pittsburgh _ taking steps toward breaking
with the U.S. church.
"Who owns what is ultimately going to be controlled by the civil courts,"
said James Quillinan, a San Jose-based estate and probate attorney. "What's
certain is that when local chapters break off from the national group, it
almost always results in litigation."
