It’s tempting to use war language to describe the politics that affect gays and ex-gays: Battles, attacks, retreats, wins, and losses.
In the end, much of it becomes more personal than that, though. The issues play out in families, in marriages and divorces, in nurturing and estrangement, neighbor-to-neighbor, friend-to-friend.
In the Episcopal Church, property is owned by the dioceses, not by the parishes. When a part of a congregation splits off, some have fought to keep their church building while others have moved on. That is the story of the Episcopal Church of the Annunciation in Cordova, Tennesse, as told by reporter David Waters:
Church of the Annunciation officially split May 31, more than two months before the House of Bishops approved the election of V. Gene Robinson.
The priest at Annunciation, the entire staff, every church officer and more than half the members of the congregation left after a vote some members didn’t even know about.
“We just felt like we couldn’t stay in the Episcopal Church and hold true to our Anglican roots,” the Rev. Herbert Hand told a reporter later.
The next morning, Hand and dozens of members of the new Faith Anglican Church conducted their first worship service at a rented banquet hall.
The split left two dozen of the original congregation asking themselves, “What now?”
Waters tells of both groups moving forward in the spirit of a family that resigns itself to the reality of divorce, grieving at times yet refusing self-pity and bitterness. Despite the breakaway, the some ties have been sustained:
Annunciation doesn’t have a new priest or staff yet. Nor does it have a youth program. Parishioners are sending their kids to the youth program at [newly formed breakaway church] Faith Anglican.
“We’re not going to hold a grudge. We’re not going to let doctrinal issues affect our relationships,” Jacobs said.
“We’re Christians.”
Tellingly, there wasn’t even unanimity among those who remained with Annunciation – some supported the consecration of gay bishop Gene Robinson, and some did not.
Most of us – gay or ex-gay – have personal experiences of being supported and estranged, of friends gained and loved ones lost. The outgrowth of political controversy, too often, is personal loss. To the extent we learn to practice compassion with each other, especially in the middle of family skirmishes, we make the world a better place.
— Steve B.
Although I do respect the break away church’s view on scripture, what I do not understand is why the election caused that much battle. Did none of them think that some of their priests might be closeted homosexuals? Did none of them figure that the moment openly gay people were allowed to be priests that one of them might become a bishop? Why now? Why the huge controversy?
Why not back when they decided to ordain openly gay people or even more importantly before they decided that being homosexual was no longer a reason to remove a person from the priesthood? I guess schism is the price the Episcopal Church pays when it truthfully tries to confront the world we live in.
To the credit of the breakaway group, in my mind, the decision wasn’t based solely on the consecration of Bishop Robinson. It was made a bit prior, based on a realistic assessment of where the church already was, even if Robinson’s election ended up getting blocked.
This church reminds me of a parish in which I was a member for several years. Clear disagreements existed between some members of the parish, but amongst Anglicans there is a long tradition thoughtful, even vigorous, disagreement. Quite a few folks there had transitioned from faith traditions where being on the “wrong” side of a difference of opinion or interpretation was seen as heretical; even the rector there had grown up a staunch Southern Baptist.
Many conservatives within the church considered schism in the wake of the first ordination of women, and later consecration of female bishops. While it remains a concern for some that women are still not recognized as valid priests and bishops in conservative dioceses, the resisting bishops and female bishops have continued to share in the same communion.
You’re right, Jason, to point out that recent developments have not been sudden or even a huge surprise. I get the sense that this breakaway group has felt out of sync with the larger church for a long time, and has probably attempted to build bridges that would haved allowed them to reconcile. On recognizing that divorcing themselves from the larger church was the only way to stay focused on their core beliefs — despite the pain and turmoil required — they reluctantly took that step.
I agree with Steve that this was a decision coming for a longer while. It will be mimicked in many parishes in the coming months. The conservatives have some justification in the charge that their views are not being respected or accommodated within the larger Church structures. The Brits in the Church of England have done much more to make room for various conservative and liberal beliefs.
Technically, the Episcopal Church is a church of Bishops. Rightly or wrongly, among lay people as well as the ordained, the Office of Bishop is perceived to be (and actually is) substantially different from that of Deacon or Priest. Therefore, while some may put up with the ordination of gay deacons or priests, when it comes to a bishop, all bets are off. This is the first case of an openly gay priest with a partner being elected to the office of bishop, even recognizing gay bishops coming out after consecration and/or retirement.
You seem to be ignoring the business aspect of Anglican Church, Inc, of which its American branch, Episcopal Church GmbH, is merely one of many subsidiaries. The fact appears to be that most of the subsidiaries’ customers are in the third world, and that’s where they see their growth opportunities, in terms both of numbers of new customers and possibly of increased revenue. The Anglican church and the Roman Catholic Church are in competition with evangelical christian sects and Islam for customers in the turd–sorry, third–world (I have to stop listening to Michael Savage). (As illustrated by the RCC’s recent trotting out a bishop from Nigeria, of all places, to preach against gay people. Recognize that the RCC is in competition with Islam in Nigeria.) And most of those potential customers are typically very conservative.
So what you are seeing is the morality, such as it is, being preached by the various international churches being driven by morality of conservatives from the turd–sorry, third–world (I really do have to stop listening to Michael Savage).
Raj, my experience of the Episcopal Church is of a very human – gifted as well as flawed – organization, one that hardly runs like a marketing-obsessed business. Maybe you’ve experienced something different.
There is no shortage of complexity in the balance of power, traditions, people, and money between between Anglicans in Europe, the Americas, Africa, and elsewhere. I just don’t see it boiling down to a one group or issue overriding the rest.
(Aren’t there support groups for folks who are extricating themselves from the clutches of Savage and his vocabulary? Exorcisms? It’s tough, dude, but I know you can do it… Baby steps to start with, but walk away from him!)