Church denomination convention watch: The Episcopal Church (formerly ECUSA)

I know I wish there was more substantive business at the UUA General Assembly, but looking to the General Convention of the Episcopal Church — well, I’m glad we don’t have that much business.

I won’t comment much because the list of people blogging on the General Convention is longer than your arm. Will the Piskys stay in the Anglican Communion, or be asked to go, and what about the conservatives?
The one bit of news that has head’s itching about some inner meaning is the newest name change, from the Episcopal Church of the USA to The Episcopal Church. What’s next, The Church? And is there something of “we’re a bit of a communion of our” going on? (I still think of them as the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society; www.dfms.org pulls up the ECUSA/TEC site.) I’ll leave any deeper for others to ponder.

But I will say this, if the conservatives prevail then they’d better clean up their public image, from the bishops on down. They come off as petty and high-handed. Of course, they can ignore this advise, in which case they should find a dictionary and look up Phyrric victory.

I poke my head into a number of blogs, but the ones I read in full are The Daily Episcopalian, the defacto official blog of the Diocese of Washington (D.C.), and Father Jake Stops the World. I also look forward to more from the GenXalicious EpiscoPod.

By Scott Wells

Scott Wells, 46, is a Universalist Christian minister doing Universalist theology and church administration hacks in Washington, D.C.

4 comments

  1. This issue of the anglican communion splitting is yet another excellent proof in real life of why the church needs to be One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic. Without any final authority over issues of faith and morals and how to interpret the Bible, history will repeat itself again and again as the churches have been doing since 1517. It’s Deja Vu all Over again

  2. When a group of Christians no longer view Scripture as Truth, you end up with what is called “The Episcopal Church”.

    I guess 1 Timothy 2:12 didn’t make into the Bible that Episcopal’s are reading.

    Homosexual Bishops and now a female as the US leader of the Episcopal Church. Where does it end?

  3. Reading the comments posted by LivingDust on 1Timothy 2:12 saddens me and continues to divide the Christian community. “Where does it end? ” you ask. It ends when we begin to love one another as we were commanded to do by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. May I respectfully remind you that when Paul and Timothy were teaching in first century culture, woman were not even allowed to study. The fact that these apostles of the early church were openning up that opportunity was enormous in that time (Verse 11 – a woman should learn in quietness and full submission”.) Also, Paul did not want Ephesian women to teach because they did not have enough experience yet, but he was clearly not referring to all women. Remember that Priscillia taught Apollos. Phoebe was often mentioned by Paul for her work in the church. See Romans 16 and the references to Mary, Tryphena and Tryphosa. Also Euodia and Syntyche. The references to Adam and Eve are Old Testament and do not reflect the redeeming love of God in Jesus Christ who raised women to equal status over and over again. Women a full and equal creation of God with gifts and talents to share that have been oppressed for centuries. It seems that very few are listening to the men in our society if war, poverty, and AIDS are a testamony. Why not give women a chance and see if the nuturing and quiet love that mothers give to their families and the world through hours of faithful service might make a change. Some things to ponder perhaps?

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