From the LA Times: Episcopalians brace for possible split from American church

From the LA Times: Episcopalians brace for possible split from American church

March 21st, 2007 posted by kendall at 5:37 pm

Today, reaction to news of the bishops’ decisions was swift, from Episcopalians on all sides of the issues.

The Rev. Canon David Anderson, president of the Atlanta-based American Anglican Council, which has helped dissident congregations leave the Episcopal Church, said he was surprised and disappointed by the bishops’ action.

“I was very surprised that in their first meeting after Tanzania that they would start out by alienating the primates and the archbishop of Canterbury and basically giving them a stiff arm,” Anderson said. “Strategically, I think it was most unwise on their parts.”

Bloggers on a host of church-related websites offered a variety of views. Liberals applauded the bishops, with many saying they were relieved and pleasantly surprised by the tone of the resolutions. Conservatives expressed concern for the future of the U.S. church and said they worried about its ability to remain a member of the wider communion.

In a letter to New Hampshire church members, meanwhile, Robinson said the bishops’ meeting, in which he is participating, had been calm and peaceful.

In the letter sent today, he also said the majority of bishops, both progressive and conservative, saw the primates’ demand for a special vicar as “an unfair, illegal and wholly unprecedented assault” on the governance and “internal integrity of the Episcopal Church.”

Read it all.

Posted in ANGLICAN, TEC/ECUSA Conflicts, TEC/ECUSA Bishops, Primates, TEC/ECUSA, Dar es Salaam 2007, Responses to Dar Mtg | Edit | 2 Comments »