Episcopal Church Still Strong

The Reverend Marya DeCarlen wrote this essay (published in the January 5 issue of the Salem News of Massachusetts) in response to a Scripps-Howard syndicated column by Jay Ambrose. [Update: The Ambrose column is now available in the "comments" below, thanks to one of our readers.] The Rev. DeCarlen's comment is a powerful statement from the strong, healthy heart of the Episcopal Church.

The Rev. DeCarlen is rector of St. James Episcopal Church in Groveland, Massachusetts. She lives in Boxford with her husband and their two young sons.


Episcopal Church Still Strong, Despite Divisive Minority
(the Reverend Marya DeCarlen)

As a member of the Episcopal majority, I take issue with columnist Jay Ambrose and his repetitive rant ("Church schism here has wide impact") published with unfortunate timing in The Salem News the day after Christmas.

As we enter into a new secular year, please allow me to provide some needed perspective.

The vast majority of Episcopalians in the United States - 95 percent - have formed a grassroots organization committed to the values and vitality of our church. They are working to neutralize the negative influence of the American Anglican Council (AAC), the Anglican Communion Network (ACN), and related groups that seek to tear our communion apart.

Millions of faithful Episcopalians, clergy and laity alike, are looking for ways to counteract the damage done by splinter groups. In a century in which we have focused on Christian unity, it is painful to experience division in our church.

The latest episode in the minority rebellion against equality features two schismatic churches in Virginia, Truro Church and Falls Church, that voted to sever ties with the U.S. church. They have joined the Convocation of Anglicans in North America, known by the acronym CANA.

Why did they do this? Because a gay man was consecrated bishop of New Hampshire in 2003 and a woman was consecrated as their presiding bishop in 2006.

These two churches have a combined membership of 3,000 parishioners. They will form the core of what is being envisioned as a new Fairfax, Virginia-based mission of the conservative Episcopal Church of Nigeria.

It is important to note that the head of the Nigerian church, Archbishop Peter Akinola, has voiced support for pending legislation in that country that includes prison sentences for gay sexual activity.

In justifying their actions, the Virginia parishes falsely claim that they predate the establishment of the Episcopal Church of the USA in 1789. They use this, as well as another false claim that George Washington was a leader in both parishes, as an excuse to affirm the equality of some and discount the equality others.

They fail to take into account the fact that the Episcopal Church of the USA owes its existence to the American Revolution. Like our patriot fathers and mothers, we broke away from the Church of England and were reborn as a modern American entity that sought equality, rather than lordship from England.

The founders of the Episcopal Church believed, within the context of their time, that all men were created equal.

Schismatic Episcopal renegades, like those who broke away recently in Virginia, have decided that equality is not something to value in our faith tradition - even though it has been a valued commodity throughout our precious American history.

So why did the schismatic churches in Virginia falsely claim that George Washington was once a member of their vestry, the church's board of directors?

Dr. Joan Gunderson, a celebrated historian with a specialty in Virginia history, points out that neither parish is the direct descendant of a colonial parish, nor can they claim George Washington as a member of their vestries or congregations. Both parishes are "new" church plants from the 1830s and 1840s.

So why would they claim a connection to George Washington if it isn't so? I believe that this is simply a ploy for legal and financial gain within the Diocese of Virginia, one that shows how desperate they are to advance their cause.

The minority faction of the Episcopal Church says it stands for "scriptural authority" and stands against the ordination of women, gays and lesbians. These touchstone points reveal doctrinaire minds that need clear instructions about what to believe, say and do.

Quite simply, these brothers and sisters in Christ are afraid of uncertainty. They want everything spelled out, laid down in black and white so there is less chance they will "make a mistake." They seek clear, dogmatic direction rather than relying on the Holy Spirit to lead and guide them.

I agree that Holy Scripture speaks with authority and we are called to understand what it means. But when we translate terms and concepts that meant one thing in the cultural context of biblical times and another thing now, this can lead to grave misunderstandings.

Faithful discernment requires attention to many biblical voices. We must look at individual passages in the light of all scripture, not in isolation. We can learn by setting passages within a larger biblical context.

This is faithful to the Episcopal tradition and respectful to biblical authority. Including the whole story of biblical covenant and redemption, not just the parts that please us, will bring more people to our faith.

The recent sad, divisive episode by the minority's self-appointed gatekeepers will not help any of us to reconcile, love, and heal those who are in disagreement with their rebellion. Challenging times are ahead for Christians in American denominations, as we weigh in with scriptural authority, equality and moral values.

While I was writing this response, the daughter of an Episcopal priest I grew to love before he died last year, sent me a poem written in 1850 by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. Entitled "Ring Out, Wild Bells," here is Tennyson's final stanza:

Ring in the valiant man and free,
the larger heart, the kindlier hand;
Ring out the darkness of the land,
Ring in the Christ that is to be.

Let's ring out these dark divisions and ring in the loving Christ that is to be.