Episcopal Church in the United States of America

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The Episcopal Church in the United States of America is the autonomous Province of the Anglican Communion in the United States and a few nearby nations of Latin America. Organized as a church shortly after the American revolution, it was the first autonomous Anglican province outside the British Isles.

Contents 1 Official names 2 Overview 3 History 4 Beliefs and practices 4.1 Theology 4.2 The Book of Common Prayer 4.3 Worship styles 4.3.1 Distinctions from other Protestants 4.3.2 Distinctions from the Roman and Eastern Catholic Churches and Orthodox Churches 4.4 Saints 5 Social teaching 5.1 On race 5.2 On economic justice 5.3 On the ordination of women 5.4 On the 1979 Prayer Book revision 5.5 On inclusion: human sexuality, diversity, and equality 6 Polity 6.1 Liberal and conservative 7 Recent controversies 7.1 Requests for alternative primatial oversight 8 Colleges and seminaries affiliated with the Episcopal Church 8.1 Seminaries 8.2 Colleges 9 Extra-mural Episcopalian / Anglican churches in the U.S. 10 References 11 Further reading 12 External links 13 See also

[edit] Official names

The full legal name of the national church corporate body is The Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America, but this name is rarely used. It is seen in the form of Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America (PECUSA),

For many years, the Church has been generally known as The Episcopal Church in the United States of America, often abbreviated ECUSA. Recently, however, it has started to refer to itself under the new acronym TEC ("The Episcopal Church"), on the grounds that the old convention did not adequately represent its Latin American membership. The new convention, however, creates potential ambiguity with regard to other "Episcopal churches" in the worldwide Anglican Communion, such as the Scottish Episcopal Church.

The church's name derives from the Latin word for bishop, episcopus (itself a word with Greek origins), thus reflecting one of the distinguishing features setting the church apart from other Protestant churches.

[edit] Overview

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The Episcopal Church is composed of 111 dioceses in the United States, two United States territories, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, Haiti, the Republic of China (Taiwan), Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Honduras, Europe and Venezuela, and has an extra-provincial relationship with the diocese of Cuba.

In the United States, the Church claims a total membership of approximately 2.4 million of whom 2.2 million are formally Episcopalian and 200,000 more are counted as 'other baptized.' Among its members are more than a quarter of all presidents of the United States (see List of United States Presidential religious affiliations).

In recent years many mainline denominations have experienced a decline in membership. Once changes in how membership is counted are taken into consideration the Episcopal Church's membership has been flat.^[1]

Like many other Anglican churches, it has entered into full communion with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Old Catholics. The issue of Ordination of women broke full communion with the Polish National Catholic Church in 1976 and severed a special relationship with the Eastern Orthodox Church.

The Episcopal Church was active in the social gospel movement of the late nineteenth century and since the 1960s and 1970s has played a leading role in the progressive and liberal movements in church and secular politics. For example, in its resolutions on secular issues the Episcopal Church has taken both sides on the abortion debate, opposed the death penalty, and supported affirmative action and the civil rights movement. In the more liberal dioceses, openly homosexual men and women can be ordained and in some cases, same-sex unions are celebrated^{[citation needed]}.

In some dioceses, women are ordained only to the diaconate and in others women are ordained to the priesthood and episcopate, as well as the diaconate. The leader of the Episcopal Church in the USA is presently a woman. Most Rev. Dr. Katharine Jefferts Schori, previously Bishop of Nevada, is the twenty-sixth Presiding Bishop. Jefferts Schori was elected at the 75th General Convention on June 18, 2006 and invested at the Washington National Cathedral on November 4, 2006.

The Episcopal Church considers itself a via media having aspects of both the Roman Catholic church and Protestantism.

[edit] History

Main article: History of the Episcopal Church

The Church of England established itself in the English colonies on the North American continent in Jamestown, Virginia, in 1607. The Episcopal Church was formally separated from the Church of England in 1789 so that clergy would not be required to accept the supremacy of the British monarch. When the clergy of Connecticut elected Samuel Seabury as their bishop, he sought consecration in England. The Oath of Supremacy prevented English bishops from consecrating a non-English bishop, so Seabury went to Scotland; the non-juring bishops of the Scottish Episcopal Church consecrated him in Aberdeen on November 14, 1784, making him the first Episcopal bishop outside the British Isles.

The Episcopal Shield, adopted in 1940, includes both the English cross of St George and a Scottish St Andrew's cross, to reflect the mingled English and Scottish heritage of the church.^[2]

[edit] Beliefs and practices

Many consider the Episcopal Church to follow the via media or "middle way" between Protestant and strictly Roman Catholic practices. On the one hand, Episcopal liturgy, or the practice of the people in worship, closely resembles that of the Roman Catholic Church. The Episcopal Church traces its background through Church of England, and stresses its continuity with the early universal Western church. Episcopalians ascribe to the Anglican Branch theory which posits three branches of Catholic Christianity:

• The Eastern Orthodox Church
• The Roman Catholic Church
• The Anglican Communion

(The branch theory is not accepted by the two non-Anglican branches.}

The Episcopal Church is a Protestant church, with major differences from Roman Catholicism and the Eastern Orthodox Churches, particularly in matters of the sacraments: the classic statement of Anglican belief, the Articles of Religion, or 39 Articles, include a different explanation of the Eucharist and Holy Orders, most notably, from the understanding insisted upon by the Roman Catholic and Orthodox Churches and do not hold as sacramental the other liturgical events reckoned as sacraments by Roman Catholics and Orthodox. Although there are individuals and groups within the Anglican Communion who hold opinions of these sacraments very close to those of Roman Catholics and Orthodox Christians, the Anglican principle of latitudinarianism allows for room within Anglicanism and Episcopalianism so deeply at variance with Roman Catholic and Orthodox doctrine that in the opinions of Catholic and Orthodox leaders and theologians the Anglican Communion as a whole has defined these sacraments sufficiently differently that their sacraments are not deemed valid and the apostolic succession has been broken. In addition, some Episcopal bishops have supported the ordination of women and the acceptance of homosexuals, resulting in a further separation from Roman Catholic and Orthodox teaching.

In 18th century parlance, "Protestant Episcopal" meant a Protestant church governed by bishops in Apostolic Succession. In this way, the Church was distinguished from both the Roman Catholic Church and other Protestant churches.

The Episcopal Church adheres to the Nicene Creed as the main statement of faith; however, the Church finds the Apostle's Creed sufficient in ecumenical matters.

Comedian and Episcopalian Robin Williams once described the Episcopal faith (and, in a performance in London, specifically the Church of England) as "Catholic Lite -- same rituals, half the guilt."^[3]

[edit] Theology

See also: Anglican doctrine

The center of Episcopalian teaching is the life and resurrection of Jesus Christ.^[4] The basic teachings of the church, or catechism, includes:

• Jesus Christ was fully human and fully God. He died and was resurrected from the dead.
• Jesus provides the way of eternal life for those who believe.
• The Old and New Testaments of the Bible were written by people "under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit". The Apocrypha is additional books that are used in Christian worship, but not for the formation of doctrine.
• The two great and necessary sacraments are Holy Baptism and Holy Eucharist
• Other sacramental rites are confirmation, ordination, marriage, reconciliation of a penitent, and unction.
• Belief in heaven, hell, and Jesus's return in glory.

The full catechism is included in the Book of Common Prayer and posted on Episcopal website here.

[edit] The Book of Common Prayer

The Episcopal Church publishes its own Book of Common Prayer (BCP), containing most of the worship services (or "liturgies") used in the Episcopal Church. Because of its widespread use in the church, the BCP is both a reflection of and a source of theology for Episcopalians.

The current edition dates from 1979 and is marked by a linguistic modernization and an increased emphasis on the Eucharist as the principal service of the church. The 1979 version also de-emphasizes the notion of personal sin. There was enough strife in implementing and adopting the 1979 BCP that a "resolution of apology" was issued at the 2000 General Convention.^[5]

Previous American BCPs were issued in 1789, 1892, and 1928. (A proposed BCP was issued in 1786 but not adopted.) The BCP is in the public domain; however, any new revisions of the BCP are copyrighted until they are approved by the General Convention. After this happens, the BCP is placed into the public domain.

The full name of the BCP is: The Book of Common Prayer and Administration of the Sacraments and Other Rites and Ceremonies of the Church Together with The Psalter or Psalms of David According to the use of The Episcopal Church.

The threefold sources of authority in Anglicanism are scripture, tradition, and reason. These three sources uphold and critique each other in a dynamic way.

[edit] Worship styles

Varying degrees of liturgical practice prevail within the church, and one finds a variety of worship styles: traditional hymns and anthems, praise and worship music, Anglican chant, liturgical dance, charismatic hand movements, vested clergy, and clergy in street clothing. As varied as services can be, the central binding aspect is the Book of Common Prayer or supplemental liturgies.

Often a congregation or a particular service will be referred to as Low Church or High Church. In theory:

High Church, especially the very high Anglo-Catholic movement, is ritually inclined towards embellishments such as incense, formal hymns, and a higher degree of ceremony. In addition to clergy vesting in albs, stoles and chasubles, the lay assistants may also be vested in albs. The sung eucharist tends to be emphasized in High Church congregations, with Anglo-Catholic congregations and celebrants using sung services almost exclusively.

Low Church is simpler and may incorporate other elements such as informal praise and worship music. "Low" congregations tend towards a more "traditional Protestant" outlook. The spoken eucharist tends to be emphasized in Low Church congregations.

Broad Church incorporates elements of both low church and high church.

Although some Episcopalians refer to their churches by these labels, often there is overlapping, and the basic rites do not greatly differ. There are also variations that blend elements of all three and have their own unique features, such as New England Episcopal churches, which have elements drawn from Puritan practices, combining the traditions of "high church" with the simplicity of "low church". Typical parish worship features Bible readings from the Old Testament as well as from both the Epistles and the Gospels of the New Testament. Every Eucharist or Holy Communion service must use real wine, not water or grape juice, for the sacrament to be valid. Those wishing for whatever reason to avoid alcohol are free to decline the cup.

In contrast to many Protestant denominations, a Eucharist can be part of a wedding to celebrate a sacramental marriage and of a funeral as a thank offering (sacrifice) to God and for the comfort of the mourners.

[edit] Distinctions from other Protestants

The Episcopal Church differs from many Protestant churches which do not belong to the Porvoo Communion in the following ways:

• The use of liturgy and The Book of Common Prayer
• The threefold order of ordained ministers (deacons, priests, and bishops) in apostolic succession.
• The use of wine (not grape juice) in the Eucharist
• The emphasis on the eucharist as the standard form of worship
• The requirement that only baptized persons are eligible to receive Communion.^[6]
• The ordination of women and, in some dioceses, homosexuals.^[7]
• Observing feasts, fasts, and the lives of the saints.
• Prayers for the dead.
• The diocese is the primary unit of governance, not the individual church or denomination as a whole.
• The practice of Monasticism.
• The practice of infant Baptism.^[8]
• Prayers to the Virgin Mary and the praying of the rosary are practiced by some members.
• Stations of the Cross are recited by some members and dioceses.
• The acceptation of Mother of God and Perpetual Virginity Marian dogmas.

[edit] Distinctions from the Roman and Eastern Catholic Churches and Orthodox Churches

The Episcopal Church varies from the Roman and Eastern Catholic Churches and Orthodox Churches in the following ways:

• Clergy are allowed to marry. (Although Eastern Catholic and Orthodox priests may be married.)^[9]
• Ordination of women and, in some dioceses, non-celibate homosexuals^{[citation needed]}.
• The Orthodox accept the validity of Apostolic Succession for Episcopalian ordinations.

But Catholic Churches do not accept.

• Eucharist is open to all baptized Christians and is always offered to all in both bread and wine.
• The democratic structure of the church.
• The national nature of the church. ECUSA exists separate from the Church of England and other Anglican churches. Unlike the Pope, the Archbishop of Canterbury has no authority outside his province, but is regarded as "first among equals" among bishops in the Anglican Communion.

[edit] Saints

See also: Calendar of saints (Episcopal Church in the United States of America)

The concept of "saint" in the Episcopal Church is highly influenced by the Catholic tradition, although the level of veneration given to saints is much more Protestant. Those inclined to the Anglo-Catholic branch may explicitly invoke saints as intercessors, and many do. The saints are also used as examples in history of good Christian men and women. Episcopalians pray for each other as members of the Communion of Saints. Both the living and the dead are in the hands of God. With that understanding one sees a wide variety of people thought of as "saints" in the Episcopal Church, such as Martin Luther and Augustine of Canterbury. In addition, the Church holds that all members are saints of God and hold the potential to be examples to others.

The Episcopal Church publishes Lesser Feasts and Fasts, which contains feast days for the various men and women the Church wishes to honor. This book is updated every three years after new saints are added to the liturgical calendar. Some of the specifically American saints included are

• Samuel Seabury
• Harriet Tubman
• Elizabeth Cady Stanton
• Martin Luther King, Jr.

[edit] Social teaching

The preparation materials for delegates to the 2006 General Convention highlighted five areas of "Social Teaching/Contentious Resolutions"^[10] made by the General Convention in the previous 30 years:

• Race
• Economic Justice
• Ordination of Women
• The 1979 Prayer Book Revision
• Inclusion: human sexuality, diversity, and equality

Below are examples of how the General Conventions have voted on these five issues over the past 30 years. In some areas, such as Race, the church has maintained a consistent theme. In other areas, such as human sexuality, the church has faced larger struggles.

[edit] On race

• In 1976 the Convention called for an end to apartheid while commending the South African Church for its ministry.
• In 1979 the Convention condemned the Ku Klux Klan and all similarly racist groups and called on church members to oppose them.
• Between 1982 and 1985 equal opportunity employment and affirmative action were first implemented within the church.
• In 1991 the Convention declared 'the practice of racism is sin' and called on all church members to work to remove racism from the US.
• In 1994 the Convention condemned "the racist and unjust treatment" of immigrants.

[edit] On economic justice

• In 1991 the Convention recommended parity in pay and benefits between clergy and lay employees in equivalent positions.
• Several times between 1979 and 2003 the Convention expressed concern over affordable housing and supported the church working to provide affordable housing.
• In 1982 and 1997, the Convention reaffirmed the Church's commitment to eradicating poverty and malnutrition and challenged parishes to increase ministries to the poor.
• In 1988 the Convention rejected a resolution in support of the right of employees to organize and engage in collective bargaining.
• In 1997 the Convention urged the church to promote living wages for all.
• In 2003 the Convention urged legislators to raise the US minimum wage and to establish a living wage with health benefits as the national standard.

[edit] On the ordination of women

• The Convention permitted women to be ordained deacons in 1970 and priests in 1976. Actual implementation varied by diocese.^[11]
• In 1994 the Convention affirmed that there is value in the theological position that women should not be ordained
• In 1997 the Convention affirmed that "the canons regarding the ordination, licensing, and deployment of women are mandatory and that [dioceses noncompliant in 1997] shall give status reports on their progress toward full implementation."^[12][13]
• In 2006 the Convention elected Katharine Jefferts Schori to serve as Presiding Bishop. The Most Reverend Jefferts Schori is the first woman ever to hold the position.

The three "non-compliant" dioceses are San Joaquin, Quincy, and Fort Worth. In Quincy, two women deacons serve, but both were ordained prior to the tenure of the current diocesan bishop. The Bishop of San Joaquin has previously arranged for a woman ordained a deacon in San Joaquin to be priested in a neighbouring diocese. Fort Worth has a handful of women deacons, and allows parishes that wish to call a woman priest to transfer to the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Dallas.

[edit] On the 1979 Prayer Book revision

• In 1976 the Convention adopted the draft of the new prayer book. Changes included:
  • Modernized the liturgy with an emphasis on congregational participation.
  • In returning to ancient Christian tradition, restored the eucharist as the central Sunday liturgy.
  • Reflected the theological and worship changes of the ecumenical reforms of the 1960s and 1970s.
  • Changed the theological emphasis to be more catholic in nature.
• In 1979 the Convention adopted the 1979 revision as the "official" BCP and required churches using the old (1928) prayer book to also use the 1979 revision.
• An apology was issued by the Convention in 2000 for those "offended or alienated during the time of liturgical transition to the 1979 Book of Common Prayer". Now all previous versions of the Book of Common Prayer are canonically authorized.

[edit] On inclusion: human sexuality, diversity, and equality

• In 1976 the Convention declared that homosexuals are "children of God" and "entitled to full civil rights".^[14]
• In 1979 the Convention endorsed the Equal Rights Amendment and urged legislatures to ratify it.
• In 1988 the Convention reaffirmed the expectation of chastity and fidelity in relationships.
• In 1991 the Convention restated that "physical sexual expression" is only appropriate within a monogamous "union of husband and wife". The Convention also called on the church to "continue to reconcile the discontinuity between this teaching and the experience of members", referring both to dioceses that have chosen to bless monogamous same-sex unions and to general tolerance of premarital relations.^[15]
• In 2000 the Convention affirmed "the variety of human relationships in and outside of marriage" and acknowledged "disagreement over the Church's traditional teaching on human sexuality."^[16]
• The 2006 General Convention affirmed "support of gay and lesbian persons and children of God"; calls on legislatures to provide protections such as bereavement and family leave policies; and opposes any state or federal constitutional amendment that prohibits same-sex civil marriages or civil unions."^[17]

[edit] Polity

The Polity of the Episcopal church is Episcopalian church governance, which is the same as other Anglican churches. Following the United States American Revolution, American Anglicans were technically not a part of the Church of England's structure, so they had to form their own.

Today, there are over 7000 congregations, each of which elects a vestry or bishop's committee. The vestry selects (via vote) their clergy called deacons and priests.

The middle judicatory consists of a diocese headed by a bishop. Diocesan conventions are usually held annually.

At the national level, there are two bodies that attend the triennial General Convention. These two bodies are the House of Deputies (consisting of 4 laity and 4 clergy from each diocese) and the House of Bishops (consisting of all living active and retired bishops that have headed diocese). The Chief Officer of the Episcopal Church is called the Presiding Bishop, with a term of 9 years.^[18]

[edit] Liberal and conservative

There are many different theologies represented within the Episcopal Church. Some Episcopal theologians hold evangelical positions, affirming the authority of scripture over all. Anglicanism is typically understood in the terminology of Richard Hooker, a sixteenth century apologist. In Hooker's model, scripture is the primary means of arriving at doctrine and things stated plainly in scripture are accepted as true. Issues that are ambiguous are determined by tradition, which is checked by reason.^[19] More recently, the Episcopal Church has developed a fourth stool known as "experience." This understanding is highly dependent on the work of Friedrich Schleiermacher. This struggle between the liberal and evangelical Christian positions in the church surfaced through the consecration of Gene Robinson, a practicing homosexual bishop. The acceptance/rejection of his consecration is motivated by different views on the authority of and understanding of scripture.^[20] This struggle has some members concerned that the church may not continue its relationship with the larger Anglican Church. Others, however, view this pluralism as an asset, allowing a place for both sides to balance each other.

[edit] Recent controversies

See also: Anglican doctrine and Anglican views of homosexuality

The ordination of homosexuals and the practice of blessing same-sex unions within some dioceses has caused criticism by many within TEC and in the greater Anglican Communion. There are a variety of practices within the Anglican Communion:

• The Anglican Communion as a whole in 1998 affirmed the historic Christian teaching that marriage is between a man and a woman and that others not called to marriage should remain celibate.
• The Church of England considers a celibate person of homosexual orientation to be eligible for ordination, even if the person has entered into a civil same-sex partnership, noting "The Church should not collude with the present assumptions of society that all close relationships necessarily include sexual activity."^[21]
• The Church of England affirmed in 2005 that lay homosexuals who have entered into civil partnerships are still eligible for the sacraments of baptism, confirmation, and communion.^[22]
• In 2002, the Anglican Church of Canada, the Diocese of New Westminster voted to allow the blessing of same-sex unions by those parishes who choose to do so.
• The Anglican Church of Nigeria issued a statement in 2006 affirming "our commitment to the total rejection of the evil of homosexuality which is a perversion of human dignity and encourages the National Assembly to ratify the Bill prohibiting the legality of homosexuality".^[23]

According to the Windsor Report of the Anglican Communion, the 2003 consecration of The Right Reverend Gene Robinson, an openly gay man living in a committed relationship, was a landmark event for those on both sides of the issue.

On one side of the debate, the 1998 Lambeth Conference 1.10 is quoted:^[24]which states:

"This Conference ... in view of the teaching of Scripture, upholds faithfulness in marriage between a man and a woman in lifelong union, and believes that abstinence is right for those who are not called to marriage;"^[25] ,

In answer, at the request of the Anglican Communion's Lambeth Commission, TEC released To Set Our Hope on Christ on June 21, 2005, which explains "how a person living in a same gender union may be considered eligible to lead the flock of Christ."^[26]

The Most Reverend Katherine Jefferts Schori has become a lightning rod as she voted to confirm The Right Reverend Robinson and has allowed blessing of same-sex unions in her diocese of Nevada.

The 2006 election of The Most Reverend Katherine Jefferts Schori is, however, primarily controversial in the wider Anglican Communion because she is a woman^[27] While TEC ordains women as priests and bishops, the full Anglican Communion does not universally accept the Ordination of women. She is the first and only national leader of a church in the Anglican Communion who is a woman.

Several issues have recently created a tensions in TEC including the reliability of scripture and historic church teachings as reliable sources for Church doctrine and the exclusive claims of Jesus regarding salvation^[28] as well as the sanctity of marriage as instituted between one man and one woman by Jesus in the New Testament.^[29]

Certain statements by the new Presiding Bishop, Katherine Jefferts-Schori, have been the focus of controversy, especially regarding the central Christian teachings on salvation through Jesus alone.^[30]

Conservative-minded clergy and parishes that wish to remain formally within the Episcopal Church have created two organizations: in 1996, the American Anglican Council and in 2004, the Anglican Communion Network

[edit] Requests for alternative primatial oversight

Anglican realignment is a movement within TEC whereby theologically conservative TEC parishes and dioceses are seeking the oversight of bishops from other countries: that is, to both secede from their local dioceses and to remain within the Anglican Communion. The concept of alternative episcopal over-sight first arose a generation ago with the ordination of women debate. The idea then was to provide an alternative male priest or male bishop in the diocese for those who refused to recognize the legitmacy of female priests and bishops. In this earlier instance, the church already had the concept of the suffragan bishop - effectively a spare bishop when the work load was too great . Thus, it was not outside of canon law to consider appointing a male suffragan bishop if the need arose. In this more recent debate, the neologism anglican realignment is radical in that the primary unit of a diocese (and to a lesser extent)a parish is geographical and monopolistic: that is, under canon law a diocese has a geographical boundary and no other diocese can infringe upon that boundary. The Anglican realignment movement is radical in that it wishes to define a diocese (and to a lesser extent) a parish by a common theological doctrine: thus, a geographically distinct area may have multiple Anglican/Episcopal dioceses each purporting a different flavour of Anglicanism. It is in this way that the Anglican realignment movement is radical.

The Most Reverend Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, referred to the requests for 'alternative primatial oversight’in a press release:

"As we move to reflecting on these requests, we have to acknowledge that we are entering uncharted waters for the Communion, with a number of large issues about provincial identity and autonomy raised for all of us. [...] I continue to hope that colleagues will not take it for granted that there is a rapid short-term solution that will remove our problems or simplify our relationships for good and all without the essential element of personal, probing conversation."^[31]

Some advocates of realignment hope to set up their own independent structure and receive recognition as a valid part of the Anglican Communion parallel to the Episcopal Church; others hope that the Episcopal Church may be replaced altogether. Defenders of the Episcopal Church note that there is no precedent in the Communion for two rival jurisdictions to overlap each other geographically.

Diocesan

Eight US bishops have rejected The Most Reverend Jefferts Schori's apostolic authority and have requested alternative pastoral oversight. In one case, the convention of the diocese supports the bishop. On December 2, 2006, the Convention of the Diocese of San Joaquin, one of the most conservative dioceses in the church, passed a series of resolutions which, if confirmed at the convention in 2007, set into motion withdrawal from the Episcopal Church and affiliation with another Anglican Church, "“The diocese shall be a constituent member of the Anglican Communion and in full communion with the See of Canterbury.” This was combined with a resolution which removed the present boundaries of the diocese, theoretically allowing it to absorb other dissenting congregations in the United States. The diocese has 148 parishes and 18,000 members but includes an active caucus which opposes secession.^[32] The Diocese of Quincy joined seven other dioceses in requesting alternative pastoral oversight.

Parish

Some individual parishes are also attempting to leave the Episcopal Church. In the Diocese of Virginia, eight parishes voted to leave The Episcopal Church and formed the Anglican District of Virginia, which is part of the Convocation of Anglicans in North America (CANA).As church property in the Episcopal Church does not belong to individual parishes, the Diocese of Virginia^[33] has taken the first steps to maintain its claim on the church buildings and land. In early 2007 groups of Episcopalians from the breakaway parishes who were loyal to the Episcopal Church and the Diocese of Virginia have begun holding services at alternative sites until their parishes return to the Church.^[34]

[edit] Colleges and seminaries affiliated with the Episcopal Church

[edit] Seminaries

• Berkeley Divinity School at Yale, New Haven, Connecticut
• Bexley Hall, Rochester, New York and Columbus, Ohio
• The Church Divinity School of the Pacific, Berkeley, California
• Episcopal Divinity School, Cambridge, Massachusetts
• Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest, Austin, Texas
• The General Theological Seminary, New York City
• Nashotah House, Nashotah, Wisconsin
• Seabury-Western Theological Seminary, Evanston, Illinois
• School of Theology at University of the South, Sewanee, Tennessee
• Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry, Ambridge, Pennsylvania
• Virginia Theological Seminary, Alexandria, Virginia

[edit] Colleges

• Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, New York
• Clarkson College , Omaha, Nebraska
• Columbia University, New York City (Columbia was once affiliated with the Episcopal Church but is now a non-sectarian institution)
• Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Geneva, New York
• Kenyon College, Gambier, Ohio
• St. Augustine College, Chicago, Illinois
• St. Augustine's College, Raleigh, North Carolina
• St. Paul's College, Lawrenceville, Virginia
• University of the South, Sewanee, Tennessee
• Voorhees College, Denmark, South Carolina

[edit] Extra-mural Episcopalian / Anglican churches in the U.S.

Since 1785, there have been disputes within the TEC that have led to departures of clergy and congregations. An early and notable example is King's Chapel, an historic church in Boston that was Anglican when founded in 1686. A century later, in 1785, a clergymen with Unitarian ideas took his congregation and formed an independent Unitarian church.^[35]. To this day, King's Chapel can be categorized as both a Unitarian church and an extra-mural Anglican church as it uniquely uses the The Book of Common Prayer According to the Use in King's Chapel in its worship^[36].

For the most part, extra-mural Episcopalian/Anglican churces are linked by the common use of the Book of Common Prayer in worship. Like the example of King's Chapel, some use unique or historical variants. Over the years, various parallel Episcopalian / Anglican denominations have broken with the TEC over many - sometimes transient - issues:

Christian history, [Rev. David] Ousley [St. James the Less, Philadelphia] continued, is full of splits—“some necessary, some benign, some sinful.” Likewise, while most of the splits undertaken by groups of orthodox Anglicans since 1976 have been regarded by those who effected them as necessary to the integrity of the Gospel, he said, some of them were rooted instead in "some form of human selfishness,” e.g., personality conflicts or objections to leadership style, “and are rightly termed `schism'". Complicating matters, Ousley noted, is that orthodox Anglicans might in a few cases disagree as to which are substantive or non-substantive issues, for instance the ordination of women deacons, or whether seeking reunion with Rome is a high priority. The post-1976 Continuing Church has "split various times," Ousley noted. Additionally, others who left ECUSA since 1976 have formed separate bodies. "While that is not exactly `splitting it still contributes to the current state of disunity," he said.^[37]

There are a number of extra-mural Episcopal / Anglican organizations in the U.S.: some of these play a role in the Anglican realignment debate.

• Anglican Catholic Church
• Anglican Church in America
• Anglican Communion Network
• American Episcopal Church
• Anglican Mission in America
• Anglican Orthodox Church
• Anglican Province of America
• Anglican Province of Christ the King
• Continuing Anglican Movement
• Diocese of the Holy Cross
• Forward in Faith, North America
• Reformed Episcopal Church
• Traditional Anglican Communion
• United Episcopal Church of North America

There are also para-church organizations:

• Society of the Holy Cross
• Fellowship of Concerned Churchmen
• Prayer Book Society

[edit] References

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[edit] Further reading

• Armentrout, Don S., & Slocum, Robert Boak. (Eds.). ([1999]). An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church: A User Friendly Reference for Episcopalians. New York: Church Publishing Incorporated.
• Armentrout, Don S., & Slocum, Robert Boak. (1994). Documents of Witness: A History of the Episcopal Church, 1782–1985. New York: Church Hymnal Corporation.
• Caldwell, Sandra M., & Caldwell, Ronald J. (1993). The History of the Episcopal Church in America, 1607–1991: A Bibliography. New York: Garland Publishing.
• Hein, David. (2001). Noble Powell and the Episcopal Establishment in the Twentieth Century. Urbana: University of Illinois Press.
• Hein, David, and Gardiner H. Shattuck Jr. (2005). The Episcopalians. New York: Church Publishing.
• Holmes, David L. (1993). A Brief History of the Episcopal Church. Harrisburg, PA: Trinity Press International.
• Prichard, Robert W. (Ed.). (1986). Readings from the History of the Episcopal Church. Wilton, CT: Morehouse-Barlow.
• The Episcopal Clerical Directory. New York: Church Publishing.
• Seltser, Barry Jay "Episcopalian Crisis: Authority, Homosexuality & the Future of Anglicanism", Commonweal CXXXIII, 10 (May 19, 2006). An essay on Hooker and the present discontents, accessed December 19, 2006.
• Wall, John N. (2000). A Dictionary for Episcopalians. Boston, MA: Cowley Publications.
• Articles on leading Episcopalians, both lay (e.g., George Washington, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Frances Perkins) and ordained, in American National Biography. (1999). Edited by John A. Garraty and Mark C. Carnes. New York: Oxford Univ. Press. Also 100 biographical articles in Hein and Shattuck, The Episcopalians, vide supra.
• Anglican and Episcopal History (articles, church reviews, and book reviews).

[edit] External links

• The Episcopal Church
• Executive Offices of the General Convention
• Episcopal News Service
• epiScope, a blog from the Episcopal Church's Office of Communication
• The Archives of the Episcopal Church
• 1979 Book of Common Prayer
• Calendar of the Church Year
• Episcopal/Anglican Glossary
• Episcopal Church Language (PDF)
• Episcopal Church in the U.S. South
• Association of Episcopal Colleges
• The Episcopal Church Colombia
• The Episcopal Church in the Philippines

[edit] See also

• Complete List of Presiding Bishops
• Succession of Bishops of the Episcopal Church in the United States
• The Episcopal Youth Event
• Anglican Communion
• Churches Uniting in Christ
• Anglo-Catholicism