Fla. Diocese Resists Exiting Episcopal Church

From Christian Post-


Episcopalians in central Florida have committed to stay in The Episcopal Church as faithful, orthodox believers despite their disagreement with the liberal direction of the denomination.

"I think many of us have some pretty deep disagreements with some of the recent decisions of The Episcopal Church," the Rt. Rev. John W. Howe said Saturday at the 41st Annual Convention of the Diocese of Central Florida.

"But, as Bishop Bob Terwilliger put it when someone asked, 'Are you threatening to leave?' he responded, 'No, I’m threatening to stay!' We are not about winning political battles. We are about bearing faithful witness."

Since 2004, a year after The Episcopal Church consecrated its first openly gay bishop, nearly a dozen congregations have left the Central Florida Diocese. Their disaffection was not with the conservative diocese, but rather with the national church body.

While both the diocese and disaffected parishes believe The Episcopal Church has departed from Christian orthodoxy and traditional Anglicanism, Howe has chosen a different path for the diocese – to stay.

By staying, Howe knows he is risking more churches leaving the diocese but he says he's committed to standing faithfully.

"We know we are part of something much larger than The Episcopal Church, and while we may be in a minority in TEC we are squarely in the center of the great majority of orthodox Anglicanism around the world," the bishop said.

More here-

http://www.christianpost.com/article/20100202/fla-diocese-resists-exiting-episcopal-church/