At least eight conservative congregations in Western Washington — including two that left the Episcopal Church — are forming a new Anglican diocese in the Northwest.
The Cascadia Diocese, as it's being called, is the latest local example of the deep divisions splitting the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion over issues such as Scriptural authority and church teachings. The differences erupted in 2003 when the Episcopal Church confirmed the election of an openly gay bishop in New Hampshire.
The Episcopal Church is the U.S. branch — or province — of the 77-million-strong worldwide Anglican Communion.
The Western Washington congregations are seeking to become part of the Anglican Church in North America — itself a newly formed conservative rival to the more liberal Episcopal Church and Anglican Church of Canada.
The rival province was formed last December by groups that included four U.S. dioceses and a number of parishes that had broken away from the Episcopal Church. This new province intends to seek the approval of leaders in the worldwide Anglican Communion.
(snip)
Other congregations involved in the formation of the Cascadia Diocese include several from the Reformed Episcopal Church. The Reformed Episcopal Church, which is not recognized by the Anglican Communion, formed in 1873 when it broke off from what later became the Episcopal Church. It has more than 100 congregations in the U.S. and Canada, its own prayer book and does not ordain women.
The rest is here-
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008976514_anglican03m.html
1 comment:
From the article, which used the Daily Work . . . er, ENS as a source:
The Reformed Episcopal Church, which is not recognized by the Anglican Communion, formed in 1873 when it broke off from what later became the Episcopal Church. It has more than 100 congregations in the U.S. and Canada, its own prayer book and does not ordain women.
Tis true, tis true, the REC, along with most of Christendom, does not ordain women; when that fact is pointed out as it is here it is intended to suggest that there's some misogynistic backstory -- there's not, it's out of theological conviction.
As to using our (I'm a priest in the REC) own Prayer Book, the Reformed Episcopal Church's Book of Common Prayer uses the 1662 Book of Common Prayer as a basis with the American 1928 service for Holy Communion included as an optional service. Were an Episcopalian or Anglican from, say 1909 (or 18009, etc.) transported into a present-day service they would recognize it as the Book of Common Prayer. The same cannot be said of the 1979 Rite II.
It may be more accurate, then, to say that TEC uses it's own prayer book!
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