In the latest Episcopal brouhaha, which mirrors schisms taking place concurrently in the Methodist, Presbyterian, and Lutheran communions, the Diocese of Pittsburgh has chosen to resolve its dispute with the wider church, not through negotiation and discussion, but through a decidedly petulant exit.
The A.P. reports that about two-thirds of the churches in the Pittsburgh diocese are expected to break away, with many congregations becoming deeply divided over the issue.
The diocese’s decision was the result of its disagreement with the liberal Episcopal Church over the question of homosexuality. The debate has been longstanding, but became more pronounced in 2003 when the church consecrated V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire as its first openly gay bishop.
Lead-up to the Split
Prior to the October 4 vote, the Episcopal Church had been experiencing an increasing level of frustration with wayward dioceses. The Diocese of San Joaquin in California already left the church in December of 2007, and several other dioceses in the South are still awaiting similar votes.
The national church sent a message to the Pittsburgh diocese in September, when the House of Bishops voted to remove the Rt. Rev. Robert Duncan as the Bishop of Pittsburgh. Duncan had led the diocese for eleven years, and had been a vocal opponent of the ordination and tolerance of gay priests for many years.
Schism is Hurtful to the Church's Mission
In an email statement to fellow church members, the Rt. Rev. Mark Hollingsworth, Bishop of Ohio, had this to say about the Pittsburgh diocese’s decision:
“I maintain respect for Bishop Duncan's convictions, even as some of them differ markedly from my own, but understand his leading the Diocese of Pittsburgh to secede as a direct violation of the unity and discipline of The Episcopal Church which he vowed to guard in his ordination as Bishop and injurious to the Episcopalians under his care.”
This schism within the church only serves to weaken the church as a whole. Dissent and discussion are permitted, and indeed encouraged, within the Episcopal Church, making the act of secession seem fairly petty and unnecessary.
Furthermore, the schism makes it more difficult for the Episcopal Church to go about fulfilling its mission to comfort and help the poor and needy. In an interview with TIME Magazine, Presiding Bishop Katharine Schori said she hoped the church would “remember the centrality of our mission is to love each other. That means caring for our neighbors. And it does not mean bickering about fine points of doctrine." When the church focuses more on fighting than it does on serving the needs of its communities, it is difficult for much good to be done in the name of Christ.
