{"id":11732,"date":"2008-02-13T18:43:43","date_gmt":"2008-02-14T01:43:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/2008\/02\/13\/myth-and-reality.html"},"modified":"2008-02-13T18:43:43","modified_gmt":"2008-02-14T01:43:43","slug":"myth_and_reality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2008\/02\/13\/myth_and_reality.html","title":{"rendered":"Myth and Reality"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

<\/a>Father Jake<\/a> points to this report<\/a> from a team of visitors from the UK, part of the Inclusive Church organization of the Church of England, and what they found as they visited around in the Episcopal Church. It’s actually pretty encouraging, and worth reading (for those with any interest in the subject). <\/p>\n

\n

Contrary to popular perception the Episcopal Church is in good heart, and maintaining a significant position in the USA as a church which is both broad and welcoming; which covers a wide churchmanship with big differences of opinion and yet is determined to stay together. Given the sort of coverage the secessionist dioceses and parishes get in the UK, it’s a remarkable thing to learn that out of around 7,200 congregations across the country less than 100 have sought to leave. And out of around 110 domestic Dioceses, only 2 are likely to seek to secede. We’re talking very small numbers, less than 2%. Many of the other parishes which might previously have wanted to leave are now recognising that to be part of a greater whole is valid and important, and real efforts are being made to develop understanding between those of different positions.<\/p>\n

It’s true to say however that there is widespread anger because of the way that the Episcopal Church has been perceived to be treated by the Primates and by senior members of the hierarchy in the UK and around the world. The position of welcoming lesbian and gay people is not some arbitrary piece of rights-based legalism; rather, it’s worked out from the profound desire that “the Episcopal Church welcomes you” and is rooted in an understanding of the Gospel and Baptism which seeks to turn no one away.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

(Emphasis mine)<\/p>\n

Hardly an unbiased source, of course, but given all the brouhaha, sometimes it’s also important to get some other pictures of “how others see us.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Father Jake points to this report from a team of visitors from the UK, part of the Inclusive Church organization of the Church of England, and what they found as…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[64],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11732","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-religion-episcopal-church"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":11945,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2007\/12\/26\/schismy_bits.html","url_meta":{"origin":11732,"position":0},"title":"Schismy bits","author":"***Dave","date":"Wed 26-Dec-07 9:33pm","format":false,"excerpt":"Fr Jake with reports from a mission church in the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin, whose membership, bishop included, announced recently that they were no longer part of the...","rel":"","context":"In "Religion"","block_context":{"text":"Religion","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/religion"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/images\/episcshield_15_188.gif?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":129503,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2016\/01\/15\/more-on-the-anglican-communion-episcopal-church-kerfuffle.html","url_meta":{"origin":11732,"position":1},"title":"More on the Anglican Communion \/ Episcopal Church kerfuffle","author":"***Dave","date":"Fri 15-Jan-16 7:41pm","format":false,"excerpt":"So, for any of those who take this seriously, here's an update on the Grave Communique issued by the Primates at the Anglican Communion Primates Meeting in England yesterday, in which they (more in sorrow than in anger, though, really, kind of peeved) said the Episcopal Church wasn't working and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "~PlusPosts"","block_context":{"text":"~PlusPosts","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/plusposts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/ens_011516_primates5B15D.jpgimgmax%3D660.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/ens_011516_primates5B15D.jpgimgmax%3D660.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/ens_011516_primates5B15D.jpgimgmax%3D660.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":129489,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2016\/01\/14\/the-anglican-communion-finally-unifies-by-suspending-the-episcopal-church.html","url_meta":{"origin":11732,"position":2},"title":"The Anglican Communion finally unifies … by suspending the Episcopal Church","author":"***Dave","date":"Thu 14-Jan-16 4:32pm","format":false,"excerpt":"There's been some concern that conservative Anglican archbishops from Africa would boycott the primates meeting in England; instead, they all showed up and drove through a resolution (though it's not clear under what authority) suspending the Episcopal Church for three years from voting within the Communion, representing Anglicans in ecumenical\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "~PlusPosts"","block_context":{"text":"~PlusPosts","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/plusposts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":11417,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2007\/09\/01\/another_day_another_conse.html","url_meta":{"origin":11732,"position":3},"title":"Another day, another conservative African province ordains schismatic anti-gay bishops","author":"***Dave","date":"Sat 1-Sep-07 9:47pm","format":false,"excerpt":"Now Kenya has joined Nigeria, Rwanda, et al. in ordaining\u00a0missionary bishops to tend to poor American Episcopalians Anglicans\u00a0lacking any pastoral care over the issue of gays in the ministry.\u00a0...","rel":"","context":"In "Religion"","block_context":{"text":"Religion","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/religion"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/images\/episcshield_15_188.gif?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":10882,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2007\/06\/03\/todays_episcotrivia.html","url_meta":{"origin":11732,"position":4},"title":"Today’s Episcotrivia","author":"***Dave","date":"Sun 3-Jun-07 8:53pm","format":false,"excerpt":"Well, actually Episcoptrivia for the past week-plus, given my unexpected hiatus from posting. 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