Clearly the leadership of the ECUSA (Episcopal Church USA) is ignoring the beliefs of its lay people. When 80 percent of a 1,600 member congregation walks out with two-thirds of is priests and most of its staff over an issue created by the leadership, that leadership is either anointed or apostate. The people are using shoeleather to indicate their position on the matter.
This is the third Alabama congregation to split with its national leadership and go its own way. The first was Alabama's oldest Episcopal church, Christ Church, in Mobile, in 2000; in January of this year a priest resigned from Christ the Redeemer Episcopal Church in Montgomery in response to the Robinson appointment, nearly 90 percent of the congregation left with him. The trend does not appear to be slowing down in or out of Alabama.
Though the reactions are primarily due to the installation of the adultrous and openly homosexual Gene Robinson as a Bishop of the ECUSA, it is not the only issue confronting the ECUSA. The leaderships concurrent sanctioning of deviant unions took its toll as well.
If Robinson were truly a man of God he would resign and repudiate his position for the good of others [Philippians 2:3, 4]. The likelyhood of that happening won't make very good book. Speculation is that the ECUSA will not be a part of the worldwide communion of Anglicans in a few years.
UPDATE: Last minute news ... on Tuesday a group of retired Episcopal bishops in Connecticut came to the defense of six Connecticut priests who face removal from their posts for opposing the election of a gay bishop.
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