Conservative leader Rev. Bausch to hand over keys of OB parish to Diocese.
By Christopher Cadelago / signonsandiego.com/ December 28, 2010
The Rev. Canon Lawrence Bausch expects to surrender the keys to his Ocean Beach church to the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego on Thursday, closing a chapter in an international conflict intensified by the election of an openly gay bishop.
The Rt. Rev. V. Gene Robinson’s consecration seven years ago in New Hampshire underscored a cleft in the worldwide Anglican Communion. About 350 congregations have since voted to leave the Episcopal Church, the U.S. branch of the communion, and align themselves with more conservative Anglican leaders overseas.
The rift has tested personal and professional relationships, spurred protracted court disputes over church property and prompted efforts to create a rival North American province.
“What you are seeing is a division between churches committed to the historical Christian witness and churches committed to the categories of contemporary cultural relevance,” said John Wright, professor of theology and Christian scriptures at Point Loma Nazarene University.
For the remainder of this article, please go here to the signonsandiego post.
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
The big irony is that one of the more conservative Episcopal parishes is located in OB of all places. All I can say to Rev. Bausch and his flock, toodles.
Yeah, irony of ironies. Plus the local conservative parish will still stay in OB. They have problems with gay and married and women ministers. Sorry, guys, join the 21st Century!
Does that mean it’s going to stay conservative even with Bausch gone? Sorry if I’m misunderstanding.
I grew up going to All Souls Episcopal Church on Catalina Blvd. As I remember, it was a fairly liberal and tolerant church. I quit going to church at 14, partly because of the way the wealthy Point Loma families treated blue-collar families like mine, and partly to protest the overall Christian bias against gay people. Both seemed inconsistent with the Christian values that I was taught.
The Episcopal Church is essentially the North American branch of the Anglican Church. The Anglican Church was formed when the Pope refused to allow King Henry VIII to divorce his wife and marry his mistress. The king refused to comply and started his own church, separate from the Roman Catholic Church.
I am disappointed that members of the Episcopal Church, one of the most progressive sects of Christianity, would divide because of one gay man. But that is just an example of how much prejudice exists against gay people in this country.
I’ve always understood that when someone starts their own church from a mainstream theology, it is then called a cult.
Oh, dear. Churches partitioning over social issues. Old news.
I was once called an Alabama Episcopalian. I went to a church that was very liberal philosophically, but conservative in practise of the “Mass”: incense, statues of Mary, etc, very Roman Catholic-like, very High Church, very hoity-toity. The parish leaders “called” for a young activist priest and fought the Bishop of Alabama tooth and nail for him. The Bishop was anti-integration and wouldn’t join ministers from other denominations in an effort to bring peace to Birmingham. It seems that social change brings more hate than unity. I am sorry to see such bigotry. It tears up nations as well as churches.
One thing I think is a bit of a misnomer about the title, all gay people and straight people who are against discrimination of gays are not necessarily liberal. I know many gay people who are quite conservative on issues like boarder security, taxes, environmental issues, the wars we’re in, illegal immigration, and any number of other issues that divide liberals and conservatives.
{ 1 trackback }