An Immodest (and Impossible) Proposal for Fixing the Episcopal Church

What is the chance of bringing back those ex-TEC who have left? Since those are usually the most conservative and devoted anglicans of the bunch maybe we could start with those.

 

If there is a support network for them, then I think some might come back. As I pointed out in the OP, entering TEC as an orthodox believer seems rather daunting, like it's just you and your Bible on a forlorn mission. Get rid of that forlorn feeling and there might be some willing to join the fight for their old Church.

 

A group of us are working on reviving EFAC-USA.

 

There are three "streams" (pardon the pun) of ACNA people. First, there are bitter ex-Episcopalians, these are set on never coming back and want to replace PECUSA. The second group are orthodox people who left because their bishop was heretical. These folks often did not really want to leave and often had a personal or historical relationship to PECUSA (i.e. family religion, etc.). These are the folks to reach out to. The third group is neophyte Anglicans who have never been a communicant member of PECUSA. Unfortunately, they receive most of their info from group #1. I think it's important to emphasize the positives of being in PECUSA (we all know the negatives). For one, in comparison with ACNA (and most other Protestant bodies), PECUSA is relatively stable. It has really only suffered three schisms, REC, ACNA 1, and ACNA 2 (the original Continuing movement in the 70's was called ACNA, there was internal schism within that group). Second, it is part of a world fellowship (ACNA 2 claims this but it is not really part of the Anglican Communion). Three, a lot of the "catholic" structure that "evangelicals on the Canterbury trail" desire is intact in PECUSA (i.e. diocese, cathedrals, deans, convocations, etc. etc.) ACNA has a complete mess of an ecclesiology with affinity dioceses and geographical dioceses competing with each other.

 

That does sound like a good appraisal of the situation as far non-PEC Anglicans go. I don't know how many "bitter ex-Episcopalians" there are amongst the average lay Anglicans, but I'm sure they're there. Of the few orthodox Anglicans I've met, most seem either confused by what has happened over the past decade or simply concerned that their children receive halfway decent instruction at Sunday School and youth group (a perfectly reasonable desire).

The ACNA's polity does confuse me, and I'm not really sure where they're going. Personally, I don't necessarily mind the affinity idea to comprehend orthodox of slightly varying traditions (i.e., I don't necessarily mind Anglo-Lutherans being comprehended), but I think that the way to do that is through the already existing suffragan mechanic or something like the Church of England's Provincial Episcopal Visitors. The ACNA's polity seems like a mess of pseudo-Episcopalian dioceses combined with affinity structures. I don't understand why the affinity Bishops can't exist while the parishes are merged into diocesan structures. That and canon law is not very well developed outside of the REC.

 

I've heard of two cases but only by report. Though the folk I heard the tales from are not known to be untrustworthy, I have no independent verification of their statements.

In one anecdote, a woman was excommunicated for spitting in the face of a child whom (according to the tale) she deemed sub-human on ethnic grounds.

In the other tale, a factory owner was excommunicated for maintaining an unsafe workplace. The tale holds that the priest, wearied from burying the dead who had died due to the conditions in the workplace, exhorted the factory owner to install equipment (which was available) to mitigate the hazard. When the factory-owner refused, the priest excommunicated him. The factory owner (the tale goes on) appealed to the bishop, who upheld the priest's excommunication.

 

The progressive are ruthless in removing anyone who stands in their way. However, if you are willing to keep coming, not make any waves and most of all keep up your "bounden duty", you are more than welcome to stay.

 

I'd do it in a heartbeat. The Episcopal Church (PECUSA) here in town (town of almost 200,000 and only 1 within 50 miles) is growing more liberal by the day. They recently brought on a new priest and I had hopes they would make a swing to the right, but that's not the case. They've made it very clear they intend to promote social justice more than Christ. My only concern is what my two small children would be taught.

I'm still attending a Baptist church and simply watching/listening to services online and leading my family through morning and evening prayer. There is a conservative PECUSA church in Nashville, but it's over an hour away and with two small children that would be next to impossible to get to on Sunday mornings.