RELIGIOUS GROUPS WITH NO ANCHOR

• First is the Episcopal church.  Two of the largest and most historic Episcopal congregations are voting to leave the US church for theological reasons and affiliate with the Nigerian bishop, Peter Akinola.  In effect, the Episcopal church within the US is about to experience a significant split.  Led by the Falls Church and the Truro Church, both in Virginia, conservative Episcopal congregations are about to establish a legal structure that would make it easier for dozens more like-minded conservative fellowships to leave the Episcopal church.  (George Washington was a member of the Falls Church.)  One of the key issues was the ordination of a gay bishop in New Hampshire in 2003.  The election of Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, who supports the New Hampshire action, as the new national leader has added to this alienation.  The creation of a new, US-based umbrella organization is now a virtual certainty.  The election of Jefferts Schori led to 7 of the 111 US dioceses to reject her authority.  In addition, since 2003, the US Episcopal church has lost 115,000 members.  It is frankly quite amazing to me that the Episcopal church leadership cannot read the clear writing on the wall.  The national leaders long ago abandoned Scripture as the final authority in both faith and practice.  The result is loss of members and churches.  I believe this new fellowship will grow and thrive, because it seeks to have Scripture as the final authority.  It seeks to restore the Bible and sound doctrine, not the bankruptcy of theological liberalism, at the center.  When will these leaders see the obvious truth?

• Second is the Conservative Jewish movement within the US.  Last week, the highest legal body in Conservative Judaism voted to allow the ordination of gay rabbis and the celebration of same-sex commitment ceremonies.  But, in a demonstration of how divisive this is, the 25 rabbis on the law committee ruled, in effect, that individual synagogues will have the right to decide whether to accept or reject gay rabbis and commitment ceremonies.  This decision of the highest legal body is significant because Conservative Judaism is considered the centrist movement in Judaism, wedged between the liberal Reform and the more traditional Orthodox Judaism.  Once the dominant stream of American Judaism, Conservative Judaism has lost its place to Reform Judaism.  It is trying to be in the center, a difficult place to be when one is discussing theology.  Conservative Judaism represents again what occurs when any group departs from the clear teaching of Scripture.  The Old Testament law is not unclear about gay unions, marriages, ceremonies or rabbis.  It forthrightly condemns each as ethically wrong and a violation of God’s moral law.  When will Conservative Judaism see the obvious truth?

See Michelle Boorstein, “Episcopal Church to Vote on Departure,” Washington Post (4 December 2006) and Laurie Goodstein, “Conservative Jews Allow Gay Rabbis and Unions,” New York Times (7 December 2006).