Episcopal Schism Ahead

Naturally everyone is worried about the prospect for schism in the Anglican Communion. The very liberal faction of the American Episcopal Church just elected liberal bishop Rt Rev Katharine Jefferts Schori as presiding bishop of the American church.

Here is Jonathan Petrie reporting that a conservative Texas diocese is already planning to split from the overal American church.

But really, they should get on with it.

In his Acts of Faith sociologist Rodney Stark demonstrates that church believers vary in their need for orthodoxy and “strictness.” The result is a Bell curve. A lot of people want to belong to a moderately strict church, and a few people want to belong to a very liberal church (Unitarian) or to a very strict church (Jehovah’s Witnesses).

On top of that you will usually find that a rapidly growing church is a moderately strict church. It’s a marketing thing. Moderate strictness is where the people are.

The Anglican Communion worldwide is split between the growing, strict church of Africa and the liberal, shrinking church of Britain and North America. Just as the American Church is split between traditionalists and liberals.

The best thing to do is to accept reality and formally split.

But there is the little problem over who gets to own all the churches.

And another thing. The best way to save the Church of England from its decline would be to disestablish it, just like every church in the US except the liberal Church of Positive Self-Esteem.

But that is a topic for another day.