Divisions Within the American Episcopal Church

The Episcopal Church in America has experienced severe internal conflict over the last few decades. Despite the theological and structural conflicts the church itself has survived but at a considerable price. Not only are members of various congregations frequently out of sync with one another, some church members have determined, after much arguing and soul searching , that they can no longer maintain their membership in the American Episcopal Church. While there is probably still much more that could help to unite these Christians than what divides them, the divisive issues have taken center stage and are becoming community deal breakers in Episcopal churches in the U. S. from Virginia to California with no long term resolutions in sight.

Spin off of a Spin Off. The history of the Episcopal Church lies in England, where the British monarch, Henry VIII determined, for the good of his realm and not coincidentally himself, he would separate the Christian Church in England from the Church of Rome, the Roman Catholic Church. In effect this political and religious move created one of the first and most solidified spin offs from Catholicism . From that time, forward Christians who were members of the Church of England came to be known as Anglicans.

When Anglicans came to the New World as colonists they naturally brought their faith with them and their spiritual allegiance not to the Bishop of Rome but to the Archbishop of Canterbury. Today's Episcopal Church is the descendant of that transplanted British church. Today's struggles within the Episcopal Church have led to threats of multiple spin offs from this otherwise relatively cohesive body. As debate continues at all levels of the church congregation, lay and ordained, the threats have been brought to fruition. What is driving this division and what direction will members of the Episcopal Church in America take in the future.