Episcopal Church Funding Down 12% For the Past Year

Let's see. What's changed in the Episcopal Church in the past year? Here's one desperate explanation:

``There's a decline ... but what I'd emphasize is that some of that may be an economic reaction or reality,'' (Denomination Treasurer Kurt) Barnes said. ``People's incomes in 2003 and 2004 were recovering or were hurt by the market decline of 2001 and 2002.'

But wait. Here's the truth (denial free) about the drop:

(Canon David Anderson, president of the American Anglican Council), responded that ``the economy is not down, it's up. ... Maybe he could have argued that two years ago.''

Since Robinson was first confirmed by the Episcopal General Convention in August 2003, parishioners and their local leaders upset over the denomination's direction have moved to withhold or limit contributions to the national church in protest.

In fact:

Some dioceses, including Pittsburgh and Dallas, have refused to send any money to the national church.

This sentence does not begin to tell the story of the conflict within the Episcopal Church over the gay issue. To be fair, some parishioners tried to make up the difference in Pittsburgh. But it was but half of the amount given by the total diocese.

The price being paid for a decision so contradictory to historic Chistrianity may very welll be the end of a denomination that has been the faith cradle of many, including Presidents, and continues to be common ground for Protestants and Catholics today.

Growth is occurring in some Episcopal churches, however. Ask the conservative Episcopal churches in Pittsburgh and Dallas, or any other conservative Anglican community in this country.

-Hat tip to Carol Platt Liebau for this story.
-Apologies for the sudden change in font size. One of the joys of using blogger, I guess.