A good question on a very timely issue in that two historic churches who
have decided to leave the Episcopal Church and the Diocese of Virginia and
become part of a Nigerian Diocese.
Bishops are the keystone of the Church of England (unlike the Lutherans who
believe that individual men and women don't need an intermediary to talk
with God.) The Church of England never allowed American bishops. In 1783,
ministers in New England elected Samuel Seabury bishop, but the English
church refused to ordain him Bishop. Therefore, he went to Scotland since
the tradition of Apostolic Successon requires three Bishops to ordain a new
one. Hence, the cross of St. Andrew in the upper LH shield of the American
Episcopal Church. So 1783 can be said to be the start of the Episcopal
Church in America. I think that the intitial name was The Protestant
Episcopal Church in America.
Things had mellowed a bit by the time our first Virginia Bishop, Bishop
Madison, came along and he was ordained by the Archbishop of Cantebury.
Subsequently, there were at least three American Episcopal Bishops kicking
around the States, so succeding American Bishops have been ordained by our
own. And incidentally, that was the same Bishop Madison who participated in
the 1807 Jamestown Celebration.
In an effort to keep VA-HIST discussion civil and (relatively)
non-controversial, I'll just say that late last year two Northern Virginia
churches, The Falls Church and Truro Church, voted to leave the Episcopal
Church and the Diocese of Virginia and become part of a Diocese based in
Nigeria (Africa). At least one of the former rectors of those churches has
been ordained a bishop in that Nigerian Diocese of The Anglican Communion.
All of this will provide grist for lawsuits and employment for attorneys for
years to come since ALL church property of the Diocese of Virginia belongs
to the Diocese of Virginia. i.e. The local church may have bought the land,
built the building, paid the rent, done the maintenance -- eveything you and
I do for the homes we own -- but the Diocese of Virginia owns the land and
buildings -- and heretofore, Virginia Courts have upheld this
interpretation. Hence Virginia Bishop Peter Lee's observation (which I
cannot quite exactly but was) to the effect that "The Diocese of Virginia
will exercise its right to the land and buildings, because these historic
structures becoming part of a Nigerian Diocese was never what our forebear's
envisioned."
A few years ago when there was similar discussion, I believe a bill was
discussed and perhaps even introduced into the Virginia Legislature to
change all that, but it never made it.
This is truly a sad time for the Episcopal Church, and echoes those words in
that grand old hymn, "The Churches' One Foundation" ''.... by schism rent
asunder......"
Randy Cabell
----- Original Message -----
From: "Anne Pemberton" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Sunday, January 14, 2007 8:10 AM
Subject: [VA-HIST] The beginning of the Episcopal Church
>I recently read a fairly new children's book entitled "D'Arcy" by Donna Doe
> Southall. It is the story of a later son of an English nobleman who came
> to
> Jamestown in about 1617. In the story, it tells that the Church of England
> became the Episcopal Church in America at the time of the founding of
> Jamestown.
>
> I wonder if this is correct? When was the name Church of England changed
> to
> the Episcopal Church?
>
> Anne
>
> Anne Pemberton
> [log in to unmask]
> http://www.erols.com/stevepem
> http://www.erols.com/apembert
> http://www.educationalsynthesis.org
>
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