The Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh, a theologically conservative and evangelical-leaning diocese, has voted to sever ties with the Episcopal Church but will remain a member of the Anglican communion, by way of the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone in South America.
I say, good for them. But there is an interesting quote: The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, presiding pseudo-bishop of the U.S. church, said schism "frequently been seen as a more egregious error than charges of heresy." Hmmm. I am remembering the book I recently read, My Visit to Hell (which is essentially an update of Dante's Inferno). In this book the sin of schism is in a much lower ring of hell than the sin of heresy. This is because schismatics tend to spurn authority and maliciously divide themselves from each other (anyone who's looked at the history of a schismatic Orthodox group, or for that matter a schismatic Catholic one, will recognize this), whereas heretics tend to be sincerely convinced of their errors. At least that was my take on it. So the good lady has a certain point. Then again, they are remaining in communion with the rest of the Anglicans. So it's not total schism.
They'd better change their website though. Presumably they are no longer Episcopal. The domain seems to be right though.
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