The Episcopal Church

This Christian movement is equally called the Episcopal church in the United States of America and a member of Worldwide Anglican Communion of United States based.

The Episcopal Christian tradition is one of the movements in Christianity that claims to the status of apostolic succession but can be properly seen as the Anglican Communion of United States model.

Origin of the Group

Historically, the Episcopal Church came into existence after the American Revolution when it separated as an independent church from Anglicanism with its own Bishops and governing structure.  The Christian tradition was nececiated by the question of the secular and religious loyalties that associated the American Declaration of independence from Britain in 1776.

Although, majority of the signatories were Anglicans but they doubted some of the Anglican creeds especially with some parts of Prayer Book rites that included specific prayers for the British Royal Crown.

After conclusion of the war of independence, the Episcopal Church in the United States of America was created to oversee the activities of Anglican religious tradition in those states that had achieved independence.

Under pressure, the British Parliament passed the legislation on the consecration of Bishops Abroad Act in 1786 to allow Bishops to be consecrated for an American church outside the allegiance to the British Crown. This breath of autonomy gave the Episcopal Church the support to consolidate and expand with its model of self-government, structure and creeds.

Source of the Name

There are two official names of the Episcopal Church as specified in its constitution. They are the “Episcopal Church” and the “Protestant Episcopal Church in the United State of America”.

The Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America was the only official name in use until 1964.  This name became uncomfortable to High Church members who advocated for its change because it did not acknowledge the Churche’s Catholic heritage.

This ideology of the High Church members was opposed by members of the church's evangelical wing which insist that the term “protestant” reflect the church's character as a Reformed Anglicanism.

At the heat of this debate in the General Conventions, a common name was proposed as “The American Catholic Church” As both wars of protestant and catholic traditions advanced on the issue of adopting a common name that will be general, this desire was fulfilled in 1964 General Convention where priests and lay delegates proposed preamble to the churches constitution and recognizing “The Episcopal Church” as a lawful identical name of the church.

Both names being the protestant Episcopal church in the United States of American and the Episcopal Church were in exchange in usage till the 66th General Convention in 1979 which voted in favour of the use of the Episcopal Church alone (dropping the adjective protestant) in the Oath of Conformity of the Declaration for Ordination.

By this new development, the church's Book of Common Prayer of 1925 that bear in its title page as “According to the use of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United State of America” became reversed in the title page of the 1979 Book of Common Prayer as – “According to the use of the Episcopal Church”.

The name “Episcopal Church in the United States of America” has never been official but is been used in mere vocabulary representing the church. When the church began to expand to other continents outside America, it became necessary that the American tied to the name must be removed to give it a more befitting universal territorial status.

The preamble of the church holds that the Episcopal Church is a constituent member of the Anglican Communion, a fellowship within the one, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic church, of those duly constituted Diocese, provinces, and regional churches in communion with the See of Canterbury, upholding and propagating the historic faith and order as set forth in the Book of Common Prayer.

The Episcopal Church describes itself as being Protestant and Catholic.  The church has a mix up traditional heritages from Anglicanism alongside Roman Catholicism, Protestantism and Orthodoxy. Many of the Parishes of the Episcopal Church conform to the High Church traditions of the Catholic Church.

A member of the church is identified as an Episcopalist and the members of the body shall be considered as comprehending all persons who are members of the church.

Authority and Growth

The Episcopal Church gained ground and spread fastly because it ascumed to the American State Church after independence.  The religious body was internally divided between both clergy and laity during the American war of independence.  This division give rise to people with different political views as the patriots, conciliators and the loyalists.

The patriots were suspicious of loyalism in the church. Majority of High church persons fell within loyalists stock while majority of patriots fell within the stock of Low Church persons.

For example, statistics bear that three quarter of the signers of the declaration of independence were nominally Anglican Laymen.  Such persons include Thomas Jefferson, William Paca and George Wythe.  Equally of the approximately three hundred clergy on the Anglican Communion in America between 1776 and 1783, over 80 persons in New York, New Jersey and New England were loyalists.

American Revolution and the Group

The clergy class were mainly loyalists because of keeping to their oaths they took during ordination to swear alligance to the king and to pray for him, the royal family and the British Parliament. So the clergy kept to their oath or be relieved to their duties by British authority.

This tide changed in 1775 and 1776 when the continental congress passed a legislation directing churches to fast and pray for the patriots. The law was strengthened by decrees passed by the congress forbidding prayers to the king and British parliament and placed it under an acts of treason which meant that any offender will be made to face capital punishment.

By this development, the oaths to clergy were transferred from praying for British officers to the success of American Revolution.  As the revolution ended and American became independence, the Episcopal Church commenced its transformation into a hierarchical church structure with republican values.

The religious war between Britain and American came to height in 1783 when the clergy of Connecticut elected Samuel Seabury as their Bishop.  As he sought to be consecrated in England, he was frustrated by the Act of Supremacy of Britain which spelt that he swore the oath of allegiance to the British crown and pray for it. He rather approached non-jurist Scottish bishops who consecrated him in Aberdeen in 1784.

This marked the first ordination of an Anglican Bishop of American.

For cordiality, British Parliament passed into law the consecration of Bishops Abroad Act in 1786 to remove the legal obstacle created by the act of oath of supremacy.

This laudable event prompted two priests – William White and Samuel Provost to be consecrated as Bishops by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Archbishop of York and Bishop of Bath and Walls in 1786.

By this development, there were two established branches of apostolic succession for the American Bishops.  First was initiated by non-jury bishops of Scotland that consecrated Samuel Seabury and seconded by the English church's ordination of William White and Samuel provost.  All bishops on the American church trace their succession back to Seabury, White and Provost.

Full Autonomy of the Sect

In 1789 the Episcopal Church became formally separated from the church of England to avoid the American clergy laying allegiance to British Monarch.  To achieve religious autonomy from Church of England in terms of doctrinal matters, a revised edition of the book of prayer was carried out for the new church in that same year.

By this status of full autonomy of Episcopal church, Thomas John Claggett was elected as the first Bishop of the church. He received his ordination and consecration in America and equally ranked as the fifth Bishop of the church.

As American church, many influential men in the country became members.  The church possess the highest numbers of graduates and post-graduate degrees per capital above any other Christian denomination in the United State of America.  It has the most high income earners as its converts. It equally has in its possession majority of the wealthy Americans.  Many of the served American presidents were members of the Episcopal church, politicians especially of the Republican party belong to the church. Large business empires, banks and industries are managed by Episcopalians.

These values contributed to fast growth and expansion of the church especially in United States.

Activities of the Coloured People

In 1856, the first society for African Americans in the Episcopal church was founded by James Theodore Holly.  The body was named as the protestant Episcopal society for promoting the extension of the church among colored people.  This group gave rise to the present day union of Black Episcopalians.

James Theodore Holly later migrated to Haiti where he founded the Anglican Communion. In Haiti, he later became the first African American to be consecrated as a bishop in 1874.  Holly was the first African American to attend the Lambert Conference of the Anglican Communion as a Bishop of Haiti.

The first black or African American that was consecrated as a bishop in Episcopal Church was Samuel David Ferguson, the first to practice in United States and the first black person to sit in the house of Bishops.

Conversions and Polity

To give the Episcopal Church a true American posture and identical heritage, the Book of Common Prayer was revised first in 1879.  The 1928 edition of the prayer book incorporated many preambles of the Roman Catholic Church's Liturgical movement which were discussed at the 2nd Ecumercal Council at Vatican.

Conventions were convened and some religious traditional rites were harmonized.  The convention equally helped in the administration of the church. For instance, the later General Convention of 1976 passed a resolution calling for an end to apartheid rule in South Africa. In 1985, the convention called for dioceses, institutions and agencies, to create equal opportunity employment and affirmative action policies to address any potential racial inequalities  in clergy placement.

On church administration, the body is led by a Presiding Bishop who is elected from and by the House of Bishops and confirmed by the House of Deputies. Each Presiding Bishop will serve in a nine years term.  The Presiding Bishop is the chief pastor and primate of the Episcopal Church.  A person occupying the office of Presiding President is charged with providing leadership that will stabilize, promote and develop the programme of the group.  Such officer is seen as the speaker for the church, although such officer do not posses territorial See but enjoys extraordinary jurisdiction and has authority to visit dioceses for sacramental and preaching activities. Such officer chairs the proceeding of the executive council of the general convention as well as the House of Bishop.  Such officer equally directs the Episcopal Church Centre, the national administrative headquarter of the church and other duties assigned to such office by the constitution of the church.

The National Cathedral serves as the seat of the Presiding Bishop as well as the Bishop of Episcopal Diocese of Washington.

The highest legislatorial body of the Episcopal church is the triennial General convention which consists of House of Deputies and House of Bishops – The House of Deputies is consists of over 800 representatives (each diocese elects four laity and four clergy) from Diocesan conventions while the House of Bishops is mode of all active (includes diocesan adjustor, suffragan and assistant Bishops) and retired Bishops which give rise to over 300 members.

The General Convention makes two type of legislations. One is the rules by which the church is governed as carried in the constitution and canons.  The next is based on broad guidelines on church policy called legislations.

At the local level, there are over 7000 Episcopal congregations and each of them is vested with the power to elect vestry or Bishop's committee which is under approval of the diocesan Bishop.  The vestry of each parish elects a priest whom is known as a Rector who equally uses the authority invested in the office to select assistant clergy of both deacons and priests.

Belief and Practices

The Episcopal Church observes doctrine similar or same with other Anglican Communion.  The main teaching is the life and resurrection of Yahoshea Meshiyach. There are other teaching or catechism as

-           Yahoshea Meshiyach is fully human and fully

Yahweh.

-           Yahoshea provide a way of eternal life for those who believe.

-           The doctrines of trinity as an acceptable doctrine.

-           The old and new testament were written by men under inspirations of the holy spirit.  The Apocrypha are additional books that can be used in Christian worship, but not for the formation of doctrine.

-           The two great and necessary sacrament are Holy Baptism and Holy Eucharist.

-           Other sacramental rites are confirmation, ordination, marriage, reconciliation of a penitent and unction.

-           Belief in heaven, hell and return of Yahoshea in glory.

-           Emphasis on living out the Great Commandment of love Yahweh and other mortals fully, as found in the New Testament scriptures.

As obtainable in Anglican Communion, the Episcopal Church believe in three fold sources of authority- scriptures, tradition and reason. It equally follows the via-medial (middle way) between protestant and Roman Catholic doctrines and observations.

There are equally noticeable differences in its practices of Episcopalians that choose of either the way of evangelical (Reformed) or Anglo – Catholicism. Those that affirm to Evangelical view holds to the scriptures as source of Christian authority.

The Episcopal Church continued with the Anglican stance of via-media for sake of tolerating with opposing viewpoints instead of imposing Orthodoxy or resorting to trials.

For the liberal nature of Episcopal Christianity, some Episcopalists have advocated following the example of Methodist (Wesleyon Quadrilateral) theology by thinking of a “Fourth leg” or “experience”.

Social Reforms and Benefits

On social related theology, the Episcopal church is ahead many Christian traditions over reforms on recent years.

For example, the Episcopal Church called for an end to apartheid regime in South Africa in 1976. The convention equally condemned the Ku Klux Klain and all similar racist groups in 1979 and persuade its members to appose them.  The church equally condemned the racist and unjust treatment to immigrant and direct its members to resist all acts of racism in United States of America. The stock stood for equal opportunity, employment and affirmative actions. It supported human right activists over struggle to implement all acts of human rights in the human society.

It’s liberal strand led to the ordination of women into priesthood by the Episcopal Church. It stands as the first to ordain women priest and Bishop in the Anglican Communion worldwide.

The first woman ordained to priesthood in the Anglican Community was Florence Li Tim- Oi in 1944. This was politically motivated because of the crises that erupted the Anglican Communion in China which was caused by Japanese invasion. After the war, the women priest resigned her license.

The truly ordained women priest under normal circumstance happened in Episcopal Church by the ordination of the Philadelphia Eleven on July 29 1974.  This was followed by another round of women ordination tagged “the Washington four”.

The regularization of the ordained women were effected in the 1976 General convention of the Episcopal Church. And in 1997 convention, it was adopted that the canons regarding the ordination, licensing and deployment of women as mandatory and that dioceses’ non compliant shall give status reports on their progress towards its implementation.

Controversies and Challenges

Equally, the first female Bishop of the church was Barbara Haris who was consecrated on 1989.  In 2006, the General convention elected Jefferts Schori who was a female Bishop as the church's 26th presiding Bishops. She is the only female national leader in the Anglican Communion and such is brewing great controversy amidst the Anglicanism.  This has affected the church drastically as it has brought a decline at membership as well as internal controversy.

The next crisis is about the place of homosexuals in the church, the abortion rights, ordination of gay priests and adoption on same-sex marriage or blessing, lesbianism etc.

The first openly homosexual priest was Ellen Barrestt who was ordained in 1977. The first openly homosexual Bishop was Gene Robinson who was elected in 2003 and such stirred heavy arises among the general Anglican Communion who convened emergency meeting of the Anglican priests which ended with a warning against consecration of Robinson. In response, the Episcopal Church's House of Bishops voted that any ordained ministry is open to gay or lesbians.

The Episcopal Church in opposition to the position of other Anglican Communion went ahead and ordained Gene Robinson as the first openly gay, non celebrate bishop in the Episcopal Church.

The ordination of Bishop Gene spread up revolt in the church as many movements emerged to oppose the Episcopal position. Some  of those movements  became separatists who joined with the churches of continuing Anglican Movement or advocated Anglican Realignment. They claimed alignment with oversea Anglican province like the Anglican province of South Cone of America and the church of Nigeria.

It equally led to formation of Anglican Church in North America.

Another area of Episcopal reform or its liberal act is on its position over slavery, Racism, fight against poverty, malnutrition, increased wages and health benefit, scholarship, charitable acts, relief materials to areas affected by disasters, improving food supply, creating economic opportunities, strengthening communities, promoting health, fighting against disease and hunger, responding to disasters and rebuilding communities.

The church carries out these charitable activities through the Episcopal Relief and Development.

The relationship with other Christian denominations and traditions, the Episcopal Church had a good ecumenical relationship with other churches under Anglican Communion worldwide. It is in full communion with the Old Catholic Churches of the union of Utrecht, the Philippine Independent Church, the Mar Thoma Syrian Church of Malabar, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Moravian church in America, Eastern Orthodoxy Russian Orthodox church, United Methodist Church, Oriental Orthodox Churches, World Alliance of  Reformed Churches and the Roman Catholic Church.

It equally played prominent roles on the activities of formations on Church Unions, National Connect of Churches, the World Council of Churches, the New Christian Churches together in the U.S.A. etc.

As a way of Anglican Communion, the Episcopal Church adopted the first seven ecumenical councils of Christendom, accepts early church fathers of first five centuries, observes Sunday worship and abide by liturgical activities of Anglican churches.

It adopted doctrines or traditions practicable by both Catholic and Protestants.  Such includes, Baptism, Last supper (Eucharistic), belief of the Trinitarian doctrine, the adoption of cross as object of crucification of the saviour, the ransom sacrifice  of the saviour, the believe of the shading of  his blood etc.

These observation are held by both Catholic and protestant, it equally observed new year day on 1st of January, the Easter festival, the Christmas feasts, etc.

By these developments, it will be wise to conclude that Episcopal Church is a mere wing of Anglican Communion which asserted self autonomy due to British and American political differences.  The church was not meant for theological or doctrinal correction of the Catholic Church.

The Episcopal Church did not seek for the true observations or traditions of the early apostolic assembly that was found by Yahoshea Meshiyach and his immediate disciples.  Rather, the Episcopal Church improved on the errors of the Catholic Church of Rome with its introduction of ordination to homosexuals and lesbians into the priesthood, the adoption of marriage of same gender, legalization of abortion and related abominable acts before Yahweh.

Observations and Summary

Truly, the Episcopal Church is merely an American model of Christianity which had nothing in common with early apostolic assembly.  It had its root on all early ecumenical councils that established Christianity and the works of early fathers who have been indicted of exchanging the Yahoshea Meshiyach's Hebrew rooted tradition to Roman pagan traditions that were totally opposite to Hebrew syncretism or to Yahosheanism that rose from it. 

By current statistics, there are close to three million members of the Episcopal Church and such large population of mortals are seeking for Yahoshea Meshiyach through the Episcopal Church.

The disappointment is that those people can never discover Yahoshea in that post because they are not led by a comforter. Rather, they are led by men who were voted into power through worldly model of elections.

The General Conventions arranges for the Christian rebukes, discipline, abdications of members but not by the appointed Holy Comforter who is invested with those duties by divine provisions.

The church includes tradition and reason as element of religious authority rather than scriptures alone and the inspiration that flows from divine abode.

By the provisions of the history, operations and activities of the Episcopal Church, it is a mere political creation which can be rightly seen as one of the daughters of Roman Catholic Church who usurped the place of true apostolic assembly.

By this submission, the Episcopal Church is not truly the continuity assembly that is worthy to stand for Yahoshea Meshiyach and his disciples.

Those who have ears, let them hear the judgment from the Holy Comforter on this topic.