A new kind of Episcopalian

last updated 8 January 2015

Plano, Texas

Conservative Episcopalians meeting in Texas this week said they would not sever ties with the national church over last year’s consecration of an openly gay bishop. Leaders of the Network of Anglican Communion Dioceses and Parishes said they would instead establish a “church within a church” by continuing to preach that homosexuality was condemned by the Bible. The Rev. Donald Armstrong of Colorado said leaving the Episcopal Church—the American branch of the Anglican church—would mean surrendering church buildings and starting over. “We can’t just walk away,” he said. Privately, members of the group said they hoped to replace the Episcopal Church and become the official branch of the Anglican church in the U.S.