I have written some before about the moral crisis facing Christianity in the United States and elsewhere as each denomination and, indeed, each individual Christian must choose between transient, worldly values and transcendent, Godly morality. The U.S. Episcopal church, in its open endorsement of sinful sexual behavior, has become a key battlefield between these two values as its more Godly congregations abandon the denomination. These breakaway congregations, including many in Virginia, have found themselves in an interesting legal predicament regarding the ownership of church property.
According to the Washington Post, court rulings in Virginia are continuing to support the stance of the breakaway congregations in opposition to the Episcopal dioceses. More interesting, the movement of faithful U.S. Anglicans away from the ‘official’ Episcopal Church structure is growing. Two U.S. Episcopal dioceses have left the denomination, as have hundreds of individual congregations nationwide. Two more dioceses will vote on secession next month.
While the U.S. Episcopal Church represents the most visible clash of worldly and Godly values in Christian churches today, this battle effects all Christians and it is likely to get worse. The United Methodist Church, of which I have been a long-time member, teeters on the brink of following in these Episcopalian footsteps. Other churches and denominations are in similar positions. Faithful Christians must band together to defend the consistent moral values of our religion in the face of widespread moral relativism.