August 26
Yet another conservative Southern California parish has left the Episcopal Church USA (ECUSA) over its disregard for scripture. The move by St. David's Episcopal Church in North Hollywood comes just a week after congregations in Long Beach and Newport Beach took similar action.
The breakaway parishes in California have become the center of an international clerical dispute between an Anglican archbishop in Africa and Episcopal Bishop J. Jon Bruno of Los Angeles. Bruno has ordered the priests at St. James Church in Newport Beach and All Saints Church in Long Beach to cease all ministry.
But Uganda's Archbishop Henry Luke Orombi says he supports these clergy and congregations that uphold biblical orthodoxy, despite the objections of an Episcopal Church that has lost its jurisdiction over them.
According to Associated Press reports, leaders of the Long Beach and Newport congregations say decades of drift have culminated in the denomination's acceptance of homosexual clergy, including consecration of a bishop living with a homosexual partner. And last May, Bishop Bruno led a church blessing ceremony for a same-sex couple, further demonstrating the ECUSA leadership's disdain for biblical orthodoxy. In a letter read to churches throughout his diocese, Bruno stated that he will not let the Bible "be compromised by those who seek to make their literalist and simplistic interpretation the only legitimate one."
Jose Posh, rector of St. David's, calls the ECUSA's "corruption of scriptures" an abomination. "We finally came to the conclusion that there could be no reconciliation and there would be no repentance over on their side," he says. "We are not willing to be dragged down any more into a theology that is clearly not Christian, and we just decided that we had had enough."
Posh insists he had no choice but to part ways with Los Angeles Bishop John Bruno. "Recently our bishop made a statement in the Los Angeles Times that Jesus is not the only way to the Father," he says. He notes that he confronted Bruno, as others have done, but that the bishop "seems to waver back and forth" in his responses.
"Finally he said to me that Jesus is the only way, but only for Christians," Posh recalls, "and that is just against what Jesus said all along. Jesus said He is the way, He is the light, He is the Good Shepherd, He is the Bread of Life -- He is it -- for all people."
The Episcopal rector says although he and his congregation are parting ways with the ECUSA, they intend to remain a part of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church has applied for ecclesiastical oversight from Bishop Evans Kisekka of the Diocese of Luweero in Uganda, Africa.
Posh believes the ECUSA will very likely sue for his parish's property. However, the California clergyman says he is not concerned about the building, but only about bringing people to Christ.
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