Truro Episcopal Church, an institution in the City of Fairfax with roots dating to colonial times may soon split off from the Episcopal Church of the United States.
The church's vestry — the governing board of the church — voted to recommend the split last month. The congregation as a whole will vote on Dec. 10 to decide their fate. If Truro decides to make the split, it will be the first church in Virginia to do so.
The split, also being considered by The Falls Church in Falls Church, is the culmination of 40 years worth of theological differences, said Jim Pierobon. While a parishioner at the Falls Church, Pierobon is acting as spokesman for both churches.
The issue came to a head in 2003 when the church confirmed an openly gay bishop. "Among the presenting issues was Gene Robinson's consecration in New Hampshire," Pierobon said.
The vestries of the two churches decided that they could not accept the liberalization in the American church. They wish to adhere to what they say is a strict interpretation of the Bible which forbids homosexuality.
While the church may vote to split off, they hope to remain within the worldwide Anglican Church under the auspices of its Nigerian branch, Pierobon said. "Churches, especially in Africa, are very conservative and even orthodox in their views of scripture and the Bible," he said.
That issue, Pierobon said, should trump geography when deciding upon a church affiliation. "It's really, theologically, are you in sync with your brothers and sisters?"
The proposal is proceeding to allow for a transition. The Nigerian Church has already set up an American branch, called the Congregation of Anglicans in North America. Martyn Mimms, rector of Truro has been named a missionary bishop in that church, Pierobon said.
VIRGINIA'S EPISCOPAL diocese is unsure what to do about the possible split. "This is really uncharted territory for us," said Rev. David May. May is a member of the Virginia Diocese's standing committee — an advisory body to the bishop of Virginia. He is based in Grace Church in Kilmarnock, Va. in the Northern Neck.
May thinks the split could portend a major schism in the U.S. Episcopal church, but thinks it may take as long as a generation to work out. He said that to his knowledge, six to 10 parishes in Virginia, of more than 190, are considering making the split. Truro and the Falls Church, May said, are the furthest along in the process. "This is very hard stuff we're dealing with," May said. "It's happening in the context of a very polarized atmosphere."
Major splits among religious denominations are not unprecedented in the U.S., said Whitney Shiner, associate professor of religious studies at George Mason University.
Smaller splits, where one or two congregations break off from a main body are fairly common, he said.
Something that could be of a similar magnitude to this split, according to Shiner, occurred the 1800s when the Southern Baptist broke from the American Baptist church, primarily over slavery. "It was a major moral issue dividing the country," Shiner said.
In that situation, as in this one, both sides were able to point to biblical passages that they said supported their argument. "It's a situation where people are looking at different parts of the Bible," Shiner said.
If the split occurred, Shiner, like May, said it could take some time to all work out. If there is a denominational split, there would be issues about which one — or possibly both — would be affiliated with the worldwide Anglican Church.
Shiner said that the issue of accepting homosexuals is not confined to the Episcopal Church. "It certainly is a big issue,” he said. “This has been a big issue in all of the more liberal Protestant churches.”
In general, the argument sees, on one side, more conservative interpretations that point to specific passages that forbid homosexual behavior.
The more gay-tolerant argument looks more at what they see as Jesus' acceptance of all people, Shiner said. They may also argue that the admonition against homosexuality had to do with the cultural norms of the time, but that argument could reduce the authority of the Bible.
From a biblical standpoint, the latter group has the tougher argument. "In this argument, the pro-gay people have to do some more fancy footwork," Shiner said.
MAY PLACES THE current problems in a larger historical context, saying that much of the problems are echoes from the Protestant Reformation. At that time, the church tried to reconcile itself and keep more conservative and liberal members happy. "What it tried to do is keep together, in one boat, both voices," May said.
This current problem is, according to May, a recent example of that internal conflict.
But he agreed that the consecration of Robinson was probably what pushed liberalization too far for the more conservative members of the church. "I think, for many good and faithful traditionalists, they saw that as one step too many," he said.
If it happens, the split may present more secular problems, as well. One of the foremost being, which group owns the physical building, the congregation or the diocese?
Truro's Church, and the land it sits on, is assessed at just under $5 million by the City of Fairfax. Two properties owned by The Falls Church are assessed at about $3.1 million, by the City of Falls Church. Those numbers are just the land and the buildings. They do not include things like books, chairs and all the other objects inside the various buildings.
"We have strong reasons to believe that the property stays with the congregation," Pierobon said. "The deeds to our properties are in the names of trustees of our congregations."
May said that buildings really should belong to the diocese. He sees the buildings as the physical manifestation of congregations that exist not only today, but that stretch generations into the past and the future. "We aren't the owners, we're just the stewards of them," May said.
He implied that the diocese would be willing to fight to keep the properties. "It would be tragic for fellow Christians to end up in court," he said.
The State of Virginia has already made its opinion known. According to the church's attorney's interpretations of state law (Section 57-9) the church belongs to the congregations, Pierobon said.