Episcopals lose Diocese to a more pure Christianity
Three months after the Diocese of San Joaquin took a momentous vote to leave the U.S. Episcopal Church, Bishop John-David Schofield says there's a lot of work to do and there's no looking back. John-David Schofield, 69, bishop of the Fresno-based diocese for 20 years, says he never has felt he was leading people down the wrong road. On Dec. 8, the local diocese became the first American diocese to secede from the U.S. Episcopal Church since the Civil War, largely over differences with the national body's approval of same-sex blessings, ordination of a gay bishop, the role of women in the church and how to interpret the Bible over such issues. The diocese also aligned with the Anglican Church of the Southern Cone of South America, based in Buenos Aires, Argentina, which has similar views as the diocese. In response, the Episcopal Church banned Schofield on Jan. 11 from practicing his religious duties for 60 days, which ends Tuesday. The Diocese of San Joaquin said the nation...