“Anglican Curmudgeon” is a great name for a blog. It’d also be a great name for a rock band. That’s my first takeaway from this excruciatingly detailed account of the latest court battle between the two factions that both claim to be the legitimate Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth. Last fall, the Diocese under Bishop Jack Iker voted to sever its affiliation with the Episcopal Church USA over the ordination of an openly gay bishop. They aligned themselves with the Province of the Southern Cone (another great band name), based in Argentina, instead.
The ECUSA in February created its own Diocese of Fort Worth. And the two organizations have been duking it over who has the right to call itself the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth, and who therefore owns the diocesan property. The two groups disagree on the significance of what happened yesterday.
Which brings me to my more important takeaway. Let us count our blessings that we’re fortunate enough to live in a land where a dispute like this can now be handled peacably in the courts. Let us hope that someday everyone in our world can too.
