Conservative Episcopalians on the move in Mass.
By Associated Press
Thursday, August 17, 2006 -

BOSTON - Episcopal parish priest Bill Murdoch watched the developing split in his denomination over homosexuality and thought about the future.

In a denomination where the majority of seminaries are liberal, conservatives need to look for a way to move forward on their own, he thought. So he approached the country’s two most conservative Episcopal seminaries with a proposal - an academic partnership with Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Hamilton - even though he hadn’t asked Gordon-Conwell yet.

The result is a new concentration in Anglican-Episcopal studies that gives traditionalist Episcopalians a place in one of the nation’s best-known conservative seminaries at a time when many don’t feel at home in their own church.

“We’re at the edge of the knife,” said Murdoch, a Gordon-Conwell alumnus from West Newbury. “If the church divides, there will be a need for courageous, well-trained young leadership. the rest