Rift over sexuality, gender could split Episcopal Church
By Anna Kaplan
Record Staff Writer
December 09, 2006

The controversy in the Episcopal Church that started three years ago with a gay bishop's consecration reached a breaking point last weekend when the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin voted to realign itself with Anglicanism, the parent church of Episcopalianism.

This is an unprecedented move that might not stand up in court, experts say, but could lead to an even bigger split in the church.

The diocese, which is based in Fresno and stretches from Lodi to Bakersfield and the Nevada border, is one of the most conservative in the country. It does not ordain female priests, as most Episcopal groups do. A New Hampshire diocese's consecration of a gay bishop in 2003 started talks in the San Joaquin Diocese about returning to Episcopalianism's Anglican roots.

"It was a symptom of disregard to 2,000 years of Scripture," diocese spokesman Van McCalister said. the rest