Frankly, this issue is so utterly complicated that I often avoid posting about it.  The American Episcopal church seems to be falling apart over the ordination of gays and women.  And there's all this gray in the middle sort of language that is meant to appease, but only succeeds in angering everyone.  I'm confused.  Read what the PG and the AP have to say about it. 

The Episcopal Church elected a female bishop as their head honcho.  The larger Anglican Communion is not pleased.  The conservative wing of the Episcopal Church was already angry about both female ordination and the ordination of an openly gay bishop.  The Episcopal Church expressed formal regret that the ordination caused turmoil, but not over the decision to ordain this man. 

So now the conservatives in the Episcopal Church led by Pittsburgh's very own Bishop Duncan want to break away and form their own diocese who does not answer to the duly elected female head bishop.  They want a floating non-geographic diocese led by someone specially appointed by the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Meanwhile progressive Episcopalians here in Pittsburgh are not sure how they fit into this whole schema.

I mean no disrespect because obviously this is a very painful issue for the entire Anglican Communion and the American Episcopal Church in particular.  Especially for Episcopalians here in Pittsburgh. 

But is it just me or does it seem pretty apparent that there is no real way to keep the church in union?  How does a diocese that refuses to ordain woman reconcile itself with a female bishop? If the Episcopal/Anglican strain of homophobia is so rampant that Archbishop Peter Akinola of Nigeria would openly support legislation making homosexuals illegal (not just homosexuality), how do you expect them to accept a gay bishop? 

It just seems that this band-aid is being pulled off very slowly and hurting a lot of people who grow ever more divided over these issues.  Kind of like the looming divorce which sometimes is much better for everyone, especially the kids.

Just my non-Episcopal observation ...