News for Week Ending 11/3/2014

Anglicans, Oriental Orthodox agree on Christology statement

Theologians representing the Anglican Communion and the Oriental Orthodox Churches have reached agreement on a common statement of Christology, that is, on the nature of Jesus Christ. The 7-page statement is the culmination of work begun more than two decades ago, but the divide between the the Oriental Orthodox Churches and the Western and Eastern Orthodox Churches traces its beginnings to the Council of Chalcedon in 451 CE. The statement will now be considered by “the responsible authorities” in the various churches for their considerations. Anglican Communion News Service reported this story on October 27, 2014.

Episcopal Church, African bishops declare friendship, co-operation

All too many stories in recent years have involved the hostility of African primates toward The Episcopal Church. In light of that, many will find it refreshing that an October 8–10, 2014, New York City meeting of bishops from The Episcopal Church and several African churches resulted in a communiqué expressing friendship and co-operation. The meeting was attended by the primates of Burundi, Central Africa, Southern Africa, West Africa, and Tanzania, in addition to Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori and four other Episcopal Church bishops.

GTS conflict remains unresolved

The five-week-old conflict at the General Theological Seminary in New York City remains unresolved. (See Pittsburgh Update story here.) The biggest sticking point in the negotiations between the dismissed faculty (the GTS 8) and the seminary’s Board of Trustees continues to be the professors’ demand for an ombudsman, an issue about which they issued a clarification on October 28, 2014. The Living Church also reported on this aspect of the conflict on October 28 in a story that added new information about faculty complaints against dean and president Kurt Dunkle.

Fort Worth diocese rebuffed by Supreme Court

On November 3, 2014, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to review the Texas Supreme Court decision to send the Diocese of Fort Worth property litigation back to trial court to be re-litigated  on the basis of neutral principles of law. The Lead’s story contains a number of helpful links concerning this development. The most recent Pittsburgh Update stories about the long-running litigation can be found here and here.

Diocesan convention meets this weekend

The 149th annual convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh will be held Friday and Saturday, November 7 & 8, 2014, at Trinity Cathedral downtown. Information and relevant documents can be found on the diocesan Web site. If you are attending the convention, be sure to visit the Progressive Episcopalians of Pittsburgh table.