Episcopal Church (United States)

This article is about the Episcopal Church in the United States. For other uses, see Episcopal Church.

The Episcopal Church's Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in Washington, D.C. is often referred to as the "National Cathedral".

The Episcopal Church in the United States of America is the Province of the Anglican Communion in the United States and several other nations, including dioceses in Asia, Central and South America, and Europe. Organized as a church shortly after the American Revolution, it was the first autonomous Anglican province outside the British Isles.

Official names

The full legal name of the national church is The Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America (PECUSA) by vote of the 1967 General Convention and stated in the preamble to the Constitution & Canons of the TEC (2006). The preamble to the Constitution and Canons of the Episcopal Church continues, "otherwise known as The Episcopal Church (which name is hereby recognized as also designating the Church)." The Episcopal Church (TEC) is sometimes abbreviated ECUSA.

The full legal name of the national church corporate body is the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America and is found in Canon 3 of Constitution & Canons of the TEC (2006) and was incorporated by the Legislature of the State of New York and established in 1821. The membership of the corporation shall be considered as comprehending all persons who are members of the Church. .

Before the American Revolution, The Episcopal Church was the Church of England. Between 1780–1783, the neonate TEC adopted the name Protestant Episcopal Church. Finally, in 1789, the church settled on its current full name:

At the second session of the 1789 General Convention, Sept. 29-Oct. 16, 1789, a Constitution of nine articles was adopted. The new church was called the "Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America" (PECUSA). The word "Protestant" noted that this was a church in the reformation tradition, and the word "Episcopal" noted a characteristic of catholicity, the historic episcopate.

The official alternate name—The Episcopal Church—can be seen in the title page of the 1979 Book of Common Prayer, which says According to the use of The Episcopal Church.

Those that prefer TEC argue that ECUSA does not adequately represent its worldwide—non U.S.—membership (including Taiwan and several Latin American dioceses). Those that prefer ECUSA say that is potentially ambiguous with regard to other "Episcopal churches" in the worldwide Anglican Communion, such as the Scottish Episcopal Church.

The word episcopal originates in the ancient Greek word episkopos, meaning overseer, by way of the equivalent Latin word episcopus, meaning bishop.

Overview

The Episcopal Church is composed of 111 dioceses in the United States, two United States territories, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, Haiti, the Republic of China (Taiwan), Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Honduras, Europe and Venezuela, and has an extra-provincial relationship with the diocese of Cuba.

Like many other Anglican churches, it has entered into full communion with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Old Catholics. The issue of ordination of women broke full communion with the Polish National Catholic Church in 1976 and severed a special relationship with the Eastern Orthodox Church.

The Episcopal Church was active in the social gospel movement of the late nineteenth century and since the 1960s and 1970s has played a leading role in the progressive and liberal movements in church and secular politics. For example, in its resolutions on secular issues the Episcopal Church has taken both sides on the abortion debate, opposed the death penalty, and supported affirmative action and the civil rights movement. In some dioceses, openly homosexual men and women can be ordained; in others, same-sex unions are celebrated.

In a few dioceses, women are ordained only to the diaconate, but in most others, women are ordained to the priesthood and episcopate, as well as the diaconate. The present leader of the Episcopal Church in the USA is a woman, the Most Reverend Katharine Jefferts Schori. Jefferts Schori, previously Bishop of Nevada, is the twenty-sixth Presiding Bishop. She was elected at the 75th General Convention on June 18, 2006 and invested at the Washington National Cathedral on November 4, 2006.

The Episcopal Church considers itself a via media, or middle way, having aspects of both the Roman Catholic Church and Protestantism. Not all Episcopalians self-identify with this image especially those whose convictions lean toward evangelicalism or Anglo-Catholicism.

In the United States, the Church claims a total membership of active baptized members of approximately 2.4 million. Among its members are more than a quarter of all presidents of the United States.

(see List of United States Presidential religious affiliations).

In recent years many mainline denominations have experienced a decline in membership. Once changes in how membership is counted are taken into consideration the Episcopal Church's membership has been flat.

History

Main article: History of the Episcopal Church

The Church of England established itself in the English colonies on the North American continent in Jamestown, Virginia, in 1607. The Episcopal Church was formally separated from the Church of England in 1789 so that clergy would not be required to accept the supremacy of the British monarch. When the clergy of Connecticut elected Samuel Seabury as their bishop, he sought consecration in England. The Oath of Supremacy prevented English bishops from consecrating a non-English bishop, so Seabury went to Scotland; the non-juring bishops of the Scottish Episcopal Church consecrated him in Aberdeen on November 14, 1784, making him the first Episcopal bishop outside the British Isles.

The Episcopal Shield, adopted in 1940, includes both the English cross of St George and a Scottish St Andrew's cross, to reflect the mingled English and Scottish heritage of the church.

Beliefs, practices, theology and doctrine

See also: Anglicanism and Anglican doctrine

The center of Episcopalian teaching is the life and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The basic teachings of the church, or catechism, includes:

• Jesus Christ is fully human and fully God. He died and was resurrected from the dead.
• Jesus provides the way of eternal life for those who believe.
• The Old and New Testaments of the Bible were written by people "under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit". The Apocrypha are additional books that are used in Christian worship, but not for the formation of doctrine.
• The two great and necessary sacraments are Holy Baptism and Holy Eucharist
• Other sacramental rites are confirmation, ordination, marriage, reconciliation of a penitent, and unction.
• Belief in heaven, hell, and Jesus's return in glory.

The full catechism is included in the Book of Common Prayer and posted on Episcopal website here.

The Episcopal Church follows the via media or "middle way" between Protestant and Roman Catholic doctrine and practices: that is both Catholic and Reformed. The Episcopal Church traces its history from the Church of England and stresses its continuity with the early universal Western church.

See also: Apostolic Succession

.

Comedian and Episcopalian Robin Williams once described the Episcopal faith (and, in a performance in London, specifically the Church of England) as "Catholic Lite -- same rituals, half the guilt."

The Book of Common Prayer

' The Episcopal Church publishes its own Book of Common Prayer (BCP), containing most of the worship services (or "liturgies") used in the Episcopal Church. Because of its widespread use in the church, the BCP is both a reflection of and a source of theology for Episcopalians.

The current edition dates from 1979 and is marked by a linguistic modernization and an increased emphasis on the Eucharist as the principal service of the church. The 1979 version also de-emphasizes the notion of personal sin. There was enough strife in implementing and adopting the 1979 BCP that a "resolution of apology" was issued at the 2000 General Convention.

Previous American BCPs were issued in 1789, 1892, and 1928. (A proposed BCP was issued in 1786 but not adopted.) The BCP is in the public domain; however, any new revisions of the BCP are copyrighted until they are approved by the General Convention. After this happens, the BCP is placed into the public domain.

The full name of the BCP is: The Book of Common Prayer and Administration of the Sacraments and Other Rites and Ceremonies of the Church Together with The Psalter or Psalms of David According to the use of The Episcopal Church.

The threefold sources of authority in Anglicanism are scripture, tradition, and reason. These three sources uphold and critique each other in a dynamic way.

Worship styles

Bishop Samuel Seabury.

Varying degrees of liturgical practice prevail within the church, and one finds a variety of worship styles: traditional hymns and anthems, praise and worship music, Anglican chant, liturgical dance, charismatic hand movements, vested clergy, and clergy in street clothing. As varied as services can be, the central binding aspect is the Book of Common Prayer or supplemental liturgies.

Often a congregation or a particular service will be referred to as Low Church or High Church. In theory:

High Church, especially the very high Anglo-Catholic movement, is ritually inclined towards embellishments such as incense, formal hymns, and a higher degree of ceremony. In addition to clergy vesting in albs, stoles and chasubles, the lay assistants may also be vested in albs. The sung eucharist tends to be emphasized in High Church congregations, with Anglo-Catholic congregations and celebrants using sung services almost exclusively.

Low Church is simpler and may incorporate other elements such as informal praise and worship music. "Low" congregations tend towards a more "traditional Protestant" outlook. The spoken eucharist tends to be emphasized in Low Church congregations.

Broad Church incorporates elements of both low church and high church.

Although some Episcopalians refer to their churches by these labels, often there is overlapping, and the basic rites do not greatly differ. There are also variations that blend elements of all three and have their own unique features, such as New England Episcopal churches, which have elements drawn from Puritan practices, combining the traditions of "high church" with the simplicity of "low church". Typical parish worship features Bible readings from the Old Testament as well as from both the Epistles and the Gospels of the New Testament.

In the Eucharist or Holy Communion service, the Book of Common Prayer specifies that bread and wine are consecrated for consumption by the people. Those wishing for whatever reason to avoid alcohol are free to decline the cup. In contrast to many Protestant denominations, a Eucharist can be part of a wedding to celebrate a sacramental marriage and of a funeral as a thank offering (sacrifice) to God and for the comfort of the mourners.

Saints

Martin Luther King, Jr. is one of the Americans included in the Episcopal Calendar of Saints

See also: Calendar of saints (Episcopal Church in the United States of America)

The concept of "saint" in the Episcopal Church is highly influenced by the Catholic tradition, although the level of veneration given to saints is much more Protestant. Those inclined to the Anglo-Catholic branch may explicitly invoke saints as intercessors, and many do. The saints are also used as examples in history of good Christian men and women. Episcopalians pray for each other as members of the Communion of Saints. Both the living and the dead are in the hands of God. With that understanding one sees a wide variety of people thought of as "saints" in the Episcopal Church, such as Martin Luther and Augustine of Canterbury. In addition, the Church holds that all members are saints of God and hold the potential to be examples to others.

The Episcopal Church publishes Lesser Feasts and Fasts, which contains feast days for the various men and women the Church wishes to honor. This book is updated every three years after new persons of note are added to the liturgical calendar. Some of the specifically American saints included are

• Samuel Seabury
• Harriet Tubman
• Elizabeth Cady Stanton
• Martin Luther King, Jr.
• Jonathan Myrick Daniels

Social teaching

The preparation materials for delegates to the 2006 General Convention highlighted five areas of "Social Teaching/Contentious Resolutions" made by the General Convention in the previous 30 years:

• Race
• Economic Justice
• Ordination of Women
• The 1979 Prayer Book Revision
• Inclusion: human sexuality, diversity, and equality

Below are examples of how the General Conventions have voted on these five issues over the past 30 years. In some areas, such as Race, the church has maintained a consistent theme. In other areas, such as human sexuality, the church has faced larger struggles.

On race

• In 1976 the Convention called for an end to apartheid while commending the South African Church for its ministry.
• In 1979 the Convention condemned the Ku Klux Klan and all similarly racist groups and called on church members to oppose them.
• Between 1982 and 1985 equal opportunity employment and affirmative action were first implemented within the church.
• In 1991 the Convention declared 'the practice of racism is sin' and called on all church members to work to remove racism from the US.
• In 1994 the Convention condemned "the racist and unjust treatment" of immigrants.

On economic justice

• In 1991 the Convention recommended parity in pay and benefits between clergy and lay employees in equivalent positions.
• Several times between 1979 and 2003 the Convention expressed concern over affordable housing and supported the church working to provide affordable housing.
• In 1982 and 1997, the Convention reaffirmed the Church's commitment to eradicating poverty and malnutrition and challenged parishes to increase ministries to the poor.
• In 1988 the Convention rejected a resolution in support of the right of employees to organize and engage in collective bargaining.
• In 1997 the Convention urged the church to promote living wages for all.
• In 2003 the Convention urged legislators to raise the US minimum wage and to establish a living wage with health benefits as the national standard.

On the ordination of women

• The first women were ordained priests in the Episcopal Church on 29 July 1974, though the orders had not been endorsed by General Convention. The so-called Philadelphia 11 were ordained by Bishops Daniel Corrigan, Robert L. DeWitt, Edward R. Welles, assisted by Antonio Ramos. On 7 September 1975, four more women were irregularly ordained by retired Bishop George W. Barrett. The 1976 General Convention, which approved the ordination of women to the priesthood and episcopate, voted to regularize the 15 forerunners.
• In 1994 the Convention affirmed that there is value in the theological position that women should not be ordained
• In 1997 the Convention affirmed that "the canons regarding the ordination, licensing, and deployment of women are mandatory and that [dioceses noncompliant in 1997] shall give status reports on their progress toward full implementation."
• In 2006 the convention elected Katharine Jefferts Schori as Presiding Bishop. She is the first woman to serve as primate in the Anglican Communion.

The three "non-compliant" dioceses are San Joaquin, Quincy, and Fort Worth. The 2006 directory of the North American Association for the Diaconate lists three women deacons in Quincy, 15 in San Joaquin, and 8 in Fort Worth. Fort Worth also allows parishes that wish to call a woman priest to transfer to the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Dallas.

On the 1979 Prayer Book revision

• In 1976 the Convention adopted the draft of the new prayer book. Changes included:
  • Modernized the liturgy with an emphasis on congregational participation.
  • In returning to ancient Christian tradition, restored the eucharist as the central Sunday liturgy.
  • Reflected the theological and worship changes of the ecumenical reforms of the 1960s and 1970s.
  • Changed the theological emphasis to be more catholic in nature.
• In 1979 the Convention adopted the 1979 revision as the "official" BCP and required churches using the old (1928) prayer book to also use the 1979 revision.
• An apology was issued by the Convention in 2000 for those "offended or alienated during the time of liturgical transition to the 1979 Book of Common Prayer". Now all previous versions of the Book of Common Prayer are canonically authorized.

On inclusion: human sexuality, diversity, and equality

• In 1976 the Convention declared that homosexuals are "children of God" and "entitled to full civil rights".
• In 1979 the Convention endorsed the Equal Rights Amendment and urged legislatures to ratify it.
• In 1988 the Convention reaffirmed the expectation of chastity and fidelity in relationships.
• In 1991 the Convention restated that "physical sexual expression" is only appropriate within a monogamous "union of husband and wife". The Convention also called on the church to "continue to reconcile the discontinuity between this teaching and the experience of members", referring both to dioceses that have chosen to bless monogamous same-sex unions and to general tolerance of premarital relations.
• In 2000 the Convention affirmed "the variety of human relationships in and outside of marriage" and acknowledged "disagreement over the Church's traditional teaching on human sexuality."
• The 2006 General Convention affirmed "support of gay and lesbian persons and children of God"; calls on legislatures to provide protections such as bereavement and family leave policies; and opposes any state or federal constitutional amendment that prohibits same-sex civil marriages or civil unions."

Polity

File:ECUSA arms.svg

The arms of the Episcopal Church are based on the St George's Cross, a symbol of England (mother of world Anglicanism), with a saltire reminiscent of the Cross of St Andrew in the canton in reference to the historical origins of the American episcopate in the Scottish Episcopal Church.

The Polity of the Episcopal church is Episcopalian church governance, which is the same as other Anglican churches. Following the United States American Revolution, American Anglicans were technically not a part of the Church of England's structure, so they had to form their own. The Church has its own system of canon law.

Today, there are over 7000 congregations, each of which elects a vestry or bishop's committee. The vestry selects (via vote) their clergy called deacons and priests.

The middle judicatory consists of a diocese headed by a bishop. Diocesan conventions are usually held annually.

At the national level, the church is governed by the triennial General Convention, which consists of two bodies:

• The House of Deputies (consisting of 4 laity and 4 clergy from each diocese).
• The House of Bishops (consisting of all living active and retired bishops that have headed diocese).

The Chief Officer of the Episcopal Church, elected by the General Convention, is called the Presiding Bishop, with a term of 9 years.

The location of the Presiding Bishop's office is the Episcopal Church Center, the national administrative headquarters, located at 815 Second Avenue, New York, NY. It is often referred to by Episcopalians simply as "815."

Liberal and conservative

There are many different theologies represented within the Episcopal Church. Some Episcopal theologians hold evangelical positions, affirming the authority of scripture over all. The Episcopal Church website glossary defines the sources of authority as a balance between scripture, tradition, and reason. These three are characterized as a "three-legged stool" which will topple if any one overbalances the other. It also notes

The Anglican balancing of the sources of authority has been criticized as clumsy or "muddy." It has been associated with the Anglican affinity for seeking the mean between extremes and living the via media. It has also been associated with the Anglican willingness to tolerate and comprehend opposing viewpoints instead of imposing tests of orthodoxy or resorting to heresy trials.

This balance of scripture, tradition and reason is traced to the work of Richard Hooker, a sixteenth century apologist. In Hooker's model, scripture is the primary means of arriving at doctrine and things stated plainly in scripture are accepted as true. Issues that are ambiguous are determined by tradition, which is checked by reason. More recently, the Episcopal Church has developed a fourth leg known as "experience." This understanding is highly dependent on the work of Friedrich Schleiermacher.

A public example of this struggle between the liberal and evangelical Christian positions in the church has been the 2003 consecration of the Right Reverend Gene Robinson, an openly gay man living with a long-term partner. The acceptance/rejection of his consecration is motivated by different views on the authority of and understanding of scripture. This struggle has some members concerned that the church may not continue its relationship with the larger Anglican Church. Others, however, view this pluralism as an asset, allowing a place for both sides to balance each other.

Recent controversies

Episcopal Cross

See also: Anglican doctrine, Anglican views of homosexuality, Anglican realignment, and Ordination of women § Anglican Communion

According to the Windsor Report of the Anglican Communion, the 2003 consecration of Robinson, an openly gay man living in a committed relationship, was a landmark event for those on both sides of the issue.

On one side of the debate, the 1998 Lambeth Conference 1.10 is quoted:which states:

"This Conference ... in view of the teaching of Scripture, upholds faithfulness in marriage between a man and a woman in lifelong union, and believes that abstinence is right for those who are not called to marriage;" ,

In answer, at the request of the Anglican Communion's Lambeth Commission, TEC released To Set Our Hope on Christ on June 21, 2005, which explains "how a person living in a same gender union may be considered eligible to lead the flock of Christ."

Jefferts Schori has become a lightning rod as she voted to confirm Robinson and allowed blessing of same-sex unions in her diocese of Nevada.

The 2006 election of Jefferts Schori is also controversial in the wider Anglican Communion because she is a woman. While most dioceses of TEC ordain women as priests and bishops, the full Anglican Communion does not universally accept the ordination of women. She is the first and only national leader of a church in the Anglican Communion who is a woman.

Several issues have recently created a tensions in TEC including the reliability of scripture and historic church teachings as reliable sources for Church doctrine and the exclusive claims of Jesus regarding salvation as well as the sanctity of marriage as instituted between one man and one woman by Jesus in the New Testament.

Certain statements by Jefferts Schori have been the focus of controversy, especially regarding the central Christian teachings on salvation through Jesus alone.

Diocesan

Eight US bishops have rejected Jefferts Schori's apostolic authority and have requested alternative pastoral oversight. In one case, the convention of the diocese supports the bishop. On December 2, 2006, the Convention of the Diocese of San Joaquin, one of the most conservative dioceses in the church, passed a series of resolutions which, if confirmed at the convention in 2007, set into motion withdrawal from the Episcopal Church and affiliation with another Anglican Church, "“The diocese shall be a constituent member of the Anglican Communion and in full communion with the See of Canterbury.” This was combined with a resolution which removed the present boundaries of the diocese, theoretically allowing it to absorb other dissenting congregations in the United States. The diocese has 148 parishes and 18,000 members but includes an active caucus which opposes secession. The Diocese of Quincy joined seven other dioceses in requesting alternative pastoral oversight.

Parish

Some individual parishes are also attempting to leave the Episcopal Church. In the Diocese of Virginia, eight parishes voted to leave The Episcopal Church and formed the Anglican District of Virginia, which is part of the Convocation of Anglicans in North America (CANA). As church property in the Episcopal Church does not belong to individual parishes, the Diocese of Virginia has taken the first steps to maintain its claim on the church buildings and land. Groups of Episcopalians from the breakaway parishes who were loyal to the Episcopal Church and the Diocese of Virginia have begun holding services at alternative sites until their parishes return to the Church.

Colleges and seminaries affiliated with the Episcopal Church

Seminaries

• Berkeley Divinity School at Yale, New Haven, Connecticut
• Bexley Hall, Rochester, New York and Columbus, Ohio
• The Church Divinity School of the Pacific, Berkeley, California
• Episcopal Divinity School, Cambridge, Massachusetts
• Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest, Austin, Texas
• The General Theological Seminary, New York City
• Nashotah House, Nashotah, Wisconsin
• Seabury-Western Theological Seminary, Evanston, Illinois
• School of Theology at University of the South, Sewanee, Tennessee
• Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry, Ambridge, Pennsylvania
• Virginia Theological Seminary, Alexandria, Virginia

Colleges

• Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, New York
• Clarkson College , Omaha, Nebraska
• Columbia University, New York City (Columbia was once affiliated with the Episcopal Church but is now a non-sectarian institution)
• Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Geneva, New York
• Kenyon College, Gambier, Ohio
• St. Augustine College, Chicago, Illinois
• St. Augustine's College, Raleigh, North Carolina
• St. Paul's College, Lawrenceville, Virginia
• University of the South, Sewanee, Tennessee
• Voorhees College, Denmark, South Carolina

Extra-mural Episcopalian / Anglican churches in the U.S.

Since 1785, there have been disputes within the TEC that have led to departures of clergy and congregations. An early and notable example is King's Chapel, an historic church in Boston that was Anglican when founded in 1686. A century later, in 1785, a clergyman with Unitarian ideas took his congregation and formed an independent Unitarian church.. To this day, King's Chapel can be categorized as both a Unitarian church and an extra-mural Anglican church as it uniquely uses the The Book of Common Prayer According to the Use in King's Chapel in its worship.

For the most part, extra-mural Episcopalian/Anglican churches are linked by the common use of the Book of Common Prayer in worship. Like the example of King's Chapel, some use unique or historical variants. Over the years, various parallel Episcopalian / Anglican denominations have broken with the TEC over many—sometimes transient—issues:

Christian history, [Rev. David] Ousley [St. James the Less, Philadelphia] continued, is full of splits—“some necessary, some benign, some sinful.” Likewise, while most of the splits undertaken by groups of orthodox Anglicans since 1976 have been regarded by those who effected them as necessary to the integrity of the Gospel, he said, some of them were rooted instead in "some form of human selfishness,” e.g., personality conflicts or objections to leadership style, “and are rightly termed `schism'". Complicating matters, Ousley noted, is that orthodox Anglicans might in a few cases disagree as to which are substantive or non-substantive issues, for instance the ordination of women deacons, or whether seeking reunion with Rome is a high priority.

The post-1976 Continuing Church has "split various times," Ousley noted. Additionally, others who left ECUSA since 1976 have formed separate bodies. "While that is not exactly `splitting it still contributes to the current state of

disunity," he said.

There are a number of extra-mural Episcopal/Anglican organizations in the U.S.: some of these play a role in the Anglican realignment debate.

• Anglican Catholic Church
• Anglican Church in America
• Anglican Communion Network
• American Episcopal Church
• Anglican Mission in America
• Anglican Orthodox Church
• Anglican Province of America
• Anglican Province of Christ the King
• Convocation of Anglicans in North America
• Episcopal Missionary Church
• Continuing Anglican Movement
• Diocese of the Holy Cross - split-off from the Anglican Province of Christ the King
• Forward in Faith, North America
• Reformed Episcopal Church
• Traditional Anglican Communion
• United Episcopal Church of North America

There are also para-church organizations:

• American Anglican Council
• Fellowship of Concerned Churchmen
• Prayer Book Society
• Society of the Holy Cross

Further reading

• Anglican and Episcopal History (articles, church reviews, and book reviews).
• Articles on leading Episcopalians, both lay (e.g., George Washington, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Frances Perkins) and ordained, in American National Biography. (1999). Edited by John A. Garraty and Mark C. Carnes. New York: Oxford Univ. Press. Also 100 biographical articles in Hein and Shattuck, The Episcopalians, vide infra.
• A Brief History of the Episcopal Church. Holmes, David L. (1993). Harrisburg, PA: Trinity Press International.
• A Dictionary for Episcopalians. Wall, John N. (2000). Boston, MA: Cowley Publications.
• Documents of Witness: A History of the Episcopal Church, 1782–1985. Armentrout, Don S., & Slocum, Robert Boak. (1994). New York: Church Hymnal Corporation.
• The Episcopal Clerical Directory. New York: Church Publishing.
• An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church: A User Friendly Reference for Episcopalians. Armentrout, Don S., & Slocum, Robert Boak. (Eds.). ([1999]). New York: Church Publishing Incorporated.
• The Episcopalians. Hein, David, and Gardiner H. Shattuck Jr. (2005). New York: Church Publishing.
• "Episcopalian Crisis: Authority, Homosexuality & the Future of Anglicanism". Seltser, Barry Jay Commonweal CXXXIII, 10 (May 19, 2006). An essay on Hooker and the present discontents, accessed December 19, 2006.
• The History of the Episcopal Church in America, 1607–1991: A Bibliography. Caldwell, Sandra M., & Caldwell, Ronald J. (1993). New York: Garland Publishing.
• New Georgia Encyclopedia article on TEC in the U.S. South
• Noble Powell and the Episcopal Establishment in the Twentieth Century. Hein, David. (2001, 2007). Urbana: University of Illinois Press; paperback reprint, Eugene, Ore.: Wipf & Stock.
• Readings from the History of the Episcopal Church. Prichard, Robert W. (Ed.). (1986). Wilton, CT: Morehouse-Barlow.
• Rewriting History: Scapegoating the Episcopal Church. Savitri Hensman. Ekklesia. 2007.

External links

• The Episcopal Church
• Executive Offices of the General Convention
• Episcopal News Service
• epiScope, a blog from the Episcopal Church's Office of Communication
• The Archives of the Episcopal Church
• 1979 Book of Common Prayer
• Calendar of the Church Year
• Episcopal Media Center
• Episcopal Online Identity Wear
• Episcopal/Anglican Glossary
• Episcopal Church Language (PDF)
• Association of Episcopal Colleges
• The Episcopal Church Colombia
• The Episcopal Church in the Philippines
• Journals of general conventions of the Protestant Episcopal Church, in the United States, 1785-1835 (Volume 1)
• Journals of general conventions of the Protestant Episcopal Church, in the United States, 1785-1835 (Volume 2)
• Journals of general conventions of the Protestant Episcopal Church, in the United States, 1785-1835 (Volume 3)

See also

• Complete List of Presiding Bishops
• Succession of Bishops of the Episcopal Church in the United States
• The Episcopal Youth Event
• Anglican Communion
• Churches Uniting in Christ
• Anglo-Catholicism