Conservative Episcopal Church Wins Legal Battle

The Biblically orthodox St. James Episcopal Church of Newport Beach, CA, has won a legal battle against the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles. St. James and two other Southern California parishes left the United States Episcopal Church as the result of disputes about Biblical interpretation and the ordination of a homosexual bishop, and the three parishes are now under the oversight of the Anglican Archbishop of Uganda.

An Orange County Superior Court judge has ruled that St. James, not the diocese, owns the rights to its church building and property. The Diocese is expected to appeal.

This ruling seems likely to encourage other Biblically conservative parishes who wish to remain in the Anglican Communion but not the U.S. Episcopal Church, which seems to be in the process of splintering.

As a conservative Episcopalian myself, I find this a very positive development. It will be interesting to see if it is upheld on appeal.