Southern Episcopal Church
Encyclopedia
The Southern Episcopal Church (SEC or SEC/USA) was founded in Nashville, Tennessee
in 1962 by a physician turned clergyman, the Right Reverend Burnice Hoyle Webster, and a number of former members of the Episcopal Church. Bishop Webster became the SEC's first presiding bishop. The SEC now considers itself a "Continuing Anglican" church, but its members point out that the founding of the SEC preceded the start of the Continuing Anglican Movement
by a decade and a half.
The Southern Episcopal Church was established in reaction to liberal political and theological trends of the 1960s within ECUSA. At particular issue in the formation of the SEC were media reports that the World Council of Churches, of which the Episcopal Church was a member, had contributed funds to terrorist political groups in the United States, Puerto Rico, and Africa. Also, the ordination of women to the priesthood was already being discussed in the late 1950s and early 1960s. This later happened within ECUSA in 1976.
The founders of the SEC believed that if any group begins to deny the teachings of the Apostles as found in the New Testament then, eventually, that group will deny other teachings of the Apostles. TEC not only ordains women to all three levels of the clergy but open and practicing homosexuals and lesbians have been ordained as bishops, priests, and deacons. Bishop Webster and the other founders of the SEC predicted that all these things would eventually happen in TEC.
The SEC did not consider that it was forming a new denomination, but rather saw itself as serving as a church home for Episcopalians who wished to maintain their Anglican faith and traditions while reaching out to other conservatives. This is a position often espoused by other Continuing Anglican groups. The SEC uses only the 1928 Book of Common Prayer for its liturgy and the Authorized Version of the Bible (also known as the King James Version) for all public readings of the scripture.
The SEC claims congregations in Tennessee
, Florida
, Georgia
, South Carolina
, Illinois
, Indiana
, Ohio
, Puerto Rico
, Canada
, Ireland
, and India
. The exact number of clergy is unknown. The current presiding bishop is the Right Reverend Huron Manning, rector of All Saints' Church, Nashville. That congregation's building, located in the Sylvan Park neighborhood of the western end of the city, once housed St. Andrew's Episcopal Church. As of August 2009 the official name of the church is the Anglican Orthodox Southern Episcopal Church in the United States of America.
In 2008, Fr. William Martin Sloane was consecrated a bishop of the "Christ Catholic Church, Diocese of Boston". He had previously been a priest and pastor in the Southern Episcopal Church. The consecrating bishops were the SEC's Huron Manning, Charles George Fry of the SEC, Robert W. Hotes of the SEC (and also of the International Lutheran Fellowship
), and several bishops of the Christ Catholic Church. The board of directors of the Christ Catholic Church, Diocese of Boston then voted for Sloane to be the CCC/DoB's archbishop and for the "CCC/DoB to function as a diocese of the SEC/USA". The Christ Catholic Church considers itself to be "Orthodox-Catholic" in belief. It affirms the Real Presence
and the Seven Sacraments. Worship is conducted according to any of the historic liturgies, including the traditional Roman Catholic Mass
, the Divine Liturgy of the Eastern Orthodox churches, or a Roman Catholic version of the Anglican Book of Common Prayer
. The liturgy can be in either English or Latin.
There is one unaccredited online seminary, Holy Trinity College and Seminary, which offers classes by external studies. It operates out of addresses in Clearwater, Florida, and Springfield, Missouri.
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
in 1962 by a physician turned clergyman, the Right Reverend Burnice Hoyle Webster, and a number of former members of the Episcopal Church. Bishop Webster became the SEC's first presiding bishop. The SEC now considers itself a "Continuing Anglican" church, but its members point out that the founding of the SEC preceded the start of the Continuing Anglican Movement
Continuing Anglican Movement
The term Continuing Anglican movement refers to a number of churches in various countries that have been formed outside of the Anglican Communion. These churches generally believe that "traditional" forms of Anglican faith and worship have been unacceptably revised or abandoned within some...
by a decade and a half.
The Southern Episcopal Church was established in reaction to liberal political and theological trends of the 1960s within ECUSA. At particular issue in the formation of the SEC were media reports that the World Council of Churches, of which the Episcopal Church was a member, had contributed funds to terrorist political groups in the United States, Puerto Rico, and Africa. Also, the ordination of women to the priesthood was already being discussed in the late 1950s and early 1960s. This later happened within ECUSA in 1976.
The founders of the SEC believed that if any group begins to deny the teachings of the Apostles as found in the New Testament then, eventually, that group will deny other teachings of the Apostles. TEC not only ordains women to all three levels of the clergy but open and practicing homosexuals and lesbians have been ordained as bishops, priests, and deacons. Bishop Webster and the other founders of the SEC predicted that all these things would eventually happen in TEC.
The SEC did not consider that it was forming a new denomination, but rather saw itself as serving as a church home for Episcopalians who wished to maintain their Anglican faith and traditions while reaching out to other conservatives. This is a position often espoused by other Continuing Anglican groups. The SEC uses only the 1928 Book of Common Prayer for its liturgy and the Authorized Version of the Bible (also known as the King James Version) for all public readings of the scripture.
The SEC claims congregations in Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, and India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. The exact number of clergy is unknown. The current presiding bishop is the Right Reverend Huron Manning, rector of All Saints' Church, Nashville. That congregation's building, located in the Sylvan Park neighborhood of the western end of the city, once housed St. Andrew's Episcopal Church. As of August 2009 the official name of the church is the Anglican Orthodox Southern Episcopal Church in the United States of America.
In 2008, Fr. William Martin Sloane was consecrated a bishop of the "Christ Catholic Church, Diocese of Boston". He had previously been a priest and pastor in the Southern Episcopal Church. The consecrating bishops were the SEC's Huron Manning, Charles George Fry of the SEC, Robert W. Hotes of the SEC (and also of the International Lutheran Fellowship
International Lutheran Fellowship
The Lutheran Church-International is an American religious denomination. Its president from 1966 to 1998 was Pastor E. Edward Tornow of North Dakota. It is was formerly known as the International Lutheran Fellowship. Its president is Archbishop Robert W. Hotes....
), and several bishops of the Christ Catholic Church. The board of directors of the Christ Catholic Church, Diocese of Boston then voted for Sloane to be the CCC/DoB's archbishop and for the "CCC/DoB to function as a diocese of the SEC/USA". The Christ Catholic Church considers itself to be "Orthodox-Catholic" in belief. It affirms the Real Presence
Real Presence
Real Presence is a term used in various Christian traditions to express belief that in the Eucharist, Jesus Christ is really present in what was previously just bread and wine, and not merely present in symbol, a figure of speech , or by his power .Not all Christian traditions accept this dogma...
and the Seven Sacraments. Worship is conducted according to any of the historic liturgies, including the traditional Roman Catholic Mass
Mass
Mass can be defined as a quantitive measure of the resistance an object has to change in its velocity.In physics, mass commonly refers to any of the following three properties of matter, which have been shown experimentally to be equivalent:...
, the Divine Liturgy of the Eastern Orthodox churches, or a Roman Catholic version of the Anglican Book of Common Prayer
Book of Common Prayer
The Book of Common Prayer is the short title of a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican Communion, as well as by the Continuing Anglican, "Anglican realignment" and other Anglican churches. The original book, published in 1549 , in the reign of Edward VI, was a product of the English...
. The liturgy can be in either English or Latin.
There is one unaccredited online seminary, Holy Trinity College and Seminary, which offers classes by external studies. It operates out of addresses in Clearwater, Florida, and Springfield, Missouri.
External links
- Southern Episcopal Church website
- Anglicans Online! "Not In Communion" Lists the Southern Episcopal Church and other churches that have formed outside the Anglican Communion
- Adherents.com and Adherents.com reporting estimates of the denomination's size from different sources. Estimates are not current.