The denomination is in the midst of a rift caused in part by the 2003 ordination of an openly gay bishop in New Hampshire, which resulted in the departure of parishes and dioceses across the country - including some or all of 16 North Florida congregations.

Bishop Robert Duncan, 58, of Pittsburgh, is the spiritual leader of the Anglican Communion Network, an association of current and former Episcopalians who believe the church has rejected biblical authority. He spoke on everything from the state of the Episcopal Church to local legal disputes over church property to what he termed the "hardened" hearts of those he is battling.

The Times-Union interviewed him at All Souls Anglican Church in Mandarin.

What the Episcopal Church says: The Episcopal Church USA disagrees with those who say it has abandoned biblical authority. The denomination says it is following Scripture and Jesus' example by being more inclusive and nurturing of marginalized people, in this case gays and lesbians.

The Jacksonville-based Episcopal Diocese of Florida and Bishop John Howard have not joined the Anglican Communion Network. Howard, who could not be reached for comment Wednesday, has been adamant that he is an orthodox bishop intent on keeping his diocese both in the Episcopal Church and in the Anglican Communion.

Howard has repeatedly expressed regret about those who have left his authority but rejects the claim that his diocese and the denomination have abandoned the Bible.

Jeff Brumley: What is the Anglican Communion Network and when was it created?

Duncan: The network was formed in the fall of 2003, just months after the General Convention of 2003 when the Episcopal Church actually embraced teachings and a pattern of living for the church that was outside the historic way of the church. Its vision is to build ... a united Anglicanism in North America.

Brumley: How big is the network?

Duncan: There are 10 dioceses comprising about 175,000 Episcopalians, and in those 10 dioceses are 650 congregations. Beyond those dioceses are another 350 congregations.

Brumley: What is your basic complaint about the Episcopal Church - is it more than the election of [openly gay] Bishop Gene Robinson in 2003?

Duncan: It's far more than that. That's the symptom, that's the precipitating factor that caused the break. ... The issue is biblical faithfulness.

Brumley: Will a new Anglican denomination be formed in North America?

Duncan: Something new will emerge. We understand the Lord is taking us someplace he has in mind. ... This isn't our creation or our doing - we're trying to be faithful to what he's doing."

Brumley: You're the bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh and the spiritual leader of the Anglican Communion Network - does that present any pastoral or spiritual conflicts for you?

Duncan: If I could do what I wanted to do, I'd be a parish priest. But right now I'm doing what I think God wants me to do. ... My pastoral heart is for the work in Pittsburgh.

Brumley: Your own diocese has joined the network - has that created problems for those in your diocese who are not at odds with the Episcopal Church?

Duncan: Sure. I've certainly offered if they want to join another diocese or go under another bishop, they could. In some ways they've decided that it's more fun to stay and fight. ... I've had two of my 70 congregations gather and sue me in court in Pittsburgh ... saying that we're not fit trustees of what's been entrusted to us in the diocese. That was settled out of court.

Duncan: Bishop Howard has sued a church in Jacksonville that quit his diocese but remains on the property where it worships.

Brumley: Is that happening a lot around the country?

Duncan: It's happening in some places. In some places there are settlements being made where a diocese and a congregation come to an agreement without recourse to the courts. I'm pressing the national leadership [of the Episcopal Church] for a negotiated settlement in all these cases.

Brumley: Some overseas Anglican bishops have urged American congregations not to fight over property. Do you advise them to just pick up and go?

Duncan: No. ... Their advice is an exhortation to make sure we don't make it [property] our god. The question I want to ask is, for a church that hasn't changed what it believes or where it stands, and whose people have built the buildings, often with no diocesan involvement, why should they turn that property over to somebody who has no interest in it except the claim of a hierarchical church?

Brumley: Have you been gravitating toward any particular Scripture or prayers during this turbulent time in the church's history?

Duncan: Certainly in this time the story of the Exodus in the Book of Exodus has been something I've thought about and quoted as we've gone through this time. What has astounded me about the Episcopal Church and its majority has been its hardness of heart . ... I would have guessed we would have dealt with this in a kind and charitable way, but that's not what happened. The Lord hardened their hearts - just like he hardened Pharaoh's heart."

http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/113006/met_6533526.shtml jeff.brumley@jacksonville.com (904) 359-4310