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09/29/2004: "Moravian-ECUSA dialogue: an update"
Bishop Christopher Epting, Frank Griswold's Deputy for Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations, recently brought the ECUSA bishops up to speed on the current state of interdenominational relations. A certain small denomination came up:
Another relatively new bilateral for us is with the Moravian Church. They too are wrestling with some of the same issues and find themselves in somewhat different places between their two Provinces in North America, the Northern and Southern Provinces (with the Southern one being the more conservative). After General Convention, we held a very honest and productive dialogue session with the Moravians in Winston-Salem. The participants spent an afternoon in an open forum to which local pastors, bishops and representatives of governing bodies were invited.
A straightforward and frank dialogue took place in which we discussed whether differences over human sexuality were matters of internal polity and decision making, or whether they were of such import that further dialogue was not possible. The Southern Province, while expressing its disagreement with actions of General Convention 2003, nonetheless agreed that these disagreements did not preclude further ecumenical dialogue. The Northern Province of the Moravian Church has seen fit not to comment on these matters.
For more on ECUSA ecumenism, see Titusonenine.
