Diocese Secedes From Church

clipped from news.aol.com The conservative Diocese of San Joaquin voted Saturday to split from the liberal-leaning Episcopal Church, becoming the first full diocese to secede from the denomination in the debate over the Bible and homosexuality. Clergy and lay members of the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin in California voted to split from the church Saturday. The margin was 173-22, and the move stemmed from the ordination of a gay man. clipped from news.aol.com The Episcopal Church is the U.S. member of the global Anglican Communion, a 77 million-member fellowship that traces its roots to the Church of England. Anglicans have been moving toward a worldwide schism since 2003, when the Episcopal Church consecrated the first openly gay bishop, V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire. San Joaquin is also one of the three Episcopal dioceses that will not ordain women. "It is about freedom to remain who we are in Christ. It is freedom to honor the authority of Scripture,"