A common misconception in pecusa

I have heard it said numerous times that unlike other churches, pecusa did not separate during the Civil War. This is at best a half-truth. In what was once one of the standard works on pecusa history, A History of the American Episcopal Church (Did you catch that? The American Episcopal Church, as distinct from the Sudan Episcopal Church and other Episcopal Churches in the Anglican Communion.) by William Manross, the true story is told.

In his chapter on pecusa during the Civil War, Manross speaks about how the pecusa dioceses in the South "properly organized themselves into a union embracing the Confederate States, and revised the Prayer Book so as to adapt it to the political change" (p. 290).

Of course, if you use the Schori logic, these dioceses that reorganized themselves in the confederacy weren't really separated from pecusa because pecusa kept their seats open at the General Convention in 1862. Representatives from Tennessee, North Carolina and Texas did show up and they were seated. Still, there was a Confederate Episcopal Church organization that was apart from pecusa.

At GC09 we can expect delegations from San Joquain, Pittsburgh, Fort Worth and Quincy to be seated, but we know the real story.