I keep hearing the words “apostate,” “schismatic,” and “heresy” – What do they mean and do they apply to the current situation?
To be apostate is to rebel against the church and renounce its doctrines. Schism is the act of promoting discord, disharmony or division within a church by rejecting the governing authority of that church. Heresy is a belief that goes against the core doctrines of the church. The AAC has used all three terms to describe the ECUSA. However, it is the AAC that is rejecting the governing authority of the church and seeking to block the duly authorized canons and constitution. By calling for a “new reformation” the AAC is tacitly acknowledging that they are the innovators and are trying to change basic beliefs and polity of the church. A common trait of a schism is that each side will claim to be the protector of the “true” church. In reality, only one side will actually have the legal authority to be the church. In this case that is ECUSA. The AAC has applied both apostasy and heresy to ECUSA for supposedly renouncing the historic faith of the church. However, the core doctrines of Christ
