... confidence in a cause has run on into what is a very different thing, namely, self-conceit. Always it is true that by self-forgetfulness and real effective work, not by self-consciousness and pretentious assertions, general confidence is won and lasting good results are achieved. I fear that we are 'puffed up' because of our ecclesiastical lineage and 'have not rather mourned' because of our practical shortcomings. Our supreme danger is self-satisfaction; the danger of looking upon our own things and not upon the things of others.
William Hobart Hare, Bishop of South Dakota, 1903
Hare was criticizing a movement to remove "Protestant" from the official (Constitutional) name of the Episcopal Church, The Protestant Episcopal Church in The United States of America (PECUSA). Hare felt that the denomination's Catholic heritage was adequately represented by the affirmation of "the holy Catholic church" in the Apostles' and Nicene Creeds, but the Protestant heritage was explicit only in the denominational title and needed to be maintained there.
Although "Protestant" was never formally removed from the church's Constitution, after 1979 the unofficial "ECUSA" enjoyed wide usage. Recently, denominational officials citing their emotional, psychological and developmental needs have asserted simply "The Episcopal Church" (TEC) as a means of "differentiating" their religion from the wider Christian tradition.
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If I remember correctly, in the house of deputies during the 2006 GC the cross was replaced by the flags of the various countries represented within PECUSA, ECUSA, and so the name was changed to TEC and we became an international organization. Most if not all the extraterritorial dioceses are missionary dioceses, still financially dependent upon 815.
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