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Loading ...Episcopal church to affirm gay clergy
07.14.2009 8:03am EDT
(New York) The Episcopal Church moved Monday toward affirming their acceptance of gays and lesbians for all roles in ministry, despite pressure from fellow Anglicans worldwide for a decisive moratorium on consecrating another openly gay bishop.
Bishops at the Episcopal General Convention in Anaheim, Calif., voted 99-45 with two abstentions for a statement declaring “God has called and may call” to ministry gays in committed lifelong relationships.Lay and priest delegates to the meeting had comfortably approved a nearly identical statement, and were expected to adopt the latest version before the meeting ends Friday.
Leaders of the Anglican Communion have been pushing Episcopalians to roll back their support for gays and lesbians since 2003, when the U.S. denomination consecrated the first openly gay bishop, V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire. The Episcopal Church is the U.S. Anglican body.
Robinson’s election brought the 77 million-member Anglican fellowship to the brink of schism. Last month, breakaway Episcopal conservatives and other like-minded traditionalists formed a rival national province called the Anglican Church in North America.
To calm tensions, the Episcopal General Convention three years ago passed a resolution that urged restraint by dioceses considering gay candidates for bishop. No other Episcopal bishops living openly with same-sex partners have been consecrated since then.
Drafters of the latest statement insisted that the resolution only acknowledges that the Episcopal Church ordains partnered gays and lesbians and is not a repeal of what was widely considered a moratorium on consecrating gay bishops.
“The constitution and canons of our church as currently written do not preclude gay and lesbian persons from participating,” in any part of the church, said the Rev. Gay Clark Jennings, on the committee that drafted the statement. “These people have responded to God’s call.”
However, the Episcopal gay advocacy group Integrity, said in a statement Monday night that the declaration “effectively ends” the temporary prohibition on gays in ministry. Integrity called the vote “another step in the Episcopal Church’s `coming out’ process.”
Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, who leads the Episcopal Church, was among bishops who voted to approve the declaration. The statement also affirms the Episcopal Church’s commitment to participate in and help fund the Anglican Communion, the third-largest grouping of churches worldwide, behind the Roman Catholic Church and Orthodox Christian churches.
Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, the Anglican spiritual leader, had attended the Episcopal national meeting in Anaheim, Calif., in its opening days last week. He said, “I hope and pray that there won’t be decisions in the coming days that could push us further apart.”
When will the Gay issue no longer be an issue in all aspects of daily living?
Probably never Ted. As long as human beings have people around them that are different they will hate them. It’s, unfortunately, part of human nature. Some people evolve and aren’t afraid of those that are different from them. But a vast majority never do. There are many, many areas in this country where blacks are still very much discriminated against. Heck, there are many, many places where women are still very much discriminated against.
Things get better with every passing generation, but hate and intolerance will never go away.
Well said, John.
Congratulations to the Episcopal church for its courage by making a defined statement they will be affirming and welcoming for LGBT persons. In a moral society, there is no place for any kind of bigotry, fear-raising or discrimination of any kind.
As a high school teacher, I have to tell you, this next generation has a completely different attitude. You can expect complete acceptance from the kids graduating and voting. Churches need to make a quick change if they want to see young adults in their pews. Even the kids I teach who consider themselves conservative and very religious think gays should be treated just like everyone else in employment, marriage rights, etc. You’re in for a nice surprise!
It is no easy thing dealing with people who are still seeing life trhough the dimness of “…the cave…”. We are still in the midst of a “racial cold war” in this country and in many other parts of the world.Men and women alike would rather enterprise marriage by looking heterosexual and having a down low same sex lover on the sideWe are capable of walking in the light. We do not have to keep on expressing closeted wisdom but open ourselves to a new expression of ourselves out of the closet. The generations prior will not and have not been able to recieve this “new wine” into their “old wineskins”. Just as many African-Americans who still express themselves via “Jim Crow” wisdom and sometimes project “internalized racism” upon themselves holding back the next generation with fear from horrible times past. Change is not only a must in these two areas but inevitable. For some reason we are so scared of walking the light. Holiness is for us all. Love is for us all. Faith is for us all. The vessels differ but it is still, “One Lord, One faith, and One baptism.” for us all who strive to live in Christ Jesus. Stop throwing your children(future) to the wolves.
Evan Cook,
You must teach in an urban setting. I can tell you it is not the case everywhere. The sad part is children are not a good gauge of what’s to come. Children are born without hate, bigotry, greed, and religion. These are things taught to them over a long period of time into adulthood.
Ron,
Some of the happiest kids and families are in church. Faith has a very positive role to play.
It’s nice to be able to go to a neighborhood pig roast and backyard pool party at a church member’s home with their neighbors, friends, relatives, parishioners of all ages and be able to enjoy good food, fellowship, beer, nice people and a family-friendly environment.
If I had a partner and we adopted a child, we would attend our local gay-friendly church as a very positive part of the child growing up amongst kind, friendly people who have clean speech, right minds and good hearts.
It would be great once they approve Gay marriages so my husband and i can have a fairy tale wedding and get married in a Gothic castle like church…
Amazing what can happen when people look forward and lead. Rowan Williams has no spine. Akinola can go screw himself. The Episcopal Church is light years ahead of the catholic church.
I am a member of St. David’s Episcopal here in Austin, Texas. I have to tell you, our Parish leadership is absolutely supportive and loving, and celebrates its Gay and Lesbian Parishioners…..so much so, that our straight, married rector states often that, “Same Sex Marriage WILL happen at this church!” The simple message is this…..God loves EVERYONE! Period. Also know that the conservative arm of the Episcopal church is still angry that women are ordained….so the Gay issue is the one thing they have enough backing (from other conservatives) to fight on…
God is Good.
I live in a small town in Southeast Alabama and our Episcopal Church is very open and inviting. Several openly gay members serve in various capacities. As our Rector told me once, there have always been Gay Preists in the Episcopal Church – and nobody ever cared before.
And John in Austin is right; this split started with the ordination of women, and grew when the Church electeda a femail Presiding Bishop. The Gay/Lesbian is an excuse for the conservatives to break away. They should do what many Anglicans in the Church of England did when they started ordaining women – convert to Roman Catholicism.
On a slightly different note: I have noticed that several posters on here have a negative view of religion and spirtituality. You are entitled to your opinion, just as I am entitled to mine. However, some of the you (and you know who you are) tend to demonize all religions and all religious people. As I do not judge the way you lead your life, or belief system, please do not denigrate mine. While I agree there are a large number of bigots who use religion to try and force us back into the closet and beyond, not all people of faith believe as they do. We should respect everyone; gay or straight, religious or non-religious, equally. So please try to tone down the rhetoric while still getting your point across.
Thank you
We should all thank the Rev. Susan Russell and her colleagues with Integrity for their hard work. None of this might have come to pass without it.
The Episcopal Church USA IS THE cash cow for the Worldwide Anglican Community! It always has been. Much of the WAC is centered in deeply impoverished third world shit holes! WHY is the Episcopal Church worried about remaining part of a larger group that doesn’t respect them?
I say, make the final cut and set up the Episcopal church as its own entity, keep the monies in that family and let Anglicans in Uganda, Tim-buck-two and Hell fend for themselves!…
I say let the US church take care of poverty and hunger etc in the USA and let the worldwide Anglican communion take care of the rest of the world.
My own church that I attend is deeply committed to the need that exists in our own county and we don’t worry about much else outside of our local county. We have more than enough hunger and poverty in the surrounding area and that is our focus.