When Bishop Tom Wright gets it totally wrong…

Scott Gunn has written at Seven whole days:

Bishop Tom Wright of Durham is a smart man, much smarter than me. But that doesn’t always mean he’s right. He’s written an op-ed piece in the Times of London that is full of falsehoods, half truths, and distortions. Maybe he didn’t pay enough attention to the Episcopal Church recently? Or maybe he’s trying to sell a particular point of view? He’s clearly intelligent enough to have gotten it right, so I’m baffled.

I encourage you to go read the whole piece. Allow me to make a few comments and corrections @ When Tom Wright gets it totally wrong…

The Anglican church's crumbling foundations

• By Stephen Bates
• guardian.co.uk, Thursday 16 July 2009 10.00 BST
• 
  

There have been many predictions of dawning schism in the worldwide Anglican communion over the last six years – as the Guardian's former religious affairs correspondent I wrote some of them myself – but the decision of the US Episcopal church to affirm its belief that gays, lesbians and transgendered folk are eligible to be considered for ordination may indeed mark a watershed.

Behind the studiously constructed words of resolution DO25, passed by the church's triennial general convention in Anaheim, perhaps better known to the secular world as the home of Disneyland, lies the potential for a Christian milestone that may ultimately rank the Los Angeles suburb alongside the Council of Nicaea, the Synod of Whitby, or the Edict of Nantes. Or possibly not.

On the face of it, and perhaps in the depth of it as well, the resolution simply states the Americans' belief that God has called and may call such individuals to any ordained ministry within its portals. It does not, technically, end the moratorium the church agreed at its last convention three years ago not to elect any more gay bishops, following its experiment with the consecration of Gene Robinson, a partnered, gay, clergyman, as bishop of New Hampshire in 2003. It just signals that it may do so, just as Christian churches including our own dear CofE have done, knowingly if discreetly, for centuries.

But of course the symbolism of the resolution is much more than technical, the culmination of a six-year split since Robinson's election by his parishioners and one which has been anticipated with varying degrees of relish by both sides, especially the conservatives opposed to gay people, ever since. They have responded characteristically to the convention's vote, although their outrage at the thought of any accommodation with gay people who might actually want to belong to their church has been well-honed and practised for years.

As Tom Wright, Bishop of Durham, expostulates in the Times, it gives active expression to any and every sexual desire. This, as Wright – a clever if conceited man – ought to know, is simply not true. The sort of relationship that the Episcopalians might sanction is not any old promiscuous or abusive perversion, but a lifelong, loving commitment between two persons of the sort you might think the church would welcome and which Wright could find any day of the week among the currently ordained clergy of the Church of England. In a church which marries without question promiscuous heterosexuals, sometimes several times, and blesses pets and nuclear submarines without a qualm, you might think the expression of mutual commitment, which may or may not have a sexual element if you are prurient enough to ask, would be welcomed rather than spurned. After all, the church some time ago accepted the reality of divorce (its founder Henry VIII was rather keen on the idea) about which the Bible has much more disobliging things to say than homosexuality.

As it is, this week's Anaheim resolution will probably become the occasion for a split in the ranks of worldwide Anglicanism, the third largest Christian denomination. The Americans insist they don't want it and indeed it has almost exclusively been the church's conservative, largely evangelical, movements and pressure groups which do and have done all along.

The conservative forces are ready to go and have their organisations and lobbyists already in place and flexing their muscles, keen to take over the communion and reshape it in their image – though, interestingly, the conservatives are already falling out among themselves, united in what they oppose rather than what they agree. In England certainly if the conservative evangelicals get their way the established church will look very different from the broad, tolerant institution that it has been up till now – even Tom Wright might find himself anathematised. Some of them insist that the 17th-century Reformation did not go far enough and needs to be finished, which may come as a surprise to the high church Anglo-Catholics with whom they have allied, whose dearest wish is to reunite with Rome. Perhaps someone should tell them.

If the Americans are shown the door the consequences for worldwide Anglicanism are incalculable and not just because the wealthy US church largely pays for and sustains the communion, including in those parts of the world where the church's mission would not otherwise survive. In the Church of England there are many who find they have more in common with their American brethren than with the strident, coercive voices they hear from the conservatives.

All of which leaves poor old Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury and as such nominal head of the Anglican communion, with a dilemma which has loomed over his head ever since his enthronement six years ago. Who ultimately to run with? As he sits lonely and anguished in his study at Lambeth Palace, or heads off with his bucket and spade to a lonely beach in Wales this summer, he may wonder whether it has all been worth it.

His tactics of delay, procrastination, conciliation and appeasement – so often useful weapons for Anglicanism in the past – have failed to reconcile the irreconcilable. Now it may be too late to be firm. As a bishop once said to me: Rowan's been too damn Christian towards them – meaning the conservative splitters – a verdict that on the whole the archbishop might appreciate, but which hasn't worked in stemming the rift. Turning the other cheek might be a virtue, but not necessarily against opponents determined to get their own way. Time for a prayer?

Stephen Bates was the Guardian's religious affairs correspondent from 2000-2007 and is the author of A Church at War: Anglicans and Homosexuality (Hodder 2005)

Integrity asks re: C061: When does 'all' reeally mean 'some?'

From Integrity:

When all members of a community or organization have equal access to power, to benefits and to opportunity there is a quality of mutual recognition. ‘Misrecognition’ occurs when the structures operate in such a way that some members have less access than others. This is usually unintentional and often difficult to see because it is part of the normal life of the organization. Even though it is unnoticed by those with power, it is a significant reality for those unfortunate enough to be affected.

When a community becomes aware that some subgroup is misrecognised it is necessary for a while to lift them up and give them specific recognition because ‘business as usual’ is for everyone to misrecognise them. Any minority is in danger of misrecognition. That’s why affirmative action is necessary: to protect minorities at danger of being unconsciously discriminated against.

If we are to show hospitality to those who are traditionally misrecognized and marginalized in a predominately white middle-class church we have to take affirmative action. It is not enough to invite ‘all the baptized’, we have to go down the table, take the misrecognized by hand and bring them into the fellowship in the place of honor.

An example of that principle in action was seen in the House of Bishops on Tuesday. Bishop Daniels specifically invited conservative bishops – who are a minority in that house -- to speak about blessing same gender relationships because, he said, their perspective was important to inform his thinking.

Integrity believes that the attempt to eliminate all the categories of people in Resolution CO61, the House of Bishops has taken the guts out of the canon that was meant to avoid discrimination in the discernment process. Although well intentioned, substituting ‘All the baptized’ provides no hope and no protection for those who have been and continue to be marginalized -- those for whom stepping forward is perilous. The Bishops’ attempt to deal with their own confusion has sadly not only done a disservice to the transgender community but to all those who have had to struggle from the margins to be recognized.

Integrity remains committed to the full inclusion of all the baptized in all the sacraments AND recognizes that -- at this point in the life of this church -- it is still necessary to name in their particularity those who in many places continue to stand at the margins.

Caroline Hall for IntegrityUSA

Bishops, deputies see crisis and opportunity in proposed budget

[Episcopal News Service -- Anaheim, California] The House of Bishops voted by a margin of 3 to 1 on July 15 "to acknowledge changing circumstances" that call forth a renewed pastoral response from the church for considering same-gender blessings.

That response, at least for the time being, was a substitution for Resolution C056, to create an open process and invite church-wide participation in collecting and developing theological resources and liturgies. The resolution now heads to deputies for approval.

Before a packed gallery of spectators bishops extended debate, proposed numerous amendments and took a 20-minute time-out for private discussion, before adopting the substitute legislation 104-30 with two abstentions.

The measure authorizes bishops, in conjunction with the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music (SCLM), to devise an open process, to invite participation and theological reflection, and to report their efforts to the 77th General Convention in 2012 in Indianapolis.

The resolution noted that bishops, "particularly those in dioceses within civil jurisdictions where same-gender marriage, civil unions, or domestic partnerships are legal, may provide generous pastoral response to meet the needs of members of this Church."

Bishop Tom Ely of Vermont told bishops that, after discussions were postponed July 14, he and Bishop Pierre Whalon of the Convocation of American Churches in Europe hosted two indaba-style forums attended by 26 bishops.

"We are grateful for the time we spent in this conversation and urge that similar opportunities be provided at future meetings of the House of Bishops," he added.

The indaba-style gathering was a method of engagement used by bishops at the 2008 Lambeth Conference, and was modeled after an African concept of meeting for purposeful discussion.

Ely said the bishops held two sessions, which were "characterized by a deep sense of holy listening, respect, and seeking after a better understanding of our various realities, theologies and ministry contexts. We are grateful for the time we spent in this conversation and urge that similar opportunities be provided at future meetings of the House of Bishops."

The substitute C056 resolution was drafted by a handful of bishops who attended those gatherings. Ely emphasized that it was not a report "nor should it be viewed as a statement of agreement, but rather as a renewed framework for our legislative discussions."

An amendment proposed by Bishop John Howe of Central Florida to delete the final resolve that encouraged "the members of this Church … to engage in this effort" failed by a margin of 57-56. Some bishops attempted unsuccessfully to discharge the resolution. That motion failed by a roll call vote of 94-42.

After the resolution passed, the Rev. Susan Russell, president of Integrity USA, an LGBT advocacy group within the Episcopal community, called the vote "a big step forward on same-sex blessings.

"I trust the process and most of all I trust the Holy Spirit present in the process," she said. "I have seen us do hard things well many times, and I was convinced this would be one of them. I just could not believe that this church isn't bigger and better and stronger than many were giving it credit for. I am delighted to be moving forward."

But most bishops said same-gender blessings are not a foregone conclusion.

Rather, Bishop Neil Alexander of Atlanta, who voted for the legislation, said "the church is very much engaged in this conversation and wants to do the correct and thoughtful and prayerful thing about it? I think that's pretty clear."

Bishop Andy Doyle of Texas, who voted against C056, said the vote "will have an adverse effect on communion relationships" and perhaps in his diocese, "where some people find themselves more in line with a much more conservative [and] what they would call a more orthodox mindset." But he added that the views of everyone within the diocese needed to be honored pastorally and cared for.

He added that: "We are in a process" which can go different ways. "The majority of people here in Anaheim who represent a broad spectrum of the church are very interested in moving forward.

"Nothing we did today actually did anything other than provide for the collection of and design of rites for a conversation. That's very important to understand. We didn't bless or move toward blessings any more than we were."

"What we were doing was taking what was already being done – resources that are already out there, liturgies that are already happening across the country – and collecting them so we could discuss what this is. No permissions were given today. That doesn't mean that the perception of the greater communion won't be that permission was given, or that people in my own diocese won't perceive that permission was given. But we didn't authorize anything other than the collection of material."

Bishop Jeffrey Lee of Chicago, who voted for C056 and was part of the informal indaba group, said "there's a lot of ground between here and there" or blessing same-gender relationships.

He said "it doesn't really change from a previous General Convention resolution in 2003 that recognizes congregations are operating within the bonds of our common life by responding with a wide range of pastoral responses to the needs of the members of the church."

-- The Rev. Pat McCaughan is Episcopal News Service Province VIII and the House of Bishops and the Rev. Jerald Hyche is associate rector St. Martins in Houston, Texas.

The Episcopal Church cuts $23million, many programs and 30 jobs

Note: The House of Deputies and the House of Bishops will spend much of the day Thursday voting on budget related resolutions.

The Program, Budget and Finance (PB&F) Committee of The Episcopal Church today presented a budget to the General Convention that proposes a $23 million reduction in the 2010-2012 triennial.

“This is a very difficult day,” said Pan Adams-McCaslin, chair of PB&F. “For the committee and for me personally, the decisions are heart-wrenching and emotional. We are being called to be accountable and transparent in our mission and ministry to the Church, knowing that the decisions that have been made will be difficult and painful. As a Church of mission and ministry this is even more difficult because we work for a higher calling.”

Earlier this week, PB&F sent a special letter to both houses of General Convention explaining that there would be reductions. The weak economy caused PB&F to take a very close look at all the Church does, and where and how it does it, as well as how some programs may be consolidated. In finalizing the budget, PB&F followed a well-traveled path consistent with the spirit and practice of the Church – seeking to give to others first and ourselves second, and to help dioceses and parishes continue their focus on ministry.

The reductions, which affect both programs and staff, will occur over the next several months. The Diocesan commitment also is being reduced from 21 percent in 2010, to 20 percent in 2011, and 19 percent in 2012.

The proposed budget addresses every part of the Church: Corporate, Canonical and Program (Mission). While specific program details, in most cases, are still being worked out, approximately 30 positions will be affected, with staff being notified beginning today. The Church will be providing outplacement services and severance packages, as well as pastoral care.

“Our hearts go out to those affected by the changes,” Adams-McCaslin said. “With God’s help, hope and faith, we will seek to renew our efforts to share God’s mission in this difficult time.”

General Convention 2009 (GC09) continues until July 17 at the Anaheim Convention Center in California (Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles).

The Episcopal Church’s General Convention, held every three years, is the bicameral governing body of the church. General Convention, the second largest legislative body in the world, is comprised of the House of Bishops, with upwards of 200 members, and the House of Deputies, with clergy and lay representatives from the 110 dioceses, at over 850 members.

African American youth are impressed with church's mission focus

[Episcopal News Service -- Anaheim, California] Meeting the Presiding Bishop, exploring the exhibit hall, serving as lay eucharistic ministers and visiting with church leaders were just some of the agenda items for a group of 11 young African Americans visiting General Convention under the auspices of the Office of Black Ministries.

The young people, ages 14-17, are participants in the S.O.U.L. (Spiritual Opportunity to Unite and Learn) leadership conference, which for the first time in its 10-year history is being held concurrently with General Convention.

"The S.O.U.L. Conference equips black youth and young adults with the tools to grow into visible leadership positions at all levels within the church," says the Rev. Angela S. Ifill, program officer for black ministries in the Episcopal Church's evangelism and congregational life center. "We work to mine our youth's existing leadership abilities and nurture their sense of belonging, not only in their local churches, but at the [wider] Episcopal Church as well.

In addition to convention activities, the teens are engaging in spiritual formation, including Bible study; witness and study legislative processes; complete a group project on domestic poverty; and participate in leadership skills training. They also took part in a spiritual formation workshop that focused on the importance of dreams and poetry.

"When I listened to our guest speakers, who shared with us their visions of mission and justice, I had an epiphany that the church is not just a religious body, but a mission-focused and conscious entity," said Angelina Sanchez, 17, a member of St. Thomas' African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas, Philadelphia. "As a youth leader at my home church, I now have the confidence and skills to develop a program that has the potential to impact the lives of people at my church and my larger community."

"I am not an Episcopalian," said Emuna Rajkumar, 15, of Orlando, Florida, "but my experience at the S.O.U.L. Conference has helped me to form an opinion that the Episcopal Church seems to be one of the most inclusive churches I have experienced. At the exhibition hall, we were able to ask questions and participate, in a safe space, while witnessing the visible examples of the church's open-minded approach to the world."

Midstate Episcopal leaders expect no schism over gays

From PennLive.com:

Episcopal Church leaders in the midstate don't expect to see a mass of people fleeing from the denomination because of Tuesday's resolution.

That's when Episcopalians declared lesbians and gays eligible to be ordained ministers, despite Anglican spiritual leaders opposition to the resolution.

The resolution was passed by the 76th General Convention of the Episcopal Church. Bishop Nathan Baxter of the Central Pennsylvanian diocese voted in favor....

The Rev. Canon Mark Scheneman of St. John's Episcopal Church in Carlisle does not believe that the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, will take a strong stance. "It's possible he would suggest that the rest of the Anglican community respond," Scheneman said, "but he has not been willing to take that kind of leadership in the past."

The Rev. Canon Calvin Van Kirk Hoyt of Mount Calvary Episcopal Church in Camp Hill is exasperated over the issue. "If we are going to accept people with a homosexual or lesbian lifestyle as full and complete members of our church, then they are full and complete members of our church. Therefore, to say you can't hold any particular office in our church doesn't make sense," he said. "They're either accepted or they're not."

More @ Midstate Episcopal leaders expect no schism over gays PennLive.com

Episcopal bishops back blessings of same-sex unions

From Los Angeles Times:

The measure won overwhelming support, despite complaints from conservatives within the church and the wider Anglican Communion. Clergy and laity are expected to approve the measure Thursday.

By Duke Helfand
July 16, 2009

Progressives in the Episcopal Church were on the verge of claiming another victory Wednesday as leaders endorsed the creation of blessing liturgies for same-sex unions one day after they ended a de facto ban on the ordination of gay bishops.

The action by bishops at the church's General Convention in Anaheim left conservatives with little to celebrate. They said the twin measures would further divide the 2.1-million member denomination and strain an already fragile relationship with the global Anglican Communion.

But those who championed the measure -- hammered out during hours of private meetings and public debate -- said they believed the Episcopal tent was large enough to accommodate those who disagree. They pointed to language in the measure that invites "theological reflection" from throughout the wider communion. The Episcopal Church is the U.S. branch of the Anglican Communion.

"I hope it will help us to be more honest, more compassionate, more sympathetic toward one another," said Bishop Stephen Lane of Maine, who was part of a small group of bishops involved in crafting the compromise. "We have a breadth of opinion [in the church] and no one is compelled to go against their conscience."

The resolution passed by an overwhelming margin, with 104 bishops voting yes, 30 voting no and two abstaining after a failed attempt by some bishops to kill the measure. The resolution must still be approved by clergy and laity in the church's other legislative body, the House of Deputies -- a step widely viewed as all but certain. The convention ends Friday. More @ Episcopal bishops back blessings of same-sex unions

Los Angeles Times

Bishops call for 'resources' for same-gender blessing

[Episcopal News Service -- Anaheim, California] The House of Bishops voted by a margin of 3 to 1 on July 15 "to acknowledge changing circumstances" that call forth a renewed pastoral response from the church for considering same-gender blessings.

That response, at least for the time being, was a substitution for Resolution C056, to create an open process and invite church-wide participation in collecting and developing theological resources and liturgies. The resolution now heads to deputies for approval.

Before a packed gallery of spectators bishops extended debate, proposed numerous amendments and took a 20-minute time-out for private discussion, before adopting the substitute legislation 104-30 with two abstentions.

The measure authorizes bishops, in conjunction with the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music (SCLM), to devise an open process, to invite participation and theological reflection, and to report their efforts to the 77th General Convention in 2012 in Indianapolis.

The resolution noted that bishops, "particularly those in dioceses within civil jurisdictions where same-gender marriage, civil unions, or domestic partnerships are legal, may provide generous pastoral response to meet the needs of members of this Church."

Bishop Tom Ely of Vermont told bishops that, after discussions were postponed July 14, he and Bishop Pierre Whalon of the Convocation of American Churches in Europe hosted two indaba-style forums attended by 26 bishops.

"We are grateful for the time we spent in this conversation and urge that similar opportunities be provided at future meetings of the House of Bishops," he added.

The indaba-style gathering was a method of engagement used by bishops at the 2008 Lambeth Conference, and was modeled after an African concept of meeting for purposeful discussion.

Ely said the bishops held two sessions, which were "characterized by a deep sense of holy listening, respect, and seeking after a better understanding of our various realities, theologies and ministry contexts. We are grateful for the time we spent in this conversation and urge that similar opportunities be provided at future meetings of the House of Bishops."

The substitute C056 resolution was drafted by a handful of bishops who attended those gatherings. Ely emphasized that it was not a report "nor should it be viewed as a statement of agreement, but rather as a renewed framework for our legislative discussions."

An amendment proposed by Bishop John Howe of Central Florida to delete the final resolve that encouraged "the members of this Church … to engage in this effort" failed by a margin of 57-56. Some bishops attempted unsuccessfully to discharge the resolution. That motion failed by a roll call vote of 94-42.

After the resolution passed, the Rev. Susan Russell, president of Integrity USA, an LGBT advocacy group within the Episcopal community, called the vote "a big step forward on same-sex blessings.

"I trust the process and most of all I trust the Holy Spirit present in the process," she said. "I have seen us do hard things well many times, and I was convinced this would be one of them. I just could not believe that this church isn't bigger and better and stronger than many were giving it credit for. I am delighted to be moving forward."

But most bishops said same-gender blessings are not a foregone conclusion.

Rather, Bishop Neil Alexander of Atlanta, who voted for the legislation, said "the church is very much engaged in this conversation and wants to do the correct and thoughtful and prayerful thing about it? I think that's pretty clear."

Bishop Andy Doyle of Texas, who voted against C056, said the vote "will have an adverse effect on communion relationships" and perhaps in his diocese, "where some people find themselves more in line with a much more conservative [and] what they would call a more orthodox mindset." But he added that the views of everyone within the diocese needed to be honored pastorally and cared for.

He added that: "We are in a process" which can go different ways. "The majority of people here in Anaheim who represent a broad spectrum of the church are very interested in moving forward.

"Nothing we did today actually did anything other than provide for the collection of and design of rites for a conversation. That's very important to understand. We didn't bless or move toward blessings any more than we were."

"What we were doing was taking what was already being done – resources that are already out there, liturgies that are already happening across the country – and collecting them so we could discuss what this is. No permissions were given today. That doesn't mean that the perception of the greater communion won't be that permission was given, or that people in my own diocese won't perceive that permission was given. But we didn't authorize anything other than the collection of material."

Bishop Jeffrey Lee of Chicago, who voted for C056 and was part of the informal indaba group, said "there's a lot of ground between here and there" or blessing same-gender relationships.

He said "it doesn't really change from a previous General Convention resolution in 2003 that recognizes congregations are operating within the bonds of our common life by responding with a wide range of pastoral responses to the needs of the members of the church."

-- The Rev. Pat McCaughan is Episcopal News Service Province VIII and the House of Bishops and the Rev. Jerald Hyche is associate rector St. Martins in Houston, Texas.

Episcopalian gay bishops decision confounds activists

From the Pittsburgh Post Gazette:

Strong differences have emerged over how to interpret a resolution of the Episcopal Church General Convention regarding partnered gay people being bishops.

Some activists on both sides of the gay ordination issue consider it a repeal of a 2006 moratorium on the consecration of partnered gay bishops, while key leaders of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh say it merely describes the fact that the Episcopal Church already has openly gay priests and one partnered gay bishop.

The moratorium "is still there. We did not repeal it," said Bishop Robert Johnson, assisting bishop of the Diocese of Pittsburgh, which has been rebuilding since October, when the original diocese split after voting to secede from the Episcopal Church.

"I don't see that there would be any threat to the moratorium unless we get presented with another partnered lesbian or gay bishop. That would be the test. But [this resolution] was a clarification, reminding us of where we are in the Episcopal Church. That is the way the bishops saw it," he said.

The General Convention, which governs the 2.1 million-member Episcopal Church, declared Tuesday that gay and lesbian people in lifelong committed relationships "may be called to any ordained ministry in the Episcopal Church." It continued: "... Christians of good conscience disagree about these matters."

The Episcopal Church has had local option on the ordination of gay priests since 1996. A crisis ensued after the 2003 General Convention approved the consecration of a partnered gay bishop. The original Diocese of Pittsburgh was among four that subsequently voted to secede from the Episcopal Church.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09197/984238-84.stm#ixzz0LUe7cAUR

They should have sung 'Amazing Grace'

After the historic - and overwhelming - votes today in the House of Bishops, as a last order of business began to sing: "O Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world..."

They should have sung: Amazing Grace.

Why?

Because something very strange and wonderful had happened in the House of Bishops.

Today's debate was marked by grace and equanimity. The discourse was polite, varying views were respected, no one tried to convert others to their own way of thinking or to their own heartfelt beliefs. Instead the house seemed like one large Indaba group, a place where members were free to tell their own story without fear of rejection or personal attacks. It wasn't just the absence of ill will. Throughout the debate, there was something positive in the house: bishops on both sides of the issue spoke of a new respect for the theological diversity in the Episcopal Church. Several suggested amendments based on a desire to reflect this new-found respect in the resolution under consideration.

Could it be this change we witnessed is the unintended fruit of the Indaba process, a process started by the Archbishop of Canterbury at last year's Lambeth Conference?

You see, Indaba is a Zulu word for a gathering for purposeful discussion. It is both a process and method of engagement so we can listen to one another concerning challenges that face our community. In Indaba, a group must be aware of these challenges without immediately trying to resolve them one way or the other. Instead they meet and converse, ensuring that everyone has a voice, and contributes and that the issues at hand are fully defined and understood by all. The discussion's purpose is to identify fundamental convergences that could bind people together despite their differences, allow them to come to a deeper understanding of the issue at hand. Indaba is based on seeking to understand the thinking behind positions other than my own. "Those people" become "my people."

Has our church finally learned that diversity is more than skin deep? Has the pain of the past 30 years lead us to see that real diversity includes tolerance and respect for people who think different - and reach different conclusions - than the rest of us?

During the debate on this resolution, the House of Bishops had several opportunities to gut the proposal or to reject it or to just postpone their decision to another day or perhaps to just run out of time. Instead, the majority - the vast majority - kept on track. They debated, they spoke their truth and their beliefs. At the end of the day the measure passed by an astounding margin: 104 to 30 with two abstentions. That feels like a good example of Amazing Grace. What does the hymn say: "I once was lost, but now I'm found.
Was blind, but now I see."


Lyrics to Amazing Grace:

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost, but now I'm found.
Was blind, but now I see.

'Twas grace that taught my heart to feel
And grace my fears relieved.
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed.

When we've been there ten thousand years
Bright shining as the sun,
We've no less days to sing God's praise
Then when we first begun.

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost, but now I'm found.
Was blind, but now I see

Episcopal Church Takes Definitive Steps in Favor of Gay Rights

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- The Episcopal Church on Tuesday (July 14) overwhelmingly voted to lift a three-year-old moratorium on consecrating gay and lesbian bishops, despite warnings that the ban was necessary to preserve unity in the wider Anglican Communion.

A large majority of Episcopal bishops, priests and lay delegates gathered here for the church's triennial General Convention asserted that "God has called and may call" gays and lesbians in lifelong committed relationships "to any ordained ministry in the Episcopal Church."
More than 70 percent of lay and clergy delegates in the church's House of Deputies approved lifting the moratorium on Tuesday; the church's House of Bishops had approved it Monday by a 2-to-1 margin.
While the resolution clears the way for gay and lesbian bishops, it does not mandate that dioceses must consider them, nor does it guarantee that, if elected, they will receive the necessary ratification votes to serve.
"This is a day to rejoice for the Church -- no, let me be more specific, this is a day to rejoice in the Episcopal Church, which once again has stood for the full inclusion of all," openly gay Bishop V.
Gene Robinson of New Hampshire wrote on his blog late Monday. More here.

NY Times: Episcopal Bishops Give Ground on Gay Marriage

By LAURIE GOODSTEIN

ANAHEIM, Calif. — The bishops of the Episcopal Church agreed Wednesday to a compromise measure that stops short of developing an official rite for same-sex unions, but gives latitude to bishops who wish to go ahead and bless such unions, particularly in states that have legalized such marriages.

Over two days of debate, some bishops said they felt compelled to act because of their pastoral responsibility to gay couples who were increasingly coming forward to ask the church to bless their unions. Many also said they saw it as a simple matter of granting equal rights to gay men and lesbians.

The measure was written to defer to bishops who oppose adopting a liturgy for same-sex blessings and to those who say their constituents are not ready for such a step. But it opens the door to doing so in the future, saying they will "collect and develop theological and liturgical resources" for same sex blessings, and report to the next convention three years from now, which could then design an official rite.

Even with the nuance, the vote was a momentous step for a church that has been mired in intra-factional warfare over homosexuality for more than a decade. Advocates for gay rights in the church celebrated it as a victory, noting that the vote count was a resounding 104 in favor and 30 opposed, with 2 abstentions.

The Episcopal Church is not the only religious denomination to recognize same-sex marriages. The Unitarian Universalist Association, the United Church of Christ, and the Reform and Reconstructionist movements in Judaism allow ceremonies to sanctify such unions.

The vote came one day after the church voted to open the door to ordaining more openly gay bishops. Both measures are likely to bring even more pressure from conservatives in the global Anglican Communion to cut ties with the Episcopal Church, its American branch.

Next up: media briefingt

Speakers:

Deputy Sarah Lawton, California
Deputy Charles Osberger, Easton
Deputy Katherine Tyler Scott, Indianapolis
Bishop Marc Andrus, California
Bishop Ed Little, Northern Indiana

Text to be voted on (as ammended)

This text passed:

Final vote: yes 104, 30 no,m 2 abst

Resolved, the House of Deputies concurring, that the 76th General Convention acknowledge the changing circumstances in the United States and in other nations, as legislation authorizing or forbidding marriage, civil unions or domestic partnerships for gay and lesbian persons is passed in various civil jurisdictions that call for a renewed pastoral response from this Church and for an open process for the consideration of theological resources and liturgies for the blessing of same gender relationships; and be it further

Resolved, That the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music, in consultation with the House of Bishops, collect and develop theological and liturgical resources, and report to the 77th General Convention for further action; and be it further

Resolved, That the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music, in consultation with the House of Bishops, devise an open process for the conduct of its work inviting participation from provinces, dioceses, congregations, and individuals whoa re engaged in such theological work, and inviting theological reflection from throughout the Anglican Communion; and be it further

Resolved that bishops, particularly those in dioceses within civil jurisdictions where same-gender marriage, civil unions or domestic partnerships are legal, may provide generous pastoral response to meet the needs of members of this Church, and be it further

Resolved that this convention honor the theological diversity of this Church in regard to matters of human sexuality and be it further

Resolved that member of this church be encourage to engage in this effort.

Text of Substitute Motion on same gender marriage liturgy

Resolved, the House of Deputies concurring, that the 76th General Convention acknowledge the changing circumstances in the United States and in other nations, as legislation authorizing or forbidding marriage, civil unions or domestic partnerships for gay and lesbian persons is passed in various civil jurisdictions that call for a renewed pastoral response from this Church and for an open procession for the consideration of theological resources and liturgies for the blessing of same gender relationships; and be it further

Resolved, That the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music, in consultation with the House of Bishops, collect and develop theological resources and design liturgies, and report to the 77th General Convention for further action; and be it further

Resolved, That the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music, in consultation with the House of Bishops, devise an open process for the conduct of its work inviting participation from provinces, dioceses, congregations, and individuals whoa re engaged in such theological work, and inviting theological reflection from throughout the Anglican Communion; and be it further

Resolved that bishops, particularly those in dioceses within civil jurisdictions where same-gender marriage, civil unions or domestic partnerships are legal, may provide generous pastoral response to meet the needs of members of this Church, and be it further

Resolved that this convention continue to honor the theological diversity of this Church in regard to matters of human sexuality and be it further

Resolved that member of this church be eoncurage to engage in this effort.

The Episcopal clergy vote is an important one for gays

From Huffington Post -

It doesn't matter if you attend religious services weekly or if you have fallen away, if you're atheist or agnostic, if you think religion is the opiate of the people or the road to peace - established religion in America is an important force.

So when the bishops of the Episcopal Church voted this week to affirm gay clergy, it was an important move.

Ever since 2003, when the openly gay Gene Robinson was consecrated as a bishop, the 77-million member Anglican communion - the worldwide body of which the Episcopal Church is a part - has been threatened with schism.

Three years ago, there was a moratorium on future elevation of gay bishops until the issue could be more carefully considered. The gay Episcopal group Integrity says that this week's vote effectively ends the ban, though others say that it just affirmed what was already the case, that gays and lesbians are a full part of the Episcopal Church.

See The Episcopal clergy vote is an important one for gays Huffington Post -

Denominational health plan to provide coverage for all clergy, laity

[Episcopal News Service -- Anaheim, California] The House of Deputies July 15 concurred with action by the House of Bishops on July 12 to adopt Resolution A177, which establishes a mandatory health plan for the Episcopal Church through the church's Medical Trust. The resolution passed on a voice vote.

The plan applies to all domestic dioceses (including Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands) and congregations, parishes and missions, as well as church organizations mandated by church canons. It would provide parity of coverage to all lay and clergy employees working at least 1,500 hours a year. People employed by institutions such as schools, day-care centers and other diocesan institutions can opt to participate but are not required to do so.

Dioceses will select the plans to be offered from those provided by the Medical Trust. Church Pension Fund officials have estimated this plan could save $134 million in its first six years.

Most of the deputies who spoke on the resolution favored its adoption.

The Rev. John Baldwin (Southern Virginia) said he spoke on behalf of the National Network of Episcopal Clergy Associations, which fully supports the plan. "It boils down to, who do you trust?" Baldwin asked. "In a time when trust is in short supply, the Church Pension Fund has over and over again proven itself to be responsive, faithful and diligent in its work."

Toni Mari Sutliff (Utah) said that without passage, some church employees will face financial difficulties. "Those of you who are not single, those of you who are maybe older and have health problems, the cost of your insurance will go up, and it will be harder for a parish to call you as their clergy if they know their cost is going to be so high," she said.

The Rev. Sandye Wilson (Newark) said, "Recognizing how easily we can go under as churches with the rising costs of health care, I urge the passage of this. It is both pastorally and fiduciarily responsible. The Medical Trust has been incredibly creative on making sure that those who need to opt out can opt out, those who need to opt in can opt in, that the laity is being well cared for. I believe this is good for everybody."

The Rev. Robert Haskell (Albany) and the Rev. Edward Monk (Dallas) expressed concern that this plan would increase costs on small parishes that currently purchase health insurance outside the Medical Trust. Monk said, "I've heard from a number of vicars and rectors in small congregations in our dioceses who say that if this is passed, and they work more than 30 hours a week, they will be out of business or forced to cut other ministry positions. Given that there are a wide variety of options, I find that we should not pass this but rather encourage people to find cost-effective, local solutions."

According to information provided by the Church Pension Fund, of which the Medical Trust is a part, implementation will begin in the fall of 2009, with completion by December 31, 2012. "Waves" of dioceses will be brought into the new system each succeeding year.

-- Melodie Woerman is director of communications for the Diocese of Kansas.

CO56: Liturgies for Blessings

The HOB is expected to resume consideration of this resolution at about 4:40-ish:

CURRENT VARIANT

Resolution:	C056
Title:	Liturgies for Blessings
Topic:	Liturgy
Committee:	13 - Prayer Book, Liturgy and Church Music
House of Initial Action:	Bishops
Proposer:	Diocese of Missouri

---

Resolved, the House of _______ concurring, That the 76th General Convention charge the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music with development of liturgies of blessing for same-gender commitments to be presented to the next triennial General Convention in 2012 for inclusion in "Book of Occasional Services"; and. be it further

Resolved, That in the meantime the Ecclesiastical Authority of each diocese may authorize for use in the diocese liturgies for blessing same-gender committed relationships of enduring love, mutuality, and fidelity; and be it further

Resolved, That, with respect to such blessings, no bishop or clergy of this Church or any other person acting on behalf of this Church shall be required or expected to perform an act contrary to a deeply-held position of conscience.

Resolved, the House of Deputies concurring, that the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music, in consultation with the House of Bishops Theology Committee, collect and develop theological resources and liturgies of blessing for same-gender holy unions, to be presented to the 77th General Convention for formal consideration, and be it further

Resolved, that the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music, in consultation with the House of Bishops Theology Committee, devise an open process for the conduct of its work in this matter, inviting participation from dioceses, congregations, and individuals who are or have already engaged in the study or design of such rites throughout the Anglican Communion, and be it further

Resolved, that all bishops, noting particularly those in dioceses within civil jurisdictions where same-gender marriage, civil unions, or domestic partnerships are legal, may provide generous pastoral response to meet the needs of members of this Church; and be it further

Resolved, that honoring the theological diversity of this Church, no bishop or other member of the clergy shall be compelled to authorize or officiate at such liturgies, and be it further

Resolved, that the Anglican Consultative Council be invited to conversation regarding this resolution and the work that proceeds from it, together with other churches in the Anglican Communion engaged in similar processes.

Minority report from Bishop Henry N. Parsley:

I offer the minority opinion that in the 3rd resolve the substitute should read, "Resolved, that in dioeses within civil jurisdictions where same gender marriage or civil unions are legal, the bishop may provide a generous pastoral response to meet the needs of the members of this church."

Explanation:

This language focuses on the six states where same gender marriage or civil unions are legal which I believe to be our correct focus at this time.

+ Henry Parsley

7/13/09

NPR Asks: What Will Follow Episcopalian Vote For Gay Clergy?

By Barbara Bradley Hagerty

Morning Edition, July 15, 2009 · Just a few weeks ago, even liberals were predicting that the Episcopal Church would back away from allowing openly gay men and lesbians to become bishops. Ever since 2003, when the church elevated Gene Robinson to be bishop of New Hampshire, it's taken fire from conservative Anglicans around the world. Three years ago, leaders tried to tamp down the anger by promising a moratorium on consecrating gay bishops.

"And we did that for a time -- for the last three years -- and that time is over," says Susan Russell, a priest in Pasadena, Calif., and president of Integrity, a gay rights organization in the church. Russell was at the church's general convention in Anaheim, Calif., on Tuesday when it voted overwhelmingly to allow gay men and lesbians to become priests and bishops.

The vote raises the question: What has changed in the past three years to bring about the reversal? The conservative wing of the Episcopal Church walked out last month and is creating its own rival church, leaving liberals in the vast majority.

"Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose," Russell says, quoting the Kris Kristofferson song. "And I think there's a tremendous sense of freedom and liberation in this church right now. The mission of this church will no longer be held hostage to those who are threatening to leave."

Russell acknowledges this was a risky move, particularly because Rowan Williams, the archbishop of Canterbury and leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion, warned the Americans not to endorse gay bishops or same-sex blessings lest the second-largest Christian church in the world be split in two. But Russell says the U.S. church is independent, and no foreign province can tell it what to do.

"There are those in the wider church who preferred we wouldn't put tea in the Boston Harbor, but that happened, too," she says.

But not everyone shares her defiant enthusiasm.

"I'm deeply concerned," says Edward Little, bishop of the diocese of Northern Indiana, "and particularly for the international ramifications."

Little, a conservative, says that officially endorsing homosexuality -- when much of the Communion believes it's a biblical sin -- is breaking faith with the church's fellow Anglicans. In fact, several African and Latin American provinces have severed ties with the U.S. church. Little says the Episcopal Church may find itself demoted.

"There's certainly the possibility that that fracture will deepen, and it could be that in some way, we'll find ourselves in a secondary place in the Anglican Communion," he says.

Internally, the American church is struggling. Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori acknowledged this week that the church lost 19,000 members last year. Little believes the vote on gay bishops won't help.

"It will accelerate individual departures, it will accelerate the number of parishes that decide to leave, and it may perhaps push another diocese or two over the edge," he says. "So I think it's going to increase the fragmentation."

Not so, says Russell.

"A church that is obsessed with fighting over whether or not gay and lesbian people can be bishops is not real attractive," she says. "I mean, 'Come watch us argue over gay people' is not a great marketing scheme. And I'm of the mind the decisions we're making are going to encourage church growth rather than decline."

Russell is anticipating the next hot potato on Wednesday, when church leaders are expected to take up blessings for same-sex unions.

TransEpiscopal has done a wonderful job!

A note from Integrity to which I concurr:

TransEpiscopal has done a wonderful job of educating the Church about the existence of transgender persons, and the steps that need to be taken to include them fully in the life of the Church.

This Convention has exceeded our hopes and expectations by passing an amendment to Title III.1.2 which prevents discrimination in the process of discernment for ordination.

C061 which has now passed both Houses changes the language of the Canon to make it a positive statement that 'all baptized persons shall have full access' to the discernment process and will not have it terminated because of all the usual things AND 'gender identity or expression'. This means no one may be excluded from the discernment process based on gender identity or gender expression.

This is an astonishing move and shows that the Episcopal Church is finally really serious about inclusion.
Caroline Hall for IntegrityUSA 

--
Posted By Rachel to Walking With Integrityat 7/15/2009 02:42:00 PM

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same sex blessing conversation in bishops delayed again

It seems the same sex blessing conversation in bishops is going to occur after the budget presentation. Best guess I have heard is  thst means somewhere between 3:30 and 4:15

Backgroud: Archbishop addresses synod on Anglican Communion issues

[Episcopal News Service –Anaheim, California] Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams addressed the Church of England's General Synod July 13 about issues related to the Anglican Communion, in particular the recent meeting of the Anglican Consultative Council.

During a question-and-answer session following his address, Williams responded to Chris Sugden of the conservative Anglican Mainstream group who asked about a resolution that passed in the Episcopal Church's House of Deputies on July 12 in support of opening the ordination process to all people.

Williams, who spent two days July 8-9 engaging with representatives at General Convention, acknowledged that the resolution in question, D025, also would need to be endorsed by the House of Bishops for the legislation to pass. Referring to the deputies' decision, Williams said, "I regret the fact that the will to observe a moratorium is not the will of such a significant part of the church in North America."

On July 13, the bishops passed an amended version of Resolution D025, which must now go back to the deputies for further action or endorsement. The resolution also reaffirms the Episcopal Church's continued participation in and financial support of the Anglican Communion.

During a July 9 meditation as part of a convention Eucharist, Williams expressed his gratitude to the Episcopal Church for its "continuing willingness to engage with the wider life of our communion." But he also expressed his hopes and prayers "that there won't be decisions in the coming days that could push us further apart. But if people elsewhere in the communion are concerned about this, it's because of a profound sense of what the Episcopal Church has given and can give to our fellowship worldwide."

Sugden, a leading conservative in the Church of England, questioned Williams July 13 about the extension of the Anglican Communion Listening Process and the authenticity of its $1.5 million grant from the Satcher Health Leadership Institute in Atlanta, Georgia.

"The intention of the Listening Process is to give an opportunity for informed reflection, discussion and the listening to the experience of lesbian and gay people and others in the church," Williams responded. "That is the explicit direction of that process; there is no agenda to that process. Some of the funding for this project is coming from American sources, which are connected with medical research. I was not aware at any point that there was an agenda to the funding or that conditions were attached to the funding."

The General Synod, the Church of England's main legislative body, met July 10-13 in York, northern England. The members were played a DVD during which Williams described as "unforgettable" the Caribbean hospitality in Jamaica at the ACC meeting.

"Overall, looking back on the ACC meeting I feel that there is great deal to be grateful for. Some of the relationships shaped at the Lambeth Conference have been worked on a developed through," said Williams. "Some of the tensions that were at Lambeth have been looked at again and they're not going to go away in a hurry and nobody expects them to, but at least we have a framework of trust in which to discuss them. The interdependence of the communion … has been reaffirmed quite importantly and quite deeply."

Williams highlighted four of the 41 resolutions passed by the ACC that dealt with an Anglican Relief and Development alliance; the Bible in the Life of the Church project on hermeneutics; the work of the Windsor Continuation Group; and the establishment of theAnglican Health Network.

-- Matthew Davies is editor of Episcopal Life Online and international correspondent for the Episcopal News Service.

World Mission committee recommends dioceses study Anglican covenant

The World Mission legislative committee has recommended for adoption an amended version of Resolution D020, which commends the current text of the proposed Anglican covenantand any successive drafts "to the dioceses for study and comment during the coming triennium."

The amended legislation also asks the Executive Council to prepare a report to the 77th General Convention of the Episcopal Church, in Indianapolis in 2012, that includes draft legislation concerning the church's response to an Anglican covenant.

During committee conversation, some members compared the amended legislation, as an invitation to dioceses to live into covenant, to taking measurements to see if clothes fit.

The committee also discharged about a dozen B033-related resolutions (C007; C010; C015; C024; C033; C036; C039; C045; C054; D015; D021; and D022) (legislation may be viewedhere).

The Episcopal Church's Executive Council has asked General Convention deputations and their bishops to study and comment on the latest draft of a proposed Anglican covenant.

In May, the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) postponed an expected request that the Anglican Communion's 38 provinces consider adopting the Ridley Cambridge draft. The council said instead that it wanted the draft's Section 4, which contains a dispute-resolution process, to get more scrutiny and possibly be revised.

A small working group appointed by the Archbishop of Canterbury has solicited provincial responses by November 13. The working group will meet Nov. 20-21 in London and report to the Standing Committee meeting December 15-18. The Standing Committee is a group of elected representatives of the ACC and the Primates Meeting.

In response to that request, President of the House of Deputies Bonnie Anderson, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, and Rosalie Ballentine, the Executive Council member who chairs the council's task force on the Anglican covenant, wrote to General Convention deputations and bishops June 29 asking for their thoughts on the draft by September 1. The task force and the council will use the comments to formulate a response during its October meeting.

"We believe that this work will best be accomplished in light of work and resolutions passed at the 2009 General Convention, so we are asking that deputations make their responses following convention," the women wrote in the letter.

To assist with the requested diocesan study, the council's task force has developed a four-question study guide.

It is available in English here and in Spanish here.

Clarifications on open Communion urged

A resolution before the liturgy committee seeks to help resolve the question of whether Holy Communion should be restricted to the baptized.

Resolution D089 asks convention to direct the Standing Commission on Constitution and Canons "to review and provide a recommendation to resolve the conflict between Article X of the Constitution, specifically, the invitation offered in the Book of Common Prayer 'The Gifts of God for the People of God' and Canon I.17.7, restricting Communion to only the baptized."

The resolution arose out of an informal conversation about open Communion among about 10 clergy following a conference in his diocese, proposer the Very Rev. Ernesto R. Medina (Nebraska), a member of the Prayer Book, Liturgy and Music committee, said during hearings before the committee. "What was striking was the sense of conflict that each of us pretty unanimously felt every time we said, 'The gifts of God for the people of God.'"

The resolution aims to resolve that conflict.

"I firmly agree that baptism should be normative for … Communion, but is it up to us to police the table?" asked the Rev. Eliot Moss (Western Massachusetts), speaking in favor of the resolution. "I support this study and the conversation so that we can perhaps advance in bringing this clash of law and words into better resolution."

The Rev. Dorothee Hahn (Churches in Europe), however, spoke against the proposed resolution. "In Europe, everything is slightly different. Anything going in this direction of opening Communion will put us outside of the historic churches."

Already, the Episcopal Church's invitation to all the baptized for Communion is "absolutely" the most inclusive among Europe's churches, she said.

Any change will contradict the Chicago Lambeth Quadrilateral, she added.

Pay no attention to the men behind the curtain: he is just spinning the truth

The far right has it's spin cycle in high gear today, threatening
everything fromsarah "schism" to the end of the world as we know it.

If they are correct, the Church of England will decide today to be "in
Communion" with those who left the Episcopal Church for an "Anglican
Faith" without women priests or bishops or openly gay people.

Actually, if you read them carefully, the most they hope for is
"debate" of that measure. Which hardly seems much of an
accomplishment. The Church of England will debate almost anything. As
will our church.

Another uber-con convinced the BBC to run a story in which he
proclaimed we have sparked a schism.

Did "we" refuse to ordain women as priests?

Did "we" leave the Episcopal Church to found a competing brand?

No, we are not making schism - we're just being honest. What a
concept: honesty. They should stop spinning antd try it someday.

Perez Hilton; Episcopal Church Takes Steps Toward Progress

On Monday, the Episcopal Church movedtowards affirming their acceptance of gays and lesbians in all ministry positions despite opposition from Anglicans in the rest of the world.

Bishops at the Episcopal General Convention voted 99-45 for a statement which reads that "God has called and may call" to ministry gays with life partners.

In 2003, the US denomination of the Church consecrated the first openly gay bishop, V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire. The action, of course, incited protest, and "conservatives and other like-minded traditionalists formed a rival national province called the Anglican Church in North America." No other Episcopal bishops living openly with same-sex partners have been consecrated since Robinson.

The new declaration, however, aims to end that.

Rev. Gay Clark Jennings, who is on the committee who drafted it, said, "The constitution and canons of our church as currently written do not preclude gay and lesbian persons from participating. These people have responded to God's call."

Episcopal Church makes right call on gays

By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist

The Episcopal Church has effectively voted to allow the full inclusion of gay clergy, even as bishops. It's the right call, controversial as it may be.

As an Episcopalian, I support allowing gays and lesbians to preach the word of God and to minister to the flock.

In the real world, gays hold all kinds of jobs -- in politics, in journalism, in law, even in the armed forces where they are terribly discriminated against.

The Episcopal Church made its decision at its annual general convention in California.

"God has called and may call" gays in committed relationships to "any ordained ministry" in the church, the resolution says.

Episcopalians are no strangers to controversy over the gay issue. My church consecrated V. Gene Robinson as its first openly gay bishop six years ago.

The latest move likely will prompt more conservative churches in the Anglican order to think about breaking away from the Episcopal Church in America.

It's simply too bad such a split has to occur, further dividing the faith.

BBC claims: CofE 'may back rebel US Anglicans'

Note: the only source for this 'news report' is sopmeone who wants it to come true.


Dropping the moratorium on appointing gay bishops could boost moves in the Church of England to back breakaway American Anglicans, a UK campaigner claims.
Canon Chris Sugden, a leader of the newly-launched UK section of the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans (FCA), told the BBC News website the decision by the Episcopal Church in the US was "extremely worrying and serious".
He said it could increase support for a motion at the Church of England's General Synod to declare fellowship with the Anglican Church of North America (ACNA).
The ACNA is a union of groups which broke away from the Episcopal Church following the appointment of an openly gay bishop, Gene Robinson, in New Hampshire.
At the same time, Canon Sugden complains, advocates of a "gay agenda" in the church are determined to keep pushing the issue.
This includes bringing Bishop Robinson to speak at the UK church's youth festival, Greenbelt, in August. "A number of us are very concerned about that," he says.
Canon Sugden is the Executive Secretary of Anglican Mainstream, a body set up in 2003 to represent "orthodox" views in the Church following the appointment of Bishop Robinson and of the gay Canon Geoffrey John as Bishop of Reading - an appointment he later renounced.
See BBC claims: CofE 'may back rebel US Anglicans'
BBC News -

Resolution D025 draws mixed responses

ENS- One day after adopting Resolution D025 by a 2-1 margin, Episcopal Church bishops on July 14 offered various interpretations when asked about the measure's purpose, its impact and why they voted for or against it.
All those interviewed agreed that the declaration makes a dramatic statement about the Episcopal Church's stance on the ordination of gay and lesbian persons -- including their consecration as bishops -- that cannot be ignored.
"We've made ourselves pretty clear," said Keith Whitmore, assistant bishop of Atlanta, who voted for the resolution. "The consequences of doing that are rather obvious."
The Rev. Ian Douglas (Massachusetts), World Mission legislative committee member, had told a news briefing after the House of Bishops' action on July 13 that the committee had been assigned all 13 resolutions that addressed Resolution 2006-B033. The resolution, adopted by the 75th General Convention, called for restraint in consenting to the consecration of bishops whose "manner of life" -- widely understood to mean homosexuality -- would cause concern for other members of the Anglican Communion.
Six of the resolutions called for "direct repeal of B033," Douglas explained, and six called for "a re-statement or maybe even a strengthening of our non-discrimination canons with respect to ordination." However, Douglas said, "in the House of Deputies -- particularly in the House of Deputies legislative committee on world mission -- there was not a whole lot of energy for either of the first two choices."
Instead, D025, the 13th resolution, "in the mind of the committee was a description of where we are as a church right now … and this invitation for ongoing conversation in these difficult issues was very important."
Bishops offered different opinions about the status of B033 in light of this week's action.
"I see D025 as trying to be fair to the gay and lesbians in our congregations, especially for those dioceses not as conservative as my own," said Bishop Philip Duncan of the Central Gulf Coast, who voted no. "But I don't see it as doing away with B033 because we do want to stay within the framework of the Anglican Communion."
Bishop James Jelinek of Minnesota, however, said he supported D025 because the new resolution deftly moves the church beyond B033.
"B033 was the absolutely right thing to do at the time," he said. "Would we want to do it now? No. But do we want to speak to that? No, because that's the past. We're looking to go forward."
When asked if D025 repudiates B033, Bishop John Buchanan, provisional bishop of Quincy, said "absolutely not. B033 was aimed at meeting a Windsor request for a moratorium on ordination of certain folks. That moratorium has held for three years and it will only not hold if and when we ordain the next openly gay person as a bishop in our church."
Bishop John Bryson Chane of Washington, an outspoken opponent of B033, said he voted for the resolution as a way of stating what he described as inevitable: "What this resolution says is, we've lived with the idea of using restraint in the consecration of gay and lesbian people for three years, and that time is up.
"Now what we have is a full awareness across the church and the communion that, by our constitution and canons, a person who is in a same-sex, committed relationship can, through the normal channels of our ordination process, be considered for ordination and consecration."
Bishop Bruce Caldwell of Wyoming and other D025 supporters agreed that the measure presents an honest description of the Episcopal Church's fully inclusive ordination process in a way that will benefit the church's relationship with other members of the Anglican Communion.
"The resolution is largely descriptive of where we are today," Caldwell said. "I do think we moved ahead in transparency. Our language became more clear than it was in the past, and that's a very healthy thing for the communion.
"It was not a direct attack on B033, so we can't absolutely draw that connection. We can say this has moved us further to inclusion, though, and in my heart, I am grateful for the clarity that is in it."
According to Bishop Mark Lawrence of South Carolina, clarity is exactly what is lacking in the resolution's language and its meaning for the future of the Episcopal Church.
"We're staring into murky waters," Lawrence said, "and everyone reads the tea leaves the way they want. It's very much of an Anglican Communion-breaking issue, and it breaks faith with many of the faithful in the church."
Though they both voted against the resolution, Duncan and Texas Bishop Andrew Doyle agreed that the document clearly and diplomatically states the church's position on ordination being open to all.
"It was very clear in acknowledging the reality that it is happening and that's a very different thing," Doyle said. "I don't think it's a shift in our thinking because people are thinking the same thing they were thinking three, six years ago on that from their various opinions…I think the resolution is a healthy and honest description of where we are."
Doyle said he voted against the resolution out of concern for repercussions if the action was seen as a repeal of B033.
Duncan agreed: "There will be some people who choose to leave the church and some who will have a very, very hard time with it. But I don't see it, as I read it, as strident and difficult as some people suggest it might be, because there's a graciousness about it."
Jelinek, Burnett and Caldwell predicted that other members of the Anglican Communion will more easily receive the truth of the convention's action thanks to relationships created at Lambeth Conference in 2008.
"D025 is about naming who we are -- not saying something against the Anglican Communion, and that's very different from what's happened in the past," Jelinek said. "This wasn't about taking a stand in Anglicanism; this was about describing who we are as a body. Does that also say something deeper? Yes, but it doesn't rub somebody's face in it."
Assisting Bishop Steven Charleston of California said he supported D025 because it provides the basic element necessary to true relationship: "trust, clarity and honesty."
"Without that we open ourselves up to an endless cycle of suspicion, innuendo, confusion, argumentation," he said. "By being clear about where we are, we're inviting others to enter into relationship with us based on that kind of clarity and for those of us within the Episcopal Church to begin to learn to live collegially with each other within our own tradition."
In international reaction, the conservative Anglican Communion Institute (ACI) interpreted the resolution as a repudiation of B033.
In a July 13 statement, ACI said the Episcopal Church "is already out of communion with the majority of the world's Anglicans. It is our expectation that many dioceses will not follow the Episcopal Church out of the Anglican Communion and the mainstream of apostolic Christianity. Instead, they will take immediate action to assure the communion and the Archbishop of Canterbury of their continued commitment both to observe the communion's moratoria and to preserve and restore their structural bonds to the communion."
The U.K.-based Fulcrum, a group for evangelical Anglicans, said in a statement that D025 "represents a further determined walking apart by the American Church and must have significant consequences for the relationship of TEC to the Church of England and the Anglican Communion."
Integrity USA, which supports the full inclusion of LGBT people in the church, described the bishops' decision as "effectively end[ing] the 'B033 era' and return[ing] the church to relying on its canons and discernment processes for the election of bishops."
The Rev. Susan Russell, outgoing Integrity president, said, "there is no question that today's vote in the House of Bishops was an historic move forward and a great day for all who support the full inclusion of all the baptized in the Body of Christ."
The bishops, Russell said, spoke candidly and truthfully "to each other and to us and … to our Anglican Communion brothers and sisters and to the world."
"The truth is we are a church committed to mission -- we are a church committed to the full inclusion of all the baptized in that mission -- and we are a church committed to creating as broad a place to stand as possible for ALL who wish to be part of this great adventure of being disciples of Jesus."

The Queen, the church and the Fellowship

The Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans is strong on chutzpah and short on loyalty


We will keep formal administrative links with the formal Church of England, but our real identity is with global Anglicanism as defined by the Jerusalem statement and declaration.

This was the statement made by Christopher Sugden, executive secretary of Anglican Mainstream, at the National Evangelical Anglican Consultation at All Souls' Langham Place, London, on 15 November 2008.
The consultation declined to vote on a resolution backing the Jerusalem declaration placed on their seats that morning, without the possibility of amendment.

On Sunday 5 July 2009, Christopher Sugden, now also secretary of the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans UK (FCAUK), was asked on the BBC Radio 4 Sunday Programme whether it was true that the Queen had written to him and the FCA to say that "she understood their concerns". He replied that this was "correct". Some sentences from her private letters, without their contexts, were then quoted the next day at the launch of FCAUK at Westminster Central Hall, London.

Loyalty has been pledged to the Queen – though the contradiction with the keeping of mere "formal administrative links with the formal Church of England" is particularly startling – and an attempt was made to present the correspondence of her courtier to FCAUK as her support. This has backfired.
Neither consultations nor the Crown appreciate manipulation. Buckingham Palace said it would not comment on private correspondence. Royal sources said the Queen was not endorsing the FCA and pointed out that she corresponds with a great number of organisations. The irony of that final word is that leaders of FCAUK have insisted that it is not an "organisation" but merely a "fellowship". Another irony is that the Supreme Governor of the Church of England is clearly a "woman leader" and "women's leadership" in the church at the highest level was hotly contended at the launch of FCAUK.
See The Queen, the church and the Fellowship
guardian.co.uk -

Episcopal bishop warns of further schism

Note: This is from the official newspaper of Rev. Moon.
presiding bishop of the U.S. Episcopal Church warned the Church of England not to foment schism in America, responding to a threat made over the possibility that the U.S. church will start ordaining actively gay bishops.
Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori said Sunday, in response to questions from The Washington Times, that calls by conservatives in the Church of England for recognition of the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) over gay-related issues would wound her church, already split by the secession of conservative dioceses and congregations to form the ACNA.
She urged Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams to remember the "pain of many Episcopalians in several places of being shut out of their traditional worship spaces, and the broken relationships, the damaged relationships between people who have gone and people who have stayed."
"Recognition of something like ACNA is unfortunately likely only to encourage" further secessions, she said, reminding the Church of England that "schism is not a Christian act."
Bishop Jefferts Schori's remarks come amid a fight at the triennial meeting of the General Convention, the Episcopal Church's top legislative body, which began moves over the weekend to overturn the church's 2006 ban on gay bishops.

Churches seek middle ground on gay students

The law shouldn’t allow religious organisations to discriminate just because of their sexual orientation, a Sydney Anglican bishop has claimed. But students who come out as gay or atheist in a religious school should consider leaving voluntarily.
South Sydney Bishop Robert Forsyth made the concession as gay rights groups called for anti-discrimination law exemptions to be limited to professed faith, not a catchall waiver for discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation.
“I don’t support an exemption for [sexual] orientation as a grounds for discrimination,” Forsyth told Sydney Star Observer.
“I’ve got friends who are oriented a certain way but whose practices are consistent with the teaching of the Christian faith.”
Instead, religious exemptions should allow organisations to freely define the ethos and behaviours they expect, he said. “I shouldn’t have to justify it to an intrusive state.”
The comments reveal that a middle ground is possible with equality groups currently lobbying for a new federal anti-discrimination law covering sexual orientation and gender identity.
“The Anglican Bishop’s view that religious organisations should not be provided an exemption on the grounds of sexual orientation is a further sign the Federal Government is behind the public regarding this issue,” Australian Coalition for Equality spokesman Corey Irlam said.
“It’s outrageous to think a same-sex partner could be discriminated against in 2009. After 14 years it’s time for the Federal Government to introduce laws protecting the LGBT community from discrimination.” See Churches seek middle ground on gay students
Sydney Star Observer -

US Anglicans forty years after Stonewall

The Stonewall riots in June 1969 in New York helped to transform society in the USA and beyond. The General Convention of the Episcopal Church being held in California in July 2009 is far more sedate. Topics for discussion range from ‘Liturgical Materials for Pastoral Care in the Adoption of Children’ to ‘Climate Change and the Millennium Development Goals’. Yet, once again, media attention is focused on attitudes to, and behaviour towards, lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans-gender (LGBT) people, in the context of their families and communities. In several other Christian denominations, too, LGBT issues are still especially controversial. The spiritual challenges faced by US Christians in the 1960s have helped to set the context for today’s debates.
Human sexuality and the Episcopal Church
The Anglican Communion has traditionally avoided over-centralising authority. Leaders of member churches throughout the world can, and often do, ignore the numerous resolutions passed at international gatherings without facing any sanctions. There are also various matters on which Anglicans strongly disapprove of one another’s beliefs and actions while outwardly remaining united. There is however one exception: consecrating a partnered lesbian or gay man as a bishop, or authorising a liturgy for blessing same-sex partnerships, is widely regarded as exceptionally serious.
The Episcopal Church (TEC), mainly based in the USA and the Anglican Church in Canada, have been under particular pressure. A few years ago,moves within these churches towards greater acceptance of LGBT people were condemned by many senior Anglican clergy elsewhere. These included people who believed there was a strong theological case for greater equality but who feared that taking action now was divisive. From their point of view, it would be better to wait until there was broad agreement among member churches. Since Anglican leaders in some other countries refused to study the issue in depth or enter into dialogue with LGBT people in their midst, campaigning instead to have them imprisoned, this would clearly be a long wait.
TEC’s last General Convention (a synod of representatives from different areas, including laypersons, bishops and other clergy) was in 2006. This passed resolution B033, calling on those choosing bishops "to exercise restraint by not consenting to the consecration of any candidate to the episcopate whose manner of life presents a challenge to the wider church and will lead to further strains on communion". The House of Bishops later agreed not to authorise orders of service for blessing same-sex unions.
This has been a cause of deep discomfort to many US Anglicans, even among those who have, for the sake of international unity, supported a moratorium on moves towards equal treatment of LGBT people in the church. Many at General Convention in 2009 have called for this to be set aside, describing the harm it has done. Instead they would like the same welcome to be extended to heterosexual and LGBT people and the same disciplines imposed. Anglican leaders elsewhere in the world would still be free to act differently within their own provinces but not to dominate others. See US Anglicans forty years after Stonewall
Ekklesia -

Abagail Nelson’s Sermon at the July 14 Eucharist

Abagail Nelson’s Sermon at the July 14 Eucharist

“We are in the midst of a crisis of apocalyptic proportions. We are in the midst of opportunity, and the Spirit of the Lord is upon us.”


[July 14, 2009] The following is the sermon by Abagail Nelson, senior vice president of programs, of Episcopal Relief & Development, presented at the Tuesday, July 14 Eucharist at the Episcopal Church’s 76th General Convention in Anaheim, California. (Video is available on the Media Hub, http://gchub.episcopalchurch.org/)




General Convention 2009
Tuesday, July 14 Eucharist
Abagail Nelson
Episcopal Relief & Development

Isaiah 61: 1-4
Luke 4: 14-21

Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.

I can’t tell you all how supremely humbling it is to be here with you today. It has literally been 6 years since I last stood in front of a congregation like this. The event at that time, like today’s Eucharist, was centered on the Millennium Development Goals. It was a period of hope and change. “Ending extreme poverty is not a matter of resources,” said Jeffrey Sachs to the Convention at Minneapolis. “It is a matter of will.”

Our church was seized by a spirit of hope and mission. And leading by example and prophetic witness, we have worked through our companion diocesan relationships, through our engagement with the ONE Campaign, in our own personal and collective giving, and in our advocacy efforts. Through the Body of our worldwide church, we have been able to walk together where few others walk… in the City of God favela in Rio de Janeiro, along the steep rice terraces of Mindanao, Philippines, in the wartorn hillsides of Peshawar, Pakistan, and along the flooded cities and cornfields from Iowa to New Orleans… Every single one of us here has been part of our collective family’s journey these past few years.

And we carry so many stories… The young man who waited under a tree for 8 hours for me to arrive in a 4 by 4 so he could lead me down the goat paths into his village. The village elders who always ensure you as a guest get to sit in the plastic chair while everyone else squats down on a tree trunk to talk. The women who are lined up for hours, waiting to burst into a welcome song and dance when your car takes you around the bend of the path into their village…The deacon who pushed me back quickly into the doorway when the sounds of gun shots erupted ahead in the alley. These people all say thank you over and over to me and to you for our collective spirit of mission. Last year at Episcopal Relief & Development we were collectively able to touch over 2.5 million of them. My friend and boss, Robert Radtke has shared with all the houses of God assembled here, the accomplishments of this Triennium. “Carry us in your hearts in all you do,” They say, “For you my brother, my sister, my friend, you ARE here among us too.” In the Spirit of Ubuntu.

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,” says Jesus in the Gospel today “Because he has sent good news to the poor. The prisoners will go free, the year of the Lord’s favor will live among us, debts will be forgiven, land will be redistributed and injustices will be righted.” When stripped down of its technical language, and made bare, this too is the hope held out by the Millennium Development Goals- that we can end hunger, educate all our children, empower all our women. It is the 8th Millennium Development Goal that goal that we talk so little about however, the Goal designed to increase our aid, reorder our trade privileges, and reduce the crippling burden of debt, that I would like for us to hold in prayer today. It too must be addressed if we are to move forward in our collective promise. Today is the year of the Lord’s favor, says Christ today. Today is the Jubilee season.

Imagine the quiet that settles over the congregation as Jesus walks away from Isaiah’s scroll and sits in his seat. Imagine how this promise of land reform and re distribution might sound to someone striving in Haiti or Honduras to feed their family.

And we listen together as family and friends and turn our eyes to Jesus after he closes the reading….. waiting… the word… what is it?

In probably what is the shortest and most controversial sermon ever… “Today,” he says, “This scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

I wish I could speak to you all this morning that succinctly.

When the Millennium Development Goals were signed, unemployment was low in the rich world, pledges for resources were coming into place, we were not at war, Sept 11 had not happened, peace looked possible in many of the world’s troubled spots, and all 191 member countries of the United Nations affirmed them. Now, the global financial and ecological crises challenge us with our personal vulnerability and culpability. We are engaged in a collective confession about our own system failures and greed, but US unemployment is still rising, domestic poverty is still growing, we are still fighting 2 wars. We have seen our own government fail to rescue people flooded within our own cities. And we as a country still only commit about 0.15% of our GDP to overseas assistance, nothing like the 0.7% we promised even at the height of our national sense of abundance.

Now with this looming specter of scarcity upon us, with all our competing priorities- to revamp our education systems, rebuild our financial systems, extend universal health care—The temptation is to address only what looks broken from where we sit, here in our world, the world of the rich, forget that we are committed to reduce debt, increase aid, and dismantle our trade privileges.

We are in the midst of a crisis of apocalyptic proportions. We are in the midst of opportunity, and the Spirit of the Lord is upon us.

I said this 6 years ago at General Convention, and I will say this again. God did not call us to tinker on the edges of reform, and apply small band aids to the open sores bleeding upon the world. He calls us today, TODAY, to the year of the Lord. He calls us to be ONE, to be whole. In wholeness, we dismantle the systems that harm the oppressor as much as the oppressed. In wholeness we reorder the priorities of our lives, our jobs and our consumptive systems. In wholeness we move from fear of scarcity to joy in abundance.

We as a world have done it before. Remember we outlawed slavery, and transformed a global system that had supported 500 years of conquest, enslavement, expansion, fortune building, and yes global discovery. We let God’s people go from bondage. We looked at a world broken by war and destruction and created a whole global system of aid, support and financing, in the World Bank, the IMF, and the United Nations systems at the end of World War II. The creation of Episcopal Relief & Development was part of our response at that time, as an Episcopal Church. We dreamed of a world without conflict.

Just about a month ago, in a conference room at the Waldorf Astoria, the CEOs of the world’s major food companies came together to discuss the issues impacting their companies and the planet where their children live. There they all were, Nestle and Tim Smucker of Smucker’s Jelly. They discussed new research going into technologies that can increase the yields of food production in Africa, they discussed the growing crisis of obesity in the rich world. They discussed the global food crisis that drove the poor of many countries where they work and have investments to last year break into riots and hold vans of food hostage. They discussed how they might adjust the systemic incentives that currently promote excess among the rich and deprivation among the poor… They looked thoughtful. They are searching for ways forward.

We are in the midst of a crisis. We are in the midst of an opportunity. “Today, this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

Just about 2 months ago, in another conference room in New York City, about 10-15 of the world’s richest people, people familiar to us like Bill Gates and Warren Buffet, and people we hear less about in the US but who are among the richest people on the planet, like Lakshmi Mittal and Carlos Slim. They all met to discuss the decline in philanthropic giving globally, the impact of the financial crisis on their efforts at helping, and finally ways that they might be able to step up and through their foundations and private efforts address the crisis. We are connected to them through our webs of relationships. We are connected.

Who here has ever played the Kevin Bacon game? You basically challenge each other to see how Kevin Bacon, the actor, is divided by six degrees of separation from anyone else. It’s quite fun- particularly if you like Hollywood trivia. I would submit to you that through our worldwide church, our Anglican Communion, you sitting here, are separated from Gates, and Buffet and Carlos Slim by 2 or maybe 3 degrees of separation.

And do you remember the saints of God song we all learned in Sunday School? “You can meet them in school or in trains or at sea, in church, or in planes, or in shops or at tea.”

Be a saint of God in your connectivity. Imagine the saints of God converting these men of power to a Jubilee calling.

I truly believe that neither of these meetings would have happened 10 years ago. They happened because of the past 10 years of awareness building, and advocacy about ending poverty. They happened because the leaders of the world realize that the sea rising to wipe out the islands of the Pacific might turn into a new weather pattern that wipes out our own coasts. And that the woman who cannot find a job in rural Mississippi no matter how hard she looks, is a victim of the exact same global structures as the man in Guinea whose sale of his cotton crop won’t earn him enough to feed his family… We all now live in one system. All is connected.

So we ride bikes with confidence, like Bishop Hollingsworth of Ohio, who after this Convention will ride 4000 miles to raising awareness and funds for the Millennium Development Goals. We walk the corridors of power with a message- in Seattle, in New Delhi, in Davos, Switzerland… assuring our globe’s leaders that there is a way forward from this present crisis. We travel the Jericho Road we heard about yesterday from Courtney Cowart and following St. Francis, kiss the leper on the lips, reaching out to the one that we most fear, the one most different. We do this with sacrifice. We do this to the point of death. We do this to the foot of the cross. With courage, and in wholeness, we do this….

Some of you here have known and supported my family through the years, my parents in particular. I think particularly of Bishop Rowthorn who was a great friend to us when I used to play hide and seek in the pews and altars of my father’s church. Or I think of the silent multitude of prayer that has held us as a family for over 35 years through the Society of the Companions of the Holy Cross. I am the daughter of many of the injustices that built this country, and the attempts of my ancestors to right them where and when they could in their contexts. My mother is the descendant of African American slaves, and the native Cherokee people who hid among them in North Carolina, refusing to move west to Oklahoma: two peoples who suffered and comforted each other in the haunted spaces of our nation’s history. My father’s family arrived in Virginia in explorer’s ships, and built a life on the backs of slaves working tobacco and rice plantations in South Carolina. They in their turn cast off the oppressive yoke of Britain, signed the Declaration of Independence, and fought a Revolution. My paternal grandmother was a proud Daughter of the Confederacy. My maternal aunt was a Black Panther. When my father saw and loved my mother in an elevator in Cambridge, MA, it was an Ubuntu moment- 1967- illegal for him to marry her. His bishop refused to ordain him. His family turned their backs on him. It was dangerous for my mother to hold his hand in some places. But they had an Ubuntu vision. And together their generation has built a new family and a new nation, rooted in love, and prayer, some of them under the sacrifice of death. I know I am here because I stand on the shoulders of people like them, and the people among you who supported them and connected to that same vision.
So today, we are again at a Jubilee year, another crisis moment, another opportunity to remake our world order. How, in the future, will my daughter stand on our shoulders?
Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing. Today, there is in a village in Nigeria a young girl named Anne Woke. She is 9 years old and has sent us a message now published in the new book Lifting Women’s Voices: Prayers to Change the World.
These are her words….

I gaze and ponder awhile…
At the base of the mangrove I ponder
Rumors of war and death all over the land
Blood spills crying on the ground
Babies shouting in disarray
As parents are snatched by the enemy
A vision to vanquish these wars
A dream desired
……..
I gaze and have a vision
That will lead me to the future
A vision to make my poor parents smile again
An achiever that is looked up to
Having accomplished my educational career
A minister of the word of God I see in me,
Now, the joy, the faith, the laughter
The assurance, the grace of God
My awaited dreams for the world are coming true.

She believes in us. She is carrying us in her hearts. Will we together carry her dream for her and for us? What will YOU do?

AMEN

Environmental issues are on the table at convention

[Episcopal News Service -- Anaheim, California] Climate change, global warming, economic and environmental justice, creation care, renewable energy and nuclear energy and weaponry are among the cadre of environment-related resolutions under consideration by General Convention.
The Episcopal Church's Office of Government Relations (OGR), based in Washington, D.C., lobbies Congress and the president in response to legislation passed at General Convention. The legislation also sets the agenda for the church's Advocacy Center, which includes OGR, the Episcopal Public Policy Network, Native American/Indigenous Ministries and environmental and domestic affairs.
As the church has become more involved in environmental issues, and as the science has matured, the church has taken a more detailed approach to its official policies, which if proposed resolutions pass will, in some cases, make the advocacy staff's work easier, said DeWayne Davis, domestic policy analyst in OGR.
"If these resolutions pass we won't have to do as much interpreting. For instance C011 [Governmental Policies for Environmental Stewardship] specifically addresses renewable energy standards. We've already been working on it in a limited way under the auspices of creation care and global warming."
That resolution, passed by the House of Deputies but pending before the House of Bishops, encourages the U.S. government to adopt "equitable subsidies for renewable energy (such as solar and wind turbine power, and research into new technologies) … along with balancing its current subsidies for non-renewable energy sources (oil, gas, coal)…" It also supports the adoption of a federal renewable energy standard that would require power plants to produce 20 percent of their electricity through renewable sources.
The original resolution didn't require the 20 percent specification; the church's 20 percent standard matches the standard set by the U.S. House of Representatives in its recently passed climate bill. The U.S. Senate has set a 12 percent reduction standard in its version of the bill that falls short of requiring states to adopt renewable energy technologies. The Senate bill is still under discussion. By setting the 20 percent standard, it allows us to be "more forceful with our approach" with the Senate, Davis said.
In 2003, General Convention passed a resolution aimed at stopping mountaintop removal, a surface coal mining practice that involves mining the mountain ridges and summits. The practice has caused environmental destruction and devastated communities in West Virginia, eastern Kentucky and east Tennessee, said Mike Maloney, interim coordinator of Episcopal Appalachian Ministries.
"It's not only destroying the mountains … the water table, the streams, the life in streams," Maloney said. "In some cases rocks have fallen on people's homes."
(In June, President Barack Obama's Administration said it would review existing mining laws and provide tighter oversight by federal agencies regulating mining.)
By passing the resolution, General Convention authorized the Episcopal Public Policy Network to track federal legislation involving mountaintop mining and send Action Alerts to Episcopalians asking them to contact their elected officials in support of the church's position.
Maloney said he couldn't contribute anything tangible as a result of the 2003 resolution, but added that for the last eight years George W. Bush's Administration and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency weakened the Clean Water Act, the major tool in fighting mountain top removal.
There are ways, however, that General Convention resolutions have produced tangible results. Working as a part of the National Council of Churches of Christ's Eco-Justice Network and on behalf of the Millennium Development Goals, an addition was made to the climate bill providing a small amount of money for developing countries, which are affected most by global warming, Davis said.
Another resolution pending in the House of Deputies, C070, Memorializing the Genesis Covenant, would commit the Episcopal Church to a 50 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from the facilities it maintains by 2019.
The Diocese of Olympia's Genesis Covenant task force has created a six-parish pilot program aimed at developing a workable, cost-effective plan to accomplish this goal, said Michael Schut, associate program officer for economic and environmental affairs in the church's Advocacy Center.
The resolution also "gives a nod" to work done on the federal economic recovery package, which made grant money available for nonprofit organizations, including churches, in their efforts to go green, Davis said.
"The current climate bill will allow some of those monies to go for greening and retrofitting in the future," Davis said, adding that his office is monitoring the climate bill to determine how the process will work.
Pam Moffat, of the Episcopal Peace Fellowship, testified in the National and International Concerns committee in favor of Resolution D060, Reject Nuclear Options, because she fears that a move toward nuclear power plants to meet the United States' energy needs is dangerous and untruthful.
"We are being convinced that nuclear power is a way out [of the current energy crisis] and that we don't need to change our ways and our lifestyle of addiction," Moffat said.
Two resolutions, C034 and D001, have been filed that would establish a liturgical creation cycle during Pentecost from St. Francis' Day to Advent, "for the purpose of affirming the sacredness of God's creation, of spreading hope about God's reconciling work in creation and an understanding of environmental stewardship and ecological justice."
Such a resolution as implemented by churches and expressed through the actions of individuals and congregations could have profound effects.
"There is both an implicit and explicit curriculum when you walk into a church and the liturgy really is some of both, both spoken word, but it's also embodied," Schut said. "And in the Episcopal Church it is one of the most important realities, practices, mechanisms that define world views and say to people, 'this is important.' I think strongly encouraging a creation cycle regularly in the calendar year would be a particularly powerful way for the church to begin in its thinking and feeling to move in a direction that would get expressed eventually in actions."
-- Lynette Wilson is staff writer, Episcopal Life Media.

Deputies reject litigation resolution, approve ecumenical agreement and communications study

Episcopal News Service -- Anaheim, California] The House of Deputies July 14 addressed issues of church property litigation, a study of church communications, an agreement with the Presbyterian Church (USA) and new propers for Lesser Feasts and Fasts. Results from a vote by orders concerning the proposed elimination of voting privileges for retired bishops will be announced July 15.
Deputies defeated a resolution addressing the disclosure of the costs of Episcopal Church property litigation.
The House of Bishops had asked deputies to concur with their recommendation to refer the resolution to the Standing Commission on Stewardship and Development. The resolution had called for revealing the dollar amount the church spent "on litigation against dioceses, parishes, groups of churches and individuals since General Convention 2006" as well as information about where the funds came from, the money budgeted for litigation in the next triennium and "an estimate of the amount of property value retained and expected to be retained" by the church "because of pending and completed litigation as of General Convention 2009."
"We all need to know about the litigation going on in our church," said the Rev. Ellen Neufeld (Albany). "I speak very strongly in favor of this resolution so that information can be shared."
Deputies debated various options, including referring it to the Joint Standing Committee on Program, Budget and Finance or substituting previous wording to direct the Presiding Bishop and Executive Council to release the litigation information.
Thomas Fitzhugh III (Texas) said he was concerned that the resolution could put the Presiding Bishop and Executive Council "in a bad spot" because divulging information about ongoing litigation would reveal strategy to the other side. "Let's just kill it. This is nothing but an effort by people who try to steal our property" to find out how much the church has spent. "If they didn't try to walk off with it, we wouldn't have this motion."
Deputies ultimately voted not to concur with the bishops' recommendation, killing the legislation.Concerning communications, deputies approved a resolution directing the Episcopal Church Department of Communications to "undertake a comprehensive survey to determine the most appropriate means of reaching Episcopalians," with results distributed by April 1, 2010. Under the resolution, Episcopal Life's "staffing levels, frequency of publication, printing partner structure and news format" would continue until the study was completed and the newspaper's Board of Governors would "be informed of the survey data and consulted in finalizing the report and determining any changes to be made based on that report." The resolution came in response to a communications department proposal to change the Episcopal Church's monthly newspaper to a quarterly magazine beginning in 2010, said the Rev. Peter Strimer (Olympia), Communications committee chair. "Word of this decision caused concern among many in the church, particularly the Board of Governors of Episcopal Life and the 31 print partners who publish diocesan newspapers that are mailed" with Episcopal Life, he said. The Office of Communications has "vetted" the resolution, he said, noting the study will let print partners offer input to the survey "and time to develop possible alternatives."
The office indicated the study could be conducted as part of work it already plans for the fall, Strimer said in reaction to a comment about the potential cost of the study.
The Rev. Gerald Keucher (New York) said five-sixths of the department's budget goes to Episcopal Life, meaning the church's communication function is the newspaper "plus a few press releases." He called it "really inappropriate to try to micromanage the Communications Office of the church center in this regard" and urged giving the department's staff the "freedom to move this church into the late 20th century."
But an Episcopal communicator from one of the printing-partner dioceses, Anne Brown (Vermont), noted that a "significant portion of the budget comes from income from the printing partners. So it's not all money that is available if the printing partnerships were to stop." While moving to a quarterly publication could be the correct move, the church would be served best by a study to support that decision, she said, noting that Episcopal communicators want to be part of the decision-making process.
"Episcopal Life is a valued source of connection to the wider church for those in smaller dioceses," she said.
"In these debates," said Kim Byham (Newark), "we have to be careful not to create straw men. This resolution does not micromanage. It simply provides the information that we collect. It does not dictate the conclusions that will be reached. It's terribly important that in making a decision of this magnitude, changing our whole communications approach to the church, that we fully understand who the audience is and what their needs are. This is what this [resolution] attempts to do."
The resolution now moves to the House of Bishops.
Concerning ecumenical relations, deputies adopted, with an amendment, a resolution approving an agreement between the Episcopal Church and the Presbyterian Church (USA) approved by the Presbyterians' General Assembly in 2008. The resolution returns to the House of Bishops because the deputies changed the resolution to have the convention "adopt," rather than "receive," the agreement.
Following the morning's final approval of a resolution adding a significant number of names to the church calendar for trial use in the next triennium, the deputies approved propers for those commemorations – the related prayers, lessons and prefaces included in Lesser Feasts and Fasts. Because deputies amended one of the prayers, the resolution returns to the House of Bishops for reconsideration.
The deputies debated at some length the second reading of a resolution, approved at the 2006 General Convention, to maintain seat and voice in the House of Bishops for all bishops but limit votes to bishops with jurisdiction; coadjutor, suffragan or assistant bishops; and "every bishop holding an office created by General Convention." As a constitutional amendment, the resolution must pass two successive conventions with the same wording.
Some deputies discouraged disenfranchising retired bishops.
"We need to honor the experience and wisdom of our elders," said Debby Melnyk (Florida).
Others urged passage, noting retired bishops had asked for the change.
"It is a courtesy to them to do what they've asked," said Zoe Cole (Colorado).
-- Sharon Sheridan is copy editor of Episcopal Life.

Wednesday: A Real Hump Day

• The Deputies passed the amended version of D025 sent to them by the bishops by a vote of 78 deputations in favor, 21 opposed and nine deputations divided (and therefore counted as no votes.) The clergy tally was 77-19-11. Here is the amended resolution.
  
• The bishops have decided to postpone further consideration of C056, the same-sex blessing resolution until tomorrow afternoon.

Episcopal General Convention Says "Amen" to Inclusion

The House of Deputies reiterated its verwhelming support for the full inclusion of all the baptized in all orders of ministry by concurring with resolution DO25 as amended by the House of Bishops.

"Today's action put the 'Amen' at the end of one of the prayers we have prayed for an inclusive church--ending the BO33 'season' by stating unequivocally that the LGBT baptized can and will have equal access to ordination processes in the Episcopal Church," said the Reverend Susan Russell, president of Integrity USA.

"Our Lord told us that 'the truth will set us free'--and what this General Convention has done is to tell the truth that will set the Episcopal Church free for mission and ministry."

"We rejoice in this powerful witness to the Gospel and to God's inclusive love, and we urge the House of Bishops to continue in the spirit of truth and unity and send us out from Anaheim with the same kind of clarity about the blessing of same-sex relationships."

May we have your blessing, Jesus?

I haven't seen Malcolm Boyd since the day we were both arreseted at the Pentagon in an 'action' led by the Episcopal Peace Fellowship.

You see, the Pentagon had a chapel where they allowed prayers for victory but not for peace. We wanted to pray for peace there. The Pentagon said no. We tried to anyway. They arrested us. The judge agreed with us. So later, we prayed for peace in the Pentagon chapel.

Malcolm was amready a seasoned civil right activist. I was in college, an active member of the Episcopal campus ministry at the University of Maryland. Our Chaplain, Fr. Wofford K. Smith, invited me to join him and Bishop Paul Moore at the Pentagon.

It was A Great Day. I did not practice civil disobedience again until thus year on the day the California Supreme Court upheld Prop 8.

Malcolm continued his life as an activist and emerged as an author (Are You Running With Me Jesus?).

Along the way, some 40 years ago, he teamed with Dick Gregory for a month-long engagement of comedy, jazz and prayers at the Hungry I.

Tonight, thanks to the leadership of LA Bishop John Bruno, I experienced a night of Jazz & Prayers by Malcom. One prayer asked: "Will you bless us Jesus?" And I thought: in a way the bishops will decide that tomorrow afternoon.

Malcolm saved the best prayer for last; It ended with "we're celebrating! What?Life!!!"

Amen, Lord Jesus, amen!

Two trans resolutions pass House of Deputies

Integrity reports;

D032 Non-Discrimination in Lay Employment: adds 'gender expression' to the things we can't discriminate against when employing lay employees.

One Bishop asked whether 'gender expression' was a term used by psychologists. An answer was not provided. It passed with a good majority.

D090 Inclusive Church Paper Workrecommends and encourages all bodies of The Episcopal Church to utilize all available resources to revise and adapt forms to be fully inclusive of all people: by including lines not only for one's legal name, but also for one's preferred name as well as one's gender identity and pronoun preference.

That one passed unanimously. Both these resolutions now have to go to the House of Deputies.

At the end of yesterday C061 which would amend the canon on non-discrimination in the discernment process to include 'gender identity or expression' was voted on in the House of Deputies but the vote results were not available until today. It was a vote by orders and I understand it passed with a good majority vote in both orders.

This now goes to the Bishops.
As its a canonical change even if it passes it will need to be agreed at next Convention too.

Truth won out: my take on D025

Truth won out Monday afternoon.

By a vote of 99-45, with two abstaining, our church's bishops gave witness to the true state of affairs in The Episcopal Church.

And they did it for the right reasons.

After a debate marked by candor and courage, the bishops approved resolution D025 Commitment and Witness to Anglican Communion.

Developed by the World Mission Committee, the measure is widely recognized as a means of moving beyond B033, a controversial resolution approved in the waning hours of the previous General Convention. B033 purported to represent an agreement among bishops, deputies, and clergy that The Episcopal Church would not elevate another homosexual priest to the episcopate. Whether B033 had the force of canon law or not, the truth remains that during the past three years not a single gay or lesbian priest has been elected by a diocesan convention to serve as their bishop.

More @ Diocal.org: http://tinyurl.com/l7yem8

Sent from my iPhone

Episcopal Church has moved decisively closer to full acceptance of gay men and lesbians

(CNN) -- The Episcopal Church has moved decisively closer to full acceptance of gay men and lesbians, taking steps toward recognizing same-sex marriage and gay bishops.

Gene Robinson is the Episcopal Church's first -- and so far only -- openly gay bishop.

A key committee voted overwhelmingly Monday to start putting together blessings to be used in same-sex marriages, the church's official newspaper reported.

Separately, the House of Bishops voted by a wide margin to allow gays and lesbians to become bishops, Episcopal Life reported.

Both measures must be approved by the church's General Convention before taking effect, but expert Mark Silk said there is "little reason" to think the changes will not "sail through."

"They basically decided to move forward on all fronts with regularizing the status of gays and lesbians within the church," said Silk, director of the Leonard E. Greenberg Center for the Study of Religion in Public Life at Trinity College in Connecticut.

A leading campaigner for gay rights within the Episcopal Church welcomed the vote on bishops.

"There is no question that today's vote in the House of Bishops was an historic move forward and a great day for all who support the full inclusion of all the baptized in the Body of Christ," said Susan Russell, president of Integrity USA.

The vote shows the Episcopal Church "striving to actually become the church former Presiding Bishop Edmond Browning called us to be nearly 20 years ago now ... a church where there are no outcasts," she said in a statement on the group's Web site.

The Episcopal Church created controversy in 2003 with its decision to ordain Gene Robinson, who is openly gay, as a bishop. The move raised the possibility of a split within the worldwide Anglican Church, the third-largest Christian denomination, with about 70 million members around the world.

The Episcopal Church, the U.S. branch of the Anglican Church, has not ordained another openly gay bishop since Robinson.

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"The decision has been to kind of chill out on a bunch of things," Silk said.

But Monday's vote ends what had been, in effect, a moratorium, he said.

It was the Episcopal Church saying that "this wasn't an anomaly when we elected Gene Robinson. We affirm that partnered gay people do have callings [to be clergy], and we have to recognize them."

"It is bringing the church's position in line with the civil society's," Silk said.

The head of the Church of England, Archbishop of CanterburyRowan Williams, declined Tuesday through a spokesman to comment on Monday's moves.

But on Monday, he expressed "regret" at the vote on gay and lesbian bishops, according to Episcopal Life.

"I regret the fact that the will to observe a moratorium is not the will of such a significant part of the church in North America," the paper quoted him as saying.

A number of Episcopal dioceses have broken with the official church structure over gay and lesbian issues, forming the breakaway Anglican Church in North America.

They say the mainstream Episcopal Church and the aligned Anglican Church in Canada "have increasingly accommodated and incorporated un-Biblical, un-Anglican practices and friends."

All About Episcopal Church • GLBT Issues • Gene Robinson• Rowan Williams

Episcopal Church, at Anaheim convention, moves to end ban on gay bishops

Episcopalians were moving today toward ending a de facto ban on the ordination of gay bishops and toward sanctioning marriage blessings for same-sex couples despite warnings from church conservatives that the liberalized policies could further divide the influential denomination.

The actions by leaders of the 2.1-million member Episcopal Church at their General Convention in Anaheim are likely to deepen a theological fissure that already has led to the departure of traditionalist congregations  and dioceses.

And they are almost certain to trigger a backlash among the wider Anglican Communion, whose members in Africa, South America and elsewhere have asked their U.S. counterparts not to relax their positions on the two controversial issues. The Episcopal Church is the U.S. branch of the communion, which has 77 million members.

The church's two governing bodies -- bishops preside over one house, clergy and lay leaders head the other -- already have endorsed the gay bishops measure. A final procedural vote is expected today.

Meanwhile, the bishops this morning are debating a resolution that would effectively allow them to oversee the blessing of same-gender couples in states or jurisdictions where gay marriage is legal. Clergy and lay leaders have been supportive of the measure.

-- Duke Helfan @ LA Timesu

Historonics from the Bishop of Durham

Tom Wright

In the slow-moving train crash of international Anglicanism, a decision taken in California has finally brought a large coach off the rails altogether. The House of Bishops of the Episcopal Church (TEC) in the United States has voted decisively to allow in principle the appointment, to all orders of ministry, of persons in active same-sex relationships. This marks a clear break with the rest of the Anglican Communion.

Both the bishops and deputies (lay and clergy) of TEC knew exactly what they were doing. They were telling the Archbishop of Canterbury and the other "instruments of communion" that they were ignoring their plea for a moratorium on consecrating practising homosexuals as bishops. They were rejecting the two things the Archbishop of Canterbury has named as the pathway to the future — the Windsor Report (2004) and the proposed Covenant (whose aim is to provide a modus operandi for the Anglican Communion). They were formalising the schism they initiated six years ago when they consecrated as bishop a divorced man in an active same-sex relationship, against the Primates' unanimous statement that this would "tear the fabric of the Communion at its deepest level". In Windsor's language, they have chosen to "walk apart".

Granted, the TEC resolution indicates a strong willingness to remain within the Anglican Communion. But saying "we want to stay in, but we insist on rewriting the rules" is cynical double-think. We should not be fooled.

Of course, matters didn't begin with the consecration of Gene Robinson. The floodgates opened several years before, particularly in 1996 when a church court acquitted a bishop who had ordained active homosexuals. Many in TEC have long embraced a theology in which chastity, as universally understood by the wider Christian tradition, has been optional.

BACKGROUND

• Schism 'inevitable' after US approves gay bishops

• Bishops back Rowan Williams over gay sex row

• US Church pledges not to consecrate gay bishops

• No gay bishops? Then no bishops at all

That wider tradition always was counter-cultural as well as counter-intuitive. Our supposedly selfish genes crave a variety of sexual possibilities. But Jewish, Christian and Muslim teachers have always insisted that lifelong man-plus-woman marriage is the proper context for sexual intercourse. This is not (as is frequently suggested) an arbitrary rule, dualistic in overtone and killjoy in intention. It is a deep structural reflection of the belief in a creator God who has entered into covenant both with his creation and with his people (who carry forward his purposes for that creation).

Paganism ancient and modern has always found this ethic, and this belief, ridiculous and incredible. But the biblical witness is scarcely confined, as the shrill leader in yesterday'sTimes suggests, to a few verses in St Paul. Jesus's own stern denunciation of sexual immorality would certainly have carried, to his hearers, a clear implied rejection of all sexual behaviour outside heterosexual monogamy. This isn't a matter of "private response to Scripture" but of the uniform teaching of the whole Bible, of Jesus himself, and of the entire Christian tradition.

The appeal to justice as a way of cutting the ethical knot in favour of including active homosexuals in Christian ministry simply begs the question. Nobody has a right to be ordained: it is always a gift of sheer and unmerited grace. The appeal also seriously misrepresents the notion of justice itself, not just in the Christian tradition of Augustine, Aquinas and others, but in the wider philosophical discussion from Aristotle to John Rawls. Justice never means "treating everybody the same way", but "treating people appropriately", which involves making distinctions between different people and situations. Justice has never meant "the right to give active expression to any and every sexual desire".

Such a novel usage would also raise the further question of identity. It is a very recent innovation to consider sexual preferences as a marker of "identity" parallel to, say, being male or female, English or African, rich or poor. Within the "gay community" much postmodern reflection has turned away from "identity" as a modernist fiction. We simply "construct" ourselves from day to day.

We must insist, too, on the distinction between inclination and desire on the one hand and activity on the other — a distinction regularly obscured by references to "homosexual clergy" and so on. We all have all kinds of deep-rooted inclinations and desires. The question is, what shall we do with them? One of the great Prayer Book collects asks God that we may "love the thing which thou commandest, and desire that which thou dost promise". That is always tough, for all of us. Much easier to ask God to command what we already love, and promise what we already desire. But much less like the challenge of the Gospel.

The question then presses: who, in the US, is now in communion with the great majority of the Anglican world? It would be too hasty to answer, the newly formed "province" of the "Anglican Church in North America". One can sympathise with some of the motivations of these breakaway Episcopalians. But we should not forget the Episcopalian bishops, who, doggedly loyal to their own Church, and to the expressed mind of the wider Communion, voted against the current resolution. Nor should we forget the many parishes and worshippers who take the same stance. There are many American Episcopalians, inside and outside the present TEC, who are eager to sign the proposed Covenant. That aspiration must be honoured.

Contrary to some who have recently adopted the phrase, there is already a "fellowship of confessing Anglicans". It is called the Anglican Communion. The Episcopal Church is now distancing itself from that fellowship. Ways must be found for all in America who want to be loyal to it, and to scripture, tradition and Jesus, to have that loyalty recognised and affirmed at the highest level.

Tom Wright is Bishop of Durham

Mainline Protestants and Same-Sex Marriage

TIM O'BRIEN, anchor: The issue of gay marriage is on the agenda as the U.S. Episcopal Church holds its once-every-three-years general convention in Anaheim, California.  For years, Episcopalians have been deeply divided over homosexuality.  One proposal being debated at this meeting would allow Episcopal churches to conduct same-sex weddings in the six states that have legalized gay marriage.  Currently, most mainline denominations do not officially allow same-sex weddings.  But the changing legal environment is adding new pressure.  Kim Lawton has our report.

KIM LAWTON: Boston's historic Church of the Covenant has been an important place for Anne Crane and Sarah Perreault. The lesbian couple had their first date there in the late 1970s and by the time Massachusetts legalized same-sex marriage, the two had been active members for more than 25 years. So a church wedding seemed the obvious choice.

SARAH PERREAULT: In particular we wanted to be married at our home church with our community and our family and friends.

LAWTON: But it was complicated. Church of the Covenant is dually aligned with two mainline denominations: the United Church of Christ and the Presbyterian Church (USA).  And while the UCC has no problem marrying same-sex couples, it's against national Presbyterian policy.

ANNE CRANE: Well, it's painful to know that the church that I've been a part of all my life does not recognize our relationship and our marriage as being a legitimate marriage.

LAWTON:  Church of the Covenant worked it out so that a retired UCC minister conducted the ceremony, and the Presbyterian side of the church officially stayed out of it.  Crane and Perreault say their wedding was beautiful and meaningful, but not quite everything they would have planned.

PERREAULT:  I felt badly because there were people that we would have liked to include in our ceremony who could not participate because they were ordained Presbyterian clergy. There was a real loss there.

Man at Protest:  "We are a couple…"

LAWTON:  For decades, mainline denominations have been wrestling over issues surrounding homosexuality: whether to ordain gay clergy and whether to recognize–and bless same-sex unions. Now that six states have legalized gay marriage, those battles are taking on a new urgency. Some church members are pushing the denominations to re-assess their policies, while others are fighting to hold the line.

Mark Tooley is president of the Institute on Religion and Democracy, an advocacy group that supports conservative positions within mainline denominations.

MARK TOOLEY:  The church shouldn't just go along with what the wider society demands of it. But the church is ideally supposed to be faithful to timeless teachings that have been presented to the church through its Scripture and through its traditions.

Minister:  "To have and to hold…"

LAWTON: Currently, while the Unitarians and the UCC conduct gay marriages, mainline Protestant denominations as a rule don't officially allow it. Clergy who participate in same-sex weddings could face church trials and even risk being defrocked.

Minister:  "I hereby pronounce you husband and husband…"

TOOLEY:  Traditionalists within those churches will strive to help to ensure there is as much fidelity as possible, by the clergy to the official teachings.

LAWTON: In the United Methodist Church, 83-year-old Richard Harding has a long history of activism for gay rights. He helped found Reconciling Retired Clergy, a network of retired pastors willing to perform gay marriages.

REV. RICHARD HARDING: There's not a whole lot that they can do to we retired clergy, and there's a whole lot that they can do to active clergy that they can't do to us. And that's why we're stepping in.

LAWTON: Harding says he believes what he's doing is the right thing, so he's willing to risk any repercussions.

HARDING: We could be defrocked. I would be now sitting here as Mr. Harding instead of Reverend Harding. And in Massachusetts, a lay person can go for a day to the state house and get permission to officiate at a marriage. So I'd still be able to do it, only I just wouldn't be a pastor anymore.

LAWTON: At Church of the Covenant, interim minister Jennifer Wegter-McNelly is an ordained Presbyterian pastor. She says her congregation has been put in a difficult position of trying to maintain support for gay members while still respecting the national denomination.

REV. JENNIFER WEGTER-MCNELLY: We have a long history and we're very active, and so I think there is a lot of really thoughtful hard conversation about how do we be prophetic and remain faithful and connected to the churches that are our larger community?

LAWTON: So far, they've been able to do that by keeping same-sex weddings solely under the jurisdiction of the UCC part of their church. Other congregations don't have that option. Episcopal clergy also can't conduct gay marriages. In an effort to be even-handed, many Massachusetts Episcopal churches aren't doing any weddings, gay or straight. Instead, Reverend Pam Werntz at Boston's Emmanuel Episcopal Church says they provide a blessing for couples who are married by the state.

REV. PAM WERNTZ:  That could happen separately, it could happen at the courthouse and then a couple comes here for the ceremony, or it can happen in the same ceremony where a Justice of the Peace presides over the first part of the service and the priest presides over the blessing and often a Eucharist celebration.

LAWTON: The compromise may have helped circumvent some of the denominational difficulties, but Werntz says it was still painful for many members.

WERNTZ:  There were people that left the church in feeling a lot of sorrow and betrayal that the Episcopal Church couldn't move as fast as I think it needed to move when same-sex marriage was legalized.

LAWTON: UCC minister Reine Abele, who does perform gay weddings, say churches need to be better at addressing social concerns.

REV. REINE ABELE: Churches generally are not the leading edge of cultural change in our society. They are often not the engine but the caboose.

LAWTON: But despite the new activism, mainline clergy continue to be conflicted over the issue, and those who support gay marriages still appear to be in the minority.

LAWTON: According to a recent survey by Public Religion Research, mainline clergy are generally more supportive of gay rights than Americans as a whole. But that doesn't hold true when it comes to same-sex marriage. Only a third of mainline clergy support gay marriage. That number is just about the same for Americans overall.

TOOLEY: Often people in wider society are very surprised to learn that the mainline churches don't already accept same sex marriage, because typically these churches, at least for the last 50, 60 years or more have been on the liberal side of social issues. But they have hung back on the marriage issue.

LAWTON: For many, it's an issue of basic theology.

TOOLEY: Typically for Jews and Christians, marriage is a metaphor for faithfulness between God and his people and once you begin to redefine what marriage is you ultimately start to redefine who God is and that obviously and understandably is difficult for Christians and Jews.

LAWTON: In the Presbyterian Church (USA), Reverend Mary Holder Naegeli is among those urging the denomination to maintain its stand.

REV. MARY HOLDER NAEGELI: Homosexual practice is not God's design for humanity. Not being God's design for humanity, having these clear prohibitions in the Scripture make homosexual practice a sin. Homosexual marriage makes permanent a situation that God wants to redeem.

LAWTON: But others advocate a different interpretation of the Bible.

WEGTER-MCNELLY: Our call to be inclusive of all people comes from scripture.  It comes from faithfulness to God, it comes from understanding that all people are made in the image of God and it's essential to support people in their relationships, to bless them and support them and nurture them.

LAWTON: For Wegter-McNelly, the issue also comes down to her pastoral responsibilities to the people in her pews.

WEGTER-MCNELLY:  Here gay marriage isn't an abstract issue. It's not a political issue.  It's very much an issue of the people of the congregation being in community together. To tell people that this community that is the compass for your life is not going to bless and support you in your intimate relationship is kind of an impossibility.

LAWTON: But supporters of traditional marriage say pastors also have a responsibility to their faith and to the wider church.

HOLDER NAEGELI: Why would I, a representative of God, help people make permanent with a vow, I take marriage vows very seriously, but with a vow to make permanent then, seal something, that God wouldn't agree with?

LAWTON: As they celebrate their fifth wedding anniversary, Anne Crane and Sarah Perreault are glad their church wedding worked out.

CRANE:  "It's a liberating feeling and it's enabled me and us to just, to live our lives honestly and openly, and many people don't have that opportunity and have to continue living a lie. And that's the sad thing."

Minister:  "Those whom God has joined together, let no one put asunder.  Amen."

LAWTON: But given the conflicts within the mainline churches, the situation is not likely to change any time soon. I'm Kim Lawton in Boston.

Comments on the state of the Communion

Perspectives on the Comminion, Covenant, etc.:

Canon Robert L. Falby, Prolocutor of the Anglican Church of Canada: Concerned By shift in tone from first sections of the draft Covenant to the fourth (which deals with discipline of errant churches).

The Very Reverend Rowan Smith, Dean of Cape Town at St. George's Anglican Cathedral: We need to look at how each national church governs itself. How would CofE respond to intervention in their General Synod by Presiding Bishop of US church? 

Each church may reach decisions in a different manner. In some, the bishops may decide whether to sign on to the Covenant. In ours, big decisions like this must be discussed at dicesan level, decisions can be blocked by laity alone. 

Dr. Jenny Te Paa, Principal of Te Rau Kahikatea, College of St. John the Evangelist, Auckland, New Zealand: Impressed by integrity (her word) of the process as provinces address Covenant. Lots of truth telling.

Will Episcopal Church move draw in -- or drive out-- believers?

The Episcopal Church is opening the role of bishops to gays and lesbians -- and maybe widening the gap between the U.S. church and the worldwide Anglican Communion.

In a packed hall at their governing meeting in Anaheim Monday, the House of Bishops echoed the House of Deputies (priests and lay leaders) in a lopsided vote in favor of the move to allow "any ordained ministry" in the Church to any qualified person, according to Episcopal News Service.

(For the roll call vote, and observations of the post-vote press conference, check Episcopal Cafe for Jim Naughton's posts.)

This is expected to lift a self-imposed "restraint" on the Church confirming any more gay bishops since it accepted openly gay New Hampshire Bishop Gene Robinson in 2003.

Whether that "restraint" was a formal block or simply appeared like one, no other openly gay candidates have been elected since Robinson's confirmation ignited open warfare with traditionalists in the 2.1 million member denomination, the U.S. branch of the Communion.

Worldwide Anglican schism now seems inevitable

A worldwide Anglican schism now seems inevitable after Episcopal bishops in the United States today backed the consecration of gay bishops.

Episcopal bishops approved a resolution passed earlier this week by the laity and clergy that allows "partnered gays" full access to ordination.

The Archbishop of Canterbury expressed "regret" over a decision by Anglicans in the US that represents a blow to his hopes for Church unity.

They took the step towards schism in spite of a plea by Dr Rowan Williams, who addressed the General Convention in Anaheim, California, last week.

The new resolution effectively overturns the moratoria on same-sex blessings and gay consecrations agreed by the last General Convention of The Episcopal Church in 2006.

It means that it is only a matter of time before another partnered gay bishop is elected, following in the footsteps of gay-rights pioneer Gene Robinson, the Bishop of New Hampshire.

Dr Williams has found his time as Archbishop dominated by having to deal with the fallout from the consecration of the openly gay Bishop Robinson in 2003. Only last month conservative Episcopalians set up a new province, the Anglican Church in North America, which is seeking recognition from Dr Williams and the General Synod of the Church of England.

Anglican leaders requested the moratorium five years ago in an attempt to prevent schism. The Episcopal Church General Convention three years ago urged "restraint" over the election of bishops whose "manner of life" would cause offence to the wider Anglican Communion.

But Dr Williams's hopes of maintaining unity seemed increasingly futile as the Episcopal Church's Presiding Bishop, Katherine Jefferts Schori, warned the Church of England that it should not recognise the new province, arguing that "schism is not a Christian act".

About a quarter of General Synod members, including four diocesan and two suffragan bishops, back a private member's motion calling on the Church of England to declare itself "in communion" with the American conservatives.

Earlier Bishop Jefferts Schori "threw a hand grenade" into proceedings, as USA Today's Faith and Reason blog put it, when she said that the tendency to focus on individual salvation in the debate over sexual ethics was "heresy" and "idolatry".

The Anglican church in the United States is now facing calls for its representatives to be kicked off the bodies that run the Anglican Communion.

Bishop of Sherborne Dr Graham Kings said: "The Episcopal Church has clearly signalled, against the specific plea of the Archbishop of Canterbury on this very issue, its choice of autonomy over interdependence in the Anglican Communion. Questions will now have to be asked about the full continued participation of Episcopal Church representatives in Anglican Communion meetings."

Dr Kings's comments are particularly significant because, as a founder of the open or moderate evangelical forum Fulcrum, he has been one of the strongest advocates in the Church for maintaining bonds between evangelicals and liberals.

The decision will strengthen support for the breakaway conservative rebels from the evangelical provinces of Africa and Asia.

It also strengthens the hand of the newly formed Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans in the UK, making schism within the Church of England more likely.

The Times of London

US Episcopal church bishops vote for ordaining gay clergy

After more than two hours of discussion and with a standing-room-only crowd watching, the house of bishops of the Episcopal church chose to adopt resolution D025, which opens "any ordained ministry" to gay and lesbian people.

They voted 99-45, with two abstentions, for the resolution, which now goes to a committee that must make a recommendation to two legislative houses about whether to agree with it, amend it or defeat it.

It will be a blow for the archbishop of Canterbury, who has spent much of his tenure trying to hold the Anglican communion together amid deep differences over the issue of homosexuality.

Some US conservatives have severed ties with the Episcopal church (TEC) to form their own church and they enjoy the support of populous African churches, which claim to have half of the 80m members of the communion.

Bishop Gene Robinson of New Hampshire, who is at the eye of the storm because he is in a long-term relationship with a man, had urged his fellow bishops to support the measure, saying it was time for them to "stand up and be the church God is calling us to be".

Some delegates at the TEC's general convention in Anaheim, California, deny the resolution overturns BO33, which urged restraint in consenting to the consecration of bishops whose "manner of life" challenged the rest of the Anglican communion – a challenge widely understood to refer to gay bishops in relationships. They also deny they are overturning a moratorium on ordaining gay clergy, saying the resolution does not expressly do that.

Equality campaigners, however, are clear about the meaning and consequences of yesterday's decision.

Susan Russell, from Integrity USA, said it was "another step in the Episcopal church's 'coming out' process."

In a separate development that could intensify the crisis, a resolution asking for the collection and development of resources and liturgies of blessing for same-sex unions to be discussed at TEC's next general convention was also passed to the house of bishops for endorsement.  More @ The Guardian, UK

Episcopal Church Moves to End Ban on Gay Bishops

By LAURIE GOODSTEIN

ANAHEIM, Calif. — The bishops of the Episcopal Church voted at the church's convention on Monday to open "any ordained ministry" to gay men and lesbians, a move that could effectively undermine a moratorium on ordaining gay bishops that the church passed at its last convention three years ago.

The resolution passed on Monday was written in a way that would allow dioceses to consider gay candidates to the episcopacy, but does not mandate that all dioceses do so.

A similar measure was passed on Sunday by the church's other legislative body, the House of Deputies, which is made up of laypeople and clergy. On Tuesday, the bishops' version will probably go back to the House of Deputies for reconsideration.

The resolution, if approved, would probably add to the strife in the Anglican Communion, the world's third largest family of Christian churches, of which the Episcopal Church is the American branch.

The battle over homosexuality in the Episcopal Church has been watched closely by other mainline Protestant churches that are also divided internally on the issue. Many are looking to the Episcopal Church as a bellwether that could foretell whether their denominations can survive the storm over homosexuality intact. More at NY Times

Archbishop of Canterbury concerned at US approval of more gay bishops

Dr Rowan Williams had travelled to America last week to urge liberal clergy there not to do anything that would jeopardise the fragile unity of the Anglican Communion.
But clergy and lay members of the Episcopal Church of the USA have now effectively agreed to overturn a ban on homosexual bishops that was imposed to stop the 80 million-strong global church breaking apart.

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If the controversial proposal is confirmed by bishops it could trigger the long-feared permanent division in the 80 million-strong global church into liberal and traditionalist wings.
Speaking on the last day of the gathering in York of the Church of England's governing body, the General Synod, Dr Williams said: "I regret the fact that there is not the will to observe the moratorium in such a significant part of the Church in North America but I can't say more about that as I have no details."
Anglicanism has been edging towards schism since 2003 when the Episcopal Church of the USA, the national church in North America, ordained the Rt Rev Gene Robinson, who is openly homosexual, as Bishop of New Hampshire in defiance of tradition and Biblical teaching.
Since then hundreds of conservative priests and parishioners, who believe same-sex relationships are sinful, have either defected from the Episcopal Church or been deposed by liberals. A new Anglican "province" was created recently as a new home for traditionalists who oppose the modernising agenda of clergy in America and Canada. See Archbishop of Canterbury concerned at US approval of more gay bishops
Telegraph.co.uk

Can a gay bishop speak for God? Who says a call is true?

Who says who has heard God's call?
Sunday, the Episcopal Church's House of Deputies (priests and lay leaders) overwhelmingly approved a resolution to open the gates to gay bishops, while still insisting on their valuable ties to the worldwide Anglican Communion, which largely disapproves.
The resolution "acknowledges that God has called and may call any individual in the church to any ordained ministry in the Episcopal Church." Read: More actively gay clergy, like Bishop Gene Robinson of New Hampshire, may be elected and confirmed by the Church.
So are advocates for the U.S. branch of the Communion halfway down the road to gender equality in the pulpit for the 2.1 million-member denomination? Or halfway to nowhere?
After all, the massive governing body (second in size only to the state of India) is like the U.S. Congress, a bi-bicameral legislature where nothing becomes church law or practice without consent from both the Deputies and the House of Bishops, which is much more reticent on the issue.
Church spokeswoman Neva Rae Fox says it's not known when the bishops will take up this resolution. The other hot potato on the legislative agenda -- blessings for same-sex marriages -- awaits debate in both houses. They're only halfway through the 10-day General Convention in Anaheim Calif. If it doesn't pass both houses, it's dead for three more fractious years until the next GC. See Can a gay bishop speak for God? Who says a call is true?
USA Today -

Episcopal Bishops Vote for “No Outcasts”

By a nearly 2-1 margin, the bishops of the Episcopal Church passed an amended version of resolution D025, which effectively ends the “BO33 Era” and returns the church to relying on its canons and discernment processes for the election of bishops.

“While concurrence on the amended resolution by the House of Deputies is necessary before it is officially adopted by the church as a whole,” said Integrity President Susan Russell, “there is no question that today’s vote in the House of Bishops was an historic move forward and a great day for all who support the full inclusion of all the baptized in the Body of Christ.”
“It was a tremendous privilege to be a witness to the courage and candor of the bishops who spoke truth to each other and to us – and who called the Episcopal Church to speak our truth to our Anglican Communion brothers and sisters and to the world.

“The truth is we are a church committed to mission – we are a church committed to the full inclusion of all the baptized in that mission – and we are a church committed to creating as broad a place to stand as possible for ALL who wish to be part of this great adventure of being disciples of Jesus.
“In this carefully constructed and prayerfully considered resolution, our Presiding Bishop got what she both asked for and voted for: a positive statement about where we are as a church in 2009 – a church striving to actually become the church former Presiding Bishop Edmond Browning called us to be nearly 20 years ago now … a church where there are no outcasts.”
“The debate on the floor of the House of Bishops made it VERY clear that our bishops knew exactly what they were doing when they passed this by a nearly 2-1 margin. The resolution passed today by the House of Bishops was another step in the Episcopal Church’s “coming out” process – and it sends a strong “come and see” message to anyone looking for a faith community where God’s inclusive love is not just proclaimed but practiced.”

Gay Kiss-In Organized in Defiance of LDS Church

Dozens of people gathered on the sidewalk of Main Street Plaza in Salt Lake City near the Mormon Temple Sunday for a "Kiss-In" to protest the detention of a male couple, Derek Jones and Matt Aune, by LDS security guards last Thursday, according to The Advocate.

Jones and Aune were hand-cuffed and held in detention for hugging and kissing on the plaza. They were also issued a citation for trespassing and banned from LDS Church headquarters campus for six months. .

Organizer and former city councilwoman Deeda Seed encouraged 'gentle' displays of public affection, and participants stuck to short kisses on the mouth and cheeks. Seed who was against the sale of the property to the Church years ago stated "We have tons of gay and lesbian friends and transgender and we just really want to support them." SEE Gay Kiss-In Organized in Defiance of LDS Church SheWired

BACKGROUD: This is the week the ABC "faces a critical week in his bid to prevent the Anglican Communion from splitting over the issue of homosexuality

Dr Rowan Williams flew to America last week ahead of moves by church leaders in the US to introduce rites for same-sex unions and to promote more gay bishops.

Conservatives in the Church of England are threatening to divide worldwide Anglicanism if the liberal Americans force through radical reforms at a crucial meeting in California this week.

Dozens of members of the General Synod have backed a motion that calls on the Church to recognise a breakaway movement in the US opposed to the pro-gay agenda.

The Rt Rev Tom Wright, Bishop of Durham, said that the Church of England was considering recognising the new group, in a move could provoke fury among liberal clergy in this country.

Leading clergy met in London last week to launch the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans of UK and Ireland to campaign against active homosexuality in the Church.

The Rt Rev Michael Nazir-Ali, the Bishop of Rochester, is among the group's leaders who said that liberal moves have brought "heartache" and "real problems".

The consecration of Gene Robinson, in the US, as the Anglican Communion's first openly gay bishop triggered the biggest crisis in modern Church history.

Dr Williams placated conservatives by persuading the liberal American leaders to halt their pro-gay agenda and received widespread support at last year's Lambeth Conference.

However, the agreement that he secured will come under serious threat in a series of motions to be debated at this week's General Convention.

They would give the green light to blessing services for gay couples and for more gay bishops.

Anglican clergy who backed the motions argued that it was pointless to toe the line any longer.

"It is clear that our charitable restraint in the matter of our declining to develop a rite or rites to allow the celebration and blessing of sacred unions for people of the same gender has not had the effect of preserving unity," they said.

See Archbishop of Canterbury in bid to prevent church split over ... Telegraph.co.uk - Jonathan Wynne-Jones

TOP Scots cleric last night called for gay couples to be allowed to marry in church

A TOP Scots cleric last night called for gay couples to be allowed to marry in church.

And the Very Rev Kelvin Holdsworth wants homosexual ministers to be able to tie the knot in front of their congregations as well.

The clergyman, provost of St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral in Glasgow, is calling on the Scottish Parliament to scrap the law banning same-sex church weddings.

He said: “I want every gay couple to be able to walk down the street holding hands if they wish. I also want every gay couple to be able to walk down the aisle holding hands if they want.

“I want to alert MSPs to this so Parliament can bring in this relatively small, but very important change.”

Rev Holdsworth said he knew of many gay and lesbian Episcopal priests.

And he insisted Scotland was “more grown up” than England in dealing with issues of sexuality.

His comments came in the wake of a threatened split in the Church of Scotland over the appointment of openly gay minister the Rev Scott Rennie in Aberdeen. Rev Holdsworth added: “Civil partnerships contain many of the same rights and privileges as marriage, but they are not the same.

“You can’t celebrate a civil partnership in a chuch and if I tried to then I’d be breaking the law.”

The former University of Stirling chaplain revealed he was initially against the idea of gay marriage.

But he told how he changed his mind after he was approached by a homosexual couple who asked him to bless their partnership.

He said: “It really convinced me that the way people feel about one another is exactly the same whether they are gay or straight.” Gay rights group Equality Network — who also want the law changed — praised Rev Holdsworth’s comments as “inspirational”.

See Rev: Allow gays church weddings The Sun - Robert McAulay -

When tradition and modernity collide

George Clifford writes @ Episcopal Cafe:

Choose this day whom you will serve: the dead, institutionalized idol of time-bound religion or the living God that no earthly artistic image, regardless of the medium, can faithfully depict? That choice confronts the Episcopal Church at its 2009 General Convention in Anaheim. I pray that the Episcopal Church will wisely avoid unnecessary votes, harmful posturing, the temptation to reject the new in favor of the time-bound, and the temptation to reject fresh insights into the depth of God's all-embracing love for ephemeral firework

The Rev. Dr. George Clifford, Diocese of North Carolina, served as a Navy chaplain for twenty-four years He taught philosophy at the U. S. Naval Academy and ethics at the Postgraduate School. He blogs at Ethical Musings.

More of When tradition and modernity collide

New Marriage Resolution Goes To Bishops

The Prayer Book, Liturgy and Music Committee have put together a resolution. This will be going first to the House of Bishops (we don't know when). Here's the revised text together with Bishop Parsley's minority statement.

Resolved, the House of Deputies concurring, that the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music, in consultation with the House of Bishops Theology Committee, collect and develop theological resources and liturgies of blessing for same-gender holy unions, to be presented to the 77th General Convention for formal consideration, and be it further

Resolved, that the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music, in consultation with the House of Bishops Theology Committee, devise an open process for the conduct of its work in this matter, inviting participation from dioceses, congregations, and individuals who are or have already engaged in the study or design of such rites throughout the Anglican Communion, and be it further

Resolved, that all bishops, noting particularly those in dioceses within civil jurisdictions where same-gender marriage, civil unions, or domestic partnerships are legal, may provide generous pastoral response to meet the needs of members of this Church; and be it further

Resolved, that honoring the theological diversity of this Church, no bishop or other member of the clergy shall be compelled to authorize or officiate at such liturgies, and be it further

Resolved, that the Anglican Consultative Council be invited to conversation regarding this resolution and the work that proceeds from it, together with other churches in the Anglican Communion engaged in similar processes.


Minority report from Bishop Henry N. Parsley:

I offer the minority opinion that in the 3rd resolve the substitute should read, "Resolved , that in dioceses within civil jurisdictions where same gender marriage or civil unions are legal, the bishop may provide a generous pastoral response to meet the needs of the members of this church."

Explanation:

This language focuses on the six states where same gender marriage or civil unions are legal which I believe to be our correct focus at this time.


+ Henry Parsley, 7/13/09

B033 and Anglican arguments about sexuality

A short film from the Chicago Consultation about the Anglican Communion's arguments about sexuality.

Eyes on the Floor: The house reclaims solid ground

Richard Helmer writes @ The Episcopal Cafe:

While D025 still faces an uncertain future in the House of Bishops, I believe that the House of Deputies has taken a major step forward for the life of The Episcopal Church and honest relationship in the Anglican Communion. In doing so, we have sent a clear message about both our identity and calling – one that will not be easily dismissed or undermined.
As I was departing the House, which adjourned about fifteen minutes late this evening, I happened by God’s grace upon The Rt. Rev. Gene Robinson at the back of the hall. He had stepped into the guest section shortly after the House of Bishops had adjourned. Smiling, we embraced, and I said, “I think this house is on solid ground again.”

He agreed.

With the passage of D025, the House of Deputies is now back on the solid ground of truth.

More of Eyes on the Floor: The house reclaims solid ground

Schim Proceedes Prior To Passage of H025 by the House of Dputies

Just in case you missed this: those American schismatics who "left" the Episcopal Church were busy pursing their dreams of schism long before the General Convention even began - and well before the House of Deputies approved H025 yesterday. How then can anyone suggest that schism will be averted if the House of Bishops refuses to approve H025?

The Christian Century reports:

Conservative Anglicans disenchanted with the liberal direction in their U.S. and Canadian churches say they are confident that a new church body formally launched in June will one day gain a seat in the worldwide Anglican Communion.

The new Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) has been organized, its leaders say, as an alternative for Anglicans who disagree with the theology of the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church of Canada.

"This is the beginning of a recovery of confidence in Anglicanism as a biblical, missionary church," said former Fort Worth Episcopal bishop Jack Iker.

Iker and other ex-Episcopalians frequently criticized their former denomination's approval of female clergy and the 2003 election of an openly gay bishop in New Hampshire. Iker seceded, along with his diocese, late last year.

The ACNA, he added, will give "the mainstream of our clergy and laity a chance to recover confidence and enthusiasm about being an Anglican Christian." See Ex-Episcopalians launch rival Anglican church body The Christian Century

Peace fellowship honors Brownings

[Episcopal News Service] The Episcopal Peace Fellowship (EPF) on July 11 honored former Presiding Bishop Edmund Browning and his wife Patti as "living examples of Christ's prophetic witness" with the John Nevin Sayre Peace Award.

Surrounded by family, friends and former colleagues, the Brownings were given a copy of an icon originally commissioned for former Utah Bishop Paul Jones, a pacifist forced to resign his episcopate because of his opposition to World War I. The Sayre award is named after a founding member of the U.S. branch of the interfaith Fellowship of Reconciliation, which was instrumental in founding EPF in 1939. Both organizations advocate for peace and nonviolent conflict resolution.

Surrounded by family, friends and former colleagues, the Brownings were given a copy of an icon originally commissioned for former Utah Bishop Paul Jones, a pacifist forced to resign his episcopate because of his opposition to World War I. The Sayre award is named after a founding member of the U.S. branch of the interfaith Fellowship of Reconciliation, which was instrumental in founding EPF in 1939. Both organizations advocate for peace and nonviolent conflict resolution.

"You may think because of your young years that your grandparents are known as blueberry farmers who also have this interesting fascination with raising ducks and chickens," Brian Grieves, outgoing director of the Episcopal Church's advocacy center, told Browning's grandsons Noah Browning, 14, and Philip Winkle, 16, during the award presentation. "The two of you, I hope, [will] get the sense this evening of the immense love your church has for your grandparents and why we feel as we do about them."

Grieves recounted how Browning went to a leper colony soon after arriving as bishop of Okinawa. "Receiving the instructions on how the service would proceed, he was told that the leprosy patients who would be confirmed would have a lovely linen doily placed on their heads, so the bishop could lay hands on their heads without touching them.

"Ed Browning said, ‘I don't think we'll be needing the doilies,' and for the first time he laid his hands upon the confirmands and touched them," Grieves said.

Grieves also described walking down Second Avenue in New York with Patti Browning. "There would be a homeless person on the side of the street. Patti would say, ‘Brian, give him a dollar.' And I did, although I was always a little skeptical."

"Patti is not skeptical. Patti has such a passion for the marginalized and oppressed people and poor people and identified so deeply with them because she, too, has the heart of a pastor. And that's why were honoring these two people tonight, out of that deep sense of pastoral care."

He also lauded the Brownings for their "deep commitment to justice for the Palestinian people" and recalled Edmund Browning's famous declaration when he accepted his election as presiding bishop at the last General Convention held in Anaheim, in 1985: "In this church of ours, there shall be no outcasts." Browning served through 1997.

Accepting the award, Browning said, "I think this has been one of the most meaningful things that has happened during the course of our time together and our ministry together."

"We feel extremely blessed and loved in a way that … has meant everything in the world to us," he said. "We both have shared that sense the last few hours."

-- Sharon Sheridan is copy editor of Episcopal Life.

What happens if the House of Bishops Rejects D025?

What would happen if the House of Bishops rejects or guts D025?

First, our bishops will prove once again that denial is not just a river in Egypt. Seriously: all D025 does is recognize three simple truths:

1. We would like to be part of the Anglican Communion
2. LGBT people are an important part of our church, they are valued members in our pews and pulpits and in (in one case) our bishops
   
3. We are bound by our cannons (which prohibit discriminating against lesbians or gays when the church makes employment decisions)

To deny D025, bishops would have to push our cannons as well as gay and lesbian Episcopalians back into the closet, to pretend that neither the cannons nor gay and lesbian Episcopalians exist.

Second, our bishops would have to ignore the unpleasant truth that the so-called schism continues apace as it has since the approval of B033. B033 did not stop the so-called schism, in fact B033 failed to even slow the so-called schism. This is the truth: rejecting D025 will not stop the so-called schism, nor will it prevent it from spreading to the UK.

Third, D025 is a compromise carefully crafted to deserve the support of our bishops. If D025 is sufficient to spark schism, and if the Bishops were to reject D025 , then all of the compromises accepted by the Deputies were for naught. Perhaps the only avenue open to a majority of Deputies would then be to pass measure devoid of compromises, a measure that makes clear their commitment to a church of cannons and inclusion. That measure might prompt far more stress for the Archbishop of Canterbury than D025. It might also mean the only way to show we have moved beyond B033 is for Standing Committees across our church to approve the next lesbian or gay candidate who is elected by a diocese.

Hyperbole begins: "Schism closer as US Anglicans vote to overturn ban on gay ordinations"

Over in the UK, Ruth Gledhill has taken the lead in over reacting to the HOD's approval of D025. She helps put the Bishops in a hard place: if they back D025, they risk "splitting the Communion." As if rejecting D025 would heal the church, end cross-border incursions and halt the divisive work of neo-cons spreads to the UK. But what would happen if the bishops bend to the Archbishop's will? More about that later.

Ruth writes:

The Archbishop of Canterbury today expressed "regret" over a decision by Anglicans in the US that could result in the Church consecrating more gay bishops.

Dr Rowan Williams made clear his concern after clergy and laity in The Episcopal Church voted at the General Convention in California to overturn a moratorium on gay ordinations.

Clergy and laity in the US backed a motion that "acknowledges that God has called and may call any individual in the church to any ordained ministry in the Episcopal Church, in accordance with the discernment process set forth in the Constitution and Canons of the church."

This means that anyone can be ordained regardless of sexuality.

If the US bishops back the move when they vote on it later today or tomorrow, a formal split in the Anglican Communion seems inevitable.

The vote represents a snub to Dr Williams who last week flew to the convention and pleaded in a sermon on Thursday for the Episcopalians not to do anything to "push us further apart" and thereby jeopardise the fragile Church unity that he has struggled so hard to maintain.

See Schism closer as US Anglicans vote to overturn ban on gay ordinations

Times Online -

Archbishop's 'regret' over US decision over gay bishops

The Archbishop of Canterbury today expressed "regret" over a vote by US Anglicans to oppose a moratorium on consecrating gay bishops.

Dr Rowan Williams said it remained "to be seen" whether last night's vote by the House of Deputies of the US Anglican Church, made up of clergy and lay people, would be endorsed by the US Episcopal Church House of Bishops.

"I regret the fact that there is no will to observe the moratorium in such a significant part of the Church in North America," he told the General Synod of the Church of England meeting in York.

The vote comes as a blow to attempts by Dr Williams to maintain unity within the Anglican Communion following a worldwide row over the consecration in the US of the Rt Rev Gene Robinson in 2003 as the first openly gay bishop.

Anglican leaders requested the moratorium five years ago and the Episcopal Church General Convention three years ago urged "restraint" over the election of bishops whose "manner of life" would cause offence to the wider Anglican Communion.

See Archbishop's 'regret' over US decision over gay bishops Independent

Chicago Consultation hosts 'Doing Justice, Building Communion' luncheon

[Episcopal News Service -- Anaheim, California] Wyoming Bishop Bruce Caldwell stepped up to the microphone during a luncheon July 12 hosted by the Chicago Consultation and set the record straight.

He'd been asked to explain how an "elk hunting, horse riding bishop from Wyoming come to be working on full inclusion for the LGBT community?"

Caldwell explained that it wasn't long after he became bishop that he was asked to preside at the funeral of a young man who had served as an acolyte in his diocese and who was a member of the University of Wyoming Canterbury Club, a Christian university group. That young man was Matthew Shepard, who was tortured and murdered near Laramie in 1998 in a hate crime believed to have been motivated by Shepard's homosexuality.

The consultation hosted a "Doing Justice, Building Communion" luncheon for more than 60 people July 12 at the Hilton Hotel, steps from the Anaheim Convention Center where the Episcopal Church's 76th General Convention is underway and where the House of Deputies was scheduled to discuss B033-related resolutions later in the day. B033, adopted by General Convention 2006, was widely regarded as a moratorium on consecrating gay bishops. House of Deputies President Bonnie Anderson and New Hampshire Bishop V. Gene Robinson, who lives in a long-term relationship with a male partner, attended the luncheon.

The Chicago Consultation, a group of Episcopal and Anglican bishops, clergy, theologians and lay people, supports the full inclusion of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered Christians in the Episcopal Church and the worldwide Anglican Communion. The consultation was convened at Seabury Western Theological Seminary after General Convention 2006 so that theologians and other Episcopalians and Anglicans could explore new perspectives that support full inclusion of LGBT people.

Caldwell was one of four people who spoke during the luncheon.

Crowds, including many gay and lesbian people, came to Shepard's funeral at St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Casper, Wyo., and rather than distribute the Eucharist at the altar, Caldwell chose to distribute in the farthest reach of the parish hall. As the gay and lesbian people came forward with their empty hands stretched out to receive the holy sacrament, "I knew that was an absolutely holy moment, Caldwell said "I wondered why are they here, why would they have hands outstretched after the way they have been treated."

More than a decade later, Caldwell is still haunted by those outstretched hands.

"Is it time to fill those hands? Can we fill those hands together with the absolute love of God?" Caldwell asked.

(The Episcopal Public Policy Network in May encouraged Episcopalians to support the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act, a federal bill that would reform existing hate crimes law.)

In an encouraging lesson on Episcopal Church polity offered from an historical perspective, Byron Rushing, (Massachusetts) and a Democratic state representative, reminded luncheon attendees that the church's polity allows for "arguments in extreme fashion," while the church stays together.

The Episcopal Church didn't break apart over differing views on abolition and slavery, the church split when southern states formed a confederacy, and when the confederacy ended, the church reunited, he said.

Two hundred years ago, the Episcopal Church was formed without a right wing, rather it had a center and a left; it came to be democratically, and without bishops, he said.

Rushing hinted at what Bishop Barbara Harris, retired suffragan of Massachusetts and the first female bishop ordained in the Anglican Communion, said in her sermon during a Eucharist service hosted by Integrity USA, a support group for gay and lesbian Episcopalians, regarding B033.

Harris described B033 as the House of Bishops attempt to make false peace with others in the Anglican Communion.

Jenny Te Paa, dean of Te Rau Kahikatea (College of St. John the Evangelist) in Auckland, New Zealand, referred to Episcopalians as "indecently obedient."

But as someone who travels throughout the Anglican Communion, Te Paa has witnessed that there is little difference in the way Anglicanism is practiced at the local level.

"And so it is with absolute confidence that I can say there are far more Episcopalians and Anglicans getting on with the pressing business of being God's mission people, God's full inclusion mission people, than there are those fussing and fretting over whether full inclusion is indeed a Gospel imperative," she said.

In the Rev. Dahn Dean Gandell of Episcopalians for Global Mission's experience, mission requires help from everyone.

"We need each other to do mission, we all need each other gay, lesbian, straight … we need each other. We have to be God's hands in the world," she said. "And when we find those points of connection, it is such an incredible and beautiful thing … sexual orientation doesn't matter. When there are people hurting in the world, we are called to help them."

Before giving the blessing to mark the luncheon's conclusion, Robinson spoke of how his diocese grew by 3 percent in 2008, a growth that he attributes to the diocese's policy of inclusion. And he referenced a Pew Research study that concluded that 20- and 30-somethings are turned off by what they see as discrimination in the church, and with that he said: "I would offer to this church that if we really are interested in evangelism, if we really would like 20- and 30-somethings in our congregations, then carefully consider legislation we'll be voting on in the next few days."

-- Lynette Wilson is staff writer, Episcopal Life Media.

States Moving Faster than Churches on Gay Marriage

BOSTON -- The historic Church of the Covenant just off the city's Public Garden has been an important place for Anne Crane and Sarah Perreault.

The lesbian couple had their first date there in the late 1970s, and by the time Massachusetts legalized same-sex marriage in 2003, the two had been active members for more than 25 years. A church wedding seemed the obvious choice.

But it was complicated. The Church of the Covenant is dually aligned with the United Church of Christ, which allows same-sex couples to be married, and the Presbyterian Church (USA), which does not.

"It's painful to know that the church that I've been a part of all my life does not recognize our relationship as being a legitimate marriage," Crane told the PBS program Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly.

When the couple married in 2004, the Church of the Covenant brought in a retired UCC minister to conduct the ceremony, while the Presbyterian side officially stayed out of it. The couple said their wedding was beautiful, even though it was not quite everything they would have planned.

"I felt badly because there were people that we would have liked to include in our ceremony who could not participate because they were ordained Presbyterian clergy," Perreault said. "There was a real loss there."

For decades, mainline denominations have been wrestling with issues surrounding homosexuality: whether to ordain gay clergy and whether to recognize -- and bless -- same-sex unions.

Now that six states have legalized gay marriage, these battles are taking on a new urgency. In the Episcopal Church, for example, bishops from those six states are seeking permission to alter age-old marriage rites for use at gay and lesbian weddings.

That, in turn, has prompted pressure on conservatives to hold the line. See States Moving Faster than Churches on Gay Marriage

Beliefnet.com

Deputies support fully inclusive ordination process, ongoing commitment to communion

[Episcopal News Service -- Anaheim, California] The House of Deputies by more than a 2-1 margin adopted a resolution July 12 that declares the ordination process of the Episcopal Church open to all individuals while expressing its ongoing commitment to the Anglican Communion.

The vote was 77-31 in the lay order and 74-25 in the clergy order. It now goes to the House of Bishops, where it must be passed to be enacted.

Resolution D025 was created as a response to resolution B033, which was adopted in the waning hours of the 2006 General Convention and urged restraint concerning the election of bishops whose "manner of life" would cause offense to the wider Anglican Communion. That was widely believed specifically to refer to gays and lesbians in committed same-sex relationships.

The Rev. Gay Jennings (Ohio), chair of the Committee on World Mission that had proposed the resolution, said the committee had considered several resolutions on this topic and had listened to comments in the House of Deputies and in a hearing. The committee chose this resolution as its vehicle to describe the mind of the church. "It is the best reflection of where we are today as a church on episcopal elections and the Anglican Communion," she said at the start of debate.

Committee vice chair the Rev. Ian Douglas (Massachusetts) noted that the committee chose not to propose a straight-forward repeal or support of B033 but instead chose this language as a more comprehensive description of the church's current reality.

The resolution:

* reaffirms the continued participation of the Episcopal Church in the Anglican Communion;
* encourages dioceses, congregations and members to be involved in work throughout the communion;
* reaffirms the Episcopal Church's financial support of the Anglican Communion;
* acknowledges that the Listening Process with gay and lesbian people has resulted in General Convention's recognition that same-sex relationships represent fidelity and holy love;
* recognizes that gays and lesbians in such same-sex relationships have exercised ministry in the church;
* acknowledges that God has called and may call any individual in the church to any ordained ministry in the Episcopal Church, in accordance with the discernment process set forth in the Constitution and Canons of the church; and
* acknowledges that the Anglican Communion is not of one mind on these matters.

The vote by orders on D025 -- in which clergy and lay deputies vote separately -- was requested early in the proceedings. Each deputation has one vote: majority yes, majority no or divided (tied). The vote came after 30 minutes of debate and more than an hour of parliamentary procedures.

Extensive debate
During the 30 minutes of debate set aside for this resolution, 17 deputies spoke. Sally Johnson (Minnesota) said she supported B033 in 2006 as a gift to the newly elected presiding bishop. But today, she said, "I stand before you now asking us to give D025 to the church and the communion as a gift, reflecting our messiness in our church but an authentic, truthful statement about who we are as the Episcopal Church."

The Rev. Bradley Wirth (Montana) recalled words from former Presiding Bishop Edmond Browning who had said nearly 25 years ago that there would be no outcasts in the Episcopal Church. Wirth said, "D025 is a brilliant and sensitive call, asserting a deep and sensitive desire for all to be at the table, and by all, we mean all, from everywhere, Anglican Communion-wide."

Rebecca Snow (Alaska) said that adopting D025 doesn't compel action by anyone in the Anglican Communion. "It does not require anyone to do anything except to acknowledge the reality on the ground and to accept our polity, which we are so proud of, and the fact that we are governed by our Constitution and Canons and a discernment process that allows us to be open to God's calling of all baptized persons."

Several speakers who urged defeat of D025 feared what it would do to conservative voices within the Episcopal Church. The Rev. Ralph Stanwise (Quincy) said, "If we overturn the B033 moratorium we will in effect be urging many remaining conservatives and moderates among us and in our home dioceses, especially our most fragile ones, to search for the exit signs."

The Rev. S. Keith Brooks (Colorado) said, "Since 2003 there has been a situation on the ground. We have tithed not money but souls of members who have left all of our dioceses and many of our congregations. We see a decrease in diversity of theological viewpoints, a decrease in seminary enrollment, an increase in seminary debt. I see the structure of our church breaking down as we try to discern God's will in this matter."

In other action in the House of Deputies
Deputies approved Resolution D019 to reaffirm the church's commitment to the Millennium Development Goals, keeping them as a primary mission priority through 2012. It also calls for a budget line item of at least 1 percent of nongovernmental church revenue to fund a NetsforLife Inspiration Fund, with the goal of raising $5 million during the triennium. The Fund would be administered by Episcopal Relief and Development.

The house also approved Resolution D038, a commitment to a strategic vision for reaching Latinos/Hispanics in the United States in the next three years. The $3.5 million requested in this resolution over the triennium would be used to fund 36 new congregations and province resources for existing congregations.

Ballot results were also announced for two elections. On the first ballot, the Rev. Dr. Francis H. Wade was elected to the Trail Court of a Bishop. Edgar S. Starns, the Rev. Dr. Timothy Mitchell and the Very Rev. Tracey Lind were elected on the second ballot for the board of trustees for the Church Pension Fund.

-- Melodie Woerman is director of communications for the Diocese of Kansas.

Don't do the (Episcopal) time warp, again

You know, it really isn’t hard to get the Anglican-wars timeline right or to, at least, craft one or two short, editor-friendly sentences that do not mangle the facts. There’s no need to warp time in this story.

To see how not to handle the past three decades of Episcopal Church struggles over sexuality, simply click here.

To see a simple way of getting things right (or at least, not getting them wrong) then check out this passage from a 2009 General Convention update from the Los Angeles Times:

Episcopalians have been debating the roles of gays and lesbians in the church for years, but the issue escalated in 2003 when a gay priest, V. Gene Robinson, was consecrated as bishop of New Hampshire.

That decision disturbed Anglican leaders, who issued a report the next year calling for all churches in the communion to refrain from electing bishops living in same-sex unions, and from authorizing the development of blessing rites for such relationships.

Now, personally, I still think it would be MORE accurate if the first sentence in that passage read like this: “Episcopalians have been debating the roles of gays and lesbians in the church for decades.”

That wording would be accurate, of course, since the battle truly escalated in 1979 during the General Convention held in Denver. Doctrinal traditionalists won that round, but insiders could see the true size of the liberal revolt when some very influential bishops openly backed the gay-rights cause. One of them, the Rt. Rev. Edmond Browning, would be elected as the church’s presiding bishop a few years later.

See Don't do the (Episcopal) time warp, again GetReligion