Under the heading, “How to get married in an Episcopal Church….”
“Episcopalians love weddings. We see them as an earthly representation of the mysterious union between Christ and Christ’s Church. The love of two people that leads them toward a life-long commitment to one another reflects God’s commitment to always be by our side. And since God accepts all of us, some of our parishes offer the blessing of same gender couples. So the bottom line is, if you’d like to get married in an Episcopal Church, contact the parish you’re interested in and ask about their particular guidelines. They differ slightly from place to place, but each is intended to help the marriage succeed, flourish, and outlast any church building.”
—The Episcopal Handbook (Morehouse Publishing), p. 69
Out of what materials are they making Episcopal church buildings these days?
I don’t see the text of the book (did you buy it, Canon Harmon?) but I would be interested in what it says under “How to Interpret “Controversial†Bible Passages and Remain Episcopalian.”
Who is the author? Morehouse seems to be a common (if not official) conduit for official Episcopal tracts. Has someone jumped the gun here and approved SSB before the HOB?
Unbelievable. I can remember picking up my parents’ copy of “Faith and Practice” (also from Morehouse, ironically) – I later bought my own – and marveling at the pure Christian message presented therein on behalf of the Episcopal Church. How things change. In a faith that is now measuring persistence in millennia, this book is an anachronism a scant 50 years after its publication. Disgraceful, like so much else associated with ECUSA.
“slightly different”?????
Mercy,
Grandmother in SC
Anyone want to guess what will come after “Dearly beloved…” in the new marriage rite. We will we come together to do and why. The reference to scripture will be the first to go.
So, let’s get this straight (Oh, well not necessarily straight..). Some places have some “sacraments” and others don’t? Communion means nothing so anyone can have it, I assume anyone can *do* it too. Marriage means even less than baptism or communion so no one needs that either, or has any reason to get a license for it or rent the hall to *do* that either. Funny how they put themselves out of business at the stroke of a pen, isn’t it? Then they say they’ll “withold” what no one wants in protest that everyone can’t have it. Get a job.
As a member of Generation X, I must, once again, “thank” the Baby Boomers for their lead. If feminism and free love weren’t enough, it appears that the Boomers are now largely responsible for calling homosexual unions “holy” and demanding that they must now be given access to marriage.
Sigh…this may sound strange but can we just call the whole thing off? If marriage is pushed this far, then it’s become irrelevant, IMO. Let people set up any sort of household they wish with no type being given a “preferred status.” That would be more honest.
This brought back memories of being given Faith and Practice and another “how to” book (blue/grey cover?) for confirmation class when I was a kid. I still have them somewhere at home, along with my little pocket 1928 BCP. My goodness, I was even taught that the 39 Articles were binding on the church as a rule of authority second only to Scripture! How quaint, old-fashioned and irrelevant they seem in this Brave New World! How naive I was as a child in believing in the permanence and moral authority of such a church, that would soon be destroyed by the Sixties and everything to follow.
Similarly, I was watching “Miss Marple” last night on PBS and had a twinge of nostalgia when they had a scene in church of what looked like Evening Prayer and they were all following along in their pocket BCPs. I miss Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer, along with a lot of other things that have disappeared. There’s not much I recognize as Anglican in today’s TEC.