With a little more than 2 million members, the Episcopal Church of the United States is far from being the country’s largest Christian denomination. But its recent pronouncements indicating support for openly gay bishops and church blessings for same-sex couples will have reverberations beyond that church, beyond Christianity and even beyond religion. For all the theological issues it raises, acceptance of gays and lesbians at the altar reflects — and affects — the campaign for equality in the larger society.
Meeting last month in Anaheim, the General Convention of the denomination approved two resolutions that will widen the split between the U.S. branch of Anglicanism and many of the other 43 churches worldwide that trace their roots to the Church of England. One resolution calls for a “renewed pastoral response from this church, and for an open process for the consideration of theological and liturgical resources for the blessing of same-gender relationships.” The other affirms that God has called gays and lesbians to “any ordained ministry in the Episcopal Church.”
Would someone like to define the meaning of “crude views on sexuality,” as mentioned in this article?
Good question, Cennydd. Here’s the quote:[blockquote]Actually, Episcopalians already have seen an acrimonious parting of the ways between the national church and bishops and faithful who have aligned themselves with churches in Africa and South America that have more conservative (and in some cases crude) views about human sexuality.[/blockquote]And their last line:[blockquote]Supporters of Proposition 8 weren’t the only ones to cloak prejudice with piety.[/blockquote]The editorial shouldn’t surprise us too much; it’s the LA Times, after all. But throughout, in the way that annoys many evangelical conservatives so much, it equates the movement for the equality of women, in church and in society, with this battle, and applauds both as leadership against prejudice and backwardness.