Gay rights advocates lauded the Chicago nominations as a sign of progress and greater equality in church leadership.<\/p>\n
“The big news today is that discernment has trumped discrimination in the Diocese of Chicago,” said Susan Russell, president of Integrity, an advocacy group for gay Episcopalians.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, conservatives rolled their eyes.<\/p>\n
“Chicago’s action is simply flying in the face of the desire of the Anglican Communion,” said Springfield Bishop Peter Beckwith. “It’s a slap in the face.”<\/p>\n
Rev. Kendall Harmon, a conservative theologian from South Carolina, said …”I think it represents a steely determination on the part of the Episcopal Church leadership to pursue its new theology no matter what,…It’s injecting more difficult dynamics in an already deeply frayed family fracas and that’s a shame.”<\/p>\n