C-VILLE Weekly | The re stuff: What the Epispal Church’s posn on gay marriage n teach about the middle ground

Contents:

• HOW EPISPALIANS EMBRACED GAY MARRIAGEAT LASTGENE ROBSON RECEIVED ATH THREATS WHEN HE BEME THE FIRST OPENLY GAY EPISPALIAN BISHOP. TWELVE YEARS LATER, HIS CHURCH IS PERFORMG GAY WEDDGS. THAT’S PROGRS. GENE ROBSONUPDATED APR. 14, 2017 10:19AM EDT / PUBLISHED JUL. 05, 2015 12:01AM EDT ISTOCKPHOTOIT’S HARD TO REMEMBER HOW DIFFICULT LIFE THE EPISPAL CHURCH WAS FOR ME A MERE 12 YEARS AGO. IN JUNE OF 2003, I HAD BEE THE FIRST OPENLY GAY PRIT TO BE ELECTED A BISHOP HISTORIC CHRISTIANY. NOT THE FIRST GAY BISHOP, MD YOU, BUT THE FIRST ONE TO OPENLY SAY SO. TODAY, IS DIFFICULT TO BELIEVE HOW PANICKED EVERYONE WAS.THE ATH THREATS AGAST MY PARTNER AND ME MENCED IMMEDIATELY. MANY WH THE EPISPAL CHURCH THOUGHT THAT OUR BELOVED CHURCH HAD E LOOSE OM S BIBLIL AND THEOLOGIL MOORGS. (IT HADN’T.) THIS NTROVERSY WAS GOG TO KILL . (IT DIDN’T.) THE ARCHBISHOP OF KENYA SAID THAT WHEN I WAS NSECRATED, THE DEVIL ENTERED THE CHURCH. (HARDLY!) THIS WOULD E DIVISN AND STRIFE THE EPISPAL CHURCH. (TE. AND SADLY, SOME 100,000 MEMBERS—OUT OF ROUGHLY 2 LN—LEFT OVER THIS AND OTHER CHANG THE CHURCH.) THE CHURCH, SOME SAID, HAD GONE TOO FAR S EFFORTS TO BE CLIVE. (IN FACT, WE HADN’T GONE FAR ENOUGH.)FAST-FORWARD ONLY 12 YEARS TO TODAY, WHEN THE JT-NCLUD GENERAL CONVENTN OF THE EPISPAL CHURCH OPENED THE SACRAMENT OF MARRIAGE TO GAY AND LBIAN UPL, JT DAYS AFTER THE SUPREME COURT MA MARRIAGE EQUALY THE LAW OF THE LAND. AND THE CHURCH’S VOTE BY BISHOPS, CLERGY, AND LAY WASN’T EVEN CLOSE. BY A STUNNG MAJORY, AND WH LTLE RANR, THE CHURCH ELECTED TO OPEN ALL THE SACRAMENTS TO ALL THE BAPTIZED. WE’D GONE OM PANIC OVER A GAY BISHOP TO AFFIRMG GAY AND LBIAN RELATNSHIPS MARRIAGE ONLY 12 YEARS.A SIAR RATE OF PROGRS WAS HAPPENG THE SOCIETY AS WELL. SODOMY BETWEEN NSENTG ADULTS WAS ILLEGAL MANY STAT UNTIL STCK DOWN AS UNNSTUTNAL 2003 (LRENCE V. TEXAS). AND A MERE 12 YEARS LATER, THE SUPREME COURT WOULD LE THAT BANS ON MARRIAGE FOR S GAY/LBIAN CIZENS WERE UNNSTUTNAL. JTICE KENNEDY, WRG FOR THE MAJORY, OFFERED AN ELEGANT, AND SOMETIM POETIC, VISN OF MARRIAGE TO WHICH EVERY CIZEN WOULD HAVE ACCS. HOW DID WE MAKE SUCH PROGRS 12 YEARS— THE CHURCH AND AMERIN SOCIETY? SURELY THE MAJOR REASON IS THAT SO MANY OF HAVE E OUT, OPENLY TELLG THE TTH OF OUR LIV. WHEREAS ONLY A OR TWO AGO, MOST AMERINS WOULD HAVE TOLD YOU THEY DIDN’T KNOW ANYONE GAY, NOW THERE IS HARDLY AN AMERIN LEFT THAT DON’T KNOW SOME FAY MEMBER, -WORKER OR FORMER CLASSMATE TO BE GAY OR LBIAN, BISEXUAL OR TRANSGENR. AND AS HARVEY MILK, THE SLA GAY RIGHTS ADVOTE, PREDICTED THE ’70S, G OUT MAK ALL THE DIFFERENCE. WHEN THEY KNOW , HE ARGUED, THEY WILL NO LONGER FEAR AND HATE . INED, THEY WILL WANT TREATED FAIRLY.MANY GAY, LBIAN, BISEXUAL, AND TRANSGENR PEOPLE ARE ALSO PEOPLE OF FAH, AND WE HAVE BEEN WORKG OUR FAHS AND NOMATNS TO CHANGE THE TRADNAL JUDGMENTS AGAST . I AM REMD THAT SLAVE OWNERS THE OLD SOUTH GAVE BIBL TO THEIR SLAV ORR TO KEEP THEM QUIET, PLIANT, AND RIGNED TO THEIR LOT LIFE. THE PROBLEM WAS, THOSE SLAV ACTUALLY READ THE BIBLE, WH S TALK OF GOD’S LOVG ALL OF GOD’S CHILDREN, AND ST. PL’S ASSERTN THAT CHRIST, THERE IS NEHER SLAVE NOR EE. THEY LEARNED OM THE BIBLE THAT GOD’S EY, THEY HAD A FULL AND EQUAL CLAIM ON GOD’S LOVE, AND SERVED NOT ONLY EEDOM BUT DIGNY.WE GAY, LBIAN, BISEXUAL, AND TRANSGENR CHRISTIANS HAVE BEEN READG OUR BIBL TOO, AND FDG THERE THE SEEDS OF OUR OWN LIBERATN AT THE HANDS OF A LOVG GOD. WE LEARNED TO READ THE SCRIPTUR ED TO NMN THE NTEXT OF THE CULTUR WH WHICH THEY WERE WRTEN—AND FOUND THEM NOT TO BE SAYG WHAT TRADN TOLD THEY MEANT. MORE AND MORE OF ME OUT SO THAT PEOPLE OUR CHURCH AND SYNAGOGU BEGAN TO KNOW THAT WE WERE STG THE PEWS NEXT TO THEM. WE RAISED OUR CHILDREN THE TRADNS OF OUR FAH AND PROVED THAT WE ULD BE GOOD PARENTS. WE NTRIBUTED TO THE LIFE AND MISSN OF OUR NGREGATNS. AND FALLY, OVER TIME, BEME UNNSCNABLE TO TREAT AS ANYTHG LS THAN FULL MEMBERS OF OUR FAHS.SOME CHURCH PEOPLE SAY TO ME THAT OFFERG THE SACRAMENT OF MARRIAGE TO GAY UPL, THE CHURCH IS “GIVG ” TO THE CULTURE, AND NOT A GOOD WAY. BUT I WOULD ARGUE THAT GOD IS GOG TO DO GOD’S JTICE WORK WH OR WHOUT THE CHURCH. FOR YEARS, THE CHURCH RISTED CHANGG S MD ABOUT GAY PEOPLE AND OUR RELATNSHIPS, SO GOD LOOKED FOR JTICE WORKERS OUTSI THE CHURCH. I BELIEVE THAT THE CHANGG ATTUS OF AMERIN CULTURE TOWARD LGBT PEOPLE IS THE WORK OF A LOVG GOD. BY WELG LGBT PEOPLE TO OUR FAHS, WE ARE ONLY JOG GOD’S EFFORTS THE WORLD.DPE ALL OF THIS PROGRS, THERE IS STILL MUCH TO DO. THE NUMBER OF FAHS AND NOMATNS THAT UNRERVEDLY WELE LGBT PEOPLE AS FULL AND EQUAL MEMBERS IS SMALL PARED TO THOSE WHO DO NOT. BUT THE NAYSAYERS’ DAYS ARE NUMBERED, AND THE ARC OF HISTORY NTU TO BEND TOWARD JTICE. THE EPISPAL CHURCH’S FULL EMBRACE OF WILL TAKE A WHILE LONGER TO BEE A FULL REALY, BUT WE HAVE CLARED OURSELV, ONCE AND FOR ALL, TO BE AN OPEN AND WELG CHURCH.THERE’S NO GOG BACK. AND FOR THAT, I AM TLY GRATEFUL. GENE ROBSON
• EPISPAL CHURCH WON'T BACK DOWN ON GAY RIGHTS DPE CENSURE
• THE RE STUFF: WHAT THE EPISPAL CHURCH’S POSN ON GAY MARRIAGE N TEACH ABOUT THE MIDDLE GROUND
• EPISPAL CHURCH EXPANDS GAY MARRIAGE TO ALL DC WHERE BISHOPS OBJECT

HOW EPISPALIANS EMBRACED GAY MARRIAGEAT LASTGENE ROBSON RECEIVED ATH THREATS WHEN HE BEME THE FIRST OPENLY GAY EPISPALIAN BISHOP. TWELVE YEARS LATER, HIS CHURCH IS PERFORMG GAY WEDDGS. THAT’S PROGRS. GENE ROBSONUPDATED APR. 14, 2017 10:19AM EDT / PUBLISHED JUL. 05, 2015 12:01AM EDT ISTOCKPHOTOIT’S HARD TO REMEMBER HOW DIFFICULT LIFE THE EPISPAL CHURCH WAS FOR ME A MERE 12 YEARS AGO. IN JUNE OF 2003, I HAD BEE THE FIRST OPENLY GAY PRIT TO BE ELECTED A BISHOP HISTORIC CHRISTIANY. NOT THE FIRST GAY BISHOP, MD YOU, BUT THE FIRST ONE TO OPENLY SAY SO. TODAY, IS DIFFICULT TO BELIEVE HOW PANICKED EVERYONE WAS.THE ATH THREATS AGAST MY PARTNER AND ME MENCED IMMEDIATELY. MANY WH THE EPISPAL CHURCH THOUGHT THAT OUR BELOVED CHURCH HAD E LOOSE OM S BIBLIL AND THEOLOGIL MOORGS. (IT HADN’T.) THIS NTROVERSY WAS GOG TO KILL . (IT DIDN’T.) THE ARCHBISHOP OF KENYA SAID THAT WHEN I WAS NSECRATED, THE DEVIL ENTERED THE CHURCH. (HARDLY!) THIS WOULD E DIVISN AND STRIFE THE EPISPAL CHURCH. (TE. AND SADLY, SOME 100,000 MEMBERS—OUT OF ROUGHLY 2 LN—LEFT OVER THIS AND OTHER CHANG THE CHURCH.) THE CHURCH, SOME SAID, HAD GONE TOO FAR S EFFORTS TO BE CLIVE. (IN FACT, WE HADN’T GONE FAR ENOUGH.)FAST-FORWARD ONLY 12 YEARS TO TODAY, WHEN THE JT-NCLUD GENERAL CONVENTN OF THE EPISPAL CHURCH OPENED THE SACRAMENT OF MARRIAGE TO GAY AND LBIAN UPL, JT DAYS AFTER THE SUPREME COURT MA MARRIAGE EQUALY THE LAW OF THE LAND. AND THE CHURCH’S VOTE BY BISHOPS, CLERGY, AND LAY WASN’T EVEN CLOSE. BY A STUNNG MAJORY, AND WH LTLE RANR, THE CHURCH ELECTED TO OPEN ALL THE SACRAMENTS TO ALL THE BAPTIZED. WE’D GONE OM PANIC OVER A GAY BISHOP TO AFFIRMG GAY AND LBIAN RELATNSHIPS MARRIAGE ONLY 12 YEARS.A SIAR RATE OF PROGRS WAS HAPPENG THE SOCIETY AS WELL. SODOMY BETWEEN NSENTG ADULTS WAS ILLEGAL MANY STAT UNTIL STCK DOWN AS UNNSTUTNAL 2003 (LRENCE V. TEXAS). AND A MERE 12 YEARS LATER, THE SUPREME COURT WOULD LE THAT BANS ON MARRIAGE FOR S GAY/LBIAN CIZENS WERE UNNSTUTNAL. JTICE KENNEDY, WRG FOR THE MAJORY, OFFERED AN ELEGANT, AND SOMETIM POETIC, VISN OF MARRIAGE TO WHICH EVERY CIZEN WOULD HAVE ACCS. HOW DID WE MAKE SUCH PROGRS 12 YEARS— THE CHURCH AND AMERIN SOCIETY? SURELY THE MAJOR REASON IS THAT SO MANY OF HAVE E OUT, OPENLY TELLG THE TTH OF OUR LIV. WHEREAS ONLY A OR TWO AGO, MOST AMERINS WOULD HAVE TOLD YOU THEY DIDN’T KNOW ANYONE GAY, NOW THERE IS HARDLY AN AMERIN LEFT THAT DON’T KNOW SOME FAY MEMBER, -WORKER OR FORMER CLASSMATE TO BE GAY OR LBIAN, BISEXUAL OR TRANSGENR. AND AS HARVEY MILK, THE SLA GAY RIGHTS ADVOTE, PREDICTED THE ’70S, G OUT MAK ALL THE DIFFERENCE. WHEN THEY KNOW , HE ARGUED, THEY WILL NO LONGER FEAR AND HATE . INED, THEY WILL WANT TREATED FAIRLY.MANY GAY, LBIAN, BISEXUAL, AND TRANSGENR PEOPLE ARE ALSO PEOPLE OF FAH, AND WE HAVE BEEN WORKG OUR FAHS AND NOMATNS TO CHANGE THE TRADNAL JUDGMENTS AGAST . I AM REMD THAT SLAVE OWNERS THE OLD SOUTH GAVE BIBL TO THEIR SLAV ORR TO KEEP THEM QUIET, PLIANT, AND RIGNED TO THEIR LOT LIFE. THE PROBLEM WAS, THOSE SLAV ACTUALLY READ THE BIBLE, WH S TALK OF GOD’S LOVG ALL OF GOD’S CHILDREN, AND ST. PL’S ASSERTN THAT CHRIST, THERE IS NEHER SLAVE NOR EE. THEY LEARNED OM THE BIBLE THAT GOD’S EY, THEY HAD A FULL AND EQUAL CLAIM ON GOD’S LOVE, AND SERVED NOT ONLY EEDOM BUT DIGNY.WE GAY, LBIAN, BISEXUAL, AND TRANSGENR CHRISTIANS HAVE BEEN READG OUR BIBL TOO, AND FDG THERE THE SEEDS OF OUR OWN LIBERATN AT THE HANDS OF A LOVG GOD. WE LEARNED TO READ THE SCRIPTUR ED TO NMN THE NTEXT OF THE CULTUR WH WHICH THEY WERE WRTEN—AND FOUND THEM NOT TO BE SAYG WHAT TRADN TOLD THEY MEANT. MORE AND MORE OF ME OUT SO THAT PEOPLE OUR CHURCH AND SYNAGOGU BEGAN TO KNOW THAT WE WERE STG THE PEWS NEXT TO THEM. WE RAISED OUR CHILDREN THE TRADNS OF OUR FAH AND PROVED THAT WE ULD BE GOOD PARENTS. WE NTRIBUTED TO THE LIFE AND MISSN OF OUR NGREGATNS. AND FALLY, OVER TIME, BEME UNNSCNABLE TO TREAT AS ANYTHG LS THAN FULL MEMBERS OF OUR FAHS.SOME CHURCH PEOPLE SAY TO ME THAT OFFERG THE SACRAMENT OF MARRIAGE TO GAY UPL, THE CHURCH IS “GIVG ” TO THE CULTURE, AND NOT A GOOD WAY. BUT I WOULD ARGUE THAT GOD IS GOG TO DO GOD’S JTICE WORK WH OR WHOUT THE CHURCH. FOR YEARS, THE CHURCH RISTED CHANGG S MD ABOUT GAY PEOPLE AND OUR RELATNSHIPS, SO GOD LOOKED FOR JTICE WORKERS OUTSI THE CHURCH. I BELIEVE THAT THE CHANGG ATTUS OF AMERIN CULTURE TOWARD LGBT PEOPLE IS THE WORK OF A LOVG GOD. BY WELG LGBT PEOPLE TO OUR FAHS, WE ARE ONLY JOG GOD’S EFFORTS THE WORLD.DPE ALL OF THIS PROGRS, THERE IS STILL MUCH TO DO. THE NUMBER OF FAHS AND NOMATNS THAT UNRERVEDLY WELE LGBT PEOPLE AS FULL AND EQUAL MEMBERS IS SMALL PARED TO THOSE WHO DO NOT. BUT THE NAYSAYERS’ DAYS ARE NUMBERED, AND THE ARC OF HISTORY NTU TO BEND TOWARD JTICE. THE EPISPAL CHURCH’S FULL EMBRACE OF WILL TAKE A WHILE LONGER TO BEE A FULL REALY, BUT WE HAVE CLARED OURSELV, ONCE AND FOR ALL, TO BE AN OPEN AND WELG CHURCH.THERE’S NO GOG BACK. AND FOR THAT, I AM TLY GRATEFUL. GENE ROBSON

In 1976, both the Hoe of Deputi and Hoe of Bishops voted for a fully clive Epispal Church, statg, “homosexual persons are children of God who have a full and equal claim wh all other persons upon the love, acceptance, and pastoral ncern and re of the church. Bishop John Howard of Florida said his dce was still reelg om the 2003 nsecratn of openly gay Bishop Gene Robson, which led some clergy and lay members to break om the nomatn, acrdg to a report by RNS. “That was a really strikg moment to me as a Lato gay man, ” said Miguel Esbar, executive director of the Epispal Divy School at Unn Theologil Semary, durg a Hoe of Deputi discsn on May 18 tled “A Full and Equal Claim: LGBTQ+ Epispalians Discs the Path Forward.

“There were some church I applied to that I uldn’t get as a gay person, and there were others that I applied to that I uldn’t get as a Black person, ” Grav told ENS, scribg his earlier job search.

EPISPAL CHURCH WON'T BACK DOWN ON GAY RIGHTS DPE CENSURE

The rolutn “nfs the Church’s ntued heterosexism, homophobia, biphobia and transphobia, and the ongog harmful impact of anti-LGBTQ+ Christian proclamatn, preachg, pastoral re, and theology” and exprs a renewed mment to ensurg that LGBTQ people experience a “full and equal claim” to church life. | Getty ImagThe four ndidat for bishop of an Epispal Church dce that recently garnered headl for refg to bls same-sex marriag have dited that they will allow the Epispal Dce of Albany has been whout a bishop sce the rignatn 2021 of William Love, who had issued an open letter 2020 refg to enforce a nomatnal le requirg all dc to allow for the blsg of gay marriag.

”“Seekg rolutn and a mutual path forward would volve a basic mment to rpectg the digny of every person, affordg genero pastoral attentn to every voice, and seekg Holy mon ground on nonilly sound footg, ” Ward July 2018, the Epispal Church General Conventn passed Rolutn B012, which required all dc to bls same-sex unns, removg earlier provisns that allowed several dc to prohib such measur, due to them beg nflict wh the biblil standard of B012 allowed clergy to refe to perform gay weddgs, required bishops who oppose them to let another bishop provi pastoral support for the same-sex uple and to provi a prit to perform the November 2018, Albany Bishop Love released an open letter statg that he refed to enforce the rolutn his dce.

Views about homosexualyYounger MillennialOlr MillennialGeneratn XBaby BoomerSilentGreattSample sizeShould be accepted6%10%23%40%21%1%409Sample siz and margs of error vary om subgroup to subgroup, om year to year and om state to state.

THE RE STUFF: WHAT THE EPISPAL CHURCH’S POSN ON GAY MARRIAGE N TEACH ABOUT THE MIDDLE GROUND

Views about homosexualyWheBlackAsianLatoOther/MixedSample sizeShould be accepted90%4%1%2%3%412Sample siz and margs of error vary om subgroup to subgroup, om year to year and om state to state. Views about homosexualyImmigrantsSend generatnThird generatn or higherSample sizeShould be accepted6%10%84%412Sample siz and margs of error vary om subgroup to subgroup, om year to year and om state to state.

Views about homosexualyLs than $30, 000$30, 000-$49, 999$50, 000-$99, 999$100, 000 or moreSample sizeShould be accepted17%12%34%36%370Sample siz and margs of error vary om subgroup to subgroup, om year to year and om state to state. Views about homosexualyHigh school or lsSome llegeCollegePost-graduate greeSample sizeShould be accepted13%25%31%30%411Sample siz and margs of error vary om subgroup to subgroup, om year to year and om state to state.

EPISPAL CHURCH EXPANDS GAY MARRIAGE TO ALL DC WHERE BISHOPS OBJECT

Views about homosexualyMarriedLivg wh a partnerDivorced/separatedWidowedNever marriedSample sizeShould be accepted62%5%11%6%17%412Sample siz and margs of error vary om subgroup to subgroup, om year to year and om state to state. Views about homosexualyBelieve God; absolutely certaBelieve God; fairly certaBelieve God; not too/not at all certaBelieve God; don't knowDo not believe GodOther/don't know if they believe GodSample sizeShould be accepted54%33%6%2%3%1%414Sample siz and margs of error vary om subgroup to subgroup, om year to year and om state to state. Views about homosexualyVery importantSomewhat importantNot too importantNot at all importantDon't knowSample sizeShould be accepted45%39%13%3%1%414Sample siz and margs of error vary om subgroup to subgroup, om year to year and om state to state.

Views about homosexualyAt least once a weekOnce or twice a month/a few tim a yearSeldom/neverDon't knowSample sizeShould be accepted27%56%17%< 1%414Sample siz and margs of error vary om subgroup to subgroup, om year to year and om state to state.

Views about homosexualyAt least dailyWeeklyMonthlySeldom/neverDon't knowSample sizeShould be accepted51%20%11%17%< 1%414Sample siz and margs of error vary om subgroup to subgroup, om year to year and om state to state. Frequency of participatn prayer, scripture study or relig tn groups among members of the Epispal Church by views about homosexualy% of members of the Epispal Church who attend prayer group…. Views about homosexualyAt least once a weekOnce or twice a monthSeveral tim a yearSeldom/neverDon't knowSample sizeShould be accepted10%8%10%72%< 1%414Sample siz and margs of error vary om subgroup to subgroup, om year to year and om state to state.