New Hampshire Epispalians elect V Gene Robson as their lear and first openly gay bishop anywhere worldwi Anglin muny; photos; actn is likely to roil church US and England and epen disaffectn of nservative Anglins on other ntents; Robson ws majory among clergy and lay ballotg Conrd and embrac two grown dghters and his partner; acknowledg that electn may precipate outrage but hop rift n be healed; electn forc showdown US church bee Robson nnot be ordaed until he ws nsent of bishops and other dc at general nventn July; Robson, 56, says he me out as gay 1986 and divorced wife (M)
Contents:
- FIRST OPENLY GAY EPISPAL BISHOP, WHOSE ELECTN CSED A STIR, TO DIVORCE
- EPISPALIANS CONSECRATE FIRST OPENLY GAY BISHOP
- FIRST GAY EPISPAL BISHOP TO BE SUCCEED BY ANOTHER GAY PASTOR?
- FIRST OPENLY GAY EPISPAL BISHOP TO DIVORCE HBAND
- EPISPAL CHURCH ORDAS 2ND OPENLY GAY BISHOP
- NEW HAMPSHIRE EPISPALIANS CHOOSE GAY BISHOP, AND CONFLICT
FIRST OPENLY GAY EPISPAL BISHOP, WHOSE ELECTN CSED A STIR, TO DIVORCE
Epispal Church be first major Christian nomatn to make an openly gay man a bishop, nsecratg V. Gene Robson as bishop of New Hampshire. * first gay bishop in the episcopal church *
The next General Conventn, 1976, adopted rolutns statg that “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” (1976-A069), and that they “are entled to equal protectn of the laws wh all other cizens” (1976-A071). Gene Robson, who ma history as the first openly gay bishop the Epispal Church, has announced that he and his hband are planng to Robson, who last year retired as the head of the Epispal Dce of New Hampshire, disclosed the breakup of his marriage a note to other Epispal bishops and an say The Daily Beast, where he is a lumnist.
His electn, and the cisn by the Epispal Church natnally to approve the electn rults, was ntroversial bee me at a time when many Christian nomatns viewed homosexualy as sful, were not ordag openly gay clergy members, and were not blsg same-sex relatnships. In the sce, a few Christian nomatns have changed their stanc on homosexualy as same-sex marriage has bee legal parts of the untry; the Epispal Church has sce elected another gay bishop, and has approved a lurgil re for blsg same-sex Robson, who is now a senr fellow at the Center for Amerin Progrs Washgton, has been a leadg champn of gay rights, pecially the relig world, and was ved by Print Obama to give an votn at an guratn event 2009, and to give the closg prayer at this year’s Whe Hoe Easter prayer personal life was always an element of how he prented himself to the public.
”A versn of this article appears prt on, Sectn A, Page 14 of the New York edn wh the headle: First Openly Gay Epispal Bishop, Whose Electn Csed a Stir, to Divorce.
EPISPALIANS CONSECRATE FIRST OPENLY GAY BISHOP
Another married gay man may succeed the retirg Bishop V. Gene Robson, the first openly gay bishop The Epispal Church, the Dce of New Hampshire announced. * first gay bishop in the episcopal church *
Gene Robson (search) as bishop a heartfelt ceremony Sunday, makg him the first openly gay man to rise to that rank any of the world's major Christian while pageantry mixed wh exultatn the rual elevatg Robson to bishop of New Hampshire, seems unlikely the church will hold together s aftermath. Dissentg Epispalians, meanwhile, joed together for a petg Communn service at a nearby church wh more than 100 non-Epispalians holdg a ndlelight vigil support of nsecratn sermon by New Hampshire's retirg Bishop Douglas Thner was terpted twice by vigoro applse as he fend Robson's gay mment agast tractors. A natnal associatn for nservativ opposed to ordag gays, the Amerin Anglin Council, says parishners already were driftg away prott of Robson's elevatn.
Rich, a married homosexual, is senr associate rector at Try Church Boston, and is one of the three ndidat for the posn of bishop.
Robert Hirschfeld, rector of Grace Epispal Church holds a doctoral gree psychology and relign and has also been a lecturer at Unn Theologil Semary New York, the Boston Globe issue of gay marriage and gay clergy is a ntroversial one wh the Epispalian muny. ''Dpe the ongog bate on the role of homosexuals the church, some believe that even if Rich is elected to the learship posn, the cisn will not rattle nearly as many g as the vote 2003 did. | 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.
FIRST GAY EPISPAL BISHOP TO BE SUCCEED BY ANOTHER GAY PASTOR?
The Epispal Church has moved cisively closer to full acceptance of gay men and lbians, takg steps toward regnizg same-sex marriage and gay bishops. * first gay bishop in the episcopal church *
”Ward wrote that he believ the issue of gay marriage is “tly plited” and that he rpects all sis on the issue, addg that if elected bishop, “honorg theologil diversy would be a prry. ”“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. Though Smh personally oppos same-sex marriage, he agreed unr the dce’s plan to partner wh Bishop Carol Gallagher, then servg as a regnal non the Dce of Massachetts, to provi “supplemental epispal pastoral support” for Albany clergy who wished to celebrate weddgs for gay and lbian upl.
FIRST OPENLY GAY EPISPAL BISHOP TO DIVORCE HBAND
Bishop is First Openly Gay Woman to be Consecrated Bishop, Only 2nd Female Dce of Los Angel * first gay bishop in the episcopal church *
Many of the biblil passag “that are often ed to nmn homosexualy are certaly not about morn same-sex marriage and are very likely more terted nmng sexually exploative enunters than the affectn shared by two adults of the same genr, ” Williamson wrote. And so the Church is programmed to addrs the crisis over homosexualy the same way: to reassure the evangelils that their nservatism is fully accepted. In Febary, Synod approved blsgs for gay upl, and the bishops suggted that the texts would be published the summer, along wh ‘pastoral guidance’ on homosexualy – which liberals hope will lift the ban on actively gay clergy.
In effect the blsgs open the door to an approval of gay marriage, and the pastoral guidance is likely to mark a major shift on sexualy. It’s narrowly possible: the pastoral guidance might le out gay marriage for clergy, and that might be enough of a sop, but would surely be temporary.
NEW YORK — The first openly gay Epispal bishop, who beme a symbol for gay rights far beyond the church while eply dividg the world's Anglins, plans to divorce his Gene Robson announced the end of his marriage to Mark Andrew an email sent to the Dce of New Hampshire, where he served for ne years before retirg 2012. Robson was barred 2008 by then-Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams om the Lambeth Conference, the once-a- global meetg of all Anglin bishops, as Williams stggled to fd a way to keep Anglins Robson was also wily celebrated as a pneer for gay rights, beme an advote for gay marriage and was the subject of several books and a documentary about Christiany, the Bible and same-sex livered the benedictn at the openg 2009 gural event for Print Barack Obama and, after retirement, beme a senr fellow at the Center for Amerin Progrs, a Democratic thk tank wh close ti to the Whe Hoe. " Declared that homosexuals are "children of God" and are "entled to full civil rights" The 1976, General Conventn, which approved the ordatn of women to the prithood and epispate, voted to regularize the 15 forenners.
EPISPAL CHURCH ORDAS 2ND OPENLY GAY BISHOP
• 1985 Anaheim, CA -- Urged each dce of this Church to fd an effective way to foster a better unrstandg of homosexual persons, to dispel myths and prejudic about homosexualy, to provi pastoral support. • 1988 Detro, MI -- Reaffirmed the expectatn of chasty and fily relatnships; cried the crease of vlence agast homosexual person; and asked Pridg Bishop Edmond Browng to publicly repudiate the claim that AIDS is the punishment of God upon homosexual persons.
NEW HAMPSHIRE EPISPALIANS CHOOSE GAY BISHOP, AND CONFLICT
Bishop John Spong (VIII Newark) wr the Statement of Koonia -- advotg same-sex blsgs, and the ordag of non-celibate lbians and homosexuals -- was signed by 68 Epispal Bishops. Conventn also thorized dividual dc to offer health surance benefs to domtic partners of clergy and church employe, both heterosexual and homosexual. Giv regnn and support to gay and lbian relatnships and plac such relatnships alongsi of tradnal Christian marriage; voted to ntue dialogue on human sexualy; Judy Colls ncelled a benef ncert for Pridg Bishop's Fund to prott what she regards as The Epispal Church's discrimatory polici agast homosexuals.
• 2003 Mneapolis, MN -- Vicky Gene Robson was nfirmed by a 60% to 40% marg to be the first openly gay bishop a partnered relatnship The Epispal Church. • 1987 Dce of Newark -- Released a study document for church which mend "gay upl to the Church" and suggted "that their sacred mments be regnized and blsed.
" The document also lled on Bishop John Spong (VIII Newark) to protect openly homosexual prits and lled for homosexuals to be allowed full participatn the ordaed mistry of The Epispal Church. • 1991 -- Both Bishop Edward Jon (IX Indianapolis) and Bishop Stewart Wood (IX Michigan) admted to the Hoe of Bishops to havg ordaed non-celibate homosexuals. • 1992 Dce of Los Angel -- Two homosexual men ma "marriage vows" to "love, honor and fort each other" at an Epispal church Pasana.