How Epispalians Embraced Gay Marriage

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 WILL NOT CEASE ITS SUPPORT FOR GAY MARRIAGE
• ANGLINS RTRICT US EPISPAL CHURCH OVER GAY MARRIAGE
• EPISPAL CHURCH WON'T BACK DOWN ON GAY RIGHTS DPE CENSURE

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

Unlike the Worldwi Anglin Communn, of which is a part, the Epispal Church do not nmn homosexualy.

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. However, the church had already nsecrated s first openly gay bishop 2003. That changed last week when the church voted to force all Epispal church to allow gay and lbian upl to “marry” the church.

EPISPAL CHURCH WILL NOT CEASE ITS SUPPORT FOR GAY MARRIAGE

The majory of the Amerin Epispal Church (93 dc) already allows gay marriage their church. A prev versn of the rolutn would have ma gay marriage a ponent of official theology by the sertn of new lurgi the Book of Common Prayer. 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.

ANGLINS RTRICT US EPISPAL CHURCH OVER GAY MARRIAGE

In many, homosexual sex is even crimalized.

Max Ludo, who prevly exprsed anti-gay views, has revealed a rift the church, wh some sayg the move was a slap the face to LGBTQ Epispalians. “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.

The nstutns and nons of some dc still officially ban gay clergy – unls celibate – and same-sex marriag, cludg Albany, Dallas and Central Florida. 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. Gay Clark Jenngs durg the webar.

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

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.

)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. We’d gone om panic over a gay bishop to affirmg gay and lbian relatnships marriage only 12 years. And a mere 12 years later, the Supreme Court would le that bans on marriage for s gay/lbian cizens were unnstutnal.

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. Ined, they will want treated 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 .

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 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.

And fally, over time, beme unnscnable to treat as anythg ls than full members of our 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. For years, the Church risted changg s md about gay people and our relatnships, so God looked for jtice workers outsi the Church.

CANTERBURY, England (RNS) — The prejudice felt by gay people over same-sex marriage is the new racism, acrdg to the head of the Epispal Church of the Uned Stat. 2), said that the Uned Stat, “the issue of gay people and their rights is equivalent a stggle our time to the one over race. ” He went on to say all Christians the Uned Stat need to stand solidary wh gay people over same-sex marriage.