Speaking Clearly About the Cost LGBTQ People Bear

From Union-

Several months ago, I received an email asking me to serve on the Taskforce on Communion Across Difference. Truthfully, my initial reaction was to say “absolutely not.” Growing up as an effeminate Latino gay kid in a small, mostly white town in rural Texas, the wounds are still fresh even as I approach my 38th year. I have only recently begun speaking about the fear of physical violence, the incessant teasing of my voice since the age of six, the nights that my family received prank call after prank call from fellow classmates screaming “faggot” into my mother’s ear, and how, after one particularly bad night, this resulted in my first of three suicide attempts.

Therefore, the idea of seeking communion across difference with Episcopal church theologians, editors, and clergy who are actively promulgating the idea that LGBTQ relationships are inherently sinful, made my stomach turn. And then, as if to bring this work even closer to home, my boyfriend proposed to me in late October. He and I will be married at the end of June in our Episcopal church.

More here-

https://utsnyc.edu/speaking-clearly/?fbclid=IwAR3Rl9b_9S0H8-gCpUPZQdyEWNirrzDKGtSJEOT1w--qqP782oxdBaHr-pU#.XJVNryIGmxY.facebook

Millennial Voices: Same-Sex Marriage in the Church

From PBS-

On July 12, 2018, after four days of deliberation, clergy members of the Episcopal Church voted to adopt a new resolution on same-sex marriage.

Resolution B012 was drafted and adopted at the 79th Episcopal General Convention as a compromise on what was already dubbed the ‘Compromise Resolution’ on same-sex marriage. Its passing lifted regional restrictions on same-sex marriage, letting individual clergy and their congregations decide whether to perform same-sex ceremonies.

Same-sex marriage has been federally legal since June of 2015, when the United States Supreme Court made its historic 5-4 ruling, declaring it a fundamental right. For the United States’ mainline Christian Churches, however, the struggle for marriage equality continues. This summer, I aided To the Contrary in the production of a documentary, premiering in October 2018, that will illuminate this struggle; its successes, failures, and what’s next for America’s mainline Churches and their LGBTQ members. If you can’t wait until October, here’s a preview.

More here-

http://www.pbs.org/to-the-contrary/blog/9062/millennial-voices_same-sex-marriage-in-the-church

Did General Convention Authorize Prayer Book Revision?

From The Living Church-

You may not understand what happened at the Episcopal Church’s recent General Convention in Austin, but you probably know that it was big news. Stories on liturgical revision ran in Washington Post, Juicy Ecumenism, CBN, Religion News Service, GetReligion, and First Things, among others, plus many articles at Episcopal News Service and The Living Church.

An article in the Washington Post seemed to get the facts wrong: “The Episcopal Church will revise its beloved prayer book but doesn’t know when.” But the Post was following the headline of Episcopal News Service (ENS), which declared, “Deputies agree with bishops on new plan for liturgical and prayer book revision.” On the same day, The Living Church — which also publishes Covenant — led with a nearly contradictory headline: “Changing Trains on Liturgical Revision” (TLC’s earlier article was even more stark: “Bishops Kill BCP Revision”).

It turns out that when you move past the headlines, most of these articles acknowledge the basic facts. The difference comes in the angle. As Matthew Townsend of TLC summarizes things in “Changing Trains”: “Both houses of General Convention have approved a resolution that will move the Episcopal Church closer to liturgical revision, but not closer to a revised Book of Common Prayer.”

More here-

https://livingchurch.org/covenant/2018/08/24/did-general-convention-authorize-prayer-book-revision/

The Summary of Actions of the 79th General Convention is now available

From The Episcopal Church-

The Rev. Canon Dr. Michael Barlowe, Secretary of General Convention, has announced that A Summary of Actions of the 79th General Convention is now available online at the General Convention website, here:  https://www.generalconvention.org/. The text of resolutions can be found in the resolutions section of the virtual binder at vbinder.net

A Summary of Actions of the 79th General Convention presents the results of resolutions and the membership of the Executive Council as well as other elections and appointments made during the 79th General Convention held July 5th – 13th, 2018 in Austin, Texas.  This document is in fulfillment of the requirement under Joint Rule of Order V.15 of the General Convention of The Episcopal Church. 

The Journal of the 79th General Convention, which is the official record of the proceedings, will be available in 2019.

More here-

https://www.episcopalchurch.org/posts/publicaffairs/summary-actions-79th-general-convention-now-available

In ecclesial matters, less may be best

From Lancaster-

What just happened here? I wondered, scanning summaries of the actions at the Episcopal Church’s 79th General Convention.

It’s a triennial event that brings laypeople, priests and bishops together to hash out, more or less harmoniously, a future direction for the church.

No historic initiatives (unless you count readmitting the Episcopal Church of Cuba) or cutting-edge innovations.

Lots of compromises, apparently.

But sometimes less is truly more.

According to the Episcopal News Service, the in-house media outlet, members of the House of Deputies and the House of Bishops set a new record for resolutions while also passing a $134 million budget focused on the priorities laid out by charismatic Presiding Bishop Michael Curry.

Thus, it’s no surprise that some resolutions and activities focused on the environment, racial reconciliation, immigration and a response to gun violence. Bishops confessed the church’s participation in sexual harassment — and deputies will now be allowed to nurse or bottle-feed infants on the House floor.

More here-

https://lancasteronline.com/features/faith_values/in-ecclesial-matters-less-may-be-best/article_a29c55ce-9cd9-11e8-834e-efc2cea35002.html

Much Ado about Bishops

From The Living Church-

By John Bauerschmidt

The recently concluded General Convention of the Episcopal Church took up many matters of business, some of them widely reported and blogged upon before, during, and after the convention. Others have drawn less attention. From my perspective, as a member of the House of Bishops, it’s worth taking note of the work of the convention on the reform of the episcopate. Actions taken (and not taken) tell a story whose significance is not yet fully known. If you’re a General Convention aficionado you may want to skip down several paragraphs, but at the risk of too much inside baseball I offer this account from my vantage point as a participant in the daily legislative work of one house.

Through Resolution D004, the 2015 General Convention established a Task Force on the Episcopacy charged to address a number of concerns: studying the selection and responsibilities of bishops; racial and gender diversity in the House of Bishops; proposals for revising the process of “discernment, nomination, formation, search, election, and transition” for this ministry; and developing “best practices and educational materials” available to the wider church. During the intervening triennium the task force did its work, and in the months before the convention it presented this report. (I was not a member of the task force.)

More here-

https://livingchurch.org/covenant/2018/08/10/much-ado-about-bishops/

An Open Letter To The Episcopalians’ General Convention Hatefest

From The Jewish Press-

Just in case no one bothered, dear members of The Episcopal Church, we’re reaching out to thank you for giving us the resolve to go on. You see, the most potent weapon against the Jewish State is not a Hamas suicide belt or an Iranian missile. With the help of G-d and Israel’s army, we can deal with those. What really does the most harm is a hug – and you folks just gave us the antidote.

Beleaguered Jews are suckers for love. Lob missiles into our kindergartens, and we’ll fight back. But send some signal that you “might be ready” to live alongside us, and we melt. On the road to Oz, we bought into the Oslo Accords, and really wanted to believe that somehow the unilateral withdrawal from Gaza would help bring peace. In the end, both were catastrophic.

To your credit, your Church removed any veneer of objectivity or fairness from your General Convention, and zeroed right in on those pesky Zionists. We watched as you introduced a dozen resolutions hostile to the Jewish state, prompting one bishop to ask why Episcopalians were intent on “piling on” to Israel. We heard allegations that Israel incarcerates children for 10-20 years simply for throwing stones; that Israel suppresses peaceful protests in Gaza with lethal weapons.

More here-

http://www.jewishpress.com/indepth/opinions/an-open-letter-to-the-episcopalians-general-convention-hatefest/2018/08/01/

What the early church thought about God’s gender

From The Conversation-

The Episcopal Church has decided to revise its 1979 prayer book, so that God is no longer referred to by masculine pronouns. 

The prayer book, first published in 1549 and now in its fourth edition, is the symbol of unity for the Anglican Communion. The Anglican Communion is the third largest Christian communion founded in 1867. While there is no clear timeline for the changes, religious leaders at the denomination’s recent triennial conference in Austin have agreed to a demand to replace the masculine terms for God such as “He” and “King” and “Father.”

Indeed, early Christian writings and texts, all refer to God in feminine terms.

As a scholar of Christian origins and gender theory, I’ve studied the early references to God.
In Genesis, for example, women and men are created in the “Imago Dei,” image of God, which suggests that God transcends socially constructed notions of gender. Furthermore, Deuteronomy, the fifth book of the Hebrew Bible written in the seventh century B.C., states that God gave birth to Israel.

In the oracles of the eighth century prophet Isaiah, God is described as a woman in labor and a mother comforting her children.

More here-

https://theconversation.com/what-the-early-church-thought-about-gods-gender-100077

Bishop Love Reflects on GC79

From The Living Church-

The Rt. Rev. William H. Love, Bishop of Albany, reflects on the decisions of the 79th General Convention:

On a positive note, an amended version of A068 was passed, thus preserving the 1979 Book of Common Prayer for at least the near term. There had been an attempt to change the 1979 BCP at this convention in ways that would have been unacceptable to those who maintain a traditional understanding of marriage. Resolution A068 not only preserved the 1979 BCP marriage rite and preamble, but also preserved the current psalter and liturgies; the Trinitarian formularies; the Lambeth Quadrilateral; and the Historic Documents. The resolution does allow for Dioceses under the direction and approval of their Bishop, to develop new rites and new language for trial use.

There had been an attempt at the 79th General Convention to radically change the bishop election process for each diocese by including the involvement of surrounding dioceses and the Presiding Bishop’s Office in unprecedented ways. While presented in a positive light, the potential for abuse led to the overwhelming defeat of the resolution.

More here-

https://livingchurch.org/2018/07/19/bishop-love-reflects-on-gc79/

Episcopal Church in the US compromises on marriage rites for all couples

From The Church Times-

SAME-SEX couples will be able to marry in Episcopal churches in all dioceses, even where the diocesan bishop has objected.

The Church’s General Convention, which was held in Austin, Texas, has backed a compromise resolution to ensure that everyone has access to two trial marriage rites, approved in 2015, in their home churches.

Currently, in nine of the 101 dioceses of the Episcopal Church the gender-neutral rites have not been authorised by the bishop: Albany, New York, Central Florida, Dallas, Florida, North Dakota, Spring field, Tennessee, and the Virgin Islands. The new resolution allows for all couples to request the gender-neutral marriage rites, with pastoral support offered by a bishop from another diocese if necessary.

This resolution was a compromise on the original one put forward by the Task Force on the Study of Marriage, which would have changed references to marriage in the Prayer Book (News, 6 July) to make it gender neutral, and included the two trial rites in the Prayer Book.

More here-

https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2018/20-july/news/world/episcopal-church-in-us-compromises-on-marriage-rites

Episcopal Church rejects measure to divest from Israel

From The Jewish Journal-

The Episcopal Church rejected a measure to divest from Israel at its General Convention.

The measure, titled “Ending Church Complicity in the Occupation,” was initially approved by the House of Deputies in the church, one of the legislative houses of the bicameral General Convention, but was later rejected by the House of Bishops during its triennial convention in Austin, Texas.

“Divestment will not move us one inch forward in the peace process. It will not bring an end to the occupation. It will not lead us to the solution that we all yearn for, which is two states living side by side in peace within secure borders,” said retired Bishop Ed Little of the Diocese of Northern Indiana, who was one of six bishops to speak against the resolution before the vote, the Episcopal News Service reported.

More here-

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/florida-jewish-journal/fl-jj-episcopal-church-divest-israel-20180718-story.html

The Episcopal Church will revise its beloved prayer book but doesn’t know when

From The Washington Post-

After more than a week of debate among church leaders about whether God should be referred to by male pronouns — and about the numerous other issues that come up when writing a prayer book — the Episcopal Church has decided to revise the 1979 Book of Common Prayer that Episcopalian worshipers hold dear.

The question now is when it will happen.

At the denomination’s triennial conference, which concluded in Austin last week, leaders considered a plan that would have led to a new prayer book in 2030. They voted it down.

“There’s no timeline for it,” said the Very Rev. Samuel Candler, chair of the committee on prayer book revision. “There’s no A-B-C-D plan. The plan is to put a joint task force together now that will work on how we do it. They’ll be gathering liturgies and working in dioceses and assembling texts. I think we are going forward.”

More here-

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2018/07/18/the-episcopal-church-will-revise-its-beloved-prayer-book-but-doesnt-know-when/?utm_term=.e9f53a9903c4

 

Goodness makes America great

From Arkansas-

Two Sundays ago at the General Convention of the Episcopal Church in Austin, I joined a large congregation for a prayer service in a field outside the Hutto Residential Center in Taylor, Texas, a prison for women waiting for their immigration hearing. Many of these are women who have been separated from their children.

Our preacher was Michael Curry, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church. Bishop Curry recently gained international attention with his sermon at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

Bishop Curry is African American and he preaches with the rich cadence of that tradition. I want to share some of his words from that day.

He began: "We come in love. We come in love because we follow Jesus. And Jesus taught us love. Love the Lord your God. And love your neighbor ...

"We come in love. That is the core of our faith. That is the heart of it. And we come, because we are Christian and the way of love calls for us to be humanitarian. It calls for us to care for those who have no one to care for them. And we come because we don't believe that a great nation like this one separates children from their families. We come because we believe that this nation is conceived in liberty, dedicated to the proposition that all people are created equal. We believe that we must call this nation America back to its very soul! We are here because we love this nation. 'Cause if you really love somebody you don't leave them the way they are. You help them to become their best selves. We are here to save the soul of America. Save the soul of America!"

More here-

http://www.nwaonline.com/news/2018/jul/17/lowell-grisham-goodness-makes-america-g/

General Convention wrap-up: Following the Way of Jesus

From ENS-

Responding to Presiding Bishop Michael Curry’s call to “Follow the Way of Jesus,” deputies and bishops at the 79th General Convention of the Episcopal Church, meeting July 5-13 in Austin, Texas, acted on a record number of resolutions on key issues such as immigration, prayer book revision, Israel-Palestine, and readmitting the Episcopal Church of Cuba as a diocese. Convention also passed a $134 million budget that reflects for a further three years the presiding bishop’s priorities of evangelism, racial reconciliation and creation care. Meanwhile, the legislative processes were overseen by a resident roost of avian observers, one of which adopted a social media presence to bring a steady flow of light-feathered moments to convention amid the often-intense and passionate debates on the key issues before the church.

Outside the legislative chambers, several events brought together bishops, deputies and visitors to mingle, socialize, pray, worship and advocate, with a public witness against gun violence and another outside an immigrant detention center challenging the actions of the U.S. government in its enforcement of immigration policies. A revival service at Austin’s Palmer Events Center on July 7 drew a crowd of more than 2,500 people who listened to Presiding Bishop Michael Curry’s rousing sermon about how “God is love and gives life.”

More here-

https://www.episcopalchurch.org/library/article/general-convention-wrap-following-way-jesus

Episcopal Church: all same-sex couples can marry in their home churches

From GOPUSA-

The Episcopal Church removed restrictions on same-sex marriage, a move that allows all couples to wed where they worship, even if their bishop disapproves.

The action came out of discussions at the General Convention, which wrapped up its triennial meeting in Austin, Texas, Friday.

Same-sex couples are already allowed to marry across most Episcopal Churches in the United States, but a few U.S. dioceses had not permitted religious wedding ceremonies for this type union.
Friday’s decision overrides previous decisions by local dioceses to not allow the liturgies, which currently includes eight of the of the nation’s 101 Episcopal dioceses — Albany, N.Y.; Central Florida; Dallas; Florida; North Dakota; Springfield, Ill.; Tennessee; and the Virgin Islands.

No one spoke against the resolution during a short debate by the House of Deputies, the news service affiliated with the Episcopal Church said.

More here-

http://www.gopusa.com/episcopal-church-all-same-sex-couples-can-marry-in-their-home-churches/

Anti-Semitism Creeps Back Under Episcopal Auspices

From The American Spectator-

And what to my wondering eyes should appear, at the General Convention of the Episcopal Church this month, but a heap of painful evidence that the foreign policy of the United States isn’t in disarray solely because of Donald Trump.

Practically no substantial number of Americans seems capable these days — in contrast with the Cold War era — of figuring out for long who the good guys are, and aren’t. It used to be so easy. The commies were bad. Then we beat the commies, and… and…

I intrude mention of the Episcopal Church here because of my presence at the late convention — where what could have been taken for the third, perhaps second, cousin of old-fashioned anti-Semitism prowled like a ramping and roaring lion, snarling at Israel, clapping its paws for the Palestinians.

Resolution after resolution targeted Israel for its apparently endless failures to bestow full rights on Palestinians in the so-called “occupied” territories. Resolution authors wanted the church, through its investments, to pressure Israeli acquiescence in a pro-Palestinian policy.

More here-

https://spectator.org/were-all-cold-warriors-now/ 

and here-

https://www.algemeiner.com/2018/07/16/the-episcopal-church-general-conventions-sin-of-scapegoating-israel/

US Episcopal Church moves towards divestment from Israeli occupation

From Middle East Monitor-

The General Convention of the Episcopal Church, with more than 3 million members across the US, has passed a number of resolutions in support of Palestinian rights, including an unprecedented move towards divestment from companies involved in Israeli violations of international law.

At the 79th General Convention, six resolutions on Israel-Palestine made it through both the House of Deputies and House of Bishops, although the latter body failed to follow through on “bolder steps” backed by Deputies.

Issues singled out by the adopted resolutions “including the plight of Palestinian children, the status of Jerusalem, the disproportionate use of lethal force on both sides and ways the Episcopal Church can press for peace through its investment decisions”.

As regards that latter issue, resolution BO16 mandates the Church’s Executive Council’s Committee on Corporate Social Responsibility “to develop criteria for Israel and Palestine based on a human rights’ investment screen”, and “to engage in shareholder advocacy in support of human rights in Israel and the Occupied Territories”.

More here-

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20180716-us-episcopal-church-moves-towards-divestment-from-israeli-occupation/

General Convention responds to the voices and stories of women

From ENS-

The voices and stories of women played a significant role in the workings of the 79th General Convention, from a liturgy where bishops offered laments and confession for the church’s role in sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse, to Resolution D087 that allows deputies to bring infant children on the floor of the House of Deputies to feed them.

On the night of July 4, before the convention officially opened, a Liturgy of Listening featured stories from women and men who were victims of sexual misconduct perpetrated by someone in the church. Bishop DeDe Duncan-Probe of the Diocese of Central New York, who planned the service, said it was designed to help set a framework for General Convention’s consideration of resolutions dealing with sexual misconduct, exploitation and gender disparity. As part of a response to that liturgy, the House of Bishops on July 8 adopted a covenant that commits them to seek changes in their dioceses to combat abuse, harassment and exploitation. The document, which applies only to bishops, is entitled “A Working Covenant for the Practice of Equity and Justice for All in The Episcopal Church.” Bishop Mary Gray-Reeves of the Diocese of El Camino Real said the covenant grew out of the Liturgy of Listening because it was clear that “there is no way we can do this and nothing more.” She said, “Sexual abuse, harassment and exploitation are part of the system. This is about acknowledging and accepting that.”

More here-

https://www.episcopalnewsservice.org/2018/07/13/general-convention-responds-to-the-voices-and-stories-of-women/

Toward Generous Faithfulness About Marriage

From Springfield-

Beloved in Christ in the Diocese of Springfield,

I am now safely and gratefully back home after serving for 12 days at the 79th General Convention of the Episcopal Church, which was held in Austin, Texas. I was joined there by an outstanding cadre of Deputies elected by the diocese: Kevin Babb and Sharon Hoffman (St Andrew’s, Edwardsville), Randy Winn (Trinity, Mt Vernon), Gerry Smith (Christ the King, Normal), Fr Dick Swan (St John’s, Decatur), Mother Sherry Black (St Mark’s, West Frankfort), Fr Dave Halt (St Matthew’s, Bloomington), and Fr Mark Evans (Trinity, Lincoln). They all did you proud.

The convention considered and disposed of, one way or another, over 4oo resolutions. I wrote about some of them on my personal blog, which I encourage you to look at. In this letter, I will focus on just one, because it deals with the most controversial issue our church has faced over the last several decades, which is human sexuality in general and marriage in particular. and it seems important that I communicate to the clergy and faithful of the diocese about this both promptly and clearly.

More here-

https://www.episcopalspringfield.org/toward-generous-faithfulness-about-marriage/

Presiding Bishop Michael Curry to hold prayer service at Taylor detention facility

From Austin-

Bishop Michael Curry, the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church who spoke at the royal wedding in May, is holding a prayer service noon Sunday at the T. Don Hutto Residential Center in Taylor.

The prayer service is part of Curry’s trip to Austin for the church’s General Convention, according to a news release.
“We wanted to channel the grief and anger we feel over our government’s inhumane treatment of asylum seekers and other immigrants into an act of prayerful solidarity with the women being unjustly incarcerated at Hutto and other facilities like it,” the Rev. Megan Castellan of Ithaca, N.Y., said in the release. 

Castellan organized the service at the detention center with the Rev. Terry Pierce, vicar of St. James Episcopal Church in Taylor, and others.

More here-

https://www.statesman.com/news/local/presiding-bishop-michael-curry-hold-prayer-service-taylor-detention-facility/lqDkgNKyIFvSQk3pQG0ecN/