The Episcopal Church Becomes An Affirming Church

I will be up at the cottage for the next several days and since my laptop is in for repair, I will be off the net. However, I leave you with this press release from the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force about the Episcopal Church and their vote to become an affirming church.





Article of Faith: The Episcopal Church makes room for all of us

July 23, 2009

MEDIA CONTACT:
Pedro Julio Serrano, Communications Coordinator

WASHINGTON, July 23 — At the recent General Convention of the Episcopal Church, the inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people was at the forefront of the debates and decisions. The general convention decided to overturn the 2006 moratorium on electing lesbian and gay bishops, recognized a local option for developing liturgical rites to bless same-sex unions and called for transgender civil rights at the local, state and federal levels. What follows is an Article of Faith addressing the growing acceptance and inclusion of LGBT people in the Episcopal Church.

Article of Faith by the Rev. Jay Emerson Johnson, Ph.D.
National Religious Leadership Roundtable

The 2009 triennial General Convention of the Episcopal Church delivered some good news to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Episcopalians, which everyone committed to the extravagant welcome of the Gospel can celebrate. A strong majority voted to overturn the 2006 moratorium on electing lesbian and gay bishops, keeping the ordination process open to all, and recognized a local option for developing liturgical rites to bless same-sex unions.
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Still more good news emerged from Anaheim, Calif., where the convention delegates met. Less trumpeted in the media but even more significant, in my view, were three other resolutions passed by this general convention: supporting a fully inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA); calling for transgender civil rights at the local, state and federal levels; and urging nondiscrimination practices for the laity employed by the church (which is usually exempt from such civil mandates). The explicit inclusion of transgender people in these resolutions signals what has been at the heart of the controversy in the Episcopal Church, the Anglican Communion and many other Christian communities for some time — the issue of gender.
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My own church certainly has not resolved those struggles or settled the debates. But it has taken a significant step forward by insisting that any progress for “LGB” people necessarily depends on taking the “T” much more seriously than most faith communities have been willing to consider. For that alone — which is quite a lot — I’m grateful for the courage and witness of the 76th General Convention of the Episcopal Church.