Date: Fri, 12 Jun 1998 18:55:56 -0400 From: Chris Ambidge Subject: *Integrator* files for 1997 INTEGRATOR, the newsletter of Integrity/Toronto volume 97-3, issue date 1997 07 31 copyright 1997 Integrity/Toronto. The hard-copy version of this newsletter carries the ISSN 0843-574X ==Contents== UNBARRING THE DOORS -- ALL OVER THIS LAND! [97-3-1] OPENING DOORS IN OTTAWA / by Ron Chaplin [97-3-2] NOT PAPERING OVER THE CRACKS / quality of discussion marks Redeemer/St Clement's series on Permanent Sexual Commitment / by Chris Ambidge [97-3-3] ANGLICAN BISHOPS SUPPORT BC SAME-SEX LEGISLATION / still more doors opening [97-3-4] INTEGRITY AND FIDELITY AT GOD'S TABLE / upcoming Eucharistic celebration with two different and differing groups. [97-3-5] WAYS OF PRAYER / first of a new regular column, by Sister Thelma-Anne ssjd [97-3-6] LET IT SHINE / by the Rev Michael W Hopkins [97-3-7] GENERAL CONVENTION APOLOGISES TO GAY AND LESBIAN EPISCOPALIANS by Jan Nunley and Genie Carr [97-3-8] LATE FLASH / more on the US Episcopal General Convention [97-3-9] REVIEWING HUMANITY / an article from the secular gay press on the "Apology" issue in the Canadian House of Bishops / by Yolande House [97-3-10] DID YOU SAY "NEVER", YOUR GRACE? / Bishop Baker takes issue with Archbishop Carey's pronouncements on gays and lesbians in the Church of England. ======= [97-3-1] OPENING DOORS IN OTTAWA by Ron Chaplin And doors keep opening.... I had planned to write this article three months ago. Had I done so, it would have been a very different account. I would have focused on theology, "radical" theology. I would have written about anger and fear and frustration. That was then. This is now. On April 12, the parish of St John the Evangelist hosted its second annual workshop on issues of concern to the gay and lesbian Christian community, entitled "Opening the Door to Gays and Lesbians in the Church: the Dialogue Continues". While participants drifted in and out during the half-day event, some 76 persons from up to a dozen different parishes registered. Participants were almost equally male and female, gay and straight. The Challenge for the Church The Rev Dr. Patricia Kirkpatrick, professor of Old Testament and Chair of the Women's Studies Advisory Committee at McGill University, delivered the opening address. She spoke of the need for the Church to develop a "new theology of Creation". Pulling no punches, she began by condemning "the immoral position of the Anglican Church on gays and lesbians." She continued by decrying much of the theology which has been constructed around the Creation myth of Genesis 2, specifically the notions of "sexual polarity" and "complementarity". The notion of "sexual polarity", first developed by St Augustine, held that males were morally superior to females. The notion of "complementarity", first developed by the Roman Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, held that it was the complementarity of the male joined with the female that "reflects the unity of the Creator". But, she continued, surely these concepts contradict the God described in the Old Testament, a God who transcends sexuality. Moreover, they contradict the Creation myth of Genesis 1, where both male and female are complete in themselves. These theologies have been unjustly used to defame female sexuality generally, and gay and lesbian sexuality specifically. Yet the challenge to the Church goes beyond the issues of gay and lesbian sexuality. What, she asked, do we have to say about "the kinship of friendship"? She left participants with this challenge: "In God's Kingdom, there is no such thing as the exclusivity of love. Our experience tells us something else. Our Bible tells us something else. Our tradition tells us something else." Meeting the Challenge In the subsequent breakout groups, discussions were intense and impassioned. All participants agreed that the silence of the Church had to be broken. Dialogue had to proceed, and in the open -- no more discussions "in the closet"! Such discussions had to occur at every level, within individual parishes, within the Diocese and within the national Church. Moreover, all agreed that the time was now! The status quo is unacceptable. We need to say so. Nor should we back away from challenges, or remain silent for fear of conflict. At the same time, all recognised the need to respect the vulnerability of many clergy, and of many individuals in our parishes. We need to help create supportive and safe environments for people to express their views. The gay and lesbian participants were generally surprised at the passion with which straight participants spoke. Particularly touching were the comments of the members of the Ottawa and Cornwall chapters of PFLAG. "Please help us cure our churches!" they pleaded. Prodding Doors Open A committee of some twenty individuals from eight different parishes (plus the Roman Catholic parish of St Joseph's) has been meeting regularly to plan next steps. A mailing list of over 200 names has been compiled. The committee is drafting a short declaration which can be used by individual parishes to help them ensure that they are open and welcoming places for gay and lesbian believers. To do so more effectively, a further step has been taken. On June 10, I and another parishioner from St John's made a presentation to the Program Committee of the Diocese of Ottawa. We requested two things: that the Opening the Door Program be adopted as a task force of the Diocesan Program Office; and that we be allotted time on the agenda at Synod in October to present our program. Bishop John Baycroft participated in these discussions. While expressing some concerns, he indicated cautious support for the proposal. The proposal was accepted, with only one dissenting voice. Celebration! During these discussions, concern was expressed that St John's parish would need to be willing to relinquish "ownership" of the Opening the Door Program. A short while later, concern was expressed that St John's not abandon its leadership role. "Not to worry," I explained to the Committee. "We at St John's are willing to put our baby up for adoption. We will not, however, see her orphaned." St John's remains committed to its mission to be a welcoming haven for gay and lesbian believers. On Sunday, July 13, Pride Day in Ottawa, St John's hosted a special evening Eucharist As publicised in >Capital Xtra!<, Ottawa's monthly newspaper for the gay and lesbian community, the Eucharist was a "celebration of the contributions of gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgendered persons in the world, in this community, and in the Church." We had no idea how many people would show up, but in the event about 75 came, overflowing the chapel. Maybe half of them had never been seen in St John's church before. That's primary evangelism! This was the first time a mainstream Christian church in Ottawa has ever had this kind of service. The Rainbow Flag was flying from the open front door as the Pride parade went by. At St John's, at least, the door is open! ======== [97-3-2] NOT PAPERING OVER THE CRACKS Quality of discusson marks Redeemer / St Clement's series on Permanent Sexual Commitments by Chris Ambidge Parishioners at the Church of the Redeemer in Toronto have been studying permanent sexual commitments for both hetero- and homo-sexuals for several years. That depth of study and collected wisdom was very much in evidence at the church of St Clement, Eglinton, in January and early February. St Clement's have also long been working on the vexing problems that the church has with homosexual Christians. They have run a number of educational events to explore inclusion of those with diverse sexual orientations, and so it was natural that they should call on the expertise of the Redeemer group when planning their January/February event. This joint presentation of the two parishes was a series of four public forums on consecutive Wednesday evenings, entitled >Toward a hallowing of Permanent Sexual Commitments: discerning an Anglican way.< It was a series of presentations and discussions exploring how the Anglican understanding of marriage as a monogamous covenantal relationship can help the Church discern a positive response to Christian gay men and lesbians in committed same-sex unions. The programme was based on a study guide written by over a couple of years by a group at Redeemer, and now being published by ABC. I'm a gay man, and the Anglican church is a very important part of my life, so this series held tremendous appeal and interest to me. I was not disappointed. Each evening there was a bishop present to introduce and comment on the issues raised by the evening, and there was a principal speaker, delivering a paper on the theme for the evening. After a coffee and stretch break, there were questions and answers. [The stretch break was very necessary: not only did the audience need "soak time" on the ideas delivered, they also needed time to recover from the truly horrible pews at St Clement's.] The addresses, both from the bishops and from the speakers, were all of very high standard. None of the bishops were mouthing platitudes, but rather touching on the very real difficulties experienced by people across the spectrum of opinion in the church. The speakers all gave us significant amounts of information to reflect on and learn from. These were not evenings of light entertainment, but of real learning. The first evening saw Bishop Terry Finlay and Pauline Thompson tackling how the church has dealt with hard, divisive issues in the past, and is dealing with this one now. >Those whom God has joined ... and rejoined< explored issues with the changing concepts of marriage, divorce and remarriage. The second evening, with Bishop Victoria Matthews and Andrew Lincoln, spoke about evolving language and the mind of the church. Lincoln, who is a professor of New Testament Theology at Wycliffe College, cautioned that expecting biblical writers to use language and concepts of human sexuality in the same way that we do in the late twentieth century is foolish. The third week, with Archbishop (and former Primate) Ted Scott, was a bit of a change of pace, with three lesbian/gay Anglicans speaking of their own faith journeys. Marj Richings and David Robertson are both Redeemer parishioners, Sherry Coman (who served on the national church task force who wrote >Hearing Diverse Voices<) is from St Clement's The final evening we had not one but two bishops: the Primate, Michael Peers was joined by Bishop Joe Fricker, and they spoke of >Ways Forward.< They got us all wondering where should the church be going on this issue. There was a time provided for feedback from the audience. The St Clement's series drew between 150 and 180 people each evening; so comments and questions at a microphone were the practical way of sharing ideas back and forth at a meeting of that size. One of the things that I found refreshing was the spectrum of people present. Normally such events tend to have an audience almost uniformly of one mind (or another), and it becomes to some extent preaching to the converted. As the questions made clear, not everyone in the audience agreed with the points of view expressed from the podium. This does not mean to say that it was a comfortable experience. Jokes about hard pews aside, listening to some people who feel differently was not always easy. The most extreme example was the very first evening, where one gentleman stood up and took exception to some of basic assumptions laid out in the Study Guide. He held (among other things) that lesbian and gay Christians abrogate their baptism should they become sexually active. It is not terribly easy to hear one's own baptism and church membership called into question. However, perhaps this served to demonstrate the very significant differences which still exist between various parts of the church, and indeed why opportunities for dialogue and learnings, on all sides, continue to be very important. Anglicans tend to be polite to a fault, and papering over the cracks is a favourite way of dealing with differences. That didn't happen at St Clement's, and I think on balance, that's a healthier way to deal with disputes. I was really proud of the people who helped make this event possible. They provided those of us in the audience with all kinds of material to think over and guide our own positions on the matter of lesbigays within the church. People tend NOT to think when they come to this question: they react from the gut. The series at St Clement's provided material to help us engage our brains as well. From a historical viewpoint, from a biblical viewpoint, and from the viewpoints of faithful Anglican gays and lesbians, the audience were able join Bishop Fricker in wondering where the church should go from here. Some of the audience will not have agreed with his conclusions -- that some parishes should start blessing couples, and see where that gets us -- but all of us will be doing less "shooting from the hip". I am convinced that it is through such events as this that the Anglican Church of Canada will move away from forming battle lines and rending the Body apart in the process. To quote from the Study Guide: "Variety and ambiguity are dangerous. They cannot be pinned to a board and admired for their beautiful colours. They are full of risks and perils. The cross is always full of risk and peril, but the reward is life and love. We long for comfort and certainty, but the way of Christ is a way of risk and letting go. It is also the way of growth." May we all continue in such growth. ======== [97-3-3] ANGLICAN BISHOPS SUPPORT BC SAME-SEX LEGISLATION The provincial government in British Columbia has just passed legislation to recognise same-sex unions for the purposes of child custody, access and maintenance. Archbishop David Crawley and the other four Anglican bishops in BC have written an open letter to Premier Glen Clark supporting the proposed changes to the Family Relations Act and the Family Maintenance Enforcement Act. Anglican bishops have written letters in support of amending civil legislation to give equal treatment for homosexuals on various occasions since 1980. The legislation has been opposed by other religious leaders in the province, including BC's Roman Catholic bishops. Attorney-General Ujjal Dosanjh welcomed the support from the Anglican church, saying "I think it's important for the religious leaders to reflect on the issue, reflect on past experiences and really get on with doing what needs to be done, bringing our laws into the 21st century." Here follows the full text of the letter sent to the province's premier, the Hon Glen Clark: As bishops of the Anglican Church of Canada in British Columbia, we write to express our support for the provincial government's proposed amendments to the Family Relations Act and the Family Maintenance Enforcement Act. It is a matter of fundamental equality and human rights that homosexual people should have the same obligations and protection under the civil law as other citizens of British Columbia. Our support for the proposed changes in this Province is consistent with positions taken by the General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada and the national House of Bishops of the Anglican Church of Canada in recent years: "We affirm that homosexual persons are entitled to equal protection under the law with all other Canadian citizens." (Guidelines of the House of Bishops, Mississauga, 1979) "We condemn... bigotry, violence and hatred directed toward any due to their sexual orientation." (General Synod, Ottawa, 1995) "This House of Bishops supports the proposed amendments in the House of Commons to the Canadian Human Rights Act to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation." (House of Bishops, Mississauga, 1996) Religious organizations have a particular responsibility to safeguard the freedom, dignity and responsibility of every person, and to work for an end to discrimination. While we are aware that many people cannot yet accept homosexual relationships as equal in dignity with heterosexual relationships, nevertheless we have an obligation to safeguard the rights of same-sex partners as a matter of justice. Equality must be supported in substance, not just by rhetoric. We do not believe the proposed legislation will weaken the family structure, which is central to the well-being of society. On the contrary, by ensuring the same benefits and the same responsibilities for homosexual families as for heterosexual families, it will strengthen all families in their diversity and encourage long-term, stable relationships to the benefit of children, spouses and society as a whole. Yours sincerely, Archbishop David Crawley, Metropolitan of British Columbia and Yukon Bishop James Cruikshank, Diocese of Cariboo Bishop Michael Ingham, Diocese of New Westminster Bishop John Hannen, Diocese of Caledonia Bishop Barry Jenks, Diocese of British Columbia ======== [97-3-4] INTEGRITY AND FIDELITY AT GOD'S TABLE The celebrant at Integrity/Toronto's September 17 Eucharist will be the Rev Paul Feheley, who is vice-president of Fidelity. Fidelity are a group within the diocese of Toronto who advocate following traditional Church teachings on matters around homosexuality. That choice of celebrant might seem a little odd at first glance, but Integrity is pleased that Paul will be with us that evening. It got started back at the beginning of the year: on the membership renewal forms which were mailed out with the first issue of >Integrator< in 1997, there is a box which reads "I am a priest and would like to celebrate the Eucharist with you". Various Fidelity people are on our mailing list, and Paul returned his form with the box checked. When we were planning the schedule earlier this year, the chapter executive unanimously agreed that this Integrity/ Fidelity Eucharist should be scheduled. We are all members of the Anglican church, and if we cannot meet at Christ's table, then we are indeed in a sad way. Or, to phrase that positively, we are one body, for we all share in the one bread. Elsewhere in this issue of >Integrator<, Sister Thelma-Anne quotes Ann Carlson: "When we talk of peace and community, we too often assume that they can be achieved only through victory, defeat or compromise. I think we need to expand our definition of peace. I can't be at peace with an enemy. I am not at peace while God is on my side and I view other faith community members as God's opponents. ... True peace may involve learning to live without God on 'my side', because God is bigger than that.". Integrity and Fidelity take very different approaches to the questions surrounding homosexuals in the church. But it is our church -- we were all baptised, and are thus members of the same family. Before any of us come to the Eucharistic table, we must share the peace of the risen Christ with each other. All Integrity and Fidelity members are invited to come on September 17, to share that peace, and the Eucharist together. ======== [97-3-5] [In this issue we begin a regular column, by Sister Thelma-Anne SSJD. Sister T.A., as she is widely known to Integrity people, lives at St John's Convent in Willowdale.] WAYS OF PRAYER by Sister Thelma-Anne ssjd As many of you know, I have facilitated the annual Integrity retreat for a number of years. It happened that the June issue of the >Anglican Journal<, with reports of the discussion on homosexuality in the House of Bishops, arrived at the Convent during this year's retreat and, understandably, became a major focus of the weekend. Toward the end of the retreat, it was clear to us that, whatever else we might do, we must commit ourselves to prayer -- for those who are wrestling with t he issue and for ourselves, that all may be enfolded in Christ's peace and in the unity of Christ's Body. We committed ourselves to pray regularly for our bishops in their continuing search for understanding. For my part, I committed myself to write a regular column in >Integrator< as a resource and a way to commend persons, events and issues for our intercessions. I hope that this column may also become a place where the prayer concerns of our readers can be shared. We recognised that prayer is the most important contribution we can make. Prayer transforms not only situations but those who pray. As our SSJD Rule puts it, "Prayer, uniting us to the energies of God's grace, becomes truly creative, releasing power into the world for God's glory and the accomplishment of the divine purpose." Furthermore, to intercede implies a willingness to act and to suffer on behalf of those for whom we pray. This, in turn, brings healing and empathy into situations of conflict and divisiveness. Intercessory prayer is not presenting God with a wish-list, nor is it haranguing God with our analysis of the situation, far less trying to convert God to our agenda. In an article in the Spring, 1997, issue of >The Voice of Integrity<, Dr Ann Carlson suggests that we can hold passionately to our convictions, believing that we know God and are led by God, while giving up the certainty that God is on our side. She writes, "When we talk of peace and community, we too often assume that they can be achieved only through victory, defeat or compromise. I think we need to expand our definition of peace. I can't be at peace with an enemy. I am not at peace while God is on my side and I view other faith community members as God's opponents ... I can be both at peace and in pain. True peace may involve learning to live without God on my side, because God is bigger than that." The most powerful way of intercession is the silent holding of persons and concerns in God's presence. Commit a certain time, say ten minutes, each day. Begin by taking time to become quiet, centred and focused. Become aware of the enfolding presence of the One in whom we live, move and have our being, the One who says in the depths of our being, "I am for you." Have before you the names or faces of those for whom you are interceding. Then sit quietly and in peace, simply holding yourself and these persons and concerns in the divine presence. When you start to lose focus, just return to the mental image you have formed of those for whom you are praying, or else repeat their names like a mantra. At the end of your prayer time, commend to God yourself and those for whom you have been praying, asking that you and they may become instruments of God's will and God's peace. At this time I would like to commend a subject for intercession. Let us pray for our own house of bishops in their continuing search for understanding. You might take the list of bishops and, on a rotation basis, hold one or more of them each day in the presence of God. If you prefer a form of prayer, you might use the collect for Pentecost or that magnificent prayer [below] beginning, "O God of unchangeable power and eternal light.", Say one of these collects slowly and prayerfully, on behalf of our bishops. Let us also pray for one another and for ourselves as we journey together as members and friends of Integrity and as witnesses to the grace of God in our lives. === O God of unchangeable power and eternal light, look favourably on your whole Church, that wonderful and sacred mystery. By the effectual working of your providence, carry out in tranquillity the plan of salvation. Let the whole world see and know that things which were cast down are being raised up, and things which had grown old are being made new, and that all things are being brought to their perfection by him through whom all things were made, your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. ======== [97-3-6] LET IT SHINE! by the Rev Michael W Hopkins [This article is adapted from a Sermon preached to ] [Integrity/ Washington in Advent 1996. The Gospel text for the ] [evening was Matthew 25:1-13. Michael Hopkins is the Director of ] [Communications for Integrity in the USA and is also Vicar of St. ] [George's Church, Glenn Dale, Maryland in the Diocese of Washington.] >"Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit." Luke 12:35< All of us have, no doubt, seen those birthday candles that are impossible to blow out. Related to the powerful scriptural metaphor of light, these days we gay and lesbian folk in the Church are often like those birthday candles, that no matter how many times somebody tries to blow us out, the light keeps coming back. The scriptural image of light and darkness is one that gay and lesbian folk can experience quite easily and richly, especially related to that dominant image in our own lives of being "in" or "out" of "the closet." It is, of course, dark in the closet, exceptionally dark, so dark that in it you can easily imagine that you are almost anywhere, because you have literally lost one of your senses -- sight. Of course, if you turn on the light in the closet, suddenly you know where you are, and, although you may be able to tolerate it for a time, eventually the atmosphere becomes oppressive -- stuffy, cramped, isolated. Because most of us went through a "coming out of the closet" process, we know this feeling of how things change when the light comes on, when we realise who we are and where we are. And most of us know how, over time, some longer or shorter than others, the pressure builds up and the door must be opened -- either that or the light must be turned out again. I often get asked by people in the Church, "What do you want?" In terms of this image, the answer is quite simple, "I want to live in the light. I want the light to shine." I want to live in the light of God and participate in that light with my own life. It really isn't anymore complicated than that, is it? I want the Church to stop throwing a bushel basket over my light, and the light of my sisters and brothers who are lesbian and gay. "No one lights a lamp and puts it under a bushel basket," Jesus once said. And yet that is our experience in the Church so often. It is, in metaphorical terms what has been happening for the last twenty years. In 1976, in a very powerful way, the Episcopal Church in the United States turned on the light in its own closet when its General Convention acknowledged that their were gay and lesbian people among its members and declared that it understood that they were full members of the Church, with the same rights as all others to receive and be a part of its ministry. Obviously the Church did not fully realise the implications of this powerful statement. I suspect many saw it as a statement of compassion, not one of empowerment. For us it said, "Let your light so shine that it may be seen by others so that they, in turn, may give glory to your God." The Church turned the light on in our closet. And, of course, it wasn't long before we couldn't stand the closet any longer, and wanted indeed to let our light shine in the fullness of the light in the Church and the world. So we have been playing this game for twenty years of forces within the Church running around after us trying to snuff out the light. But, like those trick birthday candles, it keeps coming back. Fire needs two things to survive: fuel and oxygen. To extend this candle metaphor a bit, the oxygen is God, the Holy Spirit. One reason the light cannot be snuffed out is because God has something to do with this. The oxygen supply is steady and there isn't anything anybody can do about it. The fuel is our own lives. Here, of course, is where the possibilities lie for putting out the light. We can do it ourselves, of course, by disconnecting ourselves from the oxygen supply, from God. Others can do it as well. At least, we are vulnerable here. The candle itself could be destroyed. Thank God things haven't gone that far. There aren't any contemporary Episcopalian or Anglican gay or lesbian martyrs. But there are many other attempts to discredit our lives that fall into this category. In fact, it appears to be the growing method of trying to snuff out the light. There's a book being circulated in Episcopal Church circles these days. >Straight but Narrow?< is its title, and its purpose is to discredit lesbian and gay Christian witness. It is from this book that the supposed facts came that were advertised not long ago in the Washington >Times<. Facts such as that gay men are naturally diseased, we die young even without AIDS. Facts such as there really are no committed gay or lesbian relationships. It is a big lie, this commitment that we claim, because we all continue in promiscuity even if we're living with someone. This is an attempt to cut off the fuel that is keeping the light shining, to discredit our lives. It is pernicious and it will continue and perhaps get worse. Indeed it already has. Bishop Terence Kelshaw of the Diocese of the Rio Grande wrote the following to his clergy in the Fall of 1996, responding to the Long Island sex scandal in which a priest was accused of running a sex ring out of a church rectory. "Though it is often pleaded that homosexuals are not pedophiles," he wrote, "the fact remains that they are always looking for new experiences and your child, children of those you love, and especially youth in your care, must certainly be targets for the near future as sex partners once they grow to be of age ..." That statement is, of course, not only ludicrous but disgusting and in such complete violation of the baptismal covenant that Bishop Kelshaw himself ought to be subject to presentment, if not class action lawsuit. But let us keep our humour. Statements like that only intensify this image of mine, of people like Bishop Kelshaw frantically chasing us around trying to get that light blown out, and no matter how much they huff and puff it keeps popping back up. It must be driving them mad. And it is! Which is why we're getting crazier and crazier statements from them. For our part we need neither to match the craziness, nor let it cause us over-anxiety or fear. Our job is simply to keep the light shining, to stay connected to the oxygen source, keep our lives in the light, keep participating in the spreading of that light, keep confident that no darkness can overcome it. Tonight we can thank God for the light of our lives, for twenty years and more of its burning in an ever-increasing intensity, for those among us -- lesbian, gay and straight, lay and clergy -- who have kept the light shining in the face of attempts to discredit our lives and cut us off from the source, for communities that have dared to join our light with the light of all other people in the confidence that the light has a common source, and, most of all, for the faithfulness of the Holy Spirit, who keeps the fire burning. May all be given eyes to see the light and the will to offer their lives as fuel so that the whole world may see Emmanuel, God with us. Be dressed for action, my sisters and brothers, keep your lamps lit. Blessed are you when you do so for when the master comes you will sit at his table and he will serve you. ======== [97-3-7] US GENERAL CONVENTION APOLOGISES TO GAY & LESBIAN EPISCOPALIANS and commits to further discussion on same-sex partnerships by Jan Nunley and Genie Carr / Episcopal News Service PHILADELPHIA (July 25, 1997) Episcopalians attending the 72nd General Convention approved a resolution that apologises to gay and lesbian members of the church for "years of rejection and maltreatment by the church." The Rev. Randolph Dales of the Diocese of New Hampshire, chair of the Social and Urban Affairs committee, called the resolution "doctrinally neutral." Approved by both the deputies and bishops, the resolution (D011a) acknowledges "the diversity of opinion... on the morality of gay and lesbian sexual relationships." "I co-signed this resolution, not because lesbians and gays need this apology, but because the church needs to apologise," said Dr. Louie Crew, a deputy from the Diocese of Newark. "Being able to apologise is a spiritually healthy thing." Crew is the founder of Integrity, an organisation for gay and lesbian Episcopalians. Deputies debated an amendment adding "ex-gays" and the families of lesbians and gay men to the list of those offered an apology. "The jury's still out on human sexuality and its permanence," said the Rev. Terrell Glenn of the Diocese of South Carolina. "I think this [amendment] is catholic in its comprehensiveness in making an apology to those who have struggled with their sexuality and to whom the church has been greatly unkind." The amendment failed and moved to the bishops for consideration. The bishops spoke both for and against the resolution, which also acknowledged "the diversity of opinion" at this General Convention on the morality of homosexual activity. Bishop Charles Duvall of the Diocese of Central Gulf Coast said, "It seems to me that if we are going to acknowledge a diversity of opinion (about morality), there is certainly a diversity of opinion ... as to whether we have mistreated people." Duvall said he believes homosexual activity to be immoral but also that every homosexual person "deserves our respect (and) to be treated with dignity." "I do not feel called upon" to apologise, he said. Bishop Richard Shimpfky of the Diocese of El Camino Real (California) said that some years ago he was looking for an associate rector and found the person with the right gifts and talents. However, Shimpfky said, when he learned of the person's homosexual orientation, the person did not get the job. He expressed regret over that decision and said, "I hope we (concur with the deputies in apologising) for the sake of our souls." The deputies also voted to concur with the bishops on a resolution (C003s) enabling further discussion on committed same-sex relationships. ======== [97-3-8] LATE FLASH! As >Integrator< goes to press, the triennial General Convention of the Episcopal Church in the US is in session in Philadelphia. A resolution authorising the development of liturgies for same-sex blessings was defeated by the narrowest of margins in both orders of the deputies. The resolution needed 57 votes from the 112 clerical delegations and 57 votes from the 113 lay delegations. It received 56 votes from each. The house of bishops, which sits separately, did not consider the resolution because it was defeated by the deputies. The original resolution being considered by the deputies (C002a) would have directed the Episcopal Church to "develop, after critical study of pertinent rites already in use, ... a rite or rites for the blessing of committed relationships between persons of the same sex" to be added to The Book of Occasional Services. The Rev Michael Hopkins, communications director of Integrity, said that an Episcopal blessing for same-sex relationships "is not dead" despite the defeat. The narrow vote "means it's coming back" at the next General Convention in Denver in 2000, he said. ======== [97-3-9] > More on the "Apology" issue: an article from the secular gay < > press on the April news from the Canadian House of Bishops < REVIEWING HUMANITY Anglican Church considers apology to gays and lesbians by Yolande House The Anglican Church will decide in October whether it will apologise to gays and lesbians for the way they have been treated by the church. A majority of Anglican bishops across Canada want the apology issued. At a meeting of the House of Bishops in April, the bishops responded to an internal survey designed to see where they stood on issues surrounding homosexuality within the church. The survey was to help a task force determine what changes, if any, should be made to the bishops' stance on gay and lesbian issues. A four-person task force will report back to the bishops at their next meeting in October. The bishops will then decide if an apology will be [made], says Archbishop Percy O'Driscoll, who will also chair the task force. The bishops were also polled on their views about ordaining practising gays and lesbians, and allowing same-sex marriages. Five of 27 bishops voted for the ordination of gays and lesbians who are in same-sex, monogamous unions. Eleven of 28 bishops voted for the affirmation of same-sex unions within some dioceses. This means if the full recommendations of the House of Bishops were accepted, then the church would give gays and lesbians an apology, but still wouldn't allow same-sex unions, or gays and lesbians in relationships to become clergy. "[A] hollow apology," says the Reverend Garth Bulmer of St. John's Anglican Church in Ottawa, who performed a [union] ceremony for two gay men last fall. "I don't see much point in there being an apology from the bishops as long as they're not going to do anything about recognising [same-sex] relationships," says Bulmer. "It's still not dealing with the issue." The issue, says Bulmer, is whether gays and lesbians in monogamous relationships can be ordained Anglican priests. Since it is the bishops' job to decide who they will and will not ordain, their opinions are detrimental to the issue. The bishops were also asked their opinion on the 1979 House of Bishops guidelines which state the church's position on gays and lesbians in the church and were presented with three options. The guidelines state the church accepts gays and lesbians, but not their "homosexual activity". The church does not accept same-sex marriage, and will only allow the ordination of gays and lesbians as long as they vow to "abstain from sexual acts with persons of the same sex." Ten bishops are in favour of keeping these guidelines as they are (option one). Eighteen want to keep the "original intention of the 1979 guidelines, but update them in the light of new pastoral awareness" (option two), and seven voted to keep the original guidelines while a task force works on new guidelines (option 3). Whether option two or three was more progressive for gays and lesbians is not clear, since it would depend on what the new guidelines would be, says O'Driscoll, and that will not be known until the task force studies the issues. "I think what [the survey] shows is the great befuddlement" of the bishops' understanding of gays and lesbians, says Bulmer. "Part of the problem is that this is an important issue in metropolitan areas. When you get out to smaller communities, particularly in the country, you might as well be talking [in another language]. They're not dealing with these issues. They don't see them. They don't think they're important. "If you look at the breakdown of bishops who are in favour of changing [the guidelines], you'll find... most of the bishops of large metropolitan areas where there are significant populations of gay and lesbian people understand better. They know they have churches with all kinds of gays and lesbians in them, so it's a very real concern." = = = = = = = = [ This article was first published 27 June 1997 in >Capital Xtra!<, ] [ Ottawa's monthly newspaper for the lesbigay community. Reprinted by ] [ permission of the author.] ======== [97-3-10] DID YOU SAY "NEVER", YOUR GRACE? Bishop Baker takes issue with Archbishop Carey's pronouncements on gays and lesbians in the Church of England The Rt Rev John Baker, former bishop of Salisbury, has called on the Church of England to sanction homosexual marriages, saying: "Blessing can flow from adult homosexual relations. They can work with God for good." Bishop Baker gave an address, >Homosexuality and Christian Ethics: A New Way Forward Together,< on 21 April 1997 at St Martin in-the-Fields, London. Just the day before, the Most Rev George Carey, Archbishop of Canterbury, had said the church would never recognise same-gender relationships or allow sexually active gays and lesbians to serve as clergy. Bishop Baker called for the church to welcome sexually active gay and lesbian clergy, to bless same-gender marriages, and make provision for same-gender divorces as well. He's believed to be the most senior Church of England cleric to support such gay-affirming positions. Bp Baker himself had actually contributed to the church's current position, as part of the group developing a 1991 statement by Church of England bishops called >Issues in Human Sexuality,< and he admits that he has since changed his mind. He said, "The bishops saw same sex erotic relationships as incompatible with the clerical vocation ... I find myself obliged to now dissent from that judgement." Rejecting literal readings of the Bible as an "unworthy" use of the book, Bp Baker now sees a "moral duty" of gay and lesbian clergy to be true to their nature. He said, "If homosexuality is simply a fact about themselves which many people have to live with, and our moral duty as Christians is to make use of it in ways that conduce to spiritual good and not to evil, then the obvious duty of a priest is to give example and guidance in using it well." Bp Baker called for the church to hold same-gender marriage ceremonies. "I cannot see that married heterosexual clergy have a right to deny their homosexual brothers and sisters the potential spiritual blessing of a sexual relationship when they themselves enjoy that blessing. Archbishop Carey responded to Bp Baker's lecture in a press release which said, "There is no question of any sudden change in the Church's official position regarding homosexual practice. Bishop John Baker's conclusions suggest a very significant departure from the Church's current mind and teaching. Nevertheless, his lecture deserves to be read with respect and care as a contribution to continuing debate." [with files from >The Times< of London and PlanetOut News.] === end of text === End of volume 97-3 of Integrator, the newsletter of Integrity/Toronto copyright 1997 Integrity/Toronto comments please to Chris Ambidge, Editor chris.ambidge@utoronto.ca OR Integrity/Toronto Box 873 Stn F Toronto ON Canada M4Y 2N9