The Episcopal Church’s Step Forward
by Britney Wilkins
On Monday, the bishops of the Episcopal Church voted to open the ministry position to gay men and lesbians which seems to almost undermine a previous moratorium which was passed three years earlier. While this resolution does not mandate that all dioceses have to consider gay candidates, it simply allows some diocese to do so. This debate over homosexuality in the church has been closely watched around the world because of the implications it may have for other Protestant Churches. Because the Anglican Communion is the world’s third largest family of Christian churches (which the Episcopal Church belongs to), many other churches have considered this to be a significant step.
The many conservative sects of the Anglican Communion have broken ties with the Episcopal Church because of their seemingly open views related to homosexuality, brought to light whe Bishop Gene Robinson was elected as the first openly gay bishop. Due to this election, the church itself conditioned the moratorium that passed three years ago in an effort to curb further ostracization from the Anglican Communion. This measure served to implement friction between the political sections of the church, as conservatives noted that many were not abiding by the moratorium and liberals viewed it to be a trampling upon many civil liberties as well as a flagrant sign of discrimination.
The fact that such a reputable church within the Anglican Communion has voted to allow openly gay diocese is historically significant and it will be interesting to view how other sections of the communion will react to this news. Many within the Episcopal Church view this as a historic event in which all are baptized under the Body of Christ regardless of their sexual preference.
However, as can be foreshadowed, many conservatives have broken away from the church in light of the recent changes that have been occurring over the past years and have begun to form their own alliances, seemingly representing the “true” Anglican tradition. These break-away churches now boast memberships of 100,000 which is a significant number when compared to the 2 million Episcopal Church followers.
This new conflict between liberals and conservatives has caused quite a gap within the communion itself, as many conservatives maintain that the Scripture prohibits homosexual relationships, while liberals counter that the Anglican Communion can cater to multiple approaches. This does not appear to be a conflict which can be easily resolved in a few months or even years, but the first foot is in the door for this church which is a significant factor in the Protestant world.