wfn.org | Episcopalians endorse Declaration on Sexual Morality

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Kathryn McCormick
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2000-021

Episcopalians among 900 to endorse Religious Declaration on 
Sexual Morality

by Kathryn McCormick

     (ENS) With the endorsement of hundreds of religious leaders 
and teachers, including nine Episcopal bishops, a nonprofit 
organization that provides information and promotes education 
about sexuality has publicly offered a "Declaration on Sexual 
Morality, Justice and Healing" that calls for, among other 

points, "full inclusion of women and sexual minorities in 
congregational life, including their ordination, and the blessing 
of same-sex couples."

     At the time of the announcement on January 18, the 
declaration, issued by the Sexuality Information and Education 
Council of the United States (SIECUS), had been signed by more 
than 900 clergy and other religious workers, according to Debra 
Haffner, president of SIECUS. She said her group anticipated that 
many more would add their endorsements now that the document had 
been made public.

     The declaration was released at a news conference attended 
by John Buehrens, president of the Unitarian-Universalist 
Association, and John Thomas, head of the United Church of 
Christ. Clergy and other members of those churches formed the 
majority of the original signers, along with members of Judaism's 
Reform and Reconstructionist branches.

     "In a culture that often seeks to exploit or repress our 
sexuality, it is critical for people of faith to offer an 
alternative vision that places sexuality in the context of divine 
holiness and moral integrity," said Thomas.

Those who signed

     Among Episcopalians who signed the document were former 
Presiding Bishop Edmond Browning; Bishop Charles  Bennison of 
Pennsylvania; Bishop Frederick Borsch of Los Angeles; Otis 
Charles, retired bishop of Utah; Bishop Steven Charleston, dean 
of Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachusetts; Bishop 
John Croneberger of Newark; Bishop David Richards, former 
executive director of the church's Office of Pastoral 
Development; Bishop Harold Hopkins, also a former head of 
Pastoral Development, and Bishop Orris G. Walker, Jr., of Long 
Island.

     The Episcopal Church, as well as the United Methodist Church 
and the Presbyterian Church in the USA, which also were 
represented among the signatures, will hold denominational 
assemblies this year at which matters concerning sexuality will 
be a focus of discussion.

     Although homosexuality is one of the most hotly disputed 
issues in churches, the declaration, which was scheduled to 
appear in  newspaper ads in several cities during January, also 
advocates lifelong age-appropriate sexuality education in 
schools, seminaries and community settings, as well as a faith-
based commitment to sexual and reproductive rights, including 
access to abortion.

     Calling sexuality "God's life-giving and life-fulfilling 
gift," the document goes on to say, "Our culture needs a sexual 
ethic focused on personal relationships and social justice rather 
than particular sexual acts. All persons have the right and 
responsibility to lead sexual lives that express love, justice, 
mutuality, commitment, consent and pleasure."

A necessary step

     The document was a necessary step to insure a real dialogue 
on sexuality, said Haffner, who led the move three years ago to 
begin work on the paper. "The religious right has staked the 
public claim to the dialogue on sexuality and religion. There was 
a huge outpouring of interest in doing something to articulate a 
different vision."

     In May of 1999, SIECUS brought together more than 20 
theologians from diverse traditions for a meeting at the College 
of Preachers in Washington, D.C., to create a progressive 
statement on sexuality and religion, she said. Among the group, 
she noted, were Bishop David Richards of the Center for Sexuality 
and Religion and the Rev. Dr. Carter Heyward, a professor at the 
Episcopal Divinity School.

     The document was polished during last summer, then privately 
circulated until it could be released with a large number of 
endorsements, Haffner said.

     "We come from diverse religious communities to recognize 
sexuality as central to our humanity and as integral to our 
spirituality. We are speaking out against the pain, brokenness, 
oppression, and loss of meaning that many experience about their 
sexuality," the document begins, adding, "We sin when this sacred 
gift is abused or exploited. However, the great promise of our 
traditions is love, healing, and restored relationships."

     "God hears the cries of those who suffer from the failure of 
religious communities to address sexuality," the paper declares. 
"We are called today to see, hear, and respond to the suffering 
caused by violence against women and sexual minorities, the HIV 
pandemic, unsustainable population growth and over-consumption, 
and the commercial exploitation of sexuality."

     "As someone moving into ministry, I don't understand how 
churches have avoided really discussing these things," said 
Haffner. "Sexuality issues together "are such an issue of 
brokenness to people in the pews, whether it's sexuality, 
divorce, abuse--it's a whole range."

--Kathryn McCormick is associate director of the Episcopal 
Church's Office of News and Information.