wfn.org | Episcopal convention recognizes relationships other than marriage

[Daphne Mack <dmack@dfms.org>]

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James Solheim
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http://www.ecusa.anglican/ens

GC2000-098

Convention recognizes relationships other than marriage

by David Skidmore

     (ENS - DENVER) In a move that many hailed as evidence of a 
new way of doing business, the General Convention engineered a 
compromise giving hope to gay and lesbian members while affirming 
traditional church teaching on the sanctity of marriage.

     By overwhelming majorities, both the House of Deputies and 
House of Bishops approved a landmark resolution (D039) that 
recognizes both married couples and couples living "in other 
life-long committed relationships" characterized by fidelity and 
monogamy. Following the lead of the deputies, the bishops voted 
119 to 19 to adopt seven resolves of the resolution crafted by 
the convention's special legislative committee on sexuality. The 
decision followed a day and a half of strenuous but civil debate 
in the House of Bishops.

     Addressing the house after the final vote, Presiding Bishop 
Frank Griswold said he appreciated the "gracefulness and 
graciousness" of the debate, which demonstrated the successful 
community-building of the bishops' interim meetings. 

     The debate, he said, had shown there is "a very deep bond of 
communion, not just endurance, but communion that knits us 
together." He prompted a loud round of applause from the bishops 
when he concluded, "That bond of communion has in no way been 
broken. In fact I think it has been deepened."

     Besides officially recognizing couples in the church who are 
living in committed relationships outside of marriage, the 
resolution acknowledges "the church's teaching on the sanctity of 
marriage," while reaffirming "the imperative to promote 
conversation between persons of differing experiences and 
perspectives." It also sets out the values governing all 
relationships--among them fidelity, monogamy, mutual affection 
and respect, honest communication--while denouncing promiscuity, 
exploitation, and abusiveness in relationships. Finally, it 
acknowledges that some members "in good conscience" will act in 
contradiction to the traditional teaching of the church on 
sexuality. 

     The resolution does not call for the preparation of rites 
for the blessing of couples, whether homosexual or heterosexual, 
who are living in committed relationships outside of marriage. 
That proposal, which in 1997 failed by a single vote in both 
orders in the House of Deputies, passed among clergy, but failed 
among laity at this convention. Attempts by the bishops to 
restore the Special Committee's eighth resolve calling for the 
preparation of rites failed on a 85 to 63 roll call vote with 
four abstentions.

Theology committee to address issue

     However, a motion by Bishop Vincent Warner (Olympia) that 
calls for a study of the theology concerning human sexuality was 
approved as a mind-of-the-house resolution by the bishops after 
the final vote on D039. 

     Warner's resolution calls for the presiding bishop to 
appoint a special theology committee to continue the study and 
conversation on issues of human sexuality, in consultation with 
the Committee on Pastoral Development. 

     The theology committee, which is to include lay persons, 
priests, and deacons as well as bishops, will report its findings 
to the house, with the hope that its work will lead to a new 
"mind of the house" resolution on the issues.

     At Griswold's request, Bishops Chilton Knudsen (Maine), Hays 
Rockwell (Missouri) and Herbert Thompson (Southern Ohio) conveyed 
the results of the bishops' action to the House of Deputies that 
same day. "I hope you hear in that vote a clear and resounding 
call of concurrence and support and solidarity with the action 
you took," said Knudsen, referring to the deputies vote July 11.

Proposed rites labeled untimely

     Stretching out over three days in the convention's final 
week, the debate proved a magnet for the press and advocacy 
groups. Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold, acknowledging the 
magnitude of the issue, took the unusual step of recessing the 
House of Bishops so bishops could sit in on the deputies' 
deliberation July 11. Over 100 bishops, many joined by their 
spouses, watched the debate from the visitors' gallery.

     Though the language used by the special legislative 
committee assiduously avoided any mention of homosexuality, both 
deputies and bishops understood the sub-text of the committee's 
controversial eighth resolve to refer to the blessing of same-sex 
unions.  

     The Rev. Barnum McCarty, one of two deputies serving on the 
special committee to speak during the debate, said the church is 
not yet and may never be at the point of approving an official 
blessing of same-sex relationships. 

     Such rites are already being performed at the discretion of 
bishops and dioceses, he pointed out. Regardless of how the 
convention votes, he said, those rites will continue. But 
directing the church's Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music 
to develop an official rite for the whole church "would be an 
unnecessary if not an untimely action to those who are not ready 
for this."

     Concluded McCarty: "If we go forward with this we go beyond 
where I and many others are willing to go."

Concern for traditionalist position

     A frequent argument of many opponents of the eighth resolve 
was the fallout for traditionalist congregations. 

     In his Southwest Louisiana parish, the Rev. Peter Cook said, 
approval of rites for same-sex unions "would lead to the 
alienation of many parishioners for whom the blessing of same-sex 
unions represents the crossing of a watershed."

     The possible loss of members was also a concern for the Rev. 
David Ottsen (Northern Indiana). A rite for non-married couples, 
whether homosexual or heterosexual, is not an act of inclusion, 
said Ottsen, but of exclusion against "those who affirm the 
biblical basis of marriage between a man and a woman."

     But the Rev. Brian Baker (Idaho) saw any effort for 
supporting same-sex relationships as a strong card for his parish 
to play "in the center of what is arguably the most politically 
conservative state in the union." In Idaho, where the Mormon 
church and the religious right hold sway, the Episcopal Church 
stands out as the only denomination "that emphasizes inclusion 
and grace over purity and judgment," said Baker. 

     "My parish is growing in large part because of its stand as 
a beacon of Christ's welcoming love," he argued. Statements like 
that of Committee 25, he added, will allow the ministry of his 
diocese to flourish.

No love without justice

     While clergy voices predominated during the debate, lay 
deputies also argued forcefully on both sides of the issue. 
Christopher Hart (Pennsylvania) said the last resolve "speaks for 
justice, and it is time for this church to speak with justice. 
There can be no love without justice."

     With equal conviction, Susan Hansell (Central Florida) 
warned that any approval of rites for same-sex unions, even if 
just in the Book of Occasional Services, would be a precursor to 
including them in The Book of Common Prayer. That would have 
catastrophic consequences for her parish, she said. "If this 
resolution is passed, my parish family will be devastated," she 
warned. "They will be asked by their church to abandon their 
lifelong moral and Christian beliefs. In essence the Episcopal 
Church will be throwing my parish away."

     The Rev. Michael Hopkins (Washington D.C.), president of 
Integrity, the Episcopal gay and lesbian advocacy group, urged 
the house not to dilute the resolution by voting down the last 
resolve for developing liturgical rites. 

     For gay and lesbian couples living in committed 
relationships, some form of prayer "is simply a pastoral 
necessity," said Hopkins. To establish such standards for 
relationships as those set out in the resolution's first seven 
resolves, without providing liturgical support, he said, deprives 
gay and lesbian couples of the church's pastoral care. 

     Those who warn of schism forget that unity is a two-way 
street, he said. "This resolution is a compromise as much for gay 
and lesbian people as for others."

Threat of schism downplayed

     In a short press conference following the vote, 
representatives of the House of Deputies downplayed the role that 
the threat of schism played in the debate.

     The schism card has been played before in earlier debates in 
the church over the ordination of women, acceptance of black 
bishops and clergy, and the Civil War and slavery, noted the Very 
Rev. Gayle Harris (Rochester). "So the threat of schism is well 
used for anyone who wishes to have their way," she noted. Wielded 
as a last resort, "it doesn't help the conversation," she added.

     Herbert Gunn (Michigan) said schism had little to do with 
the vote against preparing rites for same-sex couples. "I think 
it failed because the church is not ready. I think that is what 
we heard today, and it is hard for some of us to hear."

Justice and pastoral care

     Debate in the House of Bishops centered on the consequences 
of adopting or rejecting an amendment restoring the special 
committee's original eighth resolve. That resolve called for the 
preparation of rites for inclusion in the Book of Occasional 
Services. If the amendment, by Bishop Clark Grew (Ohio), were 
approved, conservative bishops warned that parishioners would 
leave not only their congregations but the Episcopal Church as 
well. For those supporting the full inclusion of gays and 
lesbians, the issue was one of justice and pastoral care.

     For several bishops, however, approving rites for gay and 
lesbian couples was a step fraught with the risk of alienating 
not only a sizable number of church members but the rest of the 
Anglican Communion.

     Bishop Robert Ihloff (Maryland) said the leadership of the 
church has an obligation to keep dioceses from splitting over 
issues such as sexuality. "It was distressing for me to hear, on 
the floor of the House of Deputies, people who would leave the 
church if the eighth resolve were passed," he said. "That threat 
is left on the doorstep of our gay and lesbian brothers and 
sisters and those of us who support them." In his diocese, where 
there is a sizable number of conservatives, "I know of no one in 
Maryland who is threatening to leave the church," he added

     The bishops' debate on the seven resolves in D039 was brief. 
Labeling it an "ill-advised" step, Bishop Gordon Charlton, 
retired suffragan of Texas, claimed the resolution puts common 
law arrangements between heterosexual couples on the same plane 
as holy matrimony. While holy matrimony is the church's clear 
preference as the only acceptable alternative for homosexual 
persons, he said, "it is clearly not required for Christian 
people any longer."

     Adopting the seven resolves giving church recognition to 
relationships other than marriage "will do immeasurable harm to 
one of Christianity's greatest treasures," he said.

Major shift in church thinking

     In a press briefing following the bishops' session, Bishop 
Charles Duvall (Central Gulf Coast) said that, despite concerns 
raised over the interpretation of "life-long committed 
relationships," the bishops were able to reach a strong agreement 
on D039. 

     "I am not for people living together outside of marriage. 
Period," said Duvall. "But I think any concerns in that statement 
that could be interpreted as encouraging that can be dealt with 
pastorally at home." It was certainly not the intent of the house 
or Committee 25, he added, "to encourage living together outside 
of marriage."

     Duvall said the resolution, even without the eighth resolve 
directing the preparation of liturgical rites, is still a major 
shift in church thinking. The resolution is an official 
acknowledgement "that there are people who live differently than 
the stated teaching of the church. That's a fairly significant 
admission," he said.

Resolution D039

     The text of resolution D039 as approved by the General 
Convention follows:

     *Resolved, that the members of the 73rd General Convention 
intend for this Church to provide a safe and just structure in 
which all can utilize their gifts and creative energies for 
mission, and be it further

          *Resolved, we acknowledge that while the issues of 
human sexuality are not yet resolved, there are currently couples 
in the Body of Christ and in this Church who are living in 
marriage and couples in the Body of Christ and in this Church who 
are living in other life-long committed relationships, and be it 
further

          *Resolved, we expect such relationships will be 
characterized by fidelity, monogamy, mutual affection and 
respect, careful, honest communication, and the holy love which 
enables those in such relationships to see in each other the 
image of God, and be it further

          *Resolved, we denounce promiscuity, exploitation and 
abusiveness in the relationships of any of our members, and be it 
further

          *Resolved, this Church intends to hold all its members 
accountable to these values, and will provide for them the 
prayerful support, encouragement and pastoral care necessary to 
live faithfully by them, and be it further

          *Resolved, we acknowledge that some, acting in good 
conscience, who disagree with the traditional teaching of the 
Church on human sexuality, will act in contradiction to that 
position, and be it further

          *Resolved, that in continuity with previous actions of 
the General Convention of this Church, and in response to the 
call for dialogue by the Lambeth Conference, we affirm that those 
on various sides of controversial issues have a place in the 
Church, and we reaffirm the imperative to promote conversation 
between persons of differing experiences and perspectives, while 
acknowledging the Church's teaching on the sanctity of marriage.

The following 8th resolve originally included in the resolution 
was defeated in both houses:

     Resolved, that desiring to support relationships of 
mutuality and fidelity other than marriage which mediate the 
grace of God, the 73rd General Convention directs the Standing 
Commission on Liturgy and Music to prepare for consideration by 
the 74th General Convention rites for inclusion in the Book of 
Occasional Services by means of which the Church may express that 
support.

--David Skidmore is director of communications for the Diocese of 
Chicago.