July 18, 2012
Column 1612
Episcopal Church Votes
Overwhelmingly for Gay Marriage
By Mike McManus
The Episcopal Church voted
overwhelmingly to authorize the blessing of same-sex unions last
week. More than three-fourths of the House of Deputies supported
changing the definition of marriage, and by 111-41, the House of
Bishops concurred.
“It is for all practical purposes
same-sex marriage,” protested one critic. “It includes all of
the essential elements found in a marriage rite: vows, an
exchange of rings, a pronouncement, and a blessing.”
But it is called, rather
demurely, “The Witnessing and Blessing of a Lifelong Covenant.”
However, the South Carolina
delegation courageously walked out in protest, saying “We cannot
continue with business as usual. We all agree that we cannot and
will not remain on the floor of the House and act as if all is
normal.” Anticipating the vote, South Carolina even prepared a
statement a month earlier:
“We hereby repudiate and reject
any action of The Episcopal Church which purports to bless what
the Lord clearly does not bless. Specifically, we declare any
rite which purports to bless same-gender unions to be beyond the
authority and jurisdiction of the General Convention of the
Episcopal Church and without force or effect.”
Following the vote, Canon Kendall
Harmon, South Carolina’s resident theologian, stated, “This
General Convention action is unbiblical, unchristian, unAnglican
and unseemly. By making this decision, The Episcopal Church
moves further away from Jesus Christ and His teaching. It
thereby makes it necessary for the Diocese of South Carolina to
take further decisive and dramatic action to distance itself
from this false step.”
Why was this courageous? Others
protested the overwhelming votes in favor of same-sex unions,
including a dozen bishops and 50 members of the House of
Delegates. However, none walked out except South Carolinians.
The dissenting bishops said, “Our
commitment to the biblical witness includes its teaching on
sexuality. We believe that the Scriptures clearly teach that
God’s vision for sexual intimacy is that it be exercised only
within the context of marriage between a man and a woman.”
On the other hand, they felt
bound “to resist the temptation to leave.”
Why? Hundreds of former
Episcopal churches left the denomination to form the Anglican
Church of North America, which now has 100,000 members.
Virtually the entire Dioceses of Pittsburgh, Fort Worth, Quincy,
IL and San Joaquin in the Central Valley of California walked
out after Episcopalians in 2003 approved the election of Gene
Robinson as bishop though he was openly gay, living with a
boyfriend.
To Bishop Mark Lawrence of South
Carolina, The Episcopal Church took a more important step last
week. “It has gone from wrong practice to a change that
embodies wrong teaching. The General Convention departed from
the doctrine, discipline and worship of Christ that every
bishop, priest and deacon promised to uphold.”
Yet he has not yet left the
denomination, as did the bishops of the dioceses noted above.
Does he plan to do so?
“I had not left heretofore, and
had assented to a position that was in substantial error.” But
he now sees the need for “moral courage to stand up and push
back against the breakdown of all significant sexual and gender
norms, guided by a concern for the unleashing of sexual anarchy
in people’s lives and that of their children.
“My conscience demanded me to
separate myself from the body that enacted same gender unions
and the normalization of transgender sexuality.”
He will meet with his 75 parishes
next week to consider the possibility of the diocese leaving the
Episcopalians and joining the Anglicans. There are a half dozen
parishes who oppose leaving.
However, most are ready to
depart. “The Episcopal Church is in a free fall,” says Dr.
Peter Moore, a priest at St. Michael’s Episcopal Church, an
historic Charleston congregation founded in colonial times.
Moore was also the founder of Trinity Theological Seminary,
which is so orthodox that 80% of its students are Anglicans.
I asked for evidence of the “free
fall.” He replied, “Average Sunday attendance is under 700,000
when it used to be twice that. People are jumping ship. It is
just not worth it to be involved in all this controversy. We
are looking at the fruit of liberal Protestantism, which is more
trendy than thou. People know it is not Christianity.”
“Secondly, the money is drying
up.” For example, the church decided to sell its fancy New York
headquarters, with a top floor penthouse for the church’s
Presiding Bishop.
Harmon says, “We have
parishioners and churches who are forced to choose between their
faith and the church.”
I predict they will choose their
faith. |