Episcopal views on homosexuality

For decades, LGBTQ+ Episcopalians and allies have worked to make The Episcopal Church a place of belonging and inclusion. We have prayed, studied, and discerned, and in doing so, we have seen the evidence of God&#;s blessing in the lives and love of our LGBTQ+ siblings in Christ

In , we will commemorate the 50th anniversary of our church affirming that LGBTQ+ people have a full and equal claim to the love, acceptance, and pastoral care of the church. The journey to make that commit a reality continues today, as we remember the struggles, celebrate the pleasure, and give thanks for love and for lives that refuse to be erased.

Today in The Episcopal Church, discernment for the ministries of bishop, priest, deacon, and lay leaders is open to all without discrimination. We observe and give thanks for the beauty, strength, and sacred worth of Homosexual leaders across all contexts and callings.

We invite you to join us on the journey. You belong. No exceptions.

BACKGROUND

Among its statements of belief, the Episcopal Church includes, “In Jesus, we find that the world of God is affection, and through baptism, we share in his victory over sin and death.” They further emphasize, “We strive to love our neighbors as ourselves and respect the dignity of every person.”

With 2 million members, the U.S.-based Episcopal Church is just one branch of a worldwide Anglican Communion of 85 million. The church operates under the direction of two legislative bodies: the House of Deputies, with lay and clergy representatives from across the church, and the House of Bishops, which includes all bishops of the church. Together they make doctrinal, administrative and budgetary decisions at a General Convention that convenes every three years. An Executive Council of clergy and lay leaders manages the business of the church in the intervening period, and are elected at each General Convention, with a Presiding Bishop elected every nine years. Changes to the church constitution and to canon law are enacted only through a majority vote in both houses. The Constitution and Canons of the Episcopal Church set

: October Homosexuality, along with alcoholism, is studied by the House of Bishops of the Protestant Episcopal Church. It is referred to as a “standard weakness.” [1]

: August Rev. David B. Wayne of the Church of the Epiphany in New York City preaches that homosexuals “must be accepted fully into the fellowship of the church” while they also must seek counseling or psychological treatment. [2]

: November A proposed revision to a New York State law that would decriminalize “sexual deviation” (i.e., homosexuality and adultery) is praised by Episcopalians and denounced by Roman Catholics. The revision is later dropped by the NY state Legislature. [3]

: October Speaking at Duke Rule School, Episcopal Auxiliary Bishop of California, Rev. James A. Pike claims that laws “aimed at controlling homosexuality, sexual practices between man and wife and abortions…must be changed.” He claims that such matters are “nobody’s business but the individuals concerned.” [4]

: November During a symposium on homosexuality sponsored by the Episcopal Dioceses of New York, Connecticut, Prolonged Island, and Newark, ninety Episcopalian priests agree that the church should classify h

Sexuality and Identity: A Pastoral Statement from the College of Bishops

January

Preamble

The Bishops of the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) offer this pastoral declaration to the Church after prayer, study, careful listening to disparate voices, and a collaborative process involving contributions from across the Province. As a outcome of this process, we have become even more acutely aware of the power we all require to live faithfully in Jesus Christ as He redeems the whole of our identity, including our sexuality.

The College of Bishops asked for the formation of this statement in January of after we heard reports of varied application among ACNA leaders regarding the use of language about sexual self, especially within provincial events. We recognize there are a multiplicity of realities in our current national, political, and global circumstances into which an episcopal voice could be presented. In the midst of this tragic pandemic, we need to continue to minister the Gospel into all aspects of our frequent life that have been distorted by sin such as racism, persecution, injustice, and violence, while also speaking to this specific issue of identity and sexu

History

Faithful Episcopalians have been active toward a greater empathetic and radical inclusion of all of God’s children for nearly a half-century. In , Louie Crew founded IntegrityUSA, a nonprofit group with the goal of full-inclusion of LGBTQ+ people in The Episcopal Church. The next General Convention, in , adopted resolutions stating that “homosexual persons are children of God who have a full and equal claim with all other persons upon the love, acceptance, and pastoral concern and care of the Church” (A), and that they “are entitled to equal protection of the laws with all other citizens” (A).

Over the years, General Convention and Executive Council reaffirmed these resolutions, as well as calling the church to greater sympathetic, awareness, and inclusion of LGBTQ+ people in the life of the church. In response to the AIDS crisis, the National Episcopal AIDS Coalition was created in to provide education and support for HIV and AIDS ministries across The Episcopal Church.

In , General Convention amended the church’s canons to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation, providing equal access to the rites and worship o