It was predictable--conservative Episcopalians have decided to
just by golly go off and sulk and have their own church. They can't stand
the idea of gay clergy. When Gene Robinson was ordained a bishop (wearing
a bullet-proof vest, as I remember), bishops representing around 14 dioceses
met to explore the possibility of a new Anglican church in North America.
Only 4 dioceses have actually broken away, however. Bishop Martyn Minns,
a leader of the breakaway movement, explained "there's some people standing
back to wait and see if we pull this off, which I think we'll do. Then
others will join us--parishes, and maybe dioceses."
Dream on, Bishop Minns. You are the last of a dying
breed--the same guys who didn't want to ordain women and who didn't want
to ever, ever change a word of the Book of Common Prayer. Time is not on
your side, ethical evolution is not on your side, and for sure youth are not on
your side. A case in point: California voted against gay rights in this
last election--but when you look at who voted which way, you see that it was
the older folks who said no to gays and the younger ones who said yes.
It's just a matter of time.
And don't forget that we just elected a young African American
President. How does this event relate to the question at hand?
Well, things are changing. It's not all old white men anymore, in their
dark suits. It's women and people of color and gays and young
people. It's all of us. I like what Jim Naughton, canon for the
Episcopal Diocese of Washington, and a liberal blogger, wrote in response to
the viability of this new church: "I think this organization does not have
much of a future because there are already a lot of churches in the
United States for people who don't want to worship with gays and lesbians.
That's not a market niche that is underserved."
Listen up, Christian churches everywhere! Why are
churches often the last to extend love and acceptance to all who enter their
doors? Who is this Jesus that I read about in the New Testament who loved
and accepted prostitutes, tax collectors, Roman soldiers, women, children,
lepers, rich people, poor people, etc., etc. Where is the
church's prophetic voice? The church should be the first to speak
out for the disenfranchised, Bishop Minns--not the institution
to keep people out, but the one to broaden the circle and invite
people in.
Jesus asked us to do one thing, and one thing only: he asked
us to be on the side of love. In our personal lives, we all
measure up to this standard imperfectly. But with love as the standard
and goal, systemic discrimination has no place in Christian churches and
institutions.
And my prediction? Love will win the day. It's just too beautiful to disregard. Let's watch and see.
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