Thursday, July 23, 2009

After Anaheim 3 Pay It Forward


Let the wrangling begin. We undid B033. We didn't undo B033. Marriages will be blessed in those states where they are legal. No they won't. Somehow it doesn't seem very ubuntuish.

On the floor of the House of Deputies it was perfectly clear that what we were doing undid B033. Those speaking for it implied it. Those speaking against asserted it. The way is clear to consecrate openly gay and lesbian bishops. That is in theory. There is still a requirement to get the consents of a majority of standing committees and bishops with jurisdiction.

On the floor of the House of Deputies it was clear that the door was open for bishops to allow the blessing of any legal marriage. This still requires them to do that (and the Bishop of Western Massachusetts has already said he won't) and it requires the clergy to be open to it.

So now the rubber hits the road at the local level. We need to do the mission work of the church that we have always done on the local level and be the incarnational presence for why these two resolutions must be more than words on paper.

"Can you hear the heartbeat of the church? Mission... mission... mission... " the Presiding Bishop ended her homily opening the 76th General Convention of the Episcopal Church. It is clear that gay men and lesbians, bisexual and transgendered Episcopalian will bear more than our proportional share in accomplishing that mission and not only as it pertains to us but to the Great Commandment.

Mission... mission... mission...

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