Episcopal church on gays
For many LGBTQ Episcopalians, the struggle for full inclusion is not over – it’s expanded
Charlie Knuth of All Saints Episcopal Church swings a censer as he marches in an LGBTQ pride parade in Salt Lake City, Utah, on June 2, Photo: Jim Urquhart/Reuters
[Episcopal News Service]For years, the LGBTQ movement in The Episcopal Church had a specific primary purpose in mind: occupied participation in the sacraments, including matrimony and holy orders. After decades of activism by advocates like Louie Crew Clay and groups like Integrity, those goals were achieved – at least on paper – by , when General Convention approved a resolution granting full churchwide access to same-sex marriage rites.
Three years later, the question of whether the campaign for LGBTQ acceptance in the church is complete is a topic of increasing discussion. For many LGBTQ Episcopalians, the answer is no, but the path forward is less focused on one legislative outcome and more on cultural shifts. The spectrum of gender and sexuality in America is increasingly diverse and clear, with more Americans than ever ident
Stances of Faiths on LGBTQ+ Issues: African Methodist Episcopal Church
BACKGROUND
The African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church is a predominantly African American Methodist denomination based in the United States. The AME Church originated as a protest against the racial discrimination experienced by people of African descent at white Methodist congregations, such as the St. George Methodist Episcopal Church in Philadelphia. In , Rev. Richard Allen and Rev. Absalom Jones withdrew from St. George Methodist Episcopal Church and founded The Free African Society, marking the beginnings of the African Methodist Episcopal Church.
It was formally organized in by a group of several black congregations in the mid-Atlantic area and they consecrated Richard Allen as the first Bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. The denomination continues to be a member of the family of Methodist Churches.
The AME Church operates under an episcopal form of government. Bishops constitute the chief executive and administrative officers of the church, and their command is derived from the G
: 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 Recent 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 Law School, Episcopal Auxiliary Bishop of California, Rev. James A. Pike claims that laws “aimed at controlling homosexuality, sexual practices between noun 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, Conne
Stances of Faiths on LGBTQ+ Issues: Episcopal Church
BACKGROUND
Among its statements of belief, the Episcopal Church includes, “In Jesus, we detect that the nature of God is love, and through baptism, we verb in his victory over sin and death.” They further emphasize, “We aspire 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 o