On Monday, the Episcopal Church moved towards affirming their acceptance of gays and lesbians in all ministry positions despite opposition from Anglicans in the rest of the world.
Bishops at the Episcopal General Convention voted 99-45 for a statement which reads that “God has called and may call” to ministry gays with life partners.
In 2003, the US denomination of the Church consecrated the first openly gay bishop, V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire. The action, of course, incited protest, and “conservatives and other like-minded traditionalists formed a rival national province called the Anglican Church in North America.” No other Episcopal bishops living openly with same-sex partners have been consecrated since Robinson.
The new declaration, however, aims to end that.
Rev. Gay Clark Jennings, who is on the committee who drafted it, said, “The constitution and canons of our church as currently written do not preclude gay and lesbian persons from participating. These people have responded to God’s call.”
[Image via AP Images.]
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