Isaac Jones Blog
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The Episcopal Church has just ordained the first openly homosexual bishop in its history. I care because I'm an Episcopalian, my father is an Episcopal Priest, I go to Saint Stephen's Episcopal Church here in Columbus. Saint Stephen's is a very liberal church, even for an Episcopal church.

A Little Background: The Episcopal church is a lot like the Roman Catholic church in most ways. The liturgy is very similar, and we follow the "Apostolic Succession". However, it allows women to be priests and bishops (this wasn't always so), and allows their priests and bishops to get married. It also doesn't try to take an official stance on many issues.

And hey, this is a small denomination, but it has an important following. George Bush Senior was an Episcopalian, so am I, so were Presidents Ford, FDR, Madison, Monroe, and George Washington (along with some others; to see a list of people in the government who are involved with the Episcopal Church, you could use the GIA web site.)

The issue of ordaining homosexuals is tied in with the issue of blessing same-sex unions, and is considered by many to be a "gateway drug" to same-sex marriage. We know where George Bush and The Pope stand on the issue: they are against it, they both made announcements opposing it last week. Are these announcements meant to put pressure on the Episcopal Church?

Because of the similarities between the Roman Catholic and Episcopal churches, we are somewhat in competition for clergy and congregations. Perhaps the Pope hopes to attract some conservatives from the Anglican Convention to the Roman Catholic Church.

There are cries that this could divide the Episcopal church within itself and from the rest of the worldwide Anglican Convention. Would this be a bad thing? Perhaps the Episcopal church will become more and more aligned with liberal politics over time. I strongly believe that our church is a good home for liberal-minded folks, and I also strongly believe that religion and politics should mix (Saint Stephen's Church is a good example of this); Your beliefs should effect your politics after all. But at the same time, a Church shouldn't be defined merely by its politics any more than it should be defined merely by its style of worship.

So is it wrong to ordain a gay bishop? Not in my opinion. Even if homosexuality were a sin, we are all sinners, even bishops are sinners, and as my father says, the sins of sexuality are not the most evil of sins, quite the contrary, they are the most likely to be based on love in one way or another. I believe that you can endorse a gay bishop without endorsing homosexuality itself (though perhaps my father disagrees. I don't speak for him.)

The issue of homosexual marriage is more difficult from a theological point of view. If you bless same-sex marriages then you are in fact asserting that homosexuality isn't a sin. Thoughtfulness and prayer has lead me to believe that homosexuality is not a sin, however, and I think that the church should allow it, though I would not mind if it were debated for a while first. I believe religion is a form of tradition, and tradition exists to save us from temporary insanity. This issue has only been openly discussed for a relatively short period of time.

Should the Episcopal Church become the church of the liberal? If so, would it have to condone abortion, to which I am theologically opposed? Not necessarily. I think that the Church should remain the church of the open minded, not just the liberal. I think we should be the church of the Open Table. I think that we must love and accept everyone, because it is those we are near that we influence most: if you disagree with someone, the best way to teach them the truth, as you see it, is to become their friend and live the truth before their eyes.

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