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Vermont's Episcopalian ministry has spoken out against its international church's official condemnation of homosexual practice.
At the Vermont Diocese's annual convention in November, 189 priests, deacons and lay representatives unanimously passed an official statement of their own. It calls the Anglican Communion's 1998 Lambeth Conference resolution on sexuality "too limited a reading of biblical texts."
Proposed by Rev. John Van Siclen of St. Paul's, White River Junction, and Rev. Sarah Horton of St. Barnabas' in Norwich, the Vermont Resolution objects to the portion of the Lambeth text "rejecting homosexual practice as incompatible with Scripture."
The long explanation accompanying the resolution objects to the unusually literal scriptural reading on which the Lambeth conclusions are based. Arguing that the Bible reflects the views of a particular time not necessarily appropriate for our own, it recognizes the current lack of consensus on homosexuality and calls for continued discussion.
The diocese will now notify American Episcopalian Primate Rev. Frank T. Griswold of its position and request that he report it to the Anglican Consultative Council.
The Vermont Convention also unanimously passed a second resolution calling for deanery meetings on the issue of "full inclusion" of gay and lesbian persons in church life.
According to Rev. Molly Comeau, Canon to Vermont Bishop Mary Adelia McLeod, this does not simply mean blessing same-sex marriage or ordaining non-celibate gay or lesbian priests in committed relationships. Full inclusion refers to every aspect of evangelical life from baptism to holding office.
The Vermont positions respond to conclusions of the Lambeth conference in Canterbury, England in August 1998 . Held once a decade, the conference brings the Bishops of the Anglican Communion around the world together to pray, study and interpret scripture and the faith. Meetings and hearings on human sexuality issues were part of this year's agenda.
But proceedings were biased from the beginning. Originally scheduled for a neutral location, they were moved to the premises of the ultra-conservative American Anglican Congress. Lesbian and gay Anglican witnesses were disinvited and replaced with members and "converts" of ex-gay ministries. Other evidence was limited to biased materials depicting homosexuality as depravity and disease. Several bishops compared lifelong homosexual unions to bestiality. A Nigerian bishop physically assaulted Rev. Richard Kirker of The Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement, ostensibly to exorcise his "satanic perversion."
The strongest opposition came from African states using gays as scapegoats in desperate competition for converts and from traditionally right-wing regions of the US and the world.
Lobbying at Lambeth was surprisingly intense. Rhode Island's Rev. Jan Nunley said, "It is not the lobbying that bothered me; it was the scale. I never thought I'd see the day when the Body of Christ needed campaign finance reform."
Gays and lesbians did have some defenders. Michael Gay Bourke of Wolverham noted that "the Bible can be used both as a source of faith and as a way to oppress people." New York's Cathy Roskam protested addition of the phrase "while rejecting homosexual practice as incompatible with scripture" to the resolution.
"We will have a divided church if this amendment passes," said Roskam. "If affirming homosexuality is evangelical suicide in Central and East Africa, to condemn it is evangelical suicide in my region."
But of the more liberal voices present, few spoke up for gays. In the end, the bishops of the Anglican Communion voted 576 to 70 to condemn homosexuality. Kim Byham of Episcopalian lesbigay ministry Integrity later said, "In 20-20 hindsight, [gays] got taken, and they were totally unprepared for it."
The resolution was a step back for advocates of gay and lesbian rights. While some Christian religions such as the Methodist and Presbyterian churches allege that Christianity and homosexual practice are incompatible, the Episcopal church had not until this resolution. The Vermont Resolution is not the first negative reaction to Lambeth. Following the vote, almost 60 percent of diocesan bishops -- including Vermont's McLeod -- signed a pastoral statement to lesbians and gays. It apologized for the inadequacies of the conference hearings and pledged to work towards full inclusion for homosexuals.
The resolution as passed states:
A. commends to the church the subsection report on human sexuality;
B. in view of the teaching of Scripture, upholds faithfulness in marriage between a man and a woman in lifelong union, and believes that abstinence is right for those not called to marriage;
C. recognizes that there are amongst us persons who experience themselves as having a homosexual orientation. Many of these are members of the church and are seeking the pastoral care, moral direction of the church and God's transforming power for the living of their lives and the ordering of relationships. We commit ourselves to listen to the experience of homosexual persons and we wish to assure them that they are loved by God and that all baptized, believing and faithful persons, regardless of sexual orientation, are full members of the Body of Christ.
D. while rejecting homosexual practice as incompatible with Scripture, calls on all our people to minister pastorally and sensitively to all irrespective of sexual orientation and to condemn irrational fear of homosexuals, violence within marriage, and any trivialisation or commercialization of sex;
E. cannot advise the legitimizing or blessing of same sex unions nor ordaining those involved in same gender unions.
Among the rejected amendments -- all proposed by various African regions -- were those equating homosexuality with promiscuity and sexual brokenness, emphasizing Biblical sanction of heterosexuality and condemnation of homosexuality, mentioning 19th-century Ugandan executions for refusing homosexual relations with the king and stating that homosexuality is "a sin which could only be adopted if the church wanted to commit evangelical suicide." All were rejected.
Resolved, That the 165th Convention of the Diocese of Vermont affirm Section (c) of Resolution 1.10, passed at the 13th Lambeth Conference of Anglican Bishops --- inasmuch as it recognizes the presence among us of persons who experience themselves as having a homosexual orientation and commits us to listen to the experience of homosexual persons, remembering that we are all loved by God and that all baptized, believing, and faithful persons, regardless of sexual orientation are full members of the Body of Christ; and be it further
Resolved, That in the light of the traditional Anglican reliance on Scripture, tradition, and reason for the discernment of God's will in our lives, this Convention reject as too limited a reading of biblical texts that portion of (d) "rejecting homosexual practice as incompatible with Scripture."
Resolved, That a copy of this resolution be sent to our primate, the Most Rev. Frank T. Griswold, with the request that it be shared with the Anglican Consultative Council in accordance with the clause (f) of the 1998 Lambeth Conference Resolution 1.10 on Sexuality.
Copyright © 1998 Mountain Pride Media, Inc.
Authored by Lenna Cumberbatch