About Integrity's Legislative Agenda At General Convention 2009
Moving Beyond B033
Doesn't B033 automatically expire at the start of
General Convention 2009?
According to a recent opinion by the Chancellor to the President of the House
of Deputies:
A
Resolution adopted by one General Convention remains the position of the
General Convention until it (1) expires by its own terms, (2) is revoked by a
subsequent act of a General Convention, or (3) is superseded by General
Convention's adoption of something clearly contrary to the prior enactment even
if the prior act is not explicitly revoked.
A General Convention cannot bind a future General Convention, a future
General Convention can always change what a prior General Convention has done.
Therefore, Resolution B033, since it did not contain
language stating when it will expire, remains the position of General
Convention until General Convention revokes it, adopts something contrary
to it so as to supersede it, or in some way determines that it is contrary to a
Church rule of a higher order such as the Constitution or Canons and is
therefore null and void or of no effect.
Has B033 actually been a factor in preventing LGBT
candidates from being elected to the episcopate?
Absolutely. According to an April 2, 2009 ENS feature:
“The
Standing Committee of the Episcopal Diocese of Western New York has told a
newly formed bishop search committee that they are expected to "honor the
mind of the Episcopal Church regarding acceptable candidates for the episcopate
as expressed through the General Convention." The Standing Committee said
in a posting on the diocese's bishop search website that the requirement
referred to Resolution B033, passed by the Episcopal Church's General
Convention in June 2006.
Until
we move beyond B033, qualified candidates for the episcopate who are LGBT are
being prevented from even being considered, much less elected.
There are a lot of resolutions about B033— which
one does Integrity favor?
The one that will pass.
At
this point, as with every General Convention, a variety of resolutions have
been submitted with different approaches to the same goal: moving beyond B033. What
is important is that General Convention 2009 acknowledges we have outlived “the
season” we were told we needed B033 for and that we need to enforce our
nondiscrimination canons when it comes to ordination.
We’ll
be tracking legislation as it moves through committee and making decisions with
our allies “on the ground” in Anaheim about what our legislative strategy is
based on how those resolutions come forward to the floor.
My bishop says that the House Bishops won't
rescind B033, so isn't working to move beyond it seems a waste of effort?
The resolutions regarding B033 will be starting in the House of Deputies so we
are looking for “the senior house” to take the lead on this issue – which is
usually how progress on social justice issues have happened in the Episcopal
Church throughout the decades. If Integrity and our allies had waited for the
House of Bishops to say they were ready to move forward on LGBT inclusion we
would never have gotten started. It’s taken us 33 years to get this far and no
effort to continue to move the church forward is wasted.
Moving Forward On Marriage Equality
There are lots of resolutions about marriage
equality— which approach does IntegrityUSA favor?
Integrity is committed to achieving full marriage equality for LGBT
people. We recognize that the path to
marriage equality may be longer than we would like.
Past General Convention resolutions have clearly
established the Episcopal Church's support for civil marriage equality. We believe the Episcopal Church should
proactively advocate for same-gender civil marriage. In those jurisdictions where civil marriage
is not yet politically achievable, the Episcopal Church should support civil
unions or domestic partnerships as an interim step toward marriage equality.
We believe the Episcopal Church must update its
marriage rites and marriage canons to recognize same-gender marriages, civil
unions, and domestic partnerships. As an
interim measure, the Episcopal Church could adopt supplemental liturgical
materials that can be used to bless committed, faithful, same-gender
relationships that may or may not be legal recognized by the state.
As for what specific legislation we’ll be
supporting at General Convention in July, the answer is the same as the one
above on B033: The legislation that will pass.
Don’t we need do more theological work around
blessing same-sex relationships?
Actually, what we need more of is attention to the theological work that has
already been done around blessings same-sex relationships. Theological work is
always a good thing – but to continue to hold hostage a percentage of the
sacraments from a percentage of the baptized while we “do more” theology is
both unjust and unnecessary. Or, as Michael Hopkins wrote in the 2002 Claiming
the Blessing Theology Statement: “… is pastorally irresponsible and
theologically unnecessary.”
As
Ed Bacon, the rector of All Saints Church in Pasadena famously said, "I'm
so glad Mary didn't wait for the formulation of a Doctrine of the Incarnation
before she said 'Yes' to God."
Why should the Episcopal Church take a stand on
civil marriage equality?
The Episcopal Church has ALREADY taken a stand on civil marriage equality.
The explanation for Resolution A095 (passed at GC
2006), we said, “For at least thirty years, and even as debate about the role
of gay and lesbian people within the Church has continued, successive General
Conventions have recognized the equal claim of gay and lesbian persons to the
civil rights enjoyed by all other persons. In 1994, General Convention
(1994-D006) called on all levels of government to support legislation giving
same-sex couples the same legal protections as non-same-sex married couples. In
light of recent legislative actions in several states, and a proposed federal
constitutional amendment, an affirmation of the Episcopal Church's support for
equal rights is warranted.
Why do we need to update the marriage rites in the
Book of Common Prayer? Why do we need to update the marriage canons?
There was a time when the ordination rites in the
Book of Common Prayer and our canons on ordination needed to be updated to
reflect the reality that those being ordained as deacons, priests and bishops
in this church were no longer exclusively male. As we live into the pastoral
reality that in many jurisdictions, parish members entering into civil marriage
are no longer exclusively opposite sex couples, our rites need to be adjusted
to reflect the reality in order to allow us to provide appropriate pastoral
care for ALL members of the Episcopal Church.
Isn't the present approach—some bishops in some
dioceses allowing blessings as a pastoral practice—good enough? Why not
continue with "local option"?
Integrity believes that separate is inherently unequal
and “allowing blessings as pastoral practice” rather than celebrating the full
inclusion of the LGBT faithful in the Body of Christ falls short of our baptismal
promises to strive for peace and justice and to respect the dignity of every
human being. We are a people of “common prayer” and we are asking for rites for
blessing that we hold in common with the whole church because we want live our
lives in the center of the tradition we love and claim as our own – not on the
fringes or in the closet.
Why do we need a supplemental liturgical rite for
blessing same-gender relationships?
We recognize that the journey to full inclusion is
a long one and we also believe that justice delayed is justice denied. Approving
supplemental liturgical rites for blessings while the church continues to work
through its theology of marriage will offer a pastoral step forward for those
couples still waiting for the church’s blessing for their
already-blessed-by-God relationships. It will also send a signal that we ARE
moving forward toward full inclusion – even when that movement is slower than
we might like.
Rejecting the False Dichotomy Between The Unity Of
the Anglican Communion vs. The Equality Of The LGBT Faithful
The Anglican Communion is very important to who we
are at Episcopalians. Won't we further
fracture the Communion by rescinding B033 and moving forward on same-sex
marriage rites?
Our relationships in the Anglican Communion are
important to ALL Episcopalians. Those bent on fracturing the Anglican Communion
have been working hard to make that happen since we started ordaining women in
1974 and the very members who B033 were meant to placate declared it “too little,
too late” before the ink was even dry on the resolution.
Relationships cannot be maintained by bullying and
blackmail. And -- while we’re talking about our Anglican Communion brothers and
sisters -- let’s not forget the LGBT Anglicans who are looking to us -- and to
others in the Communion –- to continue to move forward as a beacon of hope for
them as they live in places where their very life is in jeopardy if they speak
the truth about who they are and who they love.
Why can't we table LGBT issues for awhile so that
the church can deal with more important problems?
#1 -- Because thirty three years is long enough to let
the promise of full and equal claim upon the love, acceptance and pastoral
concern and care of the Church be a resolution and not a reality.
#2 – Because the Schismatics who couldn’t pull off
the rupture of the church they want to make happen in the 70’s over women’s
ordination continue to try to make LGBT inclusion a wedge issue that furthers
their goals.
But the most important reason is:
#3 – The reason we can’t “table LGBT issues for
awhile” is because we cannot move forward on other important issues while these
remain unaddressed. The LGBT baptized are not going anywhere and if we can say
– once and for all in Anaheim – that we meant what we said in 1976 about “full
and equal claim” then we can move on with the wider gospel agenda we are ALL
committed to proclaiming.
Why expend so much energy over something that only
affects a handful of people?
Because it does not affect “only a handful of people.” Because it is a core
value of our baptismal promises to respect the dignity of EVERY human being – a
handful or a boatload. Because of Luke 15:4 … because we follow a Lord who
would leave the 99 sheep to gather in the one left out in the wilderness.
Because the mission field is ripe with LGBT folk who have
been rejected by their faith traditions and are yearning for the spiritual home
the Episcopal Church has to offer. And as the issue of equality for LGBT people
becomes increasingly a no-brainer for our younger generations, because the
church needs to be a headlight and not a tail-light on equality and justice for
all if its going to continue to be relevant in the 21st century.
