As you may know, one of the five candidates in the May 6 episcopal election in the Diocese of California (which serves the Bay Area) is a gay man who lives with his male partner, and another is a lesbian who lives with a female partner.
(And a third is our diocese’s own Eugene Sutton, canon pastor at Washington National Cathedral whose wife Sonya Subbayya Sutton is the fabulous director of parish music ministries at St. Alban’s parish. But I digress.)
It has been suggested, plausibly, I think, that choosing to consecrate a second gay bishop, while the Anglican Communion is still in turmoil over the consecration of our first gay bishop, could cost the Episcopal Church is place in the Communion.
Here is what Tobais S. Haller has to say about this prospect:
“Let me be frank. It is certainly true that out gay and lesbian bishops are a stumbling block to some Anglicans. The election of another such bishop may indeed lead to some of the provinces of the Anglican Communion severing their ties with the Episcopal Church (how many in addition to those who have already done so remains to be seen.) That would be their choice. I do not believe “the Communion” is going to vote us off the island in this case, as I do not feel that a majority of provinces feel that strongly about the matter; and if I am mistaken, and they do, it will still be their choice to do so. It would not be the first time that a part of the Body has suffered exclusion because it did what it thought was right.
But as to stumbling blocks: The cross was a stumbling block to Jews and a folly to Greeks. Jesus’ “lifestyle” was a scandal (that is, a stumbling block) to his contemporaries, shocked and appalled as they were at his fellowship with sinners — eating with them, and even letting them touch him. This led to deep and serious divisions in the religious community of his day; only a small minority of whom came eventually to join his movement. So Jesus did not come to bring unity, at least not at first, and certainly not as expected — but division. There had to be, as Saint Paul said later (1 Cor 11:19), a certain amount of partisan division and factions (Paul used the word heresy) so that what was truly genuine might be made manifest.
For true unity does not emerge from compromise, but crucifixion. The grain of wheat does not grow unless it perishes. It is through the Paschal mystery, and only thus, that the unity of the church emerges and is preserved.”
You can read it all here.
As regular visitors know, I admire Tobias greatly, but my mind is not as clear on this as is his. I would be interested in hearing other people’s thoughts.