Resolutioni D025 lives here. It comes from the Committee on World Ministry. It is a response to Resolution B033 of the 2006 General Convention. The House of Deputies will take up this matter around 3:30 Pacific time and I will be live blogging.
Live blog (click read more):
We begin. the Rev. Gay Jennings of the Diocese of Ohio, chair of the World Mission Committee introduces the legislation after correcting a typo that isn’t significant to us right now.
She mentions that her committee has heard lots of testimony, synthesized resolutions from across the church and “listened to one another with what I would call gospel ears.”
Lots of people are already lined up at the microphones.
D025 is “the best reflection of where we are today as a church.”
The key point in terms of the controversy before us is:
Resolved, That this the 76th General Convention recognize that individuals gay and lesbian persons who are part of such relationships have responded to God’s call and have exercised various ministries in and on behalf of God’s One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church over the centuries and are currently doing so in our midst, often without the church’s recognition of their lifelong committed relationships and the blessings bestowed by such relationships; and be it further
Resolved, That this the 76th General Convention affirm that God has called and may call such individuals, like any other baptized members, to any ordained ministry in The Episcopal Church, which call is tested in our polity through our discernment processes carried out under Canon III acting in accordance with the Constitution and Canons of The Episcopal Church and the canons of its dioceses; and be it further
She says we must live with our disagreements. She and the Rev. Dr. Ian Douglas are available to answer questions.
Deputy Logan of South Carolina asks for a vote by orders on behalf of the Dioceses of South Carolina, Central Florida and I forget where. The request is granted. This will make it harder to pass this legislation.
Charlie Holt of Central Florida asks if this means the time of restraint is over.
Jennings and Douglas attempt an answer, Holt restates the question. Jennings says that the resolution is contained in the non-discrimination canons of the Church. I am not sure where this leaves things. I think the resolution neither repeals not endorses B033, it is simply fresher instruction.
A young deputy from Olympia supports the resolutions and says we are afraid to hurt people, but our feels are invalid. If we are really in Communion with our Ang brothers and sisters they will accept the way we govern ourselves. If they can’t accept us, we aren’t really in a Communion as it is.
The Rev. Sharon Lewis of Southwest Florida speaks against the resolution. She tells a story about a highway and says a new highway is not yet open. Urges defeat.
Deputy Eulie (sp?) from Fort Worth. Says despite B033, the former leaders of the diocese left any way. Is the appeasement we offered really helpful?
Charlie Holt from Central Flordia: appears my question doesn’t have a yes or no answer. So I conclude that this is open to interpretation. Some will regard it as ending B033, some will not. We shouldn’t send fuzzy signals to those who vote on consecrations, or to our brothers and siseters in the communion.
BIG MOMENT. Sally Johnson, who went to the microphone in 06 to speak against B033 and found herself asking the convention to give it to Bishop Katharine as a gift. Now she asks us to pass D025 as a gift to the church. Says it simply clears the way for us to do our real discernment. The first truly emotional moment.
Deputy the Rev. Haskell from Albany says we are out of communion with too much of the communion already. Don’t pass this.
Dean Sam Candler of Atlanta: notes that the ABC in speaking on the economy said small was beautiful and local development was the way forward. Sam says apply that to our churches. Honor local discernment. We aren’t composed to instruments but of relationships. This resolution honors relationshps. He talks about a false choice between mission in the communion and justice for GLBT and says “We can do both.”
A deputy from Springfield says the resolution is dishonest and that we are putting our cansons about Scripture.
I missed most of what a deputy who invoked former Presiding Bishop Edmund Browning on inclusion said.
A deputy from the reorganized Diocese of Quincy says any move against B033 will drive out conservatives and moderates. Don’t “tear more featehrs from your conservative wing.” Says he has no right to ask GLBT people to make this sacrifice, but that the cross is the central symbol of our faith.
A deputy from Chicago: After she voted for B033, she rethought the meaning of the baptismal covenant. Takes it seriously. As a matter of justice we cannot cast people out because we don’t understand them or consider them as an others.
Deputy Fish from Albany reads from the Gospel of John on the healing at the pool at Bethesda. “Let us sin no more less a worse thing come upon us.”
Becky Snow of Alaska, a co-sponosr: ABC says there is no unity without truth. We need to say who we are and what we are. This resolution does that. we have admitted our lack of common mind in the Church and the Communion. This reso doesn’t require anyone to do anything except acknolwedge the reality on the ground and acknowledge our polity.
Deputy from Colorado thanks Becky, but says we are losing conservatives, and that the structure of our church is breaking down. “These are not fear-based realities. These are facts …” Says the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. “We are not yet ready to take this step.”
Deputy from Western North Carolina: stresses careful, non-confrontational nature oft he resolutino. Will lead us into a “faith without fear.” It is possible to engage in mission around the world and bring in all of God’s children.
Deputy Hahn (?) from Europe: says B033 isn’t ripe for rejection. Says it will cause some to turn our back on us. Says “even this version” is too much. If we lose touch with the Anglican Communion we will abandon the GLBT people in other parts of the Communion. Says the theology hasn’t been done and while she wants to move forward, we have to do that work first.
Deputy Brown from Vermont: cites the statemetns yesterday from President Anderson’s guests who want to move forward with us in mission. Says they need our support and this gives it to them.
Debate ends. A motion to divide the resolution after the third resolve has been made. This, I think is an attempt to keep language the divider likes and get rid of language he doesn’t. But a vote by orders on this has been requested and approved, so that will make it more difficult to pass.
The Rev. Winnie Varghese, the voting secretary is at the microphone. the vote is under way.
I think this will be the first of several attempts to ammend the resolution by people who are uncomfortable with the 4th through 6th resolves:
Resolved, That this the 76th General Convention affirm the value of “listening to the experience of homosexual persons,” as called for by the Lambeth Conferences of 1978, 1988, and 1998, and acknowledge that through our own listening the General Convention has come to recognize that the baptized membership of The Episcopal Church includes same-sex couples living in lifelong committed relationships “characterized by fidelity, monogamy, mutual affection and respect, careful, honest communication, and the holy love which enables those in such relationships to see in each other the image of God” (2000-D039); and be it further
Resolved, That this the 76th General Convention recognize that individuals gay and lesbian persons who are part of such relationships have responded to God’s call and have exercised various ministries in and on behalf of God’s One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church over the centuries and are currently doing so in our midst, often without the church’s recognition of their lifelong committed relationships and the blessings bestowed by such relationships; and be it further
Resolved, That this the 76th General Convention affirm that God has called and may call such individuals, like any other baptized members, to any ordained ministry in The Episcopal Church, which call is tested in our polity through our discernment processes carried out under Canon III acting in accordance with the Constitution and Canons of The Episcopal Church and the canons of its dioceses; and be it further
After the totals are announced, I am going to start a new file. If the vote fails it may indicate that the resolution will pass eventually. But I wouldn’t insist on that interpretation.
Vote to divide xxxx in the lay order, and in the clerical order. These are the votes of entire deputations, not of individuals.
Still waiting for a result here, but amendments are being offered, so I will come back with a result when one is available. Motion to divide fails by more than two-thirds.