The Episcopal Church’s Task Force on the Study of Marriage is continuing its work, and ever more Episcopalians live in states in which marriage equality is now the law. Indiana joined the fast-growing group yesterday.
Yesterday, too, the task force released Dearly Beloved, a resource for study and discussion about marriage.
The accompanying release says:
Our hope is that many will take advantage of this moment in our history to be a part of discerning our way forward. In our day, what is God calling us to understand, to say, and perhaps to do in regards to marriage?
We can only answer this question if far more than 12 people get involved. Broad discussion will assist those deputies and bishops – representatives of us all – at General Convention 2015, when they receive our report and consider possible responses to our church’s call to deepen this conversation.
Meanwhile, the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music has reported to the church about its “two-and-a-half-day Indaba-style conversation on same-sex marriage June 3-5 at Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral in Kansas City,” which included “leaders from across the Anglican Communion, ecumenical partners, and lay and clergy representatives from Episcopal dioceses where civil same-sex marriage is legal.”
Marriage will be much on the minds of deputies and bishops when they gather in Salt Lake City in one year for General Convention. Do you believe that the Episcopal Church should adopt marriage equality as its norm at that convention? If so, how should this be done–through a new ritual, through gender neutral revisions to the Book of Common Prayer, or perhaps in some other way? We welcome your thoughts.