Throughout it all, Bishop Love maintained his theme of a Bishop, a Diocese, and Christianity itself under attack. In one breathtaking passage, he lifted up the example of Christians martyred by ISIS in Libya in 2015, and compared their murders to the kinds of attacks he sees conservative Christianity enduring in the West.
This Thursday’s meeting may be crucial to understanding how the diocese will move forward, as Love told the paper, “We’re in the midst of a major schism.”
Resolution B012, in its final language, aims to extend marriage equality to parts as yet unreached by offering alternative episcopal pastoral support to clergy and congregations whose bishops do not currently permit them to solemnize same-sex marriages. A statement from the Communion Partners of the Episcopal Church appears to turn the tables, stating that, “Congregations that maintain the traditional teaching on marriage, no matter what their diocese, have an equal claim upon the pastoral care of the church. We offer our own ministry of pastoral care in such congregations as bishops in furtherance of that goal.”