Why has homosexuality persisted as a divisive issue for religious traditions and communities, within the Anglican Communion and beyond? Six scholars share their views.
The Episcopal Church sits at a crossroads. The Church, on several fronts, must choose between a static, centuries-old portrayal of Jesus and the Bible, a perspective increasingly remote from twenty-first century American life, and a dynamic portrayal of Jesus, retelling his story in images and language relevant and comprehensible to post-moderns.
I told him I thought the Episcopal Church was actually a mess theologically, a church without a backbone, incapable of standing for anything. He smiled and said, ‘maybe you’ll come to appreciate that.’ I have.
The House of Bishop’s Theology Committee has just released their report on question of sharing Holy Communion with people who are not baptized. The report
Lively engaged preachers must make mistakes sometimes. The theological risks we take in public become part of the church’s great conversation. Our faithful task is to tell the great story of God’s love for us in Jesus and include and bless as much of our people’s experience in it as we can.
Jessa Crispin: Western society does not have much time for sin. Not the sins themselves, of course – those we like very much. We pursue them, wrap our arms around them …. But when it comes to the idea that fornication or ditching work or imbibing excessive amounts alcohol should bring spiritual guilt, confession, and penance, that’s as outdated as the whole masturbation-will-send-you-straight-to-hell thing.
Kevin Forrester has been a convenient way to show that The Episcopal Church is still ‘orthodox’ and one must wonder how many standing committees have taken advantage of the evidence of liturgical changes to prevent his bishop-ing to make the wider point. A priest with the same views as Forrester, but who goes on using the same given materials, is far more likely to be accepted for elevation.
The news that the Episcopal Church has apparently declined to consent to the election of the next bishop of Northern Michigan has sparked some very interesting conversation about the internet and boundaries in our church.
There’s a very provocative article by Wesley Wildman and Stephen Chapin Garner posted on the Alban Institute’s site. It discusses the harm that our over-attachment to certain images of God can cause. They point the finger at both “sides” of the contemporary church.
“Getting to heaven” has become cultural shorthand for Christian salvation. But Christian salvation is fundamentally not about getting to heaven.