Episcopalian gay marriage
1962: October Homosexuality, along with alcoholism, is studied by the House of Bishops of the Protestant Episcopal Church. It is referred to as a “standard weakness.” [1]
1963: August Rev. David B. Wayne of the Church of the Epiphany in Unused York City preaches that homosexuals “must be accepted fully into the fellowship of the church” while they also must seek counseling or psychological treatment. [2]
1964: November A proposed revision to a New York State law that would decriminalize “sexual deviation” (i.e., homosexuality and adultery) is praised by Episcopalians and denounced by Roman Catholics. The revision is later dropped by the NY state Legislature. [3]
1966: October Speaking at Duke Statute School, Episcopal Auxiliary Bishop of California, Rev. James A. Pike claims that laws “aimed at controlling homosexuality, sexual practices between bloke and wife and abortions…must be changed.” He claims that such matters are “nobody’s business but the individuals concerned.” [4]
1967: November During a symposium on homosexuality sponsored by the Episcopal Dioceses of New York, Connecticut, Long Island, and Newark, ninety Episcopalian priests approve that the chur
Central Florida’s canon prohibiting same-sex marriage becomes issue in bishop election
Bobby McCulley, left, and Dustin Stacy exchange vows on Nov. 12 during their wedding in Cocoa, Florida, officiated by the Rev. Alison Harrity, rector of St. Richard’s Episcopal Church in Winter Park. Photo: Jordan Hurst
[Episcopal News Service] The Diocese of Central Florida forbids weddings of same-sex couples. It also allows them.
At the root of that contradiction is a diocesan canon restricting marriage to “one woman and one man.” The restriction remains on the books despite The Episcopal Church’s General Convention voting in 2018 to require all dioceses to accommodate queer couples wishing to marry. Central Florida Bishop Greg Brewer said he would oblige, but so far, marriage equality in the Orlando-based diocese is limited to one parish, St. Richard’s Episcopal Church in Winter Park. Its rector, the Rev. Alison Harrity, is the only priest who has asked for and received permission from Brewer to marry gay and lesbian couples – a permission to essentially violate the diocese’s marriage canon.
Harrity, in a cell interview with Episcopal News Service, said she is grateful for
Sexuality and Identity: A Pastoral Statement from the College of Bishops
January 2021
Preamble
The Bishops of the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) offer this pastoral expression to the Church after prayer, study, careful listening to disparate voices, and a collaborative process involving contributions from across the Province. As a finding of this process, we have become even more acutely aware of the power we all requirement to live faithfully in Jesus Christ as He redeems the whole of our identity, including our sexuality.
The College of Bishops asked for the formation of this statement in January of 2020 after we heard reports of varied application among ACNA leaders regarding the operate of language about sexual identity, especially within provincial events. We recognize there are a multiplicity of realities in our current national, political, and global circumstances into which an episcopal voice could be presented. In the midst of this tragic pandemic, we desire to continue to minister the Gospel into all aspects of our common life that include been distorted by sin such as racism, persecution, injustice, and violence, while also speaking to this specific issue of individuality
Bishops Begin Adding Same-Sex Marriage Rites to BCP
The House of Bishops began adding an inclusive marriage rite to the Book of Common Prayer on June 25, while expressing gratitude for the work on Communion Across Difference. Bishops also approved eight changes to the church’s disciplinary canons and an initiative focused on congregational revitalization.
Resolution A116 is the first reading for inclusion of a gender-neutral marriage rite into the Book of Common Prayer. It was previously approved for trial use at the 2018 General Convention.
If passed on a second reading at the 82nd General Convention in 2027, the prayer book will include both the existing marriage rite, to be renamed “Celebration and Blessing of a Marriage I,” and the inclusive rite, to be named “Celebration and Blessing of a Marriage II.”
Earlier this week, the House of Bishops passed Resolution A091, which adds a sentence to the definition of doctrine in the church’s canons, saying that “For the purposes of this canon, the Guide of Common Prayer and any Book of Common Prayer memorialized by General Convention are understood as sufficient statements of the doctrine of this Church.”
At the