Today the Episcopal Church "put the T in equality" by explicitly including transgender people in the work and witness of the Episcopal Church and as candidates to the ordained ministry. In voting to concur with the earlier actions of our bishops, the House of Deputies officially added gender identity and gender expression to the non-discrimination canons -- making today a very good day to be an Episcopalian.
And it is not just a good day for transgender Episcopalians and their friends, families and allies. It is a good day for all of us who are part of a church willing to the risk to continue to draw the circle wider as we work to live out our call to make God's inclusive love known to the whole human family.
In her sermon Sunday morning, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori challenged all of us who gathered as the General Convention community -- bishops, deputies, volunteers and visitors -- to step over the fence between fear and possibility. And in today's vote for inclusion, the Episcopal Church did precisely that. Just as we stepped over the fears surrounding the ordination of women in the 1970s and the fears of the ordination of gays and lesbians in the 1990s, today we stepped over the fear of our transgender brothers and sisters and into the possibility that at long last the end of the "inclusion wars" are in sight.
Now, before you jump to the comments to remind me we're not done with sexism or homophobia in the church let me assure you I know that far too well. Yes, we still have plenty of work to do to make all the resolutions of our conventions realities in our communities. Nevertheless, today's actions represent a significant step forward as we continue to live out our vocation as a church committed to respecting the dignity of every human being -- and so there is much to rejoice and be glad in.
One of the "Anglican Marks of Mission" -- five benchmarks of mission adopted by our wider Anglican Communion family -- is "to seek to transform unjust structures of society." As Episcopalians we have been striving to live out that mission in the work of transforming the unjust discrimination against our transgender brothers and sisters. As I noted in the blog I posted just before the beginning of this 77th General Convention the last time our General Convention met (in Anaheim in 2009) we adopted some important resolutions supporting the trans-inclusive federal ENDA (Employment Non-Discrimination Act) and Hate-Crimes bills, adding gender identity and expression to nondiscrimination canons for lay employees and calling for church data forms to provide for inclusive self-identification.
And now, because of today's landmark decision by our General Convention, we can advocate from a place of integrity, knowing that the change we want to see in the world has begun in us -- in our canons, in our structures, in our church.
Today the Episcopal Church put the "T" in equality. Let the people say "Amen" and "Alleluia!"
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You used the correct term when you used the word "risk".
The risk being alienation from God.
That Gods love you mention is available to all of mankind under certain condition.
I am sure you know what they are.
The covenant relatonship is based on people in agreement with God to do certain things.
The "if you" God speaks of you seem to ignore.
Shori, who thinks Christ is a she, is far from orthodox on any issue related to scripture.
Risk you are correct on.
This has nothing to do with "encouraging sin" It has everything to do with love and acceptance!
Each church is different according to the people who worship there and the religious and spiritual concepts being taught. My family has attended an Episcopal Church that was exclusive to everyone who wasn't white (causcasion) and rich, AND, we've attended Episcopal Churches where you can tangibly FEEL The Holy Spirit of God's Perfect Love the minute you walk in the doors.
You're writing nonsense.
You sound as silly as Larry King when he compared gay couples with people marrying their own siblings.
You're comparing apples to oxen!
I continue to be humbled by the work of those in the Episcopal Church I so dearly love for the inclusion of all God's children.
As for everyone else, they are at war with God. They are enemies of God. Not that God this point hates them. He has opened a way for them to be reconciled with Him through Jesus Christ.
For people who engage in behavior which God adhors, they need to repent. They are most emphatically NOT children of God. When they repent of their sins, then they will be children, but not before.
You need to read The Gospels and focus on those 4 chapters. EVERYONE is a child of God and EVERYONE is a sinner as long as we are in human bodies.
YES, we need to follow Jesus's life teachings and examples and we will be strengthened and enlightened in doing so. We will live meaningful lives beyond consumption and waste, making a loving & positive impact toward others in our journey.
Yes, we should repent when we sin but Christ's most important commandments were: 1) Love God with all your heart & soul (this means ALL of US sinners - since we all sin no matter how hard we try not to) and 2) Love your neighbor as yourself. (Something you seem to have real trouble with).
Just because you repent of your sins - does this mean you have risen above sinning ever after that?
Perhaps you should read John 8:7
It would be good to see the 'i' in equality by considering the needs and aspirations of intersex people.
I made the comment because church and wider society also need to consider intersex people whose needs are dfferent from LGB or T.
"The term intersex was first used by science in the early 20th century to describe human beings whose biological sex cannot be classified as clearly male or female. An intersex person may have the biological attributes of both sexes or lack some of the biological attributes considered necessary to be defined as one or the other sex." (http://oiiaustralia.com/19853/welcome/)
Guess what? We ALREADY unite same sex couples in holy unions when it isn't marriage but civil unions.
We in the PCUSA not only welcome LGBT folk, but we ordain them to ministry as Teaching Elders, Ruling Elders and Deacons.
We will have permission to marry same sex couples, it will come and so we will keep asking for it.