Diana Butler Bass argues that the recent decision by the Episcopal Church to allow homosexuals to hold high offices as a continuation of the Anglican Church’s work to weave local culture into faith:
In plain English, the Episcopal Church has now formally recognized the lived reality of faithful same-sex Christian couples in our community and that the Holy Spirit may call persons in such relationships to Christian ministry—even the ministry of bishop.
This affirmation doesn’t demand that anyone do anything or anyone be forced to believe something they find offensive. Indeed, in the resolution, the church stated that Christians are not of a unified mind and that Christians “of good conscience” may disagree in regards to these concerns. But the resolution also does two important things: 1) it recognizes that many, many Episcopalians are perfectly comfortable and open to being part of a diverse spiritual community that includes gay and lesbian brothers and sisters; and 2) that local dioceses may chose their bishops by discerning the best candidate for ministry without restriction placed on sexual identity.
Some may argue that the Episcopal Church has broken faith. No, Episcopalians are struggling to be faithful and to live justly as our society widens its understanding of human relationships and marriage. The attempt to do so is not somehow “secular” or untraditional. Rather, adapting to local cultures is an important part of being Anglican.
Read the full post here.