An interview with Bishop Hollerith

Click here to read an interview with Bishop Hollerith regarding the General Convention resolution A049, the blessing of same gender unions. The Bishop addresses these questions:

• What was your reaction to the Episcopal Church’s recent decision to allow the Blessing of Same-gender unions and did you vote in favor?
• What exactly has the Episcopal Church authorized in this new decision?  
• Will you authorize the use of the provisional liturgy for Covenantal Blessings of same-gender unions in the Diocese of Southern Virginia.
• Will the Clergy at some point be required to bless same-gender unions?
• Can you explain from your perspective how it is that the Church can make this decision in light of what the Bible teaches us about homosexuality?
• But what about the creation story in Genesis? Some have claimed that since God created us male and female, same-gender relationships fall short of what God intends for us.    
• Isn’t this new liturgy essentially the same thing as Christian marriage?
• What preparation will a same-gender couple have to receive in order to have their relationship blessed by the clergy using the new rite?
• Why are some Episcopal Dioceses allowing clergy to perform same-gender “marriage”?
• Now that the provisional rite has been introduced are you optimistic about the future of the Episcopal Church?

A new resource posted on our Resource page is "Why the Church changes its mind on one thing or another," an article by the Rev. Howard Hanchey. Click on the "Resource" tab above.

Theological and liturgical resources to be considered at General Convention, July 5-12

The Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music (SCLM) of the Episcopal Church has forwarded to the House of Bishops and the House of Deputies excerpts from its report, “I Will Bless You, and You Will Be a Blessing”: Resources for Blessing Same-Gender Relationships. 

The report, nearly three years in the making, was prepared by the SCLM in compliance 2009-C056, "Liturgies for Blessings,"  a resolution  approved by the General Convention (GC) of the Episcopal Church in 2009 which directed the SCLM to collect and develop theological and liturgical resources for the blessing of same-gender relationships through an open process.

You can read the report excerpt HERE.

Looking at same-gender blessings through the lens of my baptismal covenant

By David P. Price, CAPT, JAGC, USN (Retired)

Eastern Shore Chapel, Virginia Beach

As the Diocese prepares to address the issue of same-gender blessings, I am compelled by faith and commitment to offer my thoughts.

I was born into a Roman Catholic family almost 60 years ago, not even appreciating that there were people in the world who were not Catholic until the Nixon-Kennedy debates.  What a sheltered and dogmatic beginning to life I had!  As early as childhood I came to appreciate that many of the religious teachings from parochial school simply could not be supported on any rational basis.  The earth is not the center of the universe; Heaven does not exist in the cloud-filled space above earth; God does not sanction slavery or discrimination; God created humans in God’s image – not the other way around; we cannot impose upon God the limitations that we – as humans – have; and does it really matter how many angels can fit on the head of a pin!

As a child I heard leaders use what they called “God’s word” as the basis for and in support of so many things that just were and remain wrong both legally and morally.  For far too many years 11:00 on a Sunday morning was factually referred to as the most segregated hour in America.  Racial, ethnic, and gender discrimination has been supported, if not always sponsored, by churches.  Eventually I came to use a rather simple way of looking at religious writings:  “Is it written in red?” - because I found that the words of Jesus are often printed in red ink, and the words of Jesus were always about doing the right thing.

What is a "generous pastoral response"?

By the Rev. Rhonda Wheeler, St. Andrew's, Newport News

“Generous pastoral response” is a term which was part of Resolution CO51 from General Convention 2009.  It calls for clergy, with the guidance of their Bishops, to respond lovingly and faithfully to persons in homosexual relationships who want to live a monogamous life together, blessed by God and the Church. 

It gives us the opportunity to welcome conversations about blessing same gender couples and develop liturgy for such purposes. Pastorally responding to folks involves the couples, but includes the entire congregation.  Is there room for all of us to discuss blessings of same gender couples when we having varying feelings and beliefs about it? 

The ‘generous pastoral response’ calls us to provide education for the entire parish being sensitive to the varying  feelings and beliefs about the Church moving forward.  How do we continue to say “Welcome to the Episcopal Church” if we don’t find a way to honor and bless all persons who desire to live faithfully together in relationship to God?

Do our differences have to keep us apart?

 By Juli Edwards, St. Christopher's, Portsmouth

The Episcopal Church welcomes you.  The church is a safe space where we can escape the persecution of the outside world, right?  A place where all our sins are forgiven and we can be ourselves, accepted as we are, loved and welcomed by all?  Although many may strive for this and this is what many may believe and feel the church should be offering, it is not the reality.  This kind of belief only makes the pain hurt more when people disagree, when someone is asked to leave, or told that they are not welcome as they are in a parish.  Do our differences have to keep us apart?

There are times in our lives when we all come together despite our differences.  Examples of these times are weddings, funerals, family gatherings, etc.  The church is our family and we should learn to come together despite our differences.  These blog posts have offered a starting space to practicing just that.  Can we treat one another with respect?  Can we learn to listen and really hear one another?  Can we sit in the pew and, although some may disagree with the blessing of same-gender unions, be prayerfully present? 

A Scriptural model for living together in our differences

By the Rev. Keith Emerson, St. Paul's, Suffolk

Because the bible is so central and dear to those who oppose the blessing of same-gender unions, it is well worth noting that there is a situation in Scripture very similar to what we find in the Episcopal Church today.  This passage is taken from the fourteenth chapter of Paul’s letter to the Church in Rome:

¹Welcome those who are weak in faith, but not for the purpose of quarrelling over opinions. ²Some believe in eating anything, while the weak eat only vegetables. ³Those who eat must not despise those who abstain, and those who abstain must not pass judgment on those who eat; for God has welcomed them. ⁴Who are you to pass judgment on servants of another? It is before their own lord that they stand or fall.  And they will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make them stand.

⁵ Some judge one day to be better than another, while others judge all days to be alike.  Let all be fully convinced in their own minds. ⁶Those who observe the day, observe it in honor of the Lord.  Also those who eat, eat in honor of the Lord, since they give thanks to God; while those who abstain, abstain in honor of the Lord and give thanks to God.

⁷ We do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves. ⁸If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. ⁹For to this end Christ died and lived again, so that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.

¹⁰ Why do you pass judgment on your brother or sister? Or you, why do you despise your brother or sister?  For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. ¹¹For it is written, ‘As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall give praise to God.’ ¹²So then, each of us will be accountable to God.

Here we find Paul addressing two incredibly difficult and divisive issues in his day.  Jewish-Christians in Rome believed strongly in following the dietary laws of the original covenant. They had been raised with this practice from childhood. It was central both to their faith and to their identity. They ate only vegetables in Rome perhaps because no kosher meat was available or because it was impossible to know whether or not the meat had been used first in a pagan ritual. Gentile-Christians, not being raised in the original covenant, had no reservations about eating non-kosher food. The two groups also differed on the proper day or days to gather for worship. One group chose Saturday (the traditional day of Sabbath) while the other worshiped on Sunday (the day of the Resurrection). One group observed Jewish festivals and fasts, the other group did not. We live in an era when these disputes have long been resolved, but it is still possible to imagine the level of discord they created in the early church.

Being the Body

By Tony Robinson, St. Thomas, Chesapeake

I must admit that I have been struggling with what to write for this blog ever since I was asked to do so in December.  I wasn’t sure why I found it so difficult, but in the end I guess it was because I was asking the wrong questions.  Just as I think many in this debate are answering the wrong question.

One side defends their position as a matter of absolute Biblical interpretation, the other as a matter of absolute grace.  One side berates the other as unfaithful to the Word of God; the other as unfaithful to the ministry of Jesus.

Oh, it’s all done with civility (for the most part), but the underlying tone is still there.  The explanations of positions do little.  Minds are unchanged; hearts are unmoved; and the road toward anger and schism is built with the paving stones of misunderstanding.

But what is being misunderstood?

Each side interprets Scripture and knows that if they just use the right method to explain it, the other side will see the error of their ways and correct their way of thinking.  But I think that this makes an erroneous and potentially dangerous assumption; i.e. that the Holy Spirit is not working in that other person.

People on both sides of this issue approach Scripture prayerfully and spiritually and come to different conclusions.  Why?

Confronting the question of inclusion

 By the Rev. Maria Kane

As I pulled into my friend Frances’ gravel driveway six years ago, I could barely contain my excitement. A year earlier, Frances--an unassuming fifty-ish woman who loved the color green, turtlenecks, and Native American history--had quietly and rather imperceptibly broken through the layers of my wounded soul and guided me in to a place of awe and wonder. Now, we were reuniting for a weekend visit.

After exchanging hugs on the front porch and dropping off my luggage in the warmly-appointed guest room, she led me to the kitchen and with a deep appreciation in her eyes, introduced me to Marie, her partner of twenty-five years. Wait. Frances is gay? How did I miss that? I wondered. Reaching out to hug Marie I tried to conceal my surprise.

Although I joined the Episcopal Church as a teenager, I still struggled to eradicate the voices of moral superiority that had shaped my evangelical childhood. While I knew people who were gay or lesbian, I had always assumed an attitude of measured distance and indifference, not quite believing that they were “living in sin,” but also unwilling to confront questions of inclusion and justice. “Live and let live” was my attitude. Standing in Marie and Frances’ sun-light kitchen I found myself questioning those beliefs.

What would you do?

By the Rev. Kate Bobbitt

Several years ago while serving in another diocese, I was one of five participants asked to interview a candidate for youth leader in our parish. I asked the new college graduate, “If I came to you and said I have a grandson who is gay and he would like to join your youth group, what would your response to me be?”

“I would sit him down and talk with him about being gay and explain to him that it is a sin and point out verses in the Bible that explain why it is a sin.”

The position that graduate took has haunted me ever since. As a life time member of the Episcopal Church, I have always loved the openness that has been present in our church. Regardless of one’s personal opinion about homosexuality, I have always found the leadership in our community to be fair and just. We have not always agreed on issues but we ‘come to the table’ with our issues and discuss them openly. At least this has been the practice in almost every church I have had the honor to serve. 

My Story

This post is written by a member of the diocesan Episcopal Youth Community (EYC). The post is anonymous due to the author's age.

Hello, I am a local member of your EYC. When I realized I was gay I was terrified. I was terrified about what accepting myself meant for the way my life would work out but mostly I was afraid of how my family would react. I come from a fairly conservative family; I am a “Cradle Episcopalian” and I go to church every Sunday. My parents reacted with complete denial when I tried to come out (twice) and they still talk about boyfriends like I’ll be dating men again any day now. (note: I don’t really care at this point if they know or not. As long as they’re okay by my wedding we should be good!)

On the note of my eventual wedding, I want more than anything to be married in the Episcopal Church. The church has raised me in a way that will leave me forever connected to its grounds and I can’t begin to describe how happy it would make me to marry in my home church. I have even found several priests willing to do so when I’m ready as soon as the bishop gives the go ahead. I don’t imagine myself with a huge white wedding, but rather a closely knit affair with lots of joking and partying all through the night. I am not unusual in that respect.

What is the ancient notion of a “Disputed Question” and how might recovering it help us today?

By The Rev. James Medley, Associate Priest
Eastern Shore Chapel, Virginia Beach

The disputed question is an ancient practice of the medieval Church where groups of students bring forth opposing arguments about theological questions (normally questions not having to do with core doctrine) and debate their contrasting points.   The master (professor) resolved the dispute by making a doctrinal decision as to which argument was correct. 

The disputation is also used today in most, if not all, Episcopal seminaries.  I remember participating in the discipline at the Seminary of the Southwest under our theology professor, Anthony Baker. Tony would give us a question like, “Does scripture contain everything necessary for salvation?” or “Does God suffer?” and then divide a group of us into two teams. One team had to defend the yes point and one defend the no point.  After each team made brilliant arguments (drawing on scripture, early theologians, and reason) Tony would tell us who made the better argument and then which answer, yes or no, was correct from the standpoint of the orthodox faith of the Church. 

Tony had only one hard and fast rule for our disputations: a participant could never argue from the position of unsupported belief.  For example, we couldn’t say, “The answer is this because that’s just what I believe.”   You had to argue from the evidence of your sources.  Sometimes that evidence was inconclusive, especially if the question being disputed concerned issues that weren’t considered matters of core doctrine by the Church.  On those types of questions, we sometimes had to agree to disagree, even to the point of disagreeing with our professor. 

If homosexuality is not a sin, then what is?

By the Rev. Drew Foisie, Curate for Christian Formation

Old Donation, Virginia Beach

It’s a good question, actually. The question is really a straight up look into what sin is and what sin is not. But that’s a big question. Not an easy question. Look up sin in the bible dictionary and you will get reams of entries on the matter. You’ll learn about “moralistic” sin, “monistic” sin, “personalistic” sin and all sorts of other fun things to bring up at cocktail parties. The simplest and most universally agreed upon answer to this question, however, might just be that sin is whatever separates us from God, whatever severs our relationship with the Creator. To do that, to make that happen, usually involves a choice to, in some form or other, either take life from others, or reject and walk away from Life being offered to you. When in the Garden and confronted by the serpent Adam and Eve decided, after some “reasoning”, to walk away from life and into death (Gen 3:2). After eating the fruit and experiencing shame for their nakedness they were later led out of the Garden. But before going God made for them garments. He gave them what they needed to begin their next life – one in which they would learn how to live again. One that would involve loving and trusting God with all their heart, mind and strength and loving their neighbor as themselves.  

What is meant by blessing? *

By Bill Hunter, Eastern Shore Chapel, Virginia Beach

& member of the Leading a Holy Life Task Force

“Blessing” has been defined as the authoritative pronouncement of God’s favor… In Christian practice, blessing finds a frequent place in liturgy, especially in the blessing of the elements in consecration and the blessing of the people at the end of the Mass.  In Holy Matrimony, the formal name of the service is “The Celebration and Blessing of a Marriage.”

From a theological perspective what then is a “blessing”?  If a blessing is the pronouncement of God’s favor, does this also imply God’s approval?  

Blessings appear to have one function in liturgy (the act of consecration or to make holy) and another in the context of the blessing of a home.  In such a blessing, homes are not made holy in the way that a church is dedicated or consecrated as holy space.  What is happening when a home is blessed?  Could it be that we are inviting God’s favor in the hope that we will be worthy of such favor and that we will align our lives with God’s will?  If so, the function of blessing is to remind the ones blessed of who they are.  By grace, we receive the blessing of God.  The blessing is intended to be relational, a two-way street.

Then, what would it mean to bless a same-gender relationship in the context of worship?

What are the theological implications of current scientific data suggesting sexual preference is a genetic trait?

By The Rev. Dr. John Maxwell Kerr, SOSc (Society of Ordained Scientists),

Episcopal Chaplain to the Faculty, Staff and Students of the College of William & Mary.

 

Science tells us about the way the natural world is, based on carefully-researched evidence.  Scientific understanding of sexual preference does have theological implications because all science provides raw material for Christian theology, which must take seriously what we learn of the world God has created.

The best current scientific evidence on sexual preference is based on several years of extensive peer-reviewed research principally carried out at McMaster University Medical School, the School of Biological and Chemical Sciences at Queen Mary College in the University of London, and the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm. It refutes two polar positions.

First, is the idea that sexual preference, unlike all other aspects of what it is to be human, is a matter of freely choosing to sin, and has no relationship to our genetic inheritance, or any other aspect of our physical selves. This view is wrong: genetically inherited brain structures correlate with sexual preference (and also with left-handedness, presumably also not a matter of sinful choice.)

The Bible, Sexual Orientation and Vacuum Cleaners

By The Rev. Ed Pickup

Rector, Emmanual, Franklin

 

People often ask, “what does the Bible say about sexual orientation?”  The correct answer is: “the same thing it says about vacuum cleaners.”

In 1869, the Austrian writer Karl‑Maria Kertbeny first coined the words heterosexual and homosexual.^[1]  Prior to that time, there was no idea that people had a sexual orientation. ^[2]

In the same year Chicago inventor Ives W. McGaffey obtained a patent for the first hand-pumped vacuum cleaner.  Named the “Whirlwind” it was manufactured by American Carpet Cleaning Company of Boston and cost $25.00. 

So the Bible doesn’t have much to say about either sexual orientation or vacuum cleaners, since neither concept was known at the time.

Well then, what was Paul writing about in Romans 1:26-27?  The answer is what Paul knew at the time: temple prostitution.  Beginning in verse 18, Paul condemns idolatry - the worship of pagan deities, images resembling a mortal human being or birds or four-footed animals or reptiles.  

Whatever happened to celibacy?

by The Rev. Drew Foisie

Curate for Christian Formation, Old Donation, Virginia Beach

People today don’t have to look far for reasons to dislike celibacy and distance themselves from any endorsement of it. The tragic and appalling, wide-spread abuse perpetrated by an alarming and disturbing number of Roman Catholic priests is enough to make anybody want to cut celibacy from any equation of faithful living. In addition, the wider culture exudes a deep distaste and distrust for myriad forms of faithful living involving self-denial, abstinence and celibacy chief among them. The cultural subtext being that any ordering of one’s life that resembles self-denial is a form of “repression.” And yet despite its difficult and sometimes unpopular reputation, celibacy has been and remains a valuable and transformative source of life within the Christian tradition. It is a gift from God that the Apostle Paul and countless other saints have known. But many feel this gift to be far outside their sense of call or Christian vocation. And indeed, celibacy is not for everyone. Regarding celibacy Jesus said, “Not everyone can accept this teaching, but only those to whom it is given.” It must then be granted that some are not given this gift, but also that some are indeed given this gift, and given the grace to live it out.

On the subject of sexuality, how does scripture inform our lives today?

 by the Rev. Eileen Walsh, Rector, St. Christopher's Portsmouth

There is no way to fully explore such a vast topic in a brief blog post, but I offer this as an introduction and hopefully a catalyst for readers to pursue the topic further.  First let’s look at a couple of passages that are frequently cited in most discussions of homosexuality. There is the attempted gang rape in Sodom (Genesis 19:1-29) and a similar account in Judges 19-21. These passages describe brutal behavior that has nothing to do with whether genuine love expressed between consenting adults of the same gender is legitimate or not. I would hope that in this discussion these passages would be rendered irrelevant. There are also several passages that are rather unclear as to whether the issue at hand is homosexuality alone or promiscuity. (1 Corinthians 6:9 and 1 Timothy 1:10)

Aside from these there are two texts in the Hebrew Scriptures that undeniably condemn homosexual behavior. They are: 

Has the Church abdicated its responsibility for spiritual leadership?

by Steve Gallotta, St. Paul’s Church, Suffolk

(This photo of Steve shows him participating in a project at St. Paul's to remember the tenth anniversary of 9/11)

The Episcopal Church of America is currently engaged in an ongoing campaign to extend the benefits of church membership to homosexuals.  This effort goes beyond welcoming them into Churches as parishioners sharing in the dogma under God, to extending the sacrament of marriage to them.  This effort was highlighted by the election of Rev. Gene Robinson to bishop and has been a hot topic since. 

There has been little dialogue on the matter.  The response of the Church when Rev. Robinson was elected was that we should engage in prayerful consideration and conversation, with the end result being that we could collectively accept it.  That approach was not dialogue, it was an invitation for those who opposed the path of the Church to be convinced of the error of their ways and to return to the fold.    

One reason the Church is doing this might be that it is a topic of national secular consideration.  The homosexual lobby has for years been seeking acceptance for their lifestyles and choices, with varying degrees of success.  Many states now permit same-gender marriages – most without the approval of their populations – and the rights of homosexuals under law has been expanded greatly in the past decade.  In that regard, the homosexual community has been very successful.  The Church’s efforts then fit into that general pattern.  But, the Church is not society and, often Church communities seek to actually be separate from secular law.  After all, that is what the 1^st Amendment is all about.  So there is no actual requirement for the Church to accept and follow this secular trend.   

What shapes our values, beliefs?

by Deborah Quam, Eastern Shore Chapel, Virginia Beach

I grew up during the 1950’s and 60’s, the only child of a first class musician and public school choral teacher at Norview High School.  My mother was blessed with many friends but those who shared her passion for great music and dedication to teaching became especially close.  My home was filled with other choral and band teachers from the Tidewater area that supported each other and accomplished great things with high school students.

One friend was particularly close; the choral director at Princess Anne High School.  Mom often referred to him as her brother and they were as close as siblings.  They shared meals, vacations, teaching, music conferences and performances, stories, love of entertaining, recipes and life.  It occurs to me now he was a gay man living in a time of uncertainty and probably secrecy.  His sexuality was never discussed in my presence and I professed my undying love for him at age 6. He was accepted for who he was in my home.  My father and mother joined him for dinner parties and visited often.  When he found a life partner and they bought a home, they were careful to keep up the appearances of “roommate”.  But they were a couple, full of life.  

Beginning the Conversation

by The Very Rev. Keith Emerson, Chair of Living a Holy Life Task Force and rector of St. Paul's, Suffolk

In Lent 2010, the House of Bishops received a report titled Same-Sex Relationships in the Life of the Church.  It was prepared by eight theologians who, in the course of their work, split into two “affinity groups,” one conservative, the other liberal.  In the preface, the document’s editor acknowledged that the terms ‘conservative’ and ‘liberal’ have limitations, but still used them because people easily identify what each confers.  

I share this apprehension.  As we Episcopalians in the Diocese of Southern Virginia begin a twenty-five week electronic conversation, I worry that defining our positions as liberal and conservative will have negative consequences.  I fear it will encourage us to mirror the most unhelpful elements of our nation’s political discourse; incivility, narrowness, and “I’m right/you’re wrong” thinking.   

I wonder if there is a better way to frame our discussion.

Join the conversation at a virtual table of fellowship

by the Rt. Rev. Herman Hollerith IV

In the Episcopal Church, community has always been envisioned as a kind of table fellowship.  We gather together to offer our lives to one another and to God through Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Table fellowship involves participating in Eucharist with one another, being with one another in our God-given uniqueness and talking with one another about matters of faith and mission.

The Diocese of Southern Virginia is composed of over a hundred parishes and missions spread out across a wide geographic region.  Table fellowship on a diocesan level is complex and poses many obvious challenges.  Fortunately for us, the internet provides us with a new opportunity to have at least the conversation part of our table fellowship.