Resolved, the House of Deputies concurring, that the 74th General Convention affirms the following:

1)  That our life together as a community of faith is grounded in the saving work of Jesus Christ and expressed in the principles of the Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral: Holy Scripture, the historic Creeds of the Church, the two dominical sacraments, and the historic episcopate.

2)  That we reaffirm Resolution A069 of the 65th General Convention (1976) that "homosexual persons are children of God who have a full and equal claim with all other persons upon the love, acceptance, and pastoral concern and care of the Church".

3)  That, in our understanding of homosexual persons, differences exist among us about how best to care pastorally for those who intend to live in monogamous, non-celibate unions; and what is, or should be, required, permitted, or prohibited by the doctrine, discipline, and worship of The Episcopal Church concerning the blessing of the same.

4)  That we reaffirm Resolution D039 of the 73rd General Convention (2000), that "We expect such relationships will be characterized by fidelity, monogamy, mutual affection and respect, careful, honest communication, and the holy love which enables those in such relationships to see in each other the image of God", and that such relationships exist throughout the church.

5)  That, we recognize that local faith communities are operating within the bounds of our common life as they explore and experience liturgies celebrating and blessing same-sex unions.

6)  That we commit ourselves, and call our church, in the spirit of Resolution A104 of the 70th General Convention (1991), to continued prayer, study, and discernment on the pastoral care for gay and lesbian persons, to include the compilation and development by a special commission organized and appointed by the Presiding Bishop of resources to facilitate as wide a conversation of discernment as possible throughout the church.

7)  That our baptism into Jesus Christ is inseparable from our communion with one another, and we commit ourselves to that communion despite our diversity of opinion and, among dioceses, a diversity of pastoral practice with the gay men and lesbians among us.

8)  That it is a matter of faith that our Lord longs for our unity as his disciples, and for us this entails living within the boundaries of the Constitution and Canons of The Episcopal Church. We believe this discipline expresses faithfulness to our polity and that it will facilitate the conversation we seek not only in The Episcopal Church, but also in the wider Anglican Communion and beyond.

What does this resolution accomplish?

• It recognizes what we believe is one of the most distinctive features of Anglicanism: the ability to maintain unity without requiring uniformity. We are convinced that this resolution offers a way forward in the best spirit of Anglican comprehensiveness: recognizing that rites for blessing are and will be used by those who choose to offer them in response the pastoral needs of their constituency and providing room for theological consensus to emerge out of liturgical practice.
  

• We believe that the fuller inclusion of all the baptized into the Body of Christ is not an issue which will split the church but an opportunity which will move the church forward in mission and ministry — if we will claim it and proclaim it.
  

• We believe it is an opportunity for evangelism which will breathe new life into our work and our witness to those yearning to hear an alternative to the strident voices of the religious right who have for too long presumed to speak to the culture as representing Christian Values. We have Good News to tell and it’s time to get on with the business of telling it.
  

Will these actions of General Convention cause schism?

• No one is or will be compelled to bless same-sex unions in this church, but the church must also respect the theological judgment of those who wish to bless these relationships by providing such rites for the use of the church.
  

• It is true that many view this issue as fundamentally about the authority of Scripture, and therefore, central. At most, however, it is about the interpretation of Scripture, and if how we interpret Scripture is to split us apart, we are in for splitting on a whole host of issues.
  

• The larger question is whether or not this issue is so central to our common faith so as to split us apart. The answer is "no" — as stated unequivocally in the House of Bishops’ Theology Committee Report:
  

[5.3] We believe that disunity over issues of human sexuality in general, and homosexuality in particular, needs to be taken seriously by all members of the Church. And diverse opinion needs to be respected. But we do not believe these should be Church-dividing issues.

What about the Anglican Communion?

• Canterbury: Historically, member provinces of the Anglican Communion have always acted with "mutual deference," as equal partners. The Archbishop of Canterbury has said it is not agreement but table fellowship that makes us a communion. One diocese or province declaring itself out of communion with another is meaningless. We are in communion with each other by virtue of our being in communion with Canterbury — who is on record in saying that these are not issues that rise to the level of doctrinal differences worthy of division.
  

• The Primates: In their May 27, 2003 Pastoral Letter, the Primates committed "to respect the integrity of each other's provinces and dioceses, acknowledging the responsibility of Christian leaders to attend to the pastoral needs of minorities in their care." We believe that the pastoral needs of the GLBT persons in our care can best be met by the exploration and experience of rites for the blessing of their committed, faithful, monogamous, life-long relationships. We give thanks for the passage of C051 by General Convention 2003 that recognizes that reality and asserts that such pastoral care [operates] "within the bounds of our common life."
  

• The Lambeth Conference, often cited as the source of statements opposing the full inclusion of gay and lesbian folk in the church, has no authority over the Episcopal Church — or any other constituent member, for that matter. Neither do the Primates. To infer so is to construct a false magisterium having neither roots in Anglican history nor authority over current polity.
  

• Calling on the Primates to intervene in the domestic affairs of ECUSA makes as much sense as it would to have called on the Security Council of the United Nations to intervene in the 2000 Presidential Election in Florida. There is no jurisdiction.
  

• We are concerned that a new standard of theological consensus is being invented which has neither roots in historical Anglicanism nor room for prophetic witness.
  

What message is the Episcopal Church sending about sexual morality and traditional family values?

• The message we are sending about traditional family values is that those are the values that emerge from significant, committed human relationships, including, but not limited to, marriage.
  

• The message we are sending about sexual morality is that the expectations of fidelity, monogamy, mutual affection and holy love are the same for all Christians … gay or straight, bisexual or transgender.
  

What Really Happened at General Convention 2003?

You may have been wondering --

What exactly was approved at General Convention 2003

regarding the Blessings of Relationships?

Resolution C051 — (* FINAL VERSION — Concurred)

Topic/Title: Rites: Blessing of Committed Same-Gender Relationships

Proposer: Diocese of Michigan

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