Gay rights becomes a strong enough issue to literally divide denominations
Post by Matthew Albright —
There are few issues that divide Americans as much as the battle over gay rights.
Nowhere does this issue cause a greater divide than within churches.
In some congregations, it’s a matter of fierce debate. Those with strict interpretations of the Bible view scriptural warnings against homosexuality as church law, while more “liberal” Christians push for inclusiveness.
While it’s a subject of great contention for most churches, the issue threatens to irreversibly rend some entire denominations in half.
The Anglican church is one such body. That denomination has faced a possibly catastrophic schism on the subject of gays in the church — specifically over ordaining gay bishops — for several years.
Those tensions reached a boiling point Tuesday, when the Episcopal Church — the American branch of the Anglican Church — voted to lift the ban on gay and lesbian bishops.
During the church’s triennial General Convention, more than 70 percent of lay and clergy delegates in the House of Deputies, and about half of the House of Bishops voted to lift a moratorium on gay bishops that has existed since the last Convention.
While most of the response within the church has been positive — especially from openly gay Bishop V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire, who’s appointment sent shockwaves throughout the Christian community six years ago — the response from the worldwide Anglican community has been less enthusiastic.
Rowan WIlliams, Archbishop of Canterbury and Anglican spiritual leader, has repeatedly indicated that the Episcopalian insistence on gay inclusion is threatening to drive off more conservative Anglicans in droves.
The move to include gay bishops is a bold one — Williams’ concerns are certainly not paranoia.
It will be interesting to watch how the greater Anglican community — and the Christian community as a whole — reacts to the decision. Either it will be a first step toward more universal inclusion of gays in church life or it will touch off a long and bitter battle that will leave many congregations and even denominations broken in its wake.
