"We put our hope in Christ". A document of the episcopal church on gays
Article of The Episcopal News Service (United states) Of june 21, 2005, fabio's Translation
The Episcopal Church of the United States, which professes an intermediate way between Catholicism and Protestantism in the context of Anglican communion and, for some years, has been at the forefront for the abolition of the discrimination that affect lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people. In 2003, Gene Robinson was the first bishop of the episcopal diocese of New Hampshire to declare gay and live a relationship with a partner.
As a consequence, Anglican communion has asked for "a contribution from the episcopal Church to explain from which sources of authorities deriving from writing, from the apostolic tradition and reasoned reflection, a person who lives a relationship with a person of the same sex can be considered suitable for guiding the people of God" (Windsor Report, 2004, paragraph 135).
The following document ("To set Our Hope on Christ": "We put our hope in Christ") is the response that the church interpeered has provided to Anglican communion.
In responding to the request for Anglican communion [...], the episcopal Church has today published a document entitled "To set our hope on Christ" (We put our hope in Christ). Published in paper form and available on the Internet, the document was prepared by a group of seven theologians and by a historic at the request of the President of the Episcopal Bishops, Frank T. Griswold.
In the preface to the 130 pages document, Monsignor Griswold writes: "The episcopal Church constructively welcomes the request contained in paragraph 135 of the Windsor Report", with which Anglican communion requires "a contribution from the episcopal Church to explain from which sources of authorities that derive from writing, from the apostolic tradition and from reasoned reflection, a person who lives a relationship with a person of the same sex can be considered suitable to guide the people of God ".
"The episcopal Church has tried to answer this question through a 40 -year experience, and at the same time an even more fundamental question has been asked, that is: how can the holiness and devotion to which God calls all of us to be done manifest in the intimacy between human being?".
And Monsignor Griswold continues: "Although we have not received a shared response, we have reached a point of our discussion, which allowed the clergy and the lay people of our diocese, after prayers and very discernment, to elect to their bishop a man who lives in a relationship with a person of their sex. At the same time, the majority of the representatives of the Church as a whole - bishops, priests and laity - Holy Spirit in allowing the election and consecration, in the light of prayer and discernment ".
The document was offered this morning in Nottingham, England, to the advisory council of the Anglican communion, as part of a presentation made by the episcopal church at the invitation of the Council.
"This document is an explanation of how this action has been taken by the people of God, and as a case in favor constitutes" the president of the episcopal bishops in the preface has pronounced. "It does not try to give all the facets of a topic or to give the method of a discussion" or "to replicate or summarize the dialogue that has taken place in our Church in the last 40 years. This will be found in the appendix".
The theologians who have prepared the document are:
• Mr. Michael Battle, priest, Virginia Theological Seminary;
• Mrs. Katherine Grieb, priest, Virginia Theological Seminary;
• Mr. Jay Johnson, priest, Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley;
• Mr. Mark Mcintosh, bishop, Loyola University Chicago;
• Mrs. Catherine Roskam, bishop suffragano of New York;
• Mr. Timothy Sedgwick, Viginia Theological Seminary
• Mrs. Kathryn Tanner, University of Chicago Divinity School.
Dr. Pamela W. Darling, historical, prepared the appendix "which outlines the formal contents of the debate that has developed in the last 40 years" said President Griswold.
The document is divided into 5 parts:
• Introduction
• Holiness, blessing and affectivity between people of the same sex
• contested traditions, common life: the historical testimony of the episcopal Church for unity in the difference
• Eligibility for ordination
• Walk together in grace
The second part quotes "a growing awareness of holiness in relationships between people of the same sex" which "has meant that the episcopal Church would face difficult questions that he had never faced before. He could Christ the Lord wanting to reveal the mystery of his redeemed work, opening our eyes to a dimension of his work that we had never understood before? In other words, what we had thought as a crucial and definitive division of the human family - Those who have homosexual desires and heterosexual desires - could be in fact a biological or cultural difference (as between men and women, slaves and free men) who was canceled by our common baptism in the faith of the one who was crucified and then risen?
The document speaks "of the universal call to the holiness of life in Relationships, Establishing:" the episcopal church calls all those involved in an intimate relationship with another person to the standard of commitment that lasts all life, characterized by loyalty, monogamy, mutual rescue and respect, attention and honest communication.
Holy love that animates those who live these relationships allows them to see one in the other the image of God. The experience of holiness in some unions between people of the same sex has called us to deepen our understanding of how these relationships that last all life in loyalty can be seen as manifestations of the love of God ".
Two theologians, Mrs. Margaret R. Miles and Bishop Frederick H. Borsch, commented on the document just published. Mrs. Miles is an emeritus professor of History of Theology at the Graduate Theological Union of Berkeley and previously he was a professor of theology at the Faculty of Theology of Harvard, principal of the Graduate Theological Union and president of the American Academy of Religion.
Bishop Borsch, who is a professor of a new testament and Anglican studies at the Lutheran theological seminar of Philadelphia, was previously bishop of Los Angeles (now withdrawn), a professor of Voni at the University of Priceton, principal of the Faculty of theology of the Pacific in Berkeley and member of the Council of Anglican Communion.
Scrive la signora Miles: “Nel contesto del conflitto religioso e della violenza del Sedicesimo secolo, il teologo anglicano Richard Hooker descrisse la genialità dell’anglicanesimo come la volontà di richiedere ai fedeli solo la partecipazione devota alla vita sacramentale della comunità. Nel nostro tempo, le differenze di convinzione circa l’omosessualità e l’ordinazione di cristiani gay e lesbiche stanno di nuovo portando gli Anglicani a riesaminare le basi della Comunione e della comunità.
“Riponiamo la nostra speranza in Cristo” contiene una ricca e concreta panoramica di ciò che significa vivere nella fede. Descrive il processo che la Chiesa episcopale ha seguito, nell’impegno di seguire Cristo con la preghiera e con la ragione, passando dal considerare il Corpo di Cristo come una comunità dotata di una stessa mentalità all’immaginare una diversa e complessa cattolicità.
Esortando a interpretare le decisioni in materia di sessualità nel contesto di una cura pastorale, più che di una preoccupazione ideologica, il documento propone che l’unità della partecipazione e della missione non necessitino di richiedere uniformità di pareri su tutte le materie. “Riponiamo la nostra speranza in Cristo” è un compendio di norme scritte nel ragionamento e nella preghiera, sia sotto un profilo teologico, esegetico ed esperienziale, da parte di cristiani impegnati a cercare il disegno del Signore. E’ un documento potente e commovente.”
Borsch writes: “Not everyone, certainly, will agree, as in the past Christians have not agreed on some issues related to theology and the Christian way of living faith, such as the question of the divorced divorced.
But the response of the Episcopal Church to the Council of Anglican Communion offers a worthy and well -reasoned case from a biblical, theological and ethical point of view to find a right place and full citizenship to homosexual Christians and those who are committed, like heterosexuals, to lead the relationship life trying to follow the Lord Jesus. " "The document places the question in the context of the long discussion in the councils of the episcopal Church".
Original text: Theologians offer response to Windsor Report request
