Source:  American Anglican Council

Resolution D025 Sent to Bishops for Concurrence; Orthodox Deputies Fail with Honor
By Ralinda Gregor

The House of Deputies approved resolution D025 which affirms TEC's desire to continue to participate in the Anglican Communion, recognizes God's call to "any ordained ministry" of partnered gays and lesbians within TEC, and notes that Episcopalians and Anglicans are not of one mind about this controversy. Among the clergy, 74 deputations voted yes and 35 voted no. Among the laity, 77 voted yes and 31 no.

The resolution was one of 13 submitted which dealt with the ordination of partnered homosexuals and was the result of careful wordsmithing by the House of Deputies Committee on World Mission, according to the Rev. Gay Jennings of Ohio, committee chair. The committee characterized the resolution as "the best description of where we are today" rather than a repeal of the non-binding 2006 resolution B033 which urged restraint by standing committees and bishops in consenting to non-celibate gay and lesbian bishops.

Although testimony at hearings leading up to this point were rather lopsided in their support for this and similar resolutions, biblically orthodox deputies were disciplined and persistent in their opposition to the resolution. Deputy Wade Logan of South Carolina called for a vote by orders as soon as the microphones opened and the Rev. Charlie Holt of Central Florida questioned whether D025 ended the time of restraint called for by B033. Orthodox deputies called for a vote by division and an amendment to attempt to put a more favorable resolution to vote. Their efforts failed each time, but bloggers documented each argument as the deputies stood firm in their witness. Although the orthodox, who were strongly outnumbered by the revisionists, failed to defeat the resolution, theirs was a most honorable effort.

The resolution moves to the House of Bishops which has not given an indication of how it will vote. Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams visited General Convention and in the preface to his Bible study with the bishops and deputies earlier this week he said, "Along with many in the communion, I hope and pray that there won't be decisions in the coming days that could push us further apart,"
The resolution effectively repudiates 1998 Lambeth Resolution 1.10 which states the mind of the Communion that sex is reserved for a man and woman in marriage. Each instrument of unity has reaffirmed Lambeth 1.10 and 22 of 38 provinces are in broken communion with TEC because of its violation of the resolution. That represents 60-80 percent of the population of the Anglican Communion, depending on the figures used for Church of England membership.

Ultimately it will be up to the rest of the Anglican Communion to determine whether the resolution is sufficient to maintain TEC's relations with the wider Communion.

"It's not TEC against the worldwide Anglican Communion," Jennings said. "There are many other provinces struggling with these issues. We don't wish to walk apart."

Other News:

The Joint Standing Committee on Program Budget and Finance reported to both Houses that they are looking at a budget shortfall of $14 million. They plan to propose a reduction in diocesan assessments to ease the financial strain on dioceses and will suggest innovative proposals to reduce the cost of the next general convention.

Resolution D038, Stategic Vision for Reaching Latinos/Hispanics, which allocates nearly $3.6 million was approved by the House of Deputies. Those who testified in favor of the resolution praised it as a "well thought out strategic vision" and "a tremendous opportunity for evangelism." There was no mention of any demographic data that indicated strong support for "progressive" Christianity among Latinos and Hispanics, but one speaker said the liturgy would appeal to those with a Catholic background.

The House of Bishops approved a mandatory Denominational Health Plan (Resolution A177) for all church employees working at least 1500 hours annually. Some dioceses reported this will provide a cost savings while others said it will be a serious financial hardship for parishes to absorb.