 St Alban’s Episcopal Church Bolivar, Missouri Wednesday, June 1, 2022 Pride month and the Church  Pride and the Episcopal Church One of the objections to ordaining women back in 1977 was that any woman who wanted to enter a “man’s” space, ie, the ordained clergy, must be, by definition, “unnatural,” ie, a lesbian. And indeed, some of our women deacons, priests and bishops do identify as lgbtq, although most do not. It is fascinating, though, to see how powerful that understanding was – how intimidating it was to be a woman called into ordained ministry in those early days. Women who stepped out of their prescribed roles were even seen as capable of destroying the church; The Rev. Virginia Brown, one of the first to be ordained priest in January, 1977 (as soon as General Convention had approved it,) received death threats, and got letters and calls from her own fellow-seminarians and (male) friends, condemning her decision to seek ordination, warning her about the state of her soul. Male priests refused to serve with her, walked out of any service where she presided or celebrated Eucharist, refused to accept communion from her hands. And it wasn’t long before the women who happened to be lesbian and priests served as an encouragement for gay male clergy to tell the truth about themselves; to “come out.” And soon gay men, in relationships or single, openly attended seminary and sought ordination. And were ordained. And took their place among the clergy – as deacons, priests and bishops. My very first Sunday as priest at St Alban’s in September, 2003, came just after the episcopal election of The Rt Rev Gene Robinson. This is what he said in 2018, “It’s hard to believe that was 15 years ago. I was getting death threats, and it’s amazing how much the world has changed. My election and consecration were supposed to be the end of western civilization as we know it, or at least the end of the Anglican Church community. So far, we’re holding up okay!” But on that first Sunday, in a new role, right after my own ordination on September 6, the issue was volatile, and it was also front and center. And so I preached. I don’t remember what I said at all. But it was tied directly to the scripture, and to informed theological understanding and to history – to faith and hope and love. And it affirmed the power of the Spirit to speak to each generation, and the power of each generation to hear whatever new Word the Spirit speaks.I was terrified.Astonishingly, that congregation of older, skeptical, solidly heterosexual men and women who had never even had a woman priest before gave me a standing ovation. It shocked us all, I think. And it was the only one in all those 20 years! But it was also the end of any argument or dissention in our congregation about the full inclusion of women AND lgbtq clergy. And for that I am grateful.  At St Paul’s Episcopal Church in KC today  Other photos from around the Church today And I could find many, many more. So many different denominations have discovered, over the last 20 years, that their prejudices, their fears, their gut-level rejection of even the idea of welcoming gay people – or even women – as “fit persons for ministry” have evaporated. It is actually stunning. Once it happened, It happened quickly. And I am deeply glad to be a priest in this part of the worldwide church where one’s sexuality, gender, marital status, disability, age or race are no longer barriers to hearing and accepting a call to any area of ministry. And here is yet another reason to rejoice in Pride month: As we normalize the complex realities of gender identity, and help young people to understand, accept, and live faithfully into their own truest selves, whatever those are, the more likely they are to find appropriate partners. That is true for all young adults. People too often married in order to try to hide – or erase – their “gayness.” They knew they were unable to “be” gay or lesbian and still live as Christians in the Church. So there have also been difficult relationships, and often, eventual difficult divorces. Nobody benefits from that.Come, Holy Spirit – Come – Again – Always -and lead us into all truth – which is always a new way of understanding the immensity of God’s Love. The Episcopal Diocese of West Tennessee  The Diocese of Northern California    |
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