The Philadelphia Divinity School and the Episcopal Theological School merged in the 1970s to become the Episcopal Divinity School. EDS had diverse faculty (Episcopal, Presbyterian, Jewish, Asian, African American, Caucasian, men, women, gays, lesbians, lay, ordained) and a diverse student body (Episcopal, Catholic, Lutheran, UCC, Unitarian Universalist, MCC, Seventh Day Adventist, Baptist, Anglicans from Kenya, Uganda, Jamaica, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India, etc), and it was part of a world class consortium (The Boston Theological Institute) which included Boston College, Boston University, and Harvard.
EDS was a special place dedicated to anti-oppression work, to an inclusive gospel, to sharing the all-inclusive and unconditional love of God.
And, more than a school, it was a community. One never really was graduated from EDS. One was degreed, but never felt the need to “leave.” One to three times a year, every year since I earned my DMin there, I would go “home” to EDS.
EDS lives on in the ministry of the church I pastor and in parishes, Cathedrals, Chaplaincies, service organizations, the diaconate, classrooms, and hearts all over the world.
Last year, EDS was closed down (unnecessarily, in my view, and in ways that many of us resisted). EDS’ name and money still exist as EDS@Union (basically the Anglican house of studies at Union Theological Seminary in NYC, my other beloved theological alma mater). If the merger had been done more transparently and honestly (by EDS trustees), and if EDS could have retained a degree program (MATS or DMin maybe), I think it would have been something I could have celebrated (two great schools joining forces), and/or if they had kept one or two EDS faculty (they sacked them all) that would have been at least kind (and bridge building). Instead, the merger feels more like loss and has caused grief for many.
These thoughts are with me as St John’s Chapel on the campus of what was EDS in Cambridge, MA is deconsecrated today. God bless the EDS diaspora and the EDS energy that still flows through so many ministries.
Showing posts with label Episcopal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Episcopal. Show all posts
Friday, June 08, 2018
Tuesday, July 01, 2014
MCC Grads of Episcopal seminary Offer Plan for Reconciliation for a School in Conflict
Open Letter from MCC EDS Alumns to Leadership of EDS
June 30, 2014
Board of Trustees (BOT), Episcopal Divinity School
President & Dean (P/D), Episcopal Divinity School
Faculty, Episcopal Divinity School
Staff, Episcopal Divinity School
From Metropolitan Community Churches (MCC) Alums of the Episcopal Divinity School (EDS)
Dear Friends,
On Tuesday, June 17, 2014 EDS alumni/ae serving Metropolitan Community Churches (MCC) convened a conference call to discuss EDS. The express purpose of this gathering was to hear from MCC alumni/ae regarding the impact that the current state of the school is having since EDS is one of the primary seminaries promoted by MCC for theological education for clergy and laity.
Invoking the VISIONS guidelines for this gathering, alums expressed their concerns and frustrations with the current state of the school. Throughout the conversation, alums shared their perspectives of campus life as well as what was important to them and their learning while at EDS. Noted was what appears to be a shift away from the VISIONS model as a means to facilitate and promote transparent communication, open debate, and conflict resolution. These tools have, in the past, been critical to maintaining shared governance at EDS.
Concerns from the MCC alums also included:
~Writing to EDS officials, BOT and/or administration, and receiving no response. This lack of acknowledgement of well-considered correspondence is fueling ill will and giving the appearance of a lack of even the most basic common courtesy.
~Official emails from the administration seem to defend the President and Dean and the BOT while blaming the faculty in adversarial and accusatory language. Public responses should at least invite shared solutions. This lack of interest in diplomacy contributes to a deepening lack of trust.
~ There was expressed regret that the BOT did not agree to meet with the faculty at their request, and after repeated requests, over a year ago. Actions by the BOT after repeated refusal to meet with the faculty have exacerbated issues and contributed to a perceived lack of safe space for transparent conversation on a variety of topics. The simple act of listening might have kept a loyal and distinguished faculty from going to such great lengths to be heard.
~Perhaps most importantly many are troubled by the circumstances of changing the terms of the Church History position from tenure track to contract at the end of a nearly year-long search and after the Faculty Search Committee had voted on a final candidate. Concern was expressed that this perceived lack of ethics on the part of EDS has damaged our credibility in the academy and the church giving the impression that we are dishonest and untrustworthy. Alums also expressed that the administration seems to discount these concerns and respond as if the complaint was about tenure itself. Some feel that a public apology for making a mistake might open some space for healing. Simply saying the decision was not perfectly timed is not enough.
We are aware that organizations change and need to change. However, unilateral changes to systems by the BOT and the President and Dean without dialogue or buy-in from the larger EDS community, including staff, faculty, students, alumni/ae, and donors, is counterproductive. As Professor Christopher Duraisingh says, "dialogue is the very beginning of theology" and we believe that dialogue can be the key to resolving the tension at our beloved institution.
Some on our call expressed frustration to the degree that they have suspended their giving to EDS or are considering doing so. Some are no longer comfortable recommending EDS to those seeking theological education. Some are not willing at this time to send their own students in formation to EDS. We all look forward to the day when we are again able to fully support EDS. We are committed to dialogue, prayer, and honest efforts toward reconciliation. Healing is the hope of everyone who participated in the call.
Therefore, we as MCC Alums wish to share with you:
1. We have covenanted with one another to be in ongoing prayer for EDS.
2. We encourage you to foster relationships by insisting that all utilize the VISIONS model as a means to return to shared governance and open dialogue. EDS has invested time and financial resources to teach this model as a foundational course. We believe it only makes sense to utilize the tools being taught us as a means to end the friction. VISIONS, as we see it, is a major part of the DNA of EDS. Changes in policy should at least be respectful of the culture of EDS now decades in the making and to which many people remain thoroughly committed in their personal and professional lives.
3. We encourage all to de-escalate hostilities toward one another. We encourage all parties to deal with one another in a manner that is reflective of true integrity, religious values, transparency, and a respect for the dignity of all concerned.
4. MCC has long stood on the side of those are marginalized and oppressed. We as MCC alums recognize that there is hurt being felt in all constituencies. And we all experience both privilege and peril. In order to break this current chain of emotional violence, we recommend that two (2) representatives from each body, (selected from the bodies themselves - Board of Trustees, Faculty, Staff, Students, and Alums), meet to begin to forge a way to healing rather than blame, shame, and intimidation. Because the BOT chair and the President and Dean have become lightening rods for this conflict and because fear of reprisal by the President and Dean has been expressed, we strongly urge that both Chair Kowalski and President and Dean Ragsdale recuse themselves from this proceeding.
We believe that 10 people from these five bodies can begin a dialogue and find three common objectives to embrace and recommend to the larger faculty, the President and Dean, the entire BOT. This dialogue and recommendations will allow movement forward together so that we can begin to support some common goals and shared vision.
We sincerely and passionately ask that you hear these concerns, that you respect the time and energy that went into expressing them, that you allow yourselves to believe that they come to you in a spirit of love and hope. We pray that you honestly consider embracing the recommendations we put forward.
Sincerely,
Convener:
Rev. Dr. Robert Griffin (MDiv, ’06)
Letter Drafters:
Rev. Dr. BK Hipsher (Certificate, ’04; MDiv ’06; DMin ’12)
Rev. Dr. Durrell Watkins (DMin '09)
Rev. Dr. James Merritt (MDiv ’08; DMin ’11)
Rev. Dr. Michael Diaz (MDiv ’07; DMin ’12)
Additional Signers:
Rev. Booth Iberg (MDiv '11)
Rev. Candy Holmes (MDiv '11)
Eli Higdon (MDiv '13)
Terry L. Fetters (MDiv candidate, 2011 DL Cohort)
Rev. Dr. Joan M. Saniuk (DMin '08)
Rev. Dr. Kharma Amos (DMin '08)
Rev. Dr. Robin Gorsline (MDiv '85)
Rev. Dr. Thomas Bohache (DMin '07)
June 30, 2014
Board of Trustees (BOT), Episcopal Divinity School
President & Dean (P/D), Episcopal Divinity School
Faculty, Episcopal Divinity School
Staff, Episcopal Divinity School
From Metropolitan Community Churches (MCC) Alums of the Episcopal Divinity School (EDS)
Dear Friends,
On Tuesday, June 17, 2014 EDS alumni/ae serving Metropolitan Community Churches (MCC) convened a conference call to discuss EDS. The express purpose of this gathering was to hear from MCC alumni/ae regarding the impact that the current state of the school is having since EDS is one of the primary seminaries promoted by MCC for theological education for clergy and laity.
Invoking the VISIONS guidelines for this gathering, alums expressed their concerns and frustrations with the current state of the school. Throughout the conversation, alums shared their perspectives of campus life as well as what was important to them and their learning while at EDS. Noted was what appears to be a shift away from the VISIONS model as a means to facilitate and promote transparent communication, open debate, and conflict resolution. These tools have, in the past, been critical to maintaining shared governance at EDS.
Concerns from the MCC alums also included:
~Writing to EDS officials, BOT and/or administration, and receiving no response. This lack of acknowledgement of well-considered correspondence is fueling ill will and giving the appearance of a lack of even the most basic common courtesy.
~Official emails from the administration seem to defend the President and Dean and the BOT while blaming the faculty in adversarial and accusatory language. Public responses should at least invite shared solutions. This lack of interest in diplomacy contributes to a deepening lack of trust.
~ There was expressed regret that the BOT did not agree to meet with the faculty at their request, and after repeated requests, over a year ago. Actions by the BOT after repeated refusal to meet with the faculty have exacerbated issues and contributed to a perceived lack of safe space for transparent conversation on a variety of topics. The simple act of listening might have kept a loyal and distinguished faculty from going to such great lengths to be heard.
~Perhaps most importantly many are troubled by the circumstances of changing the terms of the Church History position from tenure track to contract at the end of a nearly year-long search and after the Faculty Search Committee had voted on a final candidate. Concern was expressed that this perceived lack of ethics on the part of EDS has damaged our credibility in the academy and the church giving the impression that we are dishonest and untrustworthy. Alums also expressed that the administration seems to discount these concerns and respond as if the complaint was about tenure itself. Some feel that a public apology for making a mistake might open some space for healing. Simply saying the decision was not perfectly timed is not enough.
We are aware that organizations change and need to change. However, unilateral changes to systems by the BOT and the President and Dean without dialogue or buy-in from the larger EDS community, including staff, faculty, students, alumni/ae, and donors, is counterproductive. As Professor Christopher Duraisingh says, "dialogue is the very beginning of theology" and we believe that dialogue can be the key to resolving the tension at our beloved institution.
Some on our call expressed frustration to the degree that they have suspended their giving to EDS or are considering doing so. Some are no longer comfortable recommending EDS to those seeking theological education. Some are not willing at this time to send their own students in formation to EDS. We all look forward to the day when we are again able to fully support EDS. We are committed to dialogue, prayer, and honest efforts toward reconciliation. Healing is the hope of everyone who participated in the call.
Therefore, we as MCC Alums wish to share with you:
1. We have covenanted with one another to be in ongoing prayer for EDS.
2. We encourage you to foster relationships by insisting that all utilize the VISIONS model as a means to return to shared governance and open dialogue. EDS has invested time and financial resources to teach this model as a foundational course. We believe it only makes sense to utilize the tools being taught us as a means to end the friction. VISIONS, as we see it, is a major part of the DNA of EDS. Changes in policy should at least be respectful of the culture of EDS now decades in the making and to which many people remain thoroughly committed in their personal and professional lives.
3. We encourage all to de-escalate hostilities toward one another. We encourage all parties to deal with one another in a manner that is reflective of true integrity, religious values, transparency, and a respect for the dignity of all concerned.
4. MCC has long stood on the side of those are marginalized and oppressed. We as MCC alums recognize that there is hurt being felt in all constituencies. And we all experience both privilege and peril. In order to break this current chain of emotional violence, we recommend that two (2) representatives from each body, (selected from the bodies themselves - Board of Trustees, Faculty, Staff, Students, and Alums), meet to begin to forge a way to healing rather than blame, shame, and intimidation. Because the BOT chair and the President and Dean have become lightening rods for this conflict and because fear of reprisal by the President and Dean has been expressed, we strongly urge that both Chair Kowalski and President and Dean Ragsdale recuse themselves from this proceeding.
We believe that 10 people from these five bodies can begin a dialogue and find three common objectives to embrace and recommend to the larger faculty, the President and Dean, the entire BOT. This dialogue and recommendations will allow movement forward together so that we can begin to support some common goals and shared vision.
We sincerely and passionately ask that you hear these concerns, that you respect the time and energy that went into expressing them, that you allow yourselves to believe that they come to you in a spirit of love and hope. We pray that you honestly consider embracing the recommendations we put forward.
Sincerely,
Convener:
Rev. Dr. Robert Griffin (MDiv, ’06)
Letter Drafters:
Rev. Dr. BK Hipsher (Certificate, ’04; MDiv ’06; DMin ’12)
Rev. Dr. Durrell Watkins (DMin '09)
Rev. Dr. James Merritt (MDiv ’08; DMin ’11)
Rev. Dr. Michael Diaz (MDiv ’07; DMin ’12)
Additional Signers:
Rev. Booth Iberg (MDiv '11)
Rev. Candy Holmes (MDiv '11)
Eli Higdon (MDiv '13)
Terry L. Fetters (MDiv candidate, 2011 DL Cohort)
Rev. Dr. Joan M. Saniuk (DMin '08)
Rev. Dr. Kharma Amos (DMin '08)
Rev. Dr. Robin Gorsline (MDiv '85)
Rev. Dr. Thomas Bohache (DMin '07)
Sunday, June 22, 2014
The Invocation I wrote for Gay Pride Sunday
All-inclusive
and Unconditional divine Love,
On
this Pride weekend we give thanks for who we are, each contributing to the diversity
of life.
We
give thanks for pioneers who led the way, coming out when to do so meant taking
great risks, risks they took so that the world would be a more welcoming and
kinder place.
We
give thanks for Metropolitan Community Churches that have declared since 1968
that same-gender loving people are the children of God.
We
give thanks for states and countries that now have marriage equality, and we
pray that such equality will become a universal reality.
We
give thanks for the Unitarian Universalists, the Quakers, the Swedenborgians,
and the United Church of Christ which have all stood with us as allies and
advocates for decades.
We
give thanks for Anglican Bishops John Spong, Desmond Tutu and Barbara Harris
who have long stood as courageous allies for LBGT people and those who love
them.
We
give thanks for denominations that now bless same-gender unions.
We
give thanks for behavioral and social scientists who have continuously affirmed
our place in the human family.
We
give thanks for the Stonewall rebels who said enough is enough.
We
give thanks for gay bars, drag queens and drag kings, bear men and leather
communities, Dykes on Bikes, Log Cabin Republicans and Stonewall Democrats, the
Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence and all communities that have given us safe
places to explore and affirm the life that is ours to live.
We
give thanks for those who have patiently educated us about the gender continuum
and we bless the courageous gender non-conforming people who show us all how to
live with dignity and self-respect.
We
give thanks for those who have chosen to be friends of the Queer community,
worshiping, working, and playing with us, praying for us, speaking out for
justice, having nothing to gain but nevertheless being committed to the power
of love.
We
give thanks for parents whose love proved to be unconditional, and we lament
over those who could not allow love to win out over the fear of difference.
We
give thanks for every genuine and mutual expression of love and for all the joy
that it offers.
And
we give thanks for the faithful witness and ministry of the Sunshine Cathedral.
Bless
us abundantly on this Pride Sunday and may we continue to be your voice calling
for healing and your hands working for justice in our world. Amen.
Rev Dr Durrell Watkins
Pride Sunday 2014
Saturday, March 03, 2007
Statement from MCC Moderator to Anglicans
Rev. Nancy L. Wilson, Moderator Metropolitan Community Churches
on behalf of the MCC Board of Elders
A Pastoral Response byMetropolitan Community Churchesto the Crisis in the Anglican Communion March 2, 2007
PASTORAL RESPONSE: As a woman Moderator of a very Twenty-first Century church, Metropolitan Community Churches, I felt enormous compassion and solidarity with Presiding Bishop (Primate) Kathleen Jefferts Schori as she recently traveled to Tanzania in her historic role as the first and only woman to serve as the leader of a member church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. She knew what she was facing, and that made it only a little easier, I am sure. Bishop Jefferts Schori is a person of enormous faith and spiritual maturity who, though a relative newcomer to church office and politics, is wise and well-grounded. As a woman who leads a church that ordained an openly gay bishop and that seeks to welcome lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people at all levels, she is the bearer of what scandalizes the Anglican Communion.
This combination of "offenses" puts her on center stage for all the world to see. Some of the primates at the conference in Tanzania refused to take communion with her, or to acknowledge her presence. But I do not think she can be ignored. Today, as fellow shepherds and bishops of Metropolitan Community Churches, we call to account our colleagues for their poor example as bishops and shepherds. Refusing to take communion with fellow bishops brings our calling and profession into disrepute and is a poor witness for our Christian faith. Likewise, the treatment of duly elected gay bishop Gene Robinson of New Hampshire, as well as the deafening silence which appears to sanction the homophobic and potentially lethal anti-gay legislation in Nigeria promoted by Archbishop Peter Akinole, betray the model of the Good Shepherd described by Jesus in the Gospel of John, Chapter 10, and add to that sense of professional and spiritual disrepute.
As Elders (a small house of bishops in our own right) in Metropolitan Community Churches, we rejoice at the courage of the Episcopal Church in the US in persevering in doing what is right, i.e., acknowledging and living into the full equality of men and women, and the full inclusion of LGBT people. Let us say unequivocally that gay people are not an "issue"; rather, we are real people, God's children, created in God's image. We cannot be "compromised" off the table, especially when that table doesn't belong to us, or to any church, but to the Jesus Christ, who we say is sovereign over that table, who lived and died and rose that it might be an open table of grace and mercy for all. This is the joy and hope we affirm every day within Metropolitan Community Churches.
We urge the Episcopal Church to say "No" to those who would want to intimidate them into turning back the clock on inclusion. Unity that thrives on exclusion, or which accommodates suffering and oppression, is not unity; it is deadly conformity. It does not serve the cause of Christ, which is to liberate and unite. To unite without liberating is to betray the Christ of history, who is moving so powerfully in our time to open the Church to all. We affirm the words of our friend and colleague, the Rt. Reverend Steven Charleston, Bishop and Dean of The Episcopal Divinity School: "We will not change our devotion to doing what we believe is right. We will not delay justice for the sake of making our lives easier. We will not deny a truth that we are certain is from God. We will not play politics with human lives."
Today, as the spiritual and pastoral leaders of Metropolitan Community : We urge... the Anglican Communion to be true to itself, continuing to cling both to the tradition of apostolic succession and its own history of willing engagement with and adaptation to contemporary culture, while continuing to embrace and re-interpret its cherished traditions. This is the genius and appeal of Anglicanism, which we, too, celebrate. Those who propose an Anglicanism that never changes, or that looks backward, are truly "un-Anglican" at the core.
- We urge... the Anglican Communion to engage in rigorous, faithful, public conversation and education, and even debate, about sexuality, scripture, tradition and science, in ways that can overcome the kind of fundamentalism that has infected some churches, particularly those with colonial roots. There must be an acknowledgment of the oppressive legacy of that colonial fundamentalism, which is still evident in unhealed sexism and homophobia. Creating safe spaces across cultures and churches for dialogue about these issues is a paramount spiritual responsibility. This important work must precede any calls for compromise of any kind. It cannot be avoided. It is the failure to do this work, and not women primates or gay bishops, that threatens to divide the church.
- We urge... all people of faith to understand that Africans are of many diverse opinions about many issues, including women in ministry and homosexuality. One only has to look at the inclusive ministry and writing of human rights hero Archbishop Desmond Tutu to see the range of views.
- We urge... the Episcopal Church in the US to stand firm and not to compromise or cede its authority to make decisions about ministry and leadership. Stand in your integrity, even as you are willing to have mutual, respectful dialogue and conversation about differences.
- We urge... the Anglican Communion and their primates to focus their energy on the true crises facing our world: war, poverty, HIV/AIDS, violence of all kinds, and the desperate need for interfaith dialogue and understanding. It is a scandal in the Twenty-first Century for the church of Jesus Christ to have its focus diluted by anything else.
- We urge... the Anglican Primate of Nigeria, Peter Akinole, to repudiate his support for the most vicious, lethal homophobic legislation ever proposed anywhere, which is soon to be signed into law. If enacted, these laws will exacerbate an already hostile environment for gay people and their families in Nigeria, and will lead to more suffering and death. These laws are unchristian and not worthy of the support of any faith community, especially by leaders within the Anglican Communion.
- We urge... the Anglican Communion to work with their constituencies for the inclusion of gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people in hate crimes legislation and to support the freedom of assembly for LGBT people in all countries, basic human rights protections afforded all people ascribing to the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights.
- We urge... all member churches within the Anglican Communion to break their silence and speak boldly in support of their friends, family members, and congregants who are gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender. Stand firmly with us against anything less that the unconditional grace, mercy, and love of Jesus the Christ, which is extended to all people.
- We further urge... all people of faith, including the people of Metropolitan Community Churches, to faithfully remember in their prayers the Anglican Communion, and the Episcopal Church in the USA, and their Presiding Bishop, Kathleen Jefferts Schori. Pray for her health and safety, and for her voice in this critical time. Pray for Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams and the leaders of Anglican Churches the world over. Pray for all who have assumed the mantle of Christ, that we may truly follow in the footsteps of the Good Shepherd.
/signed/
+ Nancy Rev. Elder Nancy L. WilsonModeratorMetropolitan Community Churches
and the MCC Board of Elders
on behalf of the MCC Board of Elders
A Pastoral Response byMetropolitan Community Churchesto the Crisis in the Anglican Communion March 2, 2007
PASTORAL RESPONSE: As a woman Moderator of a very Twenty-first Century church, Metropolitan Community Churches, I felt enormous compassion and solidarity with Presiding Bishop (Primate) Kathleen Jefferts Schori as she recently traveled to Tanzania in her historic role as the first and only woman to serve as the leader of a member church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. She knew what she was facing, and that made it only a little easier, I am sure. Bishop Jefferts Schori is a person of enormous faith and spiritual maturity who, though a relative newcomer to church office and politics, is wise and well-grounded. As a woman who leads a church that ordained an openly gay bishop and that seeks to welcome lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people at all levels, she is the bearer of what scandalizes the Anglican Communion.
This combination of "offenses" puts her on center stage for all the world to see. Some of the primates at the conference in Tanzania refused to take communion with her, or to acknowledge her presence. But I do not think she can be ignored. Today, as fellow shepherds and bishops of Metropolitan Community Churches, we call to account our colleagues for their poor example as bishops and shepherds. Refusing to take communion with fellow bishops brings our calling and profession into disrepute and is a poor witness for our Christian faith. Likewise, the treatment of duly elected gay bishop Gene Robinson of New Hampshire, as well as the deafening silence which appears to sanction the homophobic and potentially lethal anti-gay legislation in Nigeria promoted by Archbishop Peter Akinole, betray the model of the Good Shepherd described by Jesus in the Gospel of John, Chapter 10, and add to that sense of professional and spiritual disrepute.
As Elders (a small house of bishops in our own right) in Metropolitan Community Churches, we rejoice at the courage of the Episcopal Church in the US in persevering in doing what is right, i.e., acknowledging and living into the full equality of men and women, and the full inclusion of LGBT people. Let us say unequivocally that gay people are not an "issue"; rather, we are real people, God's children, created in God's image. We cannot be "compromised" off the table, especially when that table doesn't belong to us, or to any church, but to the Jesus Christ, who we say is sovereign over that table, who lived and died and rose that it might be an open table of grace and mercy for all. This is the joy and hope we affirm every day within Metropolitan Community Churches.
We urge the Episcopal Church to say "No" to those who would want to intimidate them into turning back the clock on inclusion. Unity that thrives on exclusion, or which accommodates suffering and oppression, is not unity; it is deadly conformity. It does not serve the cause of Christ, which is to liberate and unite. To unite without liberating is to betray the Christ of history, who is moving so powerfully in our time to open the Church to all. We affirm the words of our friend and colleague, the Rt. Reverend Steven Charleston, Bishop and Dean of The Episcopal Divinity School: "We will not change our devotion to doing what we believe is right. We will not delay justice for the sake of making our lives easier. We will not deny a truth that we are certain is from God. We will not play politics with human lives."
Today, as the spiritual and pastoral leaders of Metropolitan Community : We urge... the Anglican Communion to be true to itself, continuing to cling both to the tradition of apostolic succession and its own history of willing engagement with and adaptation to contemporary culture, while continuing to embrace and re-interpret its cherished traditions. This is the genius and appeal of Anglicanism, which we, too, celebrate. Those who propose an Anglicanism that never changes, or that looks backward, are truly "un-Anglican" at the core.
- We urge... the Anglican Communion to engage in rigorous, faithful, public conversation and education, and even debate, about sexuality, scripture, tradition and science, in ways that can overcome the kind of fundamentalism that has infected some churches, particularly those with colonial roots. There must be an acknowledgment of the oppressive legacy of that colonial fundamentalism, which is still evident in unhealed sexism and homophobia. Creating safe spaces across cultures and churches for dialogue about these issues is a paramount spiritual responsibility. This important work must precede any calls for compromise of any kind. It cannot be avoided. It is the failure to do this work, and not women primates or gay bishops, that threatens to divide the church.
- We urge... all people of faith to understand that Africans are of many diverse opinions about many issues, including women in ministry and homosexuality. One only has to look at the inclusive ministry and writing of human rights hero Archbishop Desmond Tutu to see the range of views.
- We urge... the Episcopal Church in the US to stand firm and not to compromise or cede its authority to make decisions about ministry and leadership. Stand in your integrity, even as you are willing to have mutual, respectful dialogue and conversation about differences.
- We urge... the Anglican Communion and their primates to focus their energy on the true crises facing our world: war, poverty, HIV/AIDS, violence of all kinds, and the desperate need for interfaith dialogue and understanding. It is a scandal in the Twenty-first Century for the church of Jesus Christ to have its focus diluted by anything else.
- We urge... the Anglican Primate of Nigeria, Peter Akinole, to repudiate his support for the most vicious, lethal homophobic legislation ever proposed anywhere, which is soon to be signed into law. If enacted, these laws will exacerbate an already hostile environment for gay people and their families in Nigeria, and will lead to more suffering and death. These laws are unchristian and not worthy of the support of any faith community, especially by leaders within the Anglican Communion.
- We urge... the Anglican Communion to work with their constituencies for the inclusion of gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people in hate crimes legislation and to support the freedom of assembly for LGBT people in all countries, basic human rights protections afforded all people ascribing to the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights.
- We urge... all member churches within the Anglican Communion to break their silence and speak boldly in support of their friends, family members, and congregants who are gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender. Stand firmly with us against anything less that the unconditional grace, mercy, and love of Jesus the Christ, which is extended to all people.
- We further urge... all people of faith, including the people of Metropolitan Community Churches, to faithfully remember in their prayers the Anglican Communion, and the Episcopal Church in the USA, and their Presiding Bishop, Kathleen Jefferts Schori. Pray for her health and safety, and for her voice in this critical time. Pray for Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams and the leaders of Anglican Churches the world over. Pray for all who have assumed the mantle of Christ, that we may truly follow in the footsteps of the Good Shepherd.
/signed/
+ Nancy Rev. Elder Nancy L. WilsonModeratorMetropolitan Community Churches
and the MCC Board of Elders
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