Integrity Supports Rebuild the Churches Fund

Standing in solidarity with the victims of the outbreak of the burning of Black Churches, Integrity USA has pledged 25% of the offering from the General Convention Integrity Eucharist to the "Rebuild The Churches Fund," announced treasurer Elisabeth Jacobs.

Held on June 29, 2015 at the Salt Palace Salt Lake City, Utah the triennial celebration of God's inclusive love for absolutely everybody inspired a tremendous outpouring of generosity from those in attendance.

Our bookkeeper will be sending $1,038.66 to the fund this week. Integrity encourages its members and friends to "go and do likewise" by donating to this important work here. As Lester MacKenzie -- chaplain to the House of Deputies -- reminded us over and over "we are all together ... yo, yo, yo!"
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Legislative Update: Day 6

On Monday June 29, the fifth legislative day of the 78th General Convention, the House of Bishops adopted (by an overwhelming majority) two resolutions moving us closer to ending discrimination against same-sex couples desiring to be married in the Episcopal Church.

The first (A054) adopted two new marriage liturgies for trial use and the second (A036) included a canonical change to remove references to marriage as being between a man and a woman. The resolutions now move to the House of Deputies for approval. They will be heard as part of a special order of business on Wednesday, July 1st at 11:30 a.m.

These resolutions have been carefully and prayerfully crafted to provide as wide a tent as possible for the broad diversity of perspectives that is the hallmark of our heritage as Anglicans whilst making what the Supreme Court ruled last week as a “fundamental right” for all Americans equally available for all Episcopalians.

While the resolution stipulates: “Trial use is only to be available under the discretion and with the permission of the diocesan bishop” it also stipulates “Bishops exercising ecclesiastical authority or, where appropriate, ecclesiastical supervision, will make provision for all couples asking to be married in this church to have access to these liturgies.” This compromise creates a “bridge too far” for some and a “bridge not far enough” for others.

We are hopeful that both A054 and A036 will be quickly concurred – without amendment -- by the House of Deputies so that we can then shift into implementation throughout the Church.

Integrity will partner with members, allies and bishops to make sure that “will make provision for all couples asking to be married” is a reality – not just a resolution. And we look forward to celebrating with great joy the marriages throughout the church that will be outward and visible signs of the inward and spiritual grace of present in the lives of same-sex couples called to the vocation of marriage.

Marriage equality is not the only issue on the floor at this 78th General Convention. Resolution D028 -- "Oppose Conversion Therapy" -- was today concurred by the House of Bishops ... putting the Episcopal Church on record supporting legislation banning conversion therapy that tries "to change a person's sexual orientation or force them to deny their gender identity."

A051 -- Supporting LGBT African Advocacy -- has made it through Deputies and is headed to Bishops along with D036 -- Adding Name Change Services to the Book of Occasional Services.

More to come. (Watch this space!)

Congratulations to the Presiding Bishop-Elect Rt. Rev. Michael Curry

IntegrityUSA applauds the wisdom of the House of Bishops in their election of the Rt. Rev. Michael Curry as the Presiding Bishop-elect of the Episcopal Church, and the House of Deputies in their wisdom in confirming the election.  Bishop Curry has a long-standing history of supporting LGBT Episcopalians, and specifically of supporting IntegrityUSA in our efforts at making the Episcopal Church a beacon of love, justice, and compassion, where ALL people are equally embraced and empowered.  Most recently IntegrityUSA has collaborated with Bishop Curry as we began our 40th anniversary celebration in the Diocese of North Carolina last November with the now-Presiding Bishop-elect preaching a rousing and inspiring sermon renewing us all in our call to compassion and mission.  We are eager to continue working with Presiding Bishop-elect Curry as he answers this call to renewed ministry serving the wider church.  The Episcopal Church now has a record going back to Presiding Bishop Edmond Browning of electing talented and thoughtful leaders who have joined IntegrityUSA in our mission and ministry.  We are delighted that we will have in the 27th Presiding Bishop another advocate as strong, as faithful, and as steadfast as Presiding Bishop-elect Curry.

A Day to Remember

The members and leaders of Integrity - both LGBT and not - can hardly contain our emotion on this day of jubilee throughout the nation.  We are thrilled that LGBT Episcopalians can know full civil marriage equality everywhere and we continue in our fervent hope that the church will answer the call to equality with the same prophetic witness as the U.S. Supreme Court has.  Even in the midst of our joy, however, we remember the mourning of our brothers and sisters in South Carolina right now, and moreover we remember the pain and violence experienced by our transgender members and friends every day throughout the nation.  It remains true that #BlackLivesMatter and #TransLivesMatter, and Integrity remains equally committed to seeking the justice to which Christ has been calling the church.  Though we celebrate, we remember that there is much work left to do.


The Rev. Jon M. Richardson
Vice President of National Affairs - Integrity USA

Complimentarity and Covenantal Relationships: An Argument for Marriage Equality

Marriage is an icon of Christ's covenantal love for us, the Body of Christ.

We believe that a married couple -- living out the sacrificial love that this covenant demands can be a witness to the world of Christ's love for us. In reality, this is the covenantal, sacrificial love that we are called to live out with one another, like David and Jonathan, giving our soul to one another.

Let us define marriage by its nature, by its grace -- not by an unrealistic binary gender identification that is no longer a reality. 

Adam said: You are flesh of my flesh and bone of my bone. You are like me -- meaning a human made in God's image.

Complementarity comes in many forms. For the sake of the people in my pews -- and for the people who are too afraid to come in because that have been so often denied -- let us not narrow the complementarity of humanity down to a binary world.

Let us not make a second class of covenantal relationships, a second class of citizens in the Church.

Let us be fruitful and multiply. Multiply covenantal relationships. Multiply disciples. In Christ there is no us or them, there is only us.

Jane Johnson
Deputy in the Dioceses of Fond du Lac
Rector at Intercession, Stevens Point, WI

Testimony given to Committee #20 -- the Special Legislative Committee on Marriage -- at their first Open Hearing on the marriage resolutions on June 24, 2015 at the 78th General Convention of the Episcopal Church

BREAKING NEWS: HOD Review Committee on Changes to Marriage Canons

The House of Deputies Review Committee has included the following important clarification in its report on the work of the Special Legislative Committee on Marriage.

In clear concise language it clarifies that the canonical resolutions being considered by Committee 20 are firmly within the bounds of the authority of this 78^th General Convention.

Good people of deep faith can and will come to different conclusions on what – if any -- steps the Episcopal Church should take toward ending discrimination against sacramental marriage for same-sex couples. But the following excerpt from the HOD Review Committee makes it abundantly clear that taking the position that the proposals before Committee 20 are unconstitutional is utterly without merit:

The General Convention has the constitutional power to amend Canon I.18 and, by separate action, authorize liturgies to meet the needs of the Church as required. Objections have been raised to the constitutionality of this resolution based on arguments “that the Episcopal Church will continue to have contrary laws governing Holy Matrimony in the Book of Common Prayer, a constitutional document.”2 Such objections rest on two flawed premises.

First, the civil status of marriage, which is available to persons of all faiths and none, and in most U.S. jurisdictions to two persons of the same sex or different sexes, is distinct from any particular liturgy. It is appropriate for the canons to recognize this real-world reality.

Second, the Constitution is the only constitutional document of The Episcopal Church. The Book of Common Prayer, despite its centrality in defining the doctrine and worship of The Episcopal Church, and despite the fact that its rubrics form part of the discipline of the Church (Canon IV.2) is not a “constitutional” document merely because most amendments require action by two succeeding meetings of the General Convention. The Book of Common Prayer does not grant authority to the General Convention; on the contrary, it is the product of the General Convention’s constitutional authority to adopt liturgies for the Church.

Third, Even assuming that the rubrics of the Prayer Book limit the liturgy for Holy Matrimony to persons of different sexes, they do not limit the power of the General Convention to adopt regulations for solemnization of marriage that may use another liturgical forms—which, as explained elsewhere in this report, may be authorized without amending the Book of Common Prayer. The longstanding authorization and acceptance of additional materials such as Enriching Our Worship and materials for ecumenical worship demonstrate this.

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2 Benhase and McConnell, A More Excellent Way: Good Order in Salt Lake City (June 28, 2015) The Living Church, at p. 21.

A rebuttal to the "you can't change the marriage canons" argument

The energy is rising here in Salt Lake City. Deputies and Bishops are arriving by the airport shuttle-full and the Exhibit Hall opened just a few minutes ago. Soon we will turn our attention to the actual business of convention -- the work and worship that calls us together as the council of church. And some of that work will be continuing the journey toward the full inclusion of all the baptized in all the sacraments. And some of that work will center on the sacrament of marriage.

The legislative process has yet to formally begin, but there are, of course, lots of opinions on the proposals from lots of sources. In the last few days, this letter from the Bishops of Virginia has garnered a lot of attention -- in part because it stated the bishops' intention to vote against proposed canonical changes on marriage and in part because it questioned the legality of the proposed changes.

Making up their mind how to vote before actually getting to Convention and allowing the collaborative process to inform and the Holy Spirit to inspire is one issue. Here is a response to the other issue -- in direct response to a question received via email by a #gc78 watcher who read the letter and asked Integrity this:

Q. I've heard concern raised over the proposals for marriage equality because it would be a *canonical* change and not a *constitutional* change. The canons and the constitution would then be out of compliance. I understand that a change to the constitution (aka the prayer book) would require a resolution be adopted at this convention, and then the exact same language would have to pass at GC 79 in 2018. Is that accurate?

A. This comes from a misunderstading of the place of the BCP. It is not "constitutional." Only the Constitution is constitutional. The BCP is sometimes mistakenly called constitutional because its amendment process takes two conventions -- but unlike the Constitution itself, amendments to the BCP can be "tried out" -- real amendments to the Constitution are null until approved by two conventions, then they are the law.

The problem arises when people treat the BCP as a lawbook instead of a liturgical book. Beyond that, the BCP itself provides (on page 13) for other liturgies to be authorized. These liturgies would not be needed if they were not in some way different to the BCP, so to argue that such liturgies have to be congruent to the BCP doesn't stand.

Besides that, the SSM liturgies do not "contradict" the BCP; they simply offer a liturgy for something the BCP did not conceive of. The BCP is descriptive, not proscriptive, when it comes to marriage -- otherwise all those second marriages would be ruled out because the BCP says marriages are "life-long."

Next question?

Paving the Road to General Convention 2015

As we approach the triennial General Convention in Salt Lake City in a couple weeks, we're reflecting on 40 years of LGBTQ events in The Episcopal Church during past conventions. Some photos are shown below. You can see these and more as they get added daily at http://bit.ly/int40memesbeforegc78.

You also can join our journey at General Convention by watching some of the following Internet resources:

• Web at http://www.integrityusa.org/general-convention-resources
• Facebook group page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/integrityusa
• Twitter at @integrityusa as well as searching for #int40

Consider becoming a member or renewing your membership. We also would be grateful for your generosity to help pay for equipment, rentals, and other convention center expenses in Salt Lake City. Donate at https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/integrityusa