The Rt. Rev. Steven Andrew Miller, Bishop of Milwaukee, writes on his weblog:
I write to share my thoughts regarding Resolutions A049 “Authorize Liturgical Resources for Same-Gender Relationships” and A050 “Create a Task Force for the Study of Marriage” which will be considered at the 77th General Convention of the Episcopal Church that begins next week. I am in full support of the latter and opposed to the former. What follows is my reasoning for this position.
In the General Thanksgiving found on page 836 of the Book of Common Prayer, we thank God for “for setting us at tasks which demand our best efforts and leading us to accomplishments that satisfy and delight us.” I believe the full inclusion of all persons in the life of the Church is such a task. My question is, “Do we love all the members of our Church enough to take the time to get this right or do we want to risk taking an action that will fall short?” I believe such an action will have the unexpected consequence of delaying the true full inclusion of all members of our church. It is easy to say, “Yes to Bless,” but might our yes have the unintended consequence of delaying what is the end goal for many, marriage equality.
Matthew Townsend is the former news editor of The Living Church and former editor of the Anglican Journal. He lives in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.