1 September 2002
An Open Letter to the Rt. Rev. William E. Smalley, Bishop of Kansas
Dear Bill,
We, your fellow bishops in the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, are profoundly alarmed to learn of your decision to authorize "the blessing of persons living in committed relationships other than Holy Matrimony" as you have expressed it in your letter of June 13, 2002. We believe this decision repudiates the clear teaching of our Lord, and the Holy Scriptures, the virtually unanimous witness of the Christian tradition, the Lambeth Conference of Bishops from the whole of the Anglican Communion, and the express decision of the last General Convention of the Episcopal Church.
You have cited Resolution D-039 in your Policy Statement, but we remind you that it was precisely the authorizing of such blessings that was the subject of more than three hours of debate in our House. In the end such blessings were defeated while the other seven resolves were passed. It seems disingenuous at best to argue from the passage of D-039 to exactly the conclusion we rejected.
Jesus expressed tenderness and love both to the Samaritan woman at the well who was living in a non-marital relationship and to the other woman who was dragged before him having been taken in adultery. But to neither of them did he extend God's blessing on their relationships. Indeed, to the former he offered a new quality of life that would quench the "thirst" that was not being quenched by her former lifestyle. And to the latter he said, "I do not condemn you; go and sin no more." Jesus affirmed marriage as God's provision for human companionship.
Bill, You say the blessings you propose are not a substitute for Holy Matrimony, or even to resemble it. But from the Church's point of view it is the blessing of the relationship that is the priest's unique role in the marriage ceremony.
Our marriage service declares that, "The union of husband and wife in heart, body, and mind is intended by God for their mutual joy; for the help and comfort given one another in prosperity and adversity; and, when it is God's will, for the procreation of children and their nurture in the knowledge and love of the Lord." Along with the rest of Christendom, the Episcopal Church teaches that these benefits are neither to be sought nor blessed in relationships other than marriage.
Moreover, the blessing of same-sex unions violates our communion as Christians, and with the deepest sadness, we declare that by authorizing them you are departing from Anglican tradition in both teaching and practice. It is not within the purview of a diocese or a bishop to act unilaterally in such matters. We categorically reject this decision and disassociate ourselves from it, and we urgently call upon you to refrain from implementing it.
Signatories as of September 1, 2002:
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