St. Stephen’s
members, Amy Phillips and Dan Rice, wrote the following letter to Bishop Smith
regarding the acceptance of same-sex marriage rites in the Episcopal Diocese of
North Dakota.
Bishop Smith’s response
follows, followed by Dan and Amy’s response.
TO: Michael Smith, Bishop, Diocese
of North Dakota
FROM: Daniel Rice & Amy Phillips,
Members, St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, Fargo
DATE: October 7, 2015
RE: Marriage Equality in the ND
Episcopal Diocese
Greetings, Bishop
Smith. Thank you for taking the time to read this message, particularly since
we are new members of the Episcopal Church (and St. Stephen’s specifically).
We were heartened by the
news that the General Convention recently passed a Resolution (A054) which
reflects and forwards the Good News of God’s love and acceptance of all
people. One of the reasons we decided to
become Episcopalians and join St. Stephen’s was the leadership the Episcopal
Church has often provided in matters of inclusivity and social justice.
Resolution AO54 helps the Church continue to provide this leadership.
We are writing to ask
that you, as the Bishop, also exercise your leadership to support the inclusive
and forward-thinking message manifest in A054. As you know, marriage rituals in
the church proclaim both a sacred commitment on the part of the couple and
support for that commitment on the part of the congregation. We feel strongly
that this two-fold proclamation should be available for same-sex/same-gender couples. Further, we do not believe this sacrament
should be subjected to officiation or oversight by “stand-in” clergy or
bishops, thereby indicating the “unacceptable” nature of the union in the minds
of some people. Such policy reminds one of anti-miscegenation laws and has no
place in the Church.
We are writing to
request that you:
1)
Provide
to the entire Diocese, as soon as possible, the two A054 liturgies;
2)
Authorize,
as soon as possible, priests and congregations to use the liturgies, if they so
desire; and
3)
Let your
heart be opened to the idea that there is no unchanging “order established in
creation,”[1]
but that creation is continuous (creation
continua),[2] that
through continuous creation God is
doing something new,[3]
and that God’s creation is a renewing unfolding of love, inclusivity, and justice.[4]
Thank you for your
attention to this letter and for your inclusive leadership in the Diocese.
---------------------------------------------
From: Michael Smith
Date: Thu, Oct 8, 2015 at 9:59 AM
Subject: Re: letter
Subject: Re: letter
Thank you, Daniel and Amy, for
sharing your thoughts on same sex marriage in the Diocese of North Dakota. I
have been consulting widely and will answer your concerns more fully in the
November issue of The Sheaf, our diocesan newsletter.
In the meantime here's a link to
an article I read just this morning. It may be of interest to you. http://livingchurch.org/covenant/2015/10/08/a-way-forward-together-2-ecclesiology/
I would appreciate your prayers.
There are very few congregations in North Dakota for whom this is not a
contentious, very divisive issue. My job as bishop is to try to hold folks
together. It's a tough job to say the least.
Peace to you. I look forward to
meeting you in person.
+Michael
----------------------------------------------------
From: Dan Rice
and Amy Phillips
Date: Fri, Oct 9, 2015 at 7:51 AM
Subject: Re: letter
To: Michael Smith
Date: Fri, Oct 9, 2015 at 7:51 AM
Subject: Re: letter
To: Michael Smith
Hello, Bishop
Smith. Thank you for your response to our letter.
The history of the
church is one of increasing inclusiveness and equality. We are reminded of St.
Paul advocating for the church to include both Jews and gentiles, and Martin
Luther advocating for the laity's access to the scripture. The church has faced
the same question with regard to slavery, race, the role of women, and other
issues. In each of these instances, there were those in the church who
argued for the status quo and the preservation of the church's unity above
justice and inclusion. These voices in the church were unable to see God
doing anything new in their time. As our Bishop, we hope you will lead
the Diocese to a more open and inclusive understanding of what God is doing in
our time.
Thank you.
Daniel & Amy
[1] Michael Smith, The Sheaf, July/August 2015, p. 2 http://www.ndepiscopal.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/July-August-2015-sheaf-2.pdf
[2] The Episcopal
Church, Network for Science, Technology
& Faith http://episcopalscience.org/theology-creation/
[3] 2 Corinthians
5:17; Book of Common Prayer, p. 861 (“God does not limit himself to these
rites. There are countless ways by which God uses material things to reach out
to us.”)
[4] Luke 4:18-19
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