Gay Bishop, Episcopal Church

Paper Summary:

This paper looks at the Episcopal Church's views of homosexuality and how it has addressed issues such as homosexual weddings and homosexual ministers. The paper describes the divisive nature of the subject and how some within the church take a more liberal stance regarding homosexuality and how others are still strictly opposed to it.

From the Paper:

"The Episcopal Church in the United States is a quiet affair, not known for rollicking revivals as are other Protestant denominations, nor it is beholden to the Pope as is Roman Catholicism, the religion that spawned the Church of England when King Henry VIII wanted to divorce and remarry, ultimately becoming the nominal head of a new church, the Church of England. The Church of England, in turn, spawned the Anglican Communion, a federation of churches all following the liturgies and other aspects of the Church of England. Generally, they are named after their country of residence: Church of Ireland, for example. However, in the United States, the branch of the Anglican Communion calls itself the Episcopal Church. While the Anglican Communion does not regard the Pope as its spiritual head, it has instead the Archbishop of Canterbury, currently Rowan Williams, filling the role as leader of the church; while the Anglican Communion traces its prelates through apostolic succession, as does the Roman Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion accords virtual equality in many ways to all successors to the original apostles."

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