Liberation Theology in The Episcopal Church USA: 1970-2016
by Mary Ann Mueller, VOL:
General Convention Actions
• 1970 Houston, TX — Women first seated in the House of Deputies; deaconesses could be translated into ordained deacons thus opening the door to women as members of the clergy. Convention voted on a measure to authorize women’s priestly ordination. It was approved by the laity but narrowly defeated by clerical deputies.
• 1973 Louisville, KY — The indissolubility of marriage was revoked and a canonical change allowed remarriage of the divorced; authorized continued use of the Services for Trial Use (the Green Book) furthering Prayerbook revision. Convention rejected female ordination for the second time.
• 1976 Minneapolis, MN — Approved priestly ordination of women to the priesthood and episcopate and regularized the “Philadelphia 11” and the “Washington Four.” Declared that homosexuals are “children of God” and are “entitled to full civil rights” The 1976, General Convention, which approved the ordination of women to the priesthood and episcopate, voted to regularize the 15 forerunners.
• 1979 Denver, CO — Approved new Book of Common Prayer; Passed Dennis Canon to provide a trustee relationship with the parish and the larger church so that all parish property is held in trust for the local diocese and the overarching Episcopal Church. Endorses the Equal Rights Amendment and urges states to ratify it; Drops “Protestant” from The Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America. (PECUSA) to become the Episcopal Church in the United States of America (ECUSA).
• 1982 New Orleans, LA — Affirmed that homosexual persons are children of God and are entitled to full civil rights.
• 1985 Anaheim, CA — Urged each diocese of this Church to find an effective way to foster a better understanding of homosexual persons, to dispel myths and prejudices about homosexuality, to provide pastoral support.
• 1988 Detroit, MI — Reaffirmed the expectation of chastity and fidelity in relationships; decried the increase of violence against homosexual person; and asked Presiding Bishop Edmond Browning to publicly repudiate the claim that AIDS is the punishment of God upon homosexual persons.
• 1991 Phoenix, AZ — Refused to require that clergy maintain sexual purity outside of marriage while affirming the moral teaching of The Episcopal Church is that physical sexual expression is only appropriate within a lifelong monogamous union of husband and wife, however acknowledged that the Church will continue to work towards legislatively reconciling the explicit teaching of the church with the open experience of its members.
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