Episcopal Cathedral Panel Deconstructs ‘Binary’
by Rena Mainetti, Juicy Ecumenism:
From early Christians to modern scientists, the concept that humankind is created in the image of God provided a foundation for the Christian philosophy of human dignity. The idea that our species was “created male in female in the image of God” gave centuries of civil activism and struggle for justice moral weight. Now, in the wisdom of the postmodern era, theological liberals have zeroed in on this historic truth as an alleged vehicle of bigotry and sexism.
We live in an era where a massive cathedral apse, built for the worship of God, is lit in rainbow colors where panelists sat to discuss the struggle for sexual liberation — undermining years of historical church thinking.
On Monday, June 5, the Episcopal Cathedral of St. John the Divine hosted a Faith Perspectives Panel examining the intersection of religion and the LGBTQ+ movement as part of the Cathedral’s Iconic Pride celebration. The panel featured Episcopal priest the Rev. Dr. Mary Barber, Church of England clergy the Rev. Dr. Charlie Bell, Union Theological Seminary professor and Episcopal priest the Rev. Dr. Patrick Cheng, controversial Roman Catholic cleric the Rev. James Martin, and was moderated by the Cathedral Dean the Rev. Dr. Patrick Malloy.
The panel discussion centered around deconstructing the “binary view” of the church. The panelists accused the church of historically placing one binary above the other, arguing that this fuels the patriarchy. Instead of being allies, Chen claimed, “As a church, we’ve got to put this front and center.”
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