[Magdalen] What We Believe - St. Paul's Bellingham

[Ann Markle]

There is no movement in the Episcopal church to "set aside those
scriptures," but rather to use our God-given reason to correctly interpret
them.  This has been adequately done.  Probably 6-8 years ago we used a
very good Lutheran scriptural study at St. Raphael's to discuss this
issue.  Again, it's not about "setting aside those scriptures."  That's
unacceptable from an Episcopal point of view (at least the larger church --
what laypeople decide to do is pretty much up to them).  We seek to
understand them more correctly, and to make theological arguments that
widen the meaning of marriage from "one man, one woman."  That has also
been done -- a very good beginning was offered by Sam Candler at General
Convention in 2003, and it has been expanded since that time.  We don't
just throw out scripture if we disagree with it -- we seek deeper
understanding, including alternative possibilities for re-interpretation.

Ann

The Rev. Ann Markle
Buffalo, NY
ann.markle at aya.yale.edu
blog:  www.onewildandpreciouslife.typepad.com

On Fri, Jul 31, 2015 at 12:29 AM, James Oppenheimer-Crawford <
oppenheimerjw at gmail.com> wrote:

> Ann, did I understand you to say that the scriptural teachings on
> homosexuality are actually the truth, and the movement to set those texts
> aside is wrong?  Because, based on what you said about scripture trumping
> reason and tradition, that would appear to be the outcome of such a view.
>