You have to hand it to the Episcopal Church: it may be a tiny denomination, but it generates heroic volumes of paper. Mountains. Heaps. Rivers of paper. But buried deep within this year’s Blue Book are the results of a survey on abuse towards LGBTQ+ persons that is both alarming and appalling. The study is part of an effort… Read More »
In the wake of the sex abuse scandals in the Catholic church and the SBC, ever wonder how other denominations are responding? In the case of the Episcopal Church, the reaction typically is to continue sipping Chardonnay, nibbling Brie, and to say, “Thank goodness. WE dealt with that long ago,” with a slight smirk. But the reality is… Read More »
Title IV is the canonical framework for clergy discipline in the Episcopal Church. And while it’s constantly being tweaked and re-tweaked, there is a fundamental problem with Title IV. Simply put, the problem is that it does not fully appreciate the importance of disclosure and truth-telling, and leaves victims of clergy abuse open to retaliation. That is the… Read More »
Over the past year or so, we’ve seen the Roman Catholic Church suffer a devastating hit due to its handling of sexual misconduct. Similarly, the Southern Baptist Convention has had its own scandal, resulting in declining trust and plummeting membership. And the Church of England has been rocked to its very core by the recent IICSA and Whitney… Read More »
Church governance geeks in the Episcopal Church heard earlier this week that the ironically named Bishop Love of the diocese of Albany has been found guilty by a Title IV hearing panel of violating general convention resolution B012, which requires all bishops to permit same-sex marriage in their dioceses. As one of the first same-sex couples married in… Read More »
As I travel the cyber highways and byways of the Episcopal Church and other denominations, one thing is becoming clear: Social distancing is becoming ugly. And while there are myriad wrinkles to this phenomena, I’m thinking particularly of situations in which church staff and volunteers are being pushed against their will to resume in-person services. I get it.… Read More »
Years ago, activists within The Episcopal Church began clamoring for the development of programs to prevent and address sexual misconduct. The move came at a time when the church was struggling to find ways to include those who historically had been marginalized on the basis of gender, national origin, sexual orientation, and other criteria. Many among those groups… Read More »