Episcopal gay
Q&A: Episcopal priest Wesley Hill shares what it’s enjoy as a celibate homosexual Christian in a fully LGBTQ+-affirming church
The Rev. Wesley Hill. Photo: Trinity Episcopal Cathedral
Editor’s note: The story has been edited to accurately reflect The Episcopal Church’s position on homosexual relationships.
[Episcopal News Service] To some, the Rev. Wesley Hill might embody contradiction: an openly gay bloke who is opposed to same-sex marriage and advocates celibacy for gay Christians, serving in a church that is fully inclusive of LGBTQ+ people. But Hill is part of an emerging network of LGBTQ+ Christians who participate his beliefs – a loosely defined community nicknamed “Side B” that he helped foster.
Hill, 40, is an associate professor of New Testament studies at Western Theological Seminary in Holland, Michigan, and a priest serving at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In 2010, his book “Washed and Waiting: Reflections on Christian Faithfulness and Homosexuality,” articulated an uncommon, nuanced approach to Christian sexuality that diverged from the much louder voices on the right and left. In that and other writings, he has argued that the
1962: October Homosexuality, along with alcoholism, is studied by the House of Bishops of the Protestant Episcopal Church. It is referred to as a “standard weakness.” [1]
1963: August Rev. David B. Wayne of the Church of the Epiphany in Modern York City preaches that homosexuals “must be accepted fully into the fellowship of the church” while they also must seek counseling or psychological treatment. [2]
1964: November A proposed revision to a New York State law that would decriminalize “sexual deviation” (i.e., homosexuality and adultery) is praised by Episcopalians and denounced by Roman Catholics. The revision is later dropped by the NY state Legislature. [3]
1966: October Speaking at Duke Statute School, Episcopal Auxiliary Bishop of California, Rev. James A. Pike claims that laws “aimed at controlling homosexuality, sexual practices between gentleman and wife and abortions…must be changed.” He claims that such matters are “nobody’s business but the individuals concerned.” [4]
1967: November During a symposium on homosexuality sponsored by the Episcopal Dioceses of New York, Connecticut, Long Island, and Newark, ninety Episcopalian priests accept that the chur
Episcopal Clergy Increasingly Identify as LGBTQ
By Kirk Petersen
Church Pension Group has flexed its mighty databases in search of insights into clergy compensation based on race, gender, and sexual orientation. In response to resolutions at the 2018 General Convention, CPG has repeatedly introduced enhancements in its demographic reporting, and the latest results are described in an hour-long webinar on the company’s website.
Here are the bulleted observations in a press release issued July 26 by CPG, along with some additional analysis by TLC.
- Episcopal clergy are gradually becoming more diverse, in particular with respect to sexual orientation.
This is perhaps the most striking finding in the press release, and it comes at a time when controversy over same-sex marriage at the Lambeth Conference is underscoring the different levels of acceptance of LGBTQ orientations among provinces of the Anglican Communion.
From 2010 to 2021, more than one out of every four modern Episcopal priests and deacons identified as LGBTQ — a proportion more than three times higher than for the U.S. population as a whole. The Gallup Poll reported in February 2022 that 7.1 percent
Removed from ministry for being gay, priest is restored at service lamenting church’s past LGBTQ+ exclusion
The Rev. Harry Stock pours wine into a chalice for communion during the Oct. 26 restoration to the ordained ministry service that returned him to the priesthood of The Episcopal Church after being removed in 1987. Photo: Andy Bird
[Diocese of West Virginia] Almost 40 years after he was removed from ministry in The Episcopal Church because of his sexual orientation, the Rev. Harry Stock has been restored to the priesthood.
The restoration to the ordained ministry service took place Oct. 26 at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Alexandria, Virginia, with West Virginia Bishop Matthew Cowden officiating. The service was an ecumenical gathering and included members and leaders from around The Episcopal Church, including the Rt. Rev. Gene Robinson, the first openly gay bishop in The Episcopal Church, and the Very Rev. Ian Markham, dean and president of Virginia Theological Seminary.
Both Robinson and Markham spoke during the service, with Robinson acknowledging the importance of The Episcopal Church making an apology for its treatment of LGBTQ+ people and Markham offeri