Episcopal Press and News
Council Addresses World and Church Issues
Episcopal News Service. May 26, 1988 [88106]
RAPID CITY, S. Dak. (DPS, May 26) -- The Executive Council of the Episcopal Church, meeting here during the third week in May, responded to the controversy surrounding a study guide that was issued last year by the Education for Mission and Ministry Unit at the Episcopal Church Center.
The study guide, Sexuality: A Divine Gift, was prepared by the Task Force on Human Sexuality and Family Life in cooperation with the National Association of Episcopal Schools.
The full text of the Council's resolution is as follows: "Sexuality: A Divine Gift is a study document published with the intent of inviting members of the Church to join the Task Force on Human Sexuality and Family Life 'in exploring this vital area of human existence, where, we believe, no one has all the answers." (From the foreword to Sexuality: A Divine Gift)
"We the members of the Executive Council of the Episcopal Church do hereby acknowledge and regret the confusion and distress surrounding the publication and distribution of the study document. We further wish to assure the Church that no change has been made in the official policies of the Episcopal Church regarding sexuality. The hope of the Task Force on Human Sexuality and Family Life and the National Association of Episcopal Schools, the two bodies responsible for publishing the resource in question, was to produce a document which would 'develop moral and spiritual perspective in matters relating to sexuality and family life' [Resolution D76A-1985]. It now has supplemental material in the recently published resource, Continuing the Dialogue."
In other legislative action, the Council:
- Affirmed as Jubilee Centers St. Athanasius & St. Paul's, Los Angeles; Pike Street Market/SS. Mary & Martha, Seattle (Diocese of Olympia); and St. John's, Lancaster, Pa. (Diocese of Central Pennsylvania);
- Affirmed companion diocese relationships: California -- Jerusalem & the Middle East; Delaware -- Pretoria; Southwest Florida -- Limerick and Killaloe; Missouri -- Kaduna, Kano, and Jos; and El Camino Real -- Madras;
- Endorsed the worldwide boycott of Royal/Dutch Shell products, including those of the Shell Oil Company; Shell is the largest of the three foreign oil companies still doing business in South Africa;
- Offered support to the witness of Bishop James Ottley of Panama and his stand against American intervention in Panama, deplored the U.S. military threat in Panama, and endorsed the right of Panamanian self-determination;
- Joined other Western Hemisphere Anglican provinces in establishing a Council of the Anglican Church in the Americas to develop strategies for mission and ministry among member churches and address and common concerns and issues;
- Supported the witness of the Diocese of Jerusalem and the Middle East in fostering nonviolence and human rights, especially in East Jerusalem, Gaza, and the Occupied West Bank;
- Reaffirmed the principle of autonomy for overseas dioceses and the Church's commitment to providing long-term financial assistance as part of the partnership between the Church and its overseas dioceses; and
- Selected Phoenix, Arizona, as the site for the 1991 General Convention.