Bishop Knisely’s statement on marriage equality in Rhode Island

Posted Jan 19, 2013

[Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island] A statement by Bishop Knisely, sent this morning to all active Episcopal clergy in Rhode Island, with a cover letter that reiterates:

“As your Bishop I respect and honor your right to disagree with me. A key part of what it means to be a member of the Episcopal Church is that, as long as we all agree that we believe Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior, we can hold varied and diverse opinions on most other issues and still meet each other in Christ at God’s altar.”

Statement on Marriage Equality Legislation in Rhode Island
As the Episcopal Bishop of Rhode Island, I support the bill before the General Assembly that would allow same-sex couples to marry in our state, not in spite of my Christian faith, but because of it.
Episcopalians are not unanimous in our views, but in the Episcopal Church we find our unity in common prayer, not in common opinion. Even so, through many years of prayerful discussion, the majority of Christians in the Episcopal Church have come to believe that it is possible, and even common, for two people of the same-sex to live covenanted, faithful lives together in service to God, just as people in traditional marriages do. We have also learned that it is possible to protect the consciences of those who disagree within our church and still live together in community.
Part of what informs my opinion is that before I became a priest and then a bishop, I was a scientist. So I know the importance of trusting evidence that we see with our own eyes. I have seen what St. Paul describes as the fruits of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) in the married lives of two men and of two women. I have seen relationships that are loving, mutual, and monogamous and that have lasted a lifetime. Jesus tells us that we must test each tree by looking at the goodness of its fruit (Luke 6:43-45). Across our congregations and communities, I can see the goodness of gay and lesbian couples and their families.
The Episcopal Church has been blessed for many years by the life and ministry of gay and lesbian couples, both lay and ordained. I have seen how they contribute to the common good of a congregation and a community by creating stable, loving homes. As a new citizen of Rhode Island, I am eager to see our state legislature join many others across the country in passing legislation to ensure civil marriage equality. I believe it is time for the State of Rhode Island to extend marriage equality to all of its citizens. I urge the legislature to pass House Bill 5015.
The Rt. Rev. W. Nicholas Knisely
Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island

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Comments (11)

  1. Mark Wells says:
    January 21, 2013 at 4:02 pm

    Well you certainly are at odds with Bishop Tobin, the Diocese of Providence and the Catholic Church!

    1. Brian A. MacFarland says:
      January 21, 2013 at 5:19 pm

      Until the Roman Catholic Church gets its own house in order, they have no business sticking their noises in ours.

      1. Brian A. MacFarland says:
        January 21, 2013 at 5:21 pm

        noses

        1. John M Stevenson says:
          January 21, 2013 at 6:42 pm

          “noises” works well, too. 🙂

      2. Michael McCoy, M.Div. says:
        January 21, 2013 at 6:14 pm

        Agreed. If they remove the log from their own eyes then they might see our situation differently as well.

  2. The Rev. Stuart Smith says:
    January 21, 2013 at 5:12 pm

    The Bishop well represents the cultural position of radical, autonomous individuality!
    Yet, a Bishop is supposed to uphold the Faith once delivered to the Saints, not style his
    Christian sexual moral ethics to the perversities of the present age.

    I have met adulterers and fornicators who could be said to have many admirable qualities.
    That this bishop knows LGBT folk who have virtues is to say nothing about the biblical,
    Traditional, and Catholic understanding of the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony to which he
    is supposed to be faithful as an overseer. May this bishop, and all who read his teaching
    be sheltered and protected from the spiritual warfare that is raging in them…and all
    unawares!

  3. David Yarbrough says:
    January 21, 2013 at 6:41 pm

    “Episcopalians are not unanimous in our views…”

    But anyone who challenges TEC’s charge down the slippery slope, disregarding the clear teaching of Scripture and acceding to the sinful demands of an increasingly perverse secular society, are aggressively disregarded, and forced to choose between the congregations they and their ancestors built and their integrity and spiritual health – and if their congregations, clergy, and Bishops challenge TEC they are declared anathema and dispossessed.

    Anyone who thinks TEC is tolerant of diverse opinions is blissfully unaware of reality.

    1. Donald Caron says:
      January 22, 2013 at 12:59 am

      It is not just a matter of opinion. What is at stake is the support of the church for people who, as Bishop Knisely points out, are living lives that are, in fact, as good and as holy as are any other persons. In denying them access to the sacramental support of blessing and marriage, the church is denying them the additional grace to be a model for all married persons, and is empoverishing the Body of Christ. The scientific, scriptural and moral issues were long ago laid to rest in this matter. What remains is the social issue, which, like most social issues, will only be put to rest when there is a human face to encounter.

  4. Chantal Andrews says:
    January 21, 2013 at 10:05 pm

    Bishop W. Nicholas Knisely,
    Beautifully written, compassionate letter.

  5. Fr. Jay Pierce says:
    January 22, 2013 at 12:39 pm

    The debate within the Episcopal Church of same sex marriage has developed into a subject of such proportions that it will be the center of passionate debate for centuries to come. The question of right or wrong, sin or righteousness ultimately is not the Church’s to decide. The institution will be led / driven to a point of acceptance or rejection by the attitude and behavior of the people that endure and support it. As in the past groups will follow their collective sense of biblical teaching, traditional restrictions and personal. But reunion of this magnitude requires understanding that comes from observation over much time and interaction with differing groups. The unity of the Body of Christ is not defined by clever argument. It’s found in the service of the individual member–not in committee meetings or document written on parchment. Unity is service to the poor, hungry and disenfranchised as the directive of Christ tell us, and remember, he anticipated differing opinions when he commented on dramatic family discord. So, we will live with our opinions, survive occasional arguments and accusations of being “unbelievers” and attempt to live within our understanding of the meaning of Christ–not the aftermath of human creation of rules and regulations.

  6. The Reverend Richard C. Britton , Jr. says:
    January 22, 2013 at 1:43 pm

    Thank you Bishop Kelsey for your statement and prophetic spirit. I am reading it after President Obama’s Inauguration with his words of support for gay and lesbian people and after Louis Leon’s benediction, rector of St. John’s, Lafayette Square, the church of the presidents and a gay friendly congregation in a diocese that echoes President Obama’s words of justice and equality for all people. And “Amen” to Bishop’s Kelsey’s word. The church has been – and remains – blessed by the presence, witness, leadership and ministry of our GLBT clergy and lay members.

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