Episcopal Church Persuasive Essay

In recent years, the Episcopal Church has become a welcoming church to people who are part of the LGBTQ community. However, this has come at a price for the church as certain factions and members within it disagree with this openness and acceptance of people that to many live a lifestyle that is considered a sin to God. I will look at certain articles that show what the consequences and divisions that this has caused within the Episcopalian faith. One of the effects of this division can be seen in the article from The Denver Post entitled “Episcopal church’s last rites in Englewood fueled by gay divide” (1). The St. George’s Episcopal Church in Denver, Colorado shut its doors on the 27th of August, 2009. The reasons for this were that the former priest of the church, Rev. Roger Bower, who had some families from a previous church follow him to St. George’s did not stay once it became clear that the church was open to the practice of allowing gay and lesbian people to be ordained to become clergy for the Episcopal Church. With this priest leaving and several members joining him
The Episcopal church was the original church for the thirteen colonies with many U.S. presidents being of the church. The church has 1.8 million members in America and now do not have a voice in the Anglican communion’s decisions. Jeffrey Walton, the Anglican program director of the Institute on Religion and Democracy in Washington, D.C. that this punishment does not show irreparable damage between the Anglican communion and the Episcopal Church. However, that this is a result of the church’s decisions over the last few years on the polices concerning the LGBTQ members. Jim Naughton, a communication consultant for the Episcopal Church believes that this action will not have an impact on the life of the church and that it cannot go back to the way things were