Episcopal Bishop J. Clark Grew's internal struggle is likely to intensify this week.
The head of the Diocese of Ohio is torn between his personal conviction as an advocate for gays and his vow as a bishop to guard the unity of his church, which is threatened with a schism at the General Convention opening today in Minneapolis.
``My vow to uphold the unity of the church puts me in opposition with myself,'' Grew said. ``My own relationship with God leads me to believe that gay and lesbian people are to be honored by the church the same way any other person is. I am in deep discernment and prayer over it.''
During the 10-day convention, Grew and other church leaders must decide two sexuality issues that threaten to split the 77 million-member global Anglican Communion and its 2.3 million-member Episcopal Church in the United States.
Although most mainline Protestant churches have struggled with issues of gay inclusion, the Episcopal Church is poised to do what none of the other denominations have -- elect an openly gay bishop.
The Episcopal Church, the Anglican Communion's U.S. branch, has a tradition of tolerance. It welcomes celibate and active homosexuals as members. It was one of the first to ordain women priests, and it allows openly gay ministers to lead congregations.
Other branches of the Anglican Communion, including those in South America, Africa and Asia, have not been as liberal.
A 1998 gathering of Anglican leaders approved a resolution calling gay sex ``incompatible with Scripture,'' and in May, world Anglican leaders rejected same-sex blessings at a meeting in Brazil.
Resolutions at issue
In Minneapolis, the Episcopal delegates must decide on a resolution from the Diocese of California to prepare rites that support ``couples living in lifelong committed relationships of mutuality and fidelity outside the relationship of marriage'' and on whether to confirm the election of V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire.
Last month, Episcopalians from the Diocese of Manchester elected the 56-year-old Robinson as their bishop. But Robinson's election must be approved by the more than 800 lay and clergy convention delegates from more than 100 dioceses throughout the nation, and by the bishops who head those dioceses.
Robinson, a divorced father of two who has been living with his male partner for more than a decade, is one of 10 bishops who must be affirmed or rejected by a simple majority of the bishops and delegates. A native of Lexington, Ky., Robinson has been assistant to the bishop in New Hampshire for 17 years.
Traditionally, Episcopalians have not interfered with a bishop's election by his own diocese. The Episcopal News Service reports that the last time the national body rejected a bishop-elect was in the 1870s.
``Ordinarily, the confirmation deals with the canonical regularity of the election itself,'' Grew said. ``We simply confirm that New Hampshire conducted the election properly. The people in New Hampshire recognize the competency of Gene Robinson. He has served in that diocese for 28 years and was elected overwhelmingly by the people he has served. That has to be taken into consideration.''
Bishops threaten break
No matter which way the vote goes, some believe a schism in the church is inevitable.
The leader of the church's largest gay and lesbian group has said thousands of progressive Episcopalians will desert the denomination if Robinson is rejected.
On the other hand, 24 U.S. bishops have threatened to break away from the church if Robinson is confirmed. They and other conservatives have said they may align themselves with like-minded Anglican leaders in Africa, Asia and Latin America. They also have suggested that they could remain in the church as a dissenting faction with its own annual meetings and membership.
Those who oppose Robinson's confirmation say the Bible doesn't condone homosexual relationships and that the church teaches that holy matrimony is a relationship between a man and a woman.
Supporters of Robinson say that the church's teaching also insists that race, gender or sexual orientation do not bar people from ordination.
Susannah Perkinson, a lay convention delegate from Bath Township, is among those who support a wider role for gays in the church. She is still assessing the potential impact of a church split.
``I have to believe it's a real possibility that they will leave,'' Perkinson said. ``But if they leave, there is the big question of financial stability in walking away from parish property and other church resources. I don't know that they're willing to give that up. I hope they don't leave. It will be very costly for them if they do.''
Perkinson is a parishioner at Church of Our Saviour in Akron. She said she is willing to hear the arguments against the confirmation of Robinson, but unless she hears something ``radically different'' from what she already has heard, she will vote to confirm Robinson's election.
The Rev. Stephen Smith, rector at Christ Church Episcopal in Hudson and a clergy delegate, said he will listen to the debate on the convention floor before deciding how he will vote.
``I've watched as ideology has replaced theology, and I'm hoping we can get back to a theological basis on this,'' Smith said. ``I'm very concerned that people are threatening to leave the church. No issue should divide the church. The theology committee in the U.S. House of Bishops has made it very clear that the only reasons for denying communion with one another are differences over the Trinity and the dual nature of Christ as human and divine. And neither of those are related to these issues.''
Smith is a member of the commission that would prepare rites for committed couples outside of marriage, if the California resolution passes. Both Smith and Perkinson said the resolution goes beyond relationships of same-sex couples.
``Everybody wants to focus on gay and lesbian couples,'' Perkinson said, ``but this pertains to all monogamous couples in committed relationships, including retired people who are concerned with what will happen to their financial security if they marry.''
The Diocese of Ohio serves about 26,000 Episcopalians and covers 48 counties, from the Indiana line to the Pennsylvania and West Virginia lines and southward to Union County.
``I'm going into the convention with an open mind, knowing there are strong feelings on both sides,'' Grew said. ``I'm going to make myself open to the spirit and do the best I can. It's not a question of whether somebody is right or wrong but a question of what we've learned over the years about homosexual life: Can one reflect the love of Christ in that lifestyle or is it sinful behavior?''