People of the same sex living holy lives together

The Most Rev. Dr. Katharine Jefferts Schori, Presiding Bishop and Primate of the Episcopal Church, has been visiting Nashville since Thursday. Today's Tennessean includes a good piece on the visit that has not been without controversy in the Diocese of Tennessee.

The bishop didn't fudge when asked about the debates on sexuality going on in the Church and the wider culture today:

When it comes to controversial issues, like homosexuality, Jefferts Schori says she begins with studying the Scriptures.

That includes looking at the messy human families found in the Bible.

"In the Old Testament, there are lots of examples of what holy and blessed marriage looks like, and what unholy marriage looks like," she said, "including polygamy and concubines being normal."

In the New Testament, she said, Jesus never married and was celibate. Paul wasn't married either.

"He said don't get married — unless you have to — because Jesus was coming back soon," she said.

Even among Anglicans, the idea of marriage has changed. In the 1600s, she said, one of the main reasons for marriage was to "avoid fornication."

"That's not in our prayer book now," she said. "We say that the primary goal and good of marriage is companionship. That's different from even what the first Anglicans said. If our goal is to help people live holy lives, which I think is the church's function, maybe we could think about people of the same sex living holy lives together."

Here's to you, Bishop Robinson

The Rt. Rev. V. Gene Robinson, Bishop of of New Hampshire and a class of 1969 Sewanee graduate, has entered a civil union with his partner of 20 years, Mark Andrew. Congratulations to them both!

“When your life is at stake, you learn that there are things in life that are much worse than death,” Robinson said on the Today show on Thursday. "That’s the great reward of being a Christian. Not living your life -- that’s worse than death. And if something were to happen to me, I would know that I am doing what I discern God is calling me to do.”

The civil ceremony performed by a justice of the peace was followed by a religious service of thanksgiving. Bishop Robinson has received many death threats prior to and since his consecration to the episcopate.

Would their union be recognized if he were in Tennessee visiting his alma mater and something happened to him or Mr. Andrew? Hard to say.

There was an attempt in the 104 General Assembly to make civil unions from other states void in Tennessee, but it was taken off notice in the House and Senate in 2005, the same year the marriage amendment passed the Legislature a second time before going to the ballot in 2006. Tennessee currently makes no provision for civil unions. I'm not aware of any court cases that have defined the matter for people visiting or relocating from out of state.