At the time of its 2012 vote to bless same-sex marriages, the Episcopal Church became the largest U.S. denomination to officially sanction same-sex relationships and welcome LGBTQ+ members-unlike the Worldwide Anglican Communion, of which it is a part, that continues to condemn homosexuality. In this revised and updated edition of A Thorn in the Flesh, Rev. Carol Addington Hall, who helped lead the fight for the recognition of marriage equality, tells the riveting story of how this contentious issue has been used to further conservative political agendas, both here and abroad. She describes in vivid detail how African and Asian churches have been drawn into a conflict that began in the United States in the Episcopal Church, and raises vital questions of whether people with different understandings of authority and truth, from vastly different cultures, can live in harmony. The book also describes the exodus of conservative Episcopal Churches that left the denomination in protest after the 2012 vote to form the separatist Anglican Church in North America, which currently has 120,000 members across 977 congregations.
A Thorn in the Flesh is an ideal volume for anyone who wants to understand the current divisions within the Episcopal Church and the broader Anglican Communion with respect to issues of sexuality, gender identity, and marriage equality.
Activist Episcopal priest offers a comprehensive history of the valiant push toward inclusivity and equality for LGBTQ+ members of the Episcopal Church during the past fifty years.
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A fully updated insider's account of the valiant push toward inclusivity and equality for LGBTQ+ members of the Episcopal Church.
Acknowledgments
Introduction: Homosexuality (no Longer) in the Headlines
1. The American Rights Love Affair with Homosexuality
2. Why Is Homosexuality Such a Big Deal?
3. Children of God Come Out
4. Evangelical Episcopal Explosion
5. The Episcopal Church Gets AIDS
6. Conservatives and Progressives Lock Horns
7. When America Sneezes, the Whole World Catches a Cold
8. Dissident Conservatives Revolt
9. Three Men Divided by Truth and Unity
10. Fight the Good Fight
11. Anglican Cracks
12. The Empire Strikes Back
13. The Lord Is Displacing the Episcopal Church
14. Blessings Abound
15. The Center Cannot Hold
Notes
Bibliography
About the Author
Caroline J. Addington Hall is an Episcopal priest in California. As Vice President for Inter-Anglican Affairs, and later President of Integrity, an organization that worked for the full inclusion of gay, lesbian, and transgender Episcopalians, she was in a unique position to understand the complexities of this effort. Addington Hall and her spouse were among the first gay couples married in 2008 when marriage became legal for same-sex couples in California.
