Written by Bill Gordon, Th.D.
The Denver Post recently published an article about St. George's Episcopal Church.1 The church is shutting its doors. A major reason behind the closing is the Episcopal denomination’s acceptance of openly homosexual clergy. The article indicates that St. George's is only the latest Episcopal church in Colorado to shut down because of the ordination of homosexual priests.
According to The Denver Post, it was the younger church members that most objected to the acceptance of homosexual clergy. Younger families started drifting away from the church after an announcement by Bishop Robert O'Neill. In January of 2009, Bishop O'Neill announced “that the Colorado diocese would end its moratorium against ordaining partnered gay and lesbian persons."2 According to church senior warden Scott Field, "human sexuality is not the only issue of theological orthodoxy, but it seems to be the line in the sand many won't cross."3 Both Field and his wife are leaving the denomination over this issue.
Statistics indicate that both membership and attendance in the Colorado diocese of the Episcopal Church have been declining. Membership in the diocese has fallen from 34,000 in 2000 to 30,000 in 2007. During the same period, church attendance fell from 15,000 to 12,000 on Sunday.4
The acceptance of openly homosexual priests in the Episcopal Church is only the latest result of the theological liberalism that has gripped this denomination for many years. The declining membership and attendance in those denominations that have embraced theological liberalism will continue until they repent and return to the Bible for their faith and practice.
