The bishops have voted to open “any ordained ministry” to gay men and lesbians. This effectively counters the moratorium on ordaining gay bishops that the church passed at the last General Convention. The resolution was written in a nuanced way, however. It allows dioceses to consider gay candidates to the episcopacy, but does not mandate that all dioceses do so.

A similar measure was passed on Sunday by the House of Deputies, which is made up of laypeople and clergy. Today, the bishops’ version will probably go back to the House of Deputies for reconsideration. But given the bishops 2-to-1 approval, and the fact that the deputies' version passed by a similar margin, a quick concurrence is expected. In a classic Anglican touch, though, the resolution acknowledges our Church "is not of one mind" about the matter.

If you read my post from a few days ago about the Archbishop of Canterbury's visit to convention, this is, I believe, exactly what he was thinking about when he said, "I hope and pray that there won’t be decisions in the coming days that will push us further apart."

What's interesting is the atmosphere at this convention versus that of 2003, when the Rev. Gene Robinson, an openly gay man, was elected as bishop of the Diocese of New Hampshire. In 2006, the moratorium was passed at convention in an attempt to calm conservatives in the Anglican Communion and in the Episcopal Church.

Here's a picture of the Rt. Rev. Gene Robinson that I took on Sunday after Eucharist.

The turmoil of the past six years has been replaced by a kind of calm. That's not to say there aren't strong opinions on both sides of the issue, but you just don't feel schism coming. The moratorium had never really pleased anybody. If what people wear is a gauge of where the thinking and emotions are, then an oft seen button and a big-selling T-shirt say alot: "My Church Has No Outcasts" reads the button, while the brightly colored tees say, "Here I Am, Send Me! I am a witness to God's inclusive love"