Why should we care what the Episcopalians decide to do about opening the full church to LGBT people?

Ripple effect.

According to the New York Times,

The battle over homosexuality in the Episcopal Church has been watched closely by other mainline Protestant churches that are also divided internally on the issue. Many are looking to the Episcopal Church as a bellwether that could foretell whether their denominations can survive the storm over homosexuality intact.

And if not intact–which implies without change–then broken, perhaps like Christ himself, to rise anew with grace and power and light.  (Good God, did I write that?  That makes me sound darned churchy after all!  I’m channeling Lonnie Squires today, evidently.)

Intact isn’t the highest good.  And those watching will see the outcome immediately and over time and learn the blessing that full inclusion will be.

Maybe I should run and write one of Lonnie’s sermons while I’m in a theological frame o’ mind!