Historically, a Christian community was considered “orthodox” if it upheld the first two

ecumenical creeds (Apostles Creed, Nicene Creed) as essential to the faith. Under the

orthodox umbrella, scripture has been seen as authoritative and inspired, although

there has been disagreement over time concerning which books were considered part

of the accepted Christian canon. For the purposes of our discussion, an orthodox

community is one which believes and upholds the first two ecumenical creeds, and

sees at least the Sixty Six Protestant scriptures as authoritative.

An affirming community is one which allows for full LGBTQ inclusion in the life of the

community, subject to the same standards applied to its heterosexual members. This

includes positions of leadership, as well as marriage equality. For the purposes of our

discussion, we will maintain that the only acceptable Christian sexual activity would be

between two married adults, or in contexts where that is not legal, two covenantally

committed adults.

As regards scripture, to see it as authoritative means that tradition, reason, and

experience must be interpreted in light of what the scriptures teach. Our ultimate

authority comes from the scriptures in matters of doctrine, worship, and salvation.

However, we also recognize that while scripture contains all things necessary for

salvation, interpretation and application is a very complex process; one that can often

lead to differing options and viewpoints. This is where a “via media” mindset is

extremely helpful.

Means “middle way”. Based on Queen Elizabeth’s decision to see England united

during the Reformation by offering a religious “middle way” that united Christians

around creedal essentials while allowing for flexibility on non-essential issues. This

allowed some to lean more Catholic in their theology and practice, and others to lead

more Protestant in a time when the England was violently divided over both. It has

subsequently been applied in the Anglican Church’s approach to conflicts such as

High-Church/ Low Church differences, Calvinism/ Arminianism debates, Church/ State

relationships, Charismatic/ Secessionist divides, as well as Holy Orders/ Women’s

Ordination issues and current sexuality debates.

In this context refers to an LGBTQ Christian pursuing committed relationships with a

“chosen” family for purposes of mutual edification. This may include a life-long

covenantal bond, as with God-parents or monastic communities, or it may simply be a

deeply bonded friendship or community. Sometimes it refers to a committed but

celibate relationship between two partners, although there is disagreement if this

partnered context falls under Side B or Side A.