On July 17th, 2009, the Episcopal Church voted in favor of resolution C056 at the 76th National Convention. This resolution included the following:

Resolved, That the 76th General Convention reaffirm its financial commitment to the Anglican Communion and pledge to participate fully in the Inter-Anglican Budget; and be it further

Resolved, That the 76th General Convention affirm the value of “listening to the experience of homosexual persons,” as called for by the Lambeth Conferences of 1978, 1988, and 1998, and acknowledge that through our own listening the General Convention has come to recognize that the baptized membership of The Episcopal Church includes same-sex couples living in lifelong committed relationships “characterized by fidelity, monogamy, mutual affection and respect, careful, honest communication, and the holy love which enables those in such relationships to see in each other the image of God” (2000-D039); and be it further

Resolved, That the 76th General Convention recognize that gay and lesbian persons who are part of such relationships have responded to God’s call and have exercised various ministries in and on behalf of God’s One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church and are currently doing so in our midst; and be it further

Resolved, That the 76th General Convention affirm that God has called and may call such individuals, to any ordained ministry in The Episcopal Church, and that God’s call to the ordained ministry in The Episcopal Church is a mystery which the Church attempts to discern for all people through our discernment processes acting in accordance with the Constitution and Canons of The Episcopal Church; and be it further

Resolved, That the 76th General Convention acknowledge that members of The Episcopal Church as of the Anglican Communion, based on careful study of the Holy Scriptures, and in light of tradition and reason, are not of one mind, and Christians of good conscience disagree about some of these matters.

Then there was this update today on Twitter:

The Evangelical Lutheran Church of America voted 619-402 in favor of “Resolution 2″ which adopts “Step 1″. According to ELCA’s website this includes the following:

Step one asks the assembly whether, in principle, this church is committed to finding ways to allow congregations that choose to do so to recognize, support and hold publicly accountable, lifelong, monogamous, same-gender relationships.

It will be interesting to see how this effects evangelicalism in the United States. The decision of the 76th National Convention of the Episcopal Church has already threatened the unity of the world-wide Anglican community and it likely made Archbishop Rowan Williams lose several nights of sleep. Bishop N.T. Wright said that the American church knows that such a decision can only end in schism. Now evangelical denominations in the United States will be discussing this very serious subject. The PC (USA) appears to be one of the next denominations to debate the subject. Will C056 split the Anglican church? Will resolution 2, step 1 split the ELCA? How would the PC (USA) handle a similar outcome?

UPDATE: Christianity Today’s Ted Olsen weighs in here.

UPDATE: The ELCA had adopted all four steps to the resolution opening the door for committed, monogamous homosexuals to serve as clergy.