Neil Gorsuch Attends Liberal LGBT-Friendly Episcopalian Parish

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BOULDER (ChurchMilitant.com) - Reports suggest Neil Gorsuch attends a notably liberal and LGBT-friendly church. The Episcopal Diocese of Colorado is confirming that Gorsuch attends St. John's Episcopal Church in Boulder, Colorado.

The pastor of St. John's is Susan Springer, who after Donald Trump's election to the White House, wrote:

We have endured a year of vitriol and division. We have watched the steady erosion of decency and respectful public discourse. Yesterday a milestone was passed and now today we have an opportunity. We have a decision to make about whether or not we will watch in horror and dismay or roll up our sleeves and offer ourselves as examples of a different way of relating and living.

After the Orlando massacre at a gay nightclub in June 2016 where 49 people died, St. John's decided to ring its church bells every Wednesday from July 6 to the election on November 8 as a way of advocating for stricter gun control.

In a Facebook post, St. John's stated:

We hope the ringing compels our elected lawmakers to hear and remember their solemn duty to both the dead and the living: to stop political posturing and to work together to pass legislation that fosters greater safety.

Mike Orr, a spokesman for the Episcopal Church in Colorado, commented, concerning St. John's, "It's a healthy and vibrant congregation. It's very diverse in its congregants as well as its ministry."

On its official website, St. John's describes itself as an "inclusive, Christ-centered community reaching out to all who are seeking a deeper spirituality and relationship with God and one another."

The Episcopal Church in the United States has taken socially liberal stances on so-called gay marriage and the ordination of homosexual so-called bishops and pastors.

In 1994, the Episcopal General Convention passed a resolution stating, "No one shall be denied access to the selection process for ordination in this Church because of race, color, ethnic origin, age, national origin, marital status, sexual orientation, disabilities or age, except as otherwise specified by these Canons. No right to ordination is hereby established."

In 2003, Gene Robinson was ordained as the first openly homosexual bishop in the Episcopal Church.

In 2015, the Episcopal Church in the U.S. at their General Convention meeting in Salt Lake City voted to allow their clergy to perform so-called same-sex weddings.

According to reports, Gorsuch and his family are active at St. John's. In the past couple of months, Gorsuch served as an usher three times, while his wife, Louise, is a lector every week at Sunday services.

Gorsuch will be the first Protestant on the Supreme Court since the retirement of Justice David Souter in 2009, who was also an Episcopalian.

In spite of his attendance at the liberal St. John's, some are arguing that it doesn't matter as much as people think.

George Conger, a more tradition-minded Episcopal minister from Florida, told the Washington Post, "It is the social parish in Boulder. There is not really a strong tie between the beliefs of a rector in a social parish and the beliefs of its members — his parish has people from across the theological spectrum."

In the wake of President Trump's nomination of Gorsuch to the U.S. Supreme Court, pro-life leaders have enthusiastically endorsed Gorsuch.

Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life of America, praised the nomination. She commented:

We are thrilled with Judge Neil Gorsuch's nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court by President Trump. A strict Constitutionalist and firm supporter of religious freedom and liberties dictated by the Founding Fathers, Judge Gorsuch is an excellent replacement for the late Justice Scalia, and one who has the potential to leave a powerful legacy.

Carol Tobias, the president of National Right to Life, said, "We are heartened that Judge Gorsuch appears to share Justice Scalia's view that federal judges are constrained to enforce the text and original intent of constitutional provisions and on all other matters should defer to democratically elected lawmakers."

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