The first major resolution to go to General Convention following the Righter decision has been written by the editors of The Harvest, the journal of the organization Scholarly Engagement with Anglican Doctrine (SEAD).

The Rev. George R. Sumner, of Geneva, N.Y., and the Rev. Ephraim Radner, of Stamford, Conn., have proposed a seven-point resolution titled "An Appeal for a Moratorium on Altering the Church's Teaching Regarding Homosexuality and for the Protection of Private Conscience."

In the July-August issue of The Harvest, Frs. Sumner and Radner list the points of their resolution and present articles on the subject addressed by the proposed legislation. The authors write that the resolution is "a response to the continuing crisis surrounding the church's teaching and practice regarding homosexuality and in the aftermath of the Righter trial judgment."

The resolution states:

1. Current resolutions of General Convention forbidding the ordination of non-celibate gays and upholding the normativity for sexual relations within marriage will be maintained without new resolutions or legislation aimed at their revision or abrogation. This will be understood to be the official and public teaching of the Episcopal Church on the subject.

2. This moratorium will extend to revision or expansion of official liturgical norms that would contradict the above resolutions.

3. Bishops will abide by these resolutions so as to avoid public scandal.

4. The exercise of episcopal or priestly conscience counter to these resolutions, but in a way that does not cause public scandal, will not be subject to public censure within the church.

5. Public scandal on the part of bishops counter to the resolutions will be met with prompt episcopal censure but without disciplinary measures.

6. Public scandal counter to the resolution on the part of priests will be met with the discretionary discipline of the local diocesan bishop.

7. This moratorium will be understood to be in effect for a "Sabbath of conventions," for seven triennia, which is the roughly the period of leadership of most of the current House of Bishops.

"We offer a proposal that takes realistic cognizance of the controverted nature of the church, but still one that recognizes the teaching office of the church," Fr. Sumner wrote.

"The motive for the appeal is a particular reading of the condition of the Episcopal Church at this time in history and a concern about its continued communion," said Fr. Radner in his article.