Resolved, the House of _____ concurring, That the 173rd Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Vermont declare its support for activities and programs that will further our knowledge of, and love for, Holy Scripture and at the same time counter ways of interpreting the Bible which oppress/marginalize certain groups: such as persons of color, persons from different faith traditions, women, and (at this time especially) gay and lesbian persons; and be it further
Resolved, That we reinforce the significance of these endeavors by linking them with three 2007 commemorations-
            1.         the United Kingdom’s Abolition of Slave Trade Bicentenary (1807-2007);
            2.         our own 230th anniversary (1777-2007) of Vermont’s (first in the nation) abolition of slavery;
            3.         our own 175th anniversary of the election of Vermont’s first Bishop of the Diocese of Vermont, John Henry Hopkins, who wrote about the biblical basis for supporting slavery --since slavery was another such failure to, in the words of our Baptismal Covenant, “strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being,” and it was likewise defended by some on the basis of narrow, literalistic readings of Scripture; and be it further
Resolved, That we call upon the 75th General Convention of the Episcopal Church to receive a copy of this complete resolution and support all efforts to foster biblical literacy while countering literalistic approaches that have oppressed/marginalized certain groups: such as persons of color, persons from different faith traditions, women and (at this time especially) gay and lesbian persons; and to support celebrations of the United Kingdom’s Abolition of Slave Trade Bicentenary and Vermont’s 230th anniversary of this state’s abolition of slavery.