The U.S. Episcopal Church now has promised to "exercise restraint" over the issue of homosexuality, according to the Christian Science Monitor, which reported on the meeting of bishops held in New Orleans this month.

What "restraint" may mean has yet to be determined. However, pulling back from what turned out to be a tipping point for the worldwide Anglican communion with the ordination of a gay bishop in 2004 has to be a step toward church unity. The controversy over homosexuality has threatened to split the denomination into conservative and liberal camps, each choosing the leadership under which they feel capable of serving. For conservatives, that has meant diocesean connections as far off as Africa.

Holding together

So now the question remains whether the bishops' vote not to consecrate any more gay bishops, nor to authorize rites for the blessing of same-sex unions, will be enough to persuade conservatives to continue in communion together.

American leaders also called for African bishops to discontinue consecrating U.S. bishops. African bishops asked for assurances that no more gay bishops would be named.

More negotiations are sure to follow next July during the once-a-decade Lambeth Conference. Already, the American gay bishop (Gene V. Robinson) is begging to attend and African bishops are threatening to boycott. Should be interesting.

Meanwhile, American television may be imitating the call for restraint from the Episcopals. A record low number of gay characters will be seen during this fall's television line up. According to the Hollywood Reporter, "Gay people are becoming an endangered species on network television." Reportedly gay characters are down to seven, from last season's nine. The number has dropped for the past three years, according to the annual "Where We Are on TV" study by the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.

However, the report also mentions that gay representation on the mainstream cable networks is skyrocketing, with 57 characters this year, including 40 regular, up from a total of 35 (regular and recurring) last year. So it seems characters are not endangered after all—merely migrating.

The migration in the church is opposite in nature. The mainstream church is now seeking sanctuary in the global south, the new home of traditional Christianity. So much irony in that it boggles the mind.

Individualized truth

In addition to irony, the moves of gay characters to cable and traditional Christians to African dioceses showcase a postmodern trend toward individualized experiences of truth. More television shows are broadcast each year, with fewer audience members. More books are published each year for fewer people reading. More church denominations are splitting apart, for fewer people attending church. All because, these days, for most people the truth is what you make it.

This is the bottom line issue, not only for the Episcopal church, but for all Christian churches that still claim to worship the one who said, "I am the Truth."