A discussion of same-gender relationships will be on the agenda when more than 115 bishops of the Episcopal Church gather from March 19-24 for their spring retreat meeting in Camp Allen, Texas.

Bishop Henry Parsley of the Diocese of Alabama, who chairs the House of Bishops' Theology Committee, said two major papers will be presented from the study "Same Sex Relationships in the Life of the Church."

"One paper represents the church's traditional view and the other a proposal to revise the tradition, and there's a response to each paper," Bishop Parsley said.

"We'll have a discussion of the paper and see what questions it raises and what we can learn from each other and how this kind of theological dialogue can be advanced," Bishop Parsley said. "The purpose was to prepare theological papers by academic theologians so they focus on the classical theological approach to the question."

The study was commissioned in 2008 and authored by a diverse group of theologians to represent a wide range of views. Included in that group are:

• Dr John Goldingay, the David Allan Hubbard professor of Old Testament at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California;

• Dr Deirdre Good, professor of New Testament at the General Theological Seminary in New York;

• Dr Willis Jenkins, Margaret A. Farley assistant professor of social ethics, Yale Divinity School;

• The Rev Dr. Cynthia Kittredge, Ernest J. Villavaso Jr. chair of New Testament and dean of community life at the Episcopal Seminary of the Southwest in Austin;

• The Rev Dr Grant LeMarquand, academic dean and associate professor of biblical studies at McGill University in Toronto;

• Dr Eugene Rogers, professor of religious studies at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro;

• The Rev Dr George Sumner, principal and Helliwell professor of world mission, Wycliffe College, Toronto; and

• The Rev Dr Daniel Westberg, research professor of ethics and moral theology, Nashotah House, Nashotah, Wisconsin.

Bishop Parsley said that Dr Ellen Charry, associate professor of systematic and historical theology at Princeton Theological Seminary and editor of Theology Today, served as editor.

"This is meant to be a contribution to the church's discernment and to the Listening Process going on in the Anglican Communion about these matters," Bishop Parsley said. "The group of theologians is intentionally diverse and inclusive. We think all voices are included, in as much as eight people can include all voices."

Bishop Parsley had declined to release the names of the study's authors in June 2009, sparking outcry from at least two groups, Integrity USA and the Chicago Consultation.

Bishop Parsley said at the time that he wanted to "assure those concerned that the panel very intentionally represents a robust range of views on the subject and includes gay and lesbian persons."

Study results will be available as a church resource later. Bishop Parsley said a group of ecumenical and pan-Anglican theologians will also read and comment on the study later in the year.

"It is hoped that by listening carefully to different viewpoints we will all learn and be enlightened and hopefully more respectful of one another," he added.

The discussion is part of the meeting's larger theme, "The Church for the 21st Century," which will focus on opportunities and challenges to today's ministry such as the emergent church movement, the Around One Table report about Episcopal identity, and the Anglican covenant.

-- The Rev Pat McCaughan is a national correspondent for the Episcopal News Service. She is based in Los Angeles.