Gray areas? More like nacht und nebel.

The reason I love the Episcopal Church is that it actually trusts us to be adults. In a world where everyone tries to paint things as black or white, Episcopalians feel pretty comfortable in the gray areas.

Translation: the Episcopal Church is the Church Of What's Happenin' Now Baby! where we can worship a Groovy, High on Life Jesus who affirms us in our basic okayness and never demands that we change our ways or live up to difficult standards or repent or any of that, like, Squaresville stuff.

On a purely material level, imagine business selling their wares this way.

"Test drive the new Hummer H2 today! But if you want a hybrid car, we understand why you might select a Toyota. Bicycles,public transporation, renting a car when you need one and walking are good options too."

Aren't religions at some point supposed to have 'doctrine?'

Gotta be 'inlusive', non-judgemental. Love the sinner AND the sin, what's wrong for me may be right for you as long as you come to our weekly pep rally. If it feels good do it? (just don't hurt anybody!)

Of course moral problems are complex, but they are not addressed by living in the "gray area." That's just punting when you ought to play. Deuteronomy says that before us stands the way of life and the way of death. Tertium non datur. What would the "gray area" between life and death be? A moral coma?

Hell (or, pre-Hell) was explicitly gray in "The Great Divorce".

Or in The Inferno, for that matter:

. . . behind [their ensign] came so long a train of people that I should never have believed death had undone so many.

After I had recognized some amongst them, I [saw and knew] the shadow of him who from cowardice had made the great refusal. (3.55-60)