The seminar was held at the headquarters of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles and included about 50 rabbis from various Jewish denominations and more than 100 Episcopal priests. The event was sponsored by the diocese and the Board of Rabbis of Southern California.

The featured guests were Rabbi Steven Greenberg, a senior teaching fellow at the National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, a think tank in New York; and the Rt. Rev. Gene Robinson, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire, whose election was a catalyst for conflict that threatens to split the denomination.

Robinson is scheduled to be a guest May 2 at an evening of entertainment at All Saints Church in Pasadena. The event is a benefit for Claiming the Blessing, an advocacy group for homosexuals in the church. All Saints Church and Claiming the Blessing have been on the forefront of lobbying for Robinson's election.

Robinson said the Thursday seminar was an example of "infinite respect and radical hospitality' between the two groups.

"The energy in the room was indescribable,' he said. "It was as hopeful (an) event as I've been to in a long time.'

The morning events weren't open to the media, but included many firsts, including the first kosher lunch served at the center and the first time the groups had studied their scriptures together, officials said. The group examined passages in the Torah and New Testament often used to condemn homosexuality as sin.

The conference was groundbreaking because it explored the ways Jews and Christians read their sacred texts, Greenberg told reporters after the session. Many times, Scripture is used to silence conversation about homosexuality, or it's ignored in the context of discussions, he said.

Scripture passages the group read included Leviticus 18:22, which says, "Do not lie with a male as one lies with a woman; it is an abhorrence.' And Romans 1:26-27, which refers to homosexual acts as "shameless.'

The interpretation of these and other verses creates the chasm that divides conservatives and liberals on the issue. Conservative Christians apply the Bible literally and say it's clear that homosexuality is a sin like greed, anger or lust. And no religious leader who openly practices any sin should be endorsed, they say.

But Robinson and Greenberg said there is more than one way to interpret the Scriptures.

"We both take the texts very seriously,' Robinson said. "We both think the way to deal with those few, brief verses which supposedly deal with homosexuality is to go through the text and not around the text by eliminating the text.'

Greenberg said he believes in scriptural authority and that the Torah is the word of God. But he finds it "astounding' that anyone including pastors or rabbis would claim to know the true meaning of any verse.

"I just think it's marvelously, amazingly unclear, and intentionally so,' he said. "Because were it clear it would have died a very early death. Its divinity is in the multiplicity of possibilities that it embodies.'

Rabbi Mark Diamond, executive vice president of the Board of Rabbis of Southern California, said the textual discourse was a step in the right direction, but that it's often more difficult to interact with those of the same faith.

"The discourse and heated rhetoric within our own faith traditions is more challenging to us,' he said.

Greenberg said discussions about homosexuality are just beginning within Orthodox Judaism. The Rev. J. Jon Bruno, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles, said the debate has been ongoing for 30 years in his denomination.

The Rev. Susan Russell, executive director of Claiming the Blessing, a collaborative of organizations that promote issues like the inclusion of homosexuals in the Episcopal church and the blessing of same-sex relationships, said only a few participants at Thursday's seminar were conservative theologically.

It was mostly "preaching to the choir,' Russell said. 'But the choir needs preaching, too!'

Russell said conversations between people with conflicting interpretations of Scripture can take place if people don't feel they have to change each other's minds.

"The essential ingredient for healthy dialogue is the willingness to admit you might be wrong,' Russell said. "... My salvation doesn't depend on being right, but on being faithful.'

Robinson's election as bishop triggered an avalanche of controversy in the Anglican church. The Rev. Gene Wallace, of Church of the Transfiguration in Arcadia, said recently the debate has hurt his church, which has lost donations and members.

Conservatives are rallying around the American Anglican Council, a group formed in 1996 to try and reform the denomination by preserving the orthodox Anglican tradition and Biblical authority.

"We cannot pretend that all is well,' the AAC states on its Web site. "We cannot ignore that ECUSA has abandoned 2,000 years of Christian moral teaching as well as Anglican tradition.'

Other conservatives have left Episcopal parishes altogether, and some who have remained are withholding their money from the diocese. Several international Anglican provinces have excommunicated the Episcopal Church USA over the issue.

Robinson said he's "very hopeful' the Holy Spirit will pull the two sides together. Episcopalians hold a spectrum of viewpoints on many issues, including abortion, who should be president and the war in Iraq, he said.

"The question is: Can we come together at the communion rail, be nourished by the body and blood of Christ, and then go back to our pews and fight about abortion and whether we should be in Iraq,' Robinson said.

The conservatives will have to decide if they can continue to come together, Robinson said.

"I don't hear anyone wanting them to leave,' he said. "But they'll have to decide that.'

END