Gay bishop consecration may split church

AP | 11/01/03 | RICHARD N. OSTLING

[kattracks]

DURHAM, N.H. (AP) — Sunday's consecration of the first openly gay Episcopal bishop will be a watershed moment for American religion that will crystallize severe divisions over homosexuality among Episcopalians and their fellow Anglicans worldwide.

With the elevation of the Rev. V. Gene Robinson, the Episcopal Church will become the first major Christian denomination anywhere to choose a bishop living openly with a same-sex partner. Reverberations from that decision will last for years, and some consequences will shake out immediately.

The split will even be evident in the venerable consecration ritual, when the congregation is asked if there is "any reason why we should not proceed." New Hampshire conservatives are expected to register formal objections.

And as the ceremony proceeds in a University of New Hampshire arena, opponents of Robinson's consecration will hold a competing Communion service at a nearby church. Others plan candlelight vigils.

The Episcopalians' most dangerous division is within their hierarchy.

About 50 bishops will attend Sunday's ceremony and register their support for Robinson. Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold and his predecessor as head of the Episcopal Church will be among those laying hands on Robinson to make him a bishop.

But assistant Bishop David Bena of Albany, N.Y., plans to rise to read a protest from the Conference of North American Anglican Bishops, formed only last Monday.

"This threatens to be the most severe break ever within the American Episcopal Church," says the Rev. Charles Henery, a church historian who opposes Robinson's elevation.

The societal implications are equally historic.

"For countless centuries, gay and lesbian people have been on the fringes of society," said Robinson, who is joining the leadership of a denomination that has long epitomized social status in America.

Robinson's consecration is especially important because churches have long been a powerful force against acceptance of same-sex behavior, says Louie Crew, a pioneering Episcopal gay activist. For many years, it was gays demonstrating outside Christian denominational meetings.

In a pointed affirmation of the gay cause, Robinson invited Crew, a second homosexual activist and his own partner — as well as his ex-wife and their two daughters — to join those who will ritually present him Sunday.

In the long term, Crew predicts, thousands of homosexuals and open-minded heterosexuals will flow into the denomination, whose membership has declined substantially and now stands at 2.3 million.

But the short-run result will be some sort of break between Americans who uphold the traditional Anglican belief that the Bible forbids gay sex, and Episcopal loyalists allied with those who believe the ancient prohibition is obsolete or doesn't apply to modern, committed gay relationships.

The Rev. Leslie Fairfield, a conservative historian, thinks Robinson's consecration will create "a big mess, probably the separation of 10 to a dozen dioceses from the national church in some way" and resistance from at least 10 percent of parish clergy.

In October, the traditionalist American Anglican Council began forming a "Network of Confessing Dioceses and Parishes." The AAC also is collecting applications from congregations that want to be led by conservative bishops instead of their own liberal bishops.

The pleas will go to Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, the spiritual leader of the global Anglican Communion of which the Episcopal Church is the U.S. branch.

"It's going to be very hard for us to operate together beyond this point," says Bishop Robert Duncan of Pittsburgh, an AAC leader.

He predicts that each side will blame the other, conservatives will build "a church within a church" and the national denomination will respond with "a season of litigation."

Meanwhile, other denominations that are debating their gay policies will be watching nervously, especially the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).

Robinson sees "no reason in the world for this church to break up." If people choose to leave because he's a bishop, he says, "that's their decision and they have to bear the responsibility."

At the international level, the top leaders of Anglicanism met in October and reaffirmed the faith's opposition to same-sex activity. They also declared that most Anglicans will refuse to recognize Robinson and that many national branches will break ties with the Episcopal Church.

Fairfield, the conservative historian, thinks world Anglicanism is developing into two religions, a "post-modern" liberalism centered in churches in the West, and "the global South's biblical brand of Christianity," supported by a minority of U.S. Episcopalians.

___

[TommyDale]

No doubt it will split the church. It would split any church organization, assuming they follow Biblical instruction.

[Cicero]

Episcopalians are very good at muddling through. But it will certainly weaken the church even if it doesn't split it right away. It makes a mockery of the Bible and traditional Christian morality.

How will any preacher in communion with this guy be able to get into the pulpit and say with a straight face that it's not OK to dump your wife and kids and follow whatever desires you feel at the moment?

[longtermmemmory]

This AP story is a set up. There is not going to be an earth shattering violence. This will be used by the homosexuals to say "see nothing happened". In fact they will say this as soon as humanly possible.

"Nothing to see, move along."

They are playing the expectation game.

What will really happen will happen as churche move away with gradualness. Either way the end result is this homosexual's selfishness for his sexual gratification has doomed the episcopal church of the USA to be the homosexual church. The rest of the communion would be smard to jeteson them.

[muawiyah]

One resolution is to simply abolish the modern office of "bishop". There may well have been a time in the ancient pre-Dark Ages past where the job was meaningful, but for the last half a millenium millions of Christians have demonstrated that it is possible to be fully engaged with the Lord without bishops!

[Wallace T.]

Louie Crew, whom this article styles a "gay activist," seems to believe that ordaining unrepentant, practicing homosexuals as bishops will attract people to the Episcopal Church (USA). Were this the case, the United Church of Christ and the Unitarian-Universalist Association, which have approved of homosexual clergy, should be growing. In fact, these denominations have been shrinking along with the mainline Protestant denominations.

Unless the conservative Episcopalians act boldly in opposition to the apostates and perverts in their denomination, the Episcopal Church (USA), the oldest Christian denomination in the original 13 colonies, will die by the middle of the century, and maybe sooner. Homosexuals by definition cannot procreate. Liberals, regardless of sexual orientation, have little need for spiritual nurture. At heart, most follow Alaster Crowley's dictum that "do what thou want shall be the whole of the law." Catholic parishes and evangelical churches will have to buy more pews to handle the outflow of disgusted Episcopalians.

[Theodore R.]

Let's hope that the Episcopal Church is split in half. Then the side that prevails will be the one with the continuing financial contributions.

[ahadams2]

Ping.

[Prof Engineer]

The rest of the communion would be smart to jeteson them.

Quite a number of diocese and parishes are set to pull the jettison trigger already, pending tomorrows result.

[tessalu]

Every decent person should leave the church, and find some where else to go, where the wolf does not lead the sheep.
We should be able to have confidence in church leaders.

1 Tim 3:"2": A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;

"3": Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;

"4": One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity;

"5": (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)

No, this man could not even rule his own house, and he is not fit to try to rule God's house.

[AngrySpud]

As Bishop Robinson was quoted as saying ... "The Bible was written for a different time".

Shudder.

[goodnesswins]

I had breakfast with two sister friends of mine this morning....and we got into a discussion of "church"....all three of us want the same thing....a return to TRADITION....no strumming guitars, no huge halls, no lay people giving communion.....I believe we are at a turning point in modern religion...and the homosexuals are moving it along a little faster than it might have gone otherwise.

[bluelowrider57]

And may it sect them.

[EBITDA]

I am curious if anyone knows of a single place where the writings and statements of Gene Robinson might be found.

By his own words he will be judged. Luke 19:22

[SchuylerTheViking]

How will any preacher in communion with this guy be able to get into the pulpit and say with a straight face that it's not OK to dump your wife and kids and follow whatever desires you feel at the moment?

Bingo!! This will bring to the forefront the core beliefs of all professing the faith. To which God (god) does one declare allegiance? The God of the Bible, or a god whose laws and teachings are "living"? Does Jesus change with the times? Can we throw out the parts of the Bible that don't apply to us because we're more enlightened now? My prayer is that as many as possible of these Episcopalian leaders face themselves in the mirror and recognize that there is a clear choice, right now. Jesus or Robinson and his supporters. I pray that they will pray, and seek His will and His truth. Amen.

[PAR35]

Homosexuals by definition cannot procreate

Sounds nice, but not true. Robinson has been pictured with his daughter, and Huffington also sired children.

[deannadurbin]

I don't understand why the homosexuals don't start their own churches. Why do they invade traditional Christian denominations, when they know they will sow discord between the parishioners and congregants if they are joining to promote their lifestyle and agenda?

If they are truly repentant and want to give their hearts to Christ and turn from their sin then join a traditional denomination. But if they are coming in as a practicing homosexual to cause trouble and arguments amongst the followers then that's an unbiblical and sinful reason to join a church.

[Wallace T.]

You are correct. It would have been more accurate to have said that homosexual sexual activity does not bring about procreation.

[Held_to_Ransom]

When will they change 'till death due you part' to 'until you find a gay boy who's a better lay than your wife and the mother of your children who you will then divorce/'