Posted on 03/16/2005 4:38:26 PM PST by Crackingham
Bishops of the Episcopal Church U.S.A., under pressure from leaders in the international Anglican communion not to approve another openly gay bishop, went a step further and agreed not to approve any new bishops for a year.
The bishops said that they needed to take such an "extraordinary action" in order to "contribute to a time of healing" in the global communion, where fractures over homosexuality deepened after the American church consecrated an openly gay bishop in New Hampshire in 2003.
After a six-day retreat and meeting in Navasota, Tex., that ended today, the American bishops also pledged not to bless same-sex couples or to authorize "public rites" for such ceremonies for a year. But the wording of their statement left open the possibility that some priests could bless gay unions, since some in the church consider the blessings to be "pastoral care."
The American bishops themselves are deeply divided over the issue of homosexuality, but together they must lead an American church that is now being ostracized by fellow Anglican churches, to which they are linked through a common heritage in the Church of England.
The Episcopal Church U.S.A. comprises 2.3 million members of the 77 million Anglicans worldwide.
Last October, an Anglican church committee issued the Windsor Report, which urged the American and Canadian churches to adopt moratoria on both openly gay bishops and same-sex blessings.
Bishop John Chane of Washington, D.C., said in a telephone interview as the Texas meeting ended that the American bishops had agreed nearly unanimously that they did not want to declare a moratorium only on gay bishops.
"That placed an unfair burden on a group of people in this church, which would be the gay and lesbian contingent," he said. "We believed that needed to be a burden shared by all of us in the church."
This is just the usual delaying tactics, rather than address the substantive doctrinal issues involved.
Homosexual Agenda Ping.
Makes as much sense as decreeing that no one can get married, since to deny two men or two women marriage is unfair; therefore no more marriage for anyone.
The pro-homo faux religious people are squirming like worms, trying to avoid the natural truth.
What is the saying? If you refuse to live with reality, reality WILL come and live with you.
Let DirtyHarryY2K and me know if you want on/off this pinglist.
Note: When will Anglican churches in Africa send missionaries to the US? Maybe they do already; they certainly should.
Robinson is not only a homosexual but is also living in adultery and has abandoned his wife and kids.
Jesus' personal teachings on the sanctity of marriage are trampled and ignored by appointing Robinson.
The people who voted for him are not Christian at all and the Episcopal church should seperate themselves from them or the rest of the Anglican communion will seperate from the Episcopal church and so will most of Christianity.
Amen.
The ELCA (Lutheran) is in heated contention to be as pro-homosexual as the Episcopal group. What would Martin Luther think of THAT?
DALLAS (ELCA) -- While expressing gratitude for leaders in the church who prepared the report and recommendations on homosexuality released Jan. 13, the presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) raised some concerns about the recommendations in his report to the ELCA Conference of Bishops.
The Rev. Mark S. Hanson also told the conference that the ELCA churchwide organization finished the 2004 fiscal year with a net surplus. The ELCA Conference of Bishops is an advisory body of the church, consisting of the 65 ELCA synod bishops, ELCA secretary and ELCA presiding bishop. It met here March 3-7. A key part of the conference's work at this meeting was developing a response to the report for the church, as the ELCA prepares to discuss homosexuality issues at the 2005 Churchwide Assembly in Orlando, Fla., Aug. 8-14.
The report, the result of three years' work by a task force, included three recommendations for the assembly to consider when it is expected to answer two key questions on homosexuality: Should the church bless same-gender relationships? Should the church allow people in such relationships to serve as professional lay and ordained ministers? The task force recommended that the ELCA:
+ concentrate on finding ways to live together faithfully in the midst of disagreements.
+ continue to respect the pastoral guidance of a 1993 statement of the ELCA Conference of Bishops opposing the blessing of homosexual relationships but remaining open to pastors wanting to provide pastoral care for gay and lesbian Lutherans.
+ continue under current standards that expect unmarried ministers to abstain from sexual relations, defining marriage as being between a man and a woman; but, respecting the consciences of those who find these standards in conflict with the mission of the church, the ELCA may choose to refrain from disciplining gay and lesbian ministers in committed relationships and from disciplining those who call or approve partnered gay or lesbian people for ministry.
In his report, Hanson offered his first public comments on the task force report and recommendations. Hanson said: "Two "hermeneutics" or paradigms are at work among the members of the ELCA that make agreement difficult on scriptural and theological matters. The Rev. Craig L. Nessan, academic dean and professor of contextual theology, Wartburg Theological Seminary, an ELCA seminary in Dubuque, Iowa, writes that there is a "traditional approach" and a "contextual approach" in interpreting Scripture, both of which are valid and irreconcilable," Hanson told the bishops.
Similarly, Dr. Marcus J. Borg, Department of Philosophy, Oregon State University, Corvallis, writes that there are two irreconcilable "paradigms" in which Christians differ in their understandings of the Christian tradition and their interpretation of Scripture, creeds and the confessions, he said. Hanson said he's heard people with different understandings of Scripture and theology seeking to find a place for their views in the sexuality recommendations.
"Do we expect a resolution to provide a bridge between two extremes?" Hanson asked the bishops. "We Lutherans have come to say that when something is 'paradoxical' that we're going to live in the paradox at the foot of the cross and not force ourselves to decide it with a vote."
Hanson said he has "increasing concerns" about Recommendation 1, which calls on the ELCA to concentrate on finding ways to live together faithfully in the midst of disagreements. The recommendation seems to be causing some confusion for some, and the conversation seems to be about much more than the task force intended, he said. For example, Hanson said some have "perceived" that what is at stake is the unity of the "Church catholic," not just the ELCA. "I have great concerns about a church body voting on the unity of the Church," he said. "The unity of the Church is God's gift to us. We are not to create the unity of the Church. Wouldn't it be better to remind ourselves of the unity we are given but not to ask us to vote on the unity of the Church?"
Hanson also said he hopes no one will leave the ELCA over decisions on homosexuality. He reminded the bishops that if some members do leave "we are still brothers and sisters in Christ. There's where I think Craig Nessan is helpful in trying to say, 'let's not go the secular route of schism but let's look at the continuum of the way we relate,'" he said in an interview with the ELCA News Service.
Finally, Hanson said he is concerned that a vote on church unity could become a "church-defining, church-dividing" issue, and a conversation about that should take place in the "context of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF)." The LWF is a global communion of 138 member churches in 77 countries, representing 66 million Christians worldwide. Hanson -- who is also LWF president -- suggested concepts used in ecumenical discussions such as "reconciled diversity" and "differentiated consensus" might be helpful in such discussions.
Hanson said he has heard many concerns about Recommendation 3, which suggests that for reasons of conscience the ELCA may choose to refrain from disciplining gay and lesbian ministers in committed relationships and from disciplining those who call or approve partnered gay or lesbian people for ministry. "For many people [this] is not only confusing but seems to lack integrity because it is read as at least a change in practice if not in policy," he said in an interview. As an alternative Hanson said it may be helpful to "test" some language that could provide for a special roster, ordination to a specific place or synodically authorized ministry to allow people who are gay and lesbian and in committed relationships to serve as professional church leaders. The presiding bishop suggested the possibility of a six-year testing period. If the church wanted to test such a system, it would require a "significant standing down" from people who are gay and lesbian, many of whom view such a system as "second class" and unjust, he said. People who view Scripture traditionally would also have to stand down to allow "space," he said.
I am lutheran, in an ELCA church. If they go pro homo, I go Catholic.
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