Posted on 03/11/2005 5:37:50 PM PST by sionnsar
WENHAM, MA (3/11/2005)--The homoerotic bishop of New Hampshire V. Gene Robinson told parishioners at Christ Church of Hamilton and Wenham that while Jesus was on this earth he was only in the company of men, his disciples, and referenced that Jesus talked about the "one he loved," implying that Jesus may have been a homosexual himself.
Speaking at a Lenten service on "Homosexuality and the Body of Christ: Is There a New Way?" Robinson pleaded for his hearers to accept his homosexuality and asked, "Who could know Jesus?" and therefore we should accept him [Robinson]. "Jesus was not terribly mainstream."
"The sooner we get away from labels like gay and straight and that dualism…the truth is there are as many sexualities, plural, as there are sexualities in the world. There are as many sexualities as there are human beings," he told his listeners. "Labels are not helpful."
Robinson said there were an enormous variety of sexualities. "What matters to me is mutual non-exploitative sex, love of self and love of neighbor. It is about hearts not body parts. We must have infinite respect for one another and radical respect for the world."
Asked by a parishioner how we teach people about sexuality with the Bible saying that marriage is a sacrament between a man and a woman, furthermore what was the basis for adding on new sexualities, Robinson said, "it is a big question; it is whether or not sex is God's gift or a Pandora's Box? Is it a blessing or a curse?"
Physical intimacy outside of a trustworthy relationship is madness, dangerous and wrong, he said.
Robinson said the message conveyed to most people was that 'sex is dirty save it for someone you love'. "I believe in abstinence before marriage or outside in a committed relationship. Our nakedness is a metaphor for how vulnerable we are. The church's teaching of sex outside of marriage is that you will be hurt unless there is a vulnerability or proven trustworthiness over time. We must respect the dignity of every human being. Marriage is a sacrament, a place where God can show up."
Questioned on how we distinguish between the church and world's view of sexuality and the enormous destruction it caused flowing from the 60s experimentation of our children with anything goes…as long as we love each other, Robinson explained that not anything goes. "We need to demonstrate real love. The world knows that the church practices serial monogamy. We need to walk the talk. What are not right are brief encounters. I don’t hear anybody preaching for promiscuity."
"My daughter wound up living with someone before marrying him. What I tried to do was keep an open conversation going with her and I had the opportunity to talk with her. I did not approve of anything goes, but nothing she did could separate my love for her. I don’t think setting down rules is helpful. I gave her an 'I' statement about what has been hurtful for me."
When asked how one could tell the difference between the ministry of the Holy Spirit and the authority of Holy Scripture or Malcolm's repressed desires, even leaving aside the seven Scriptures that speak against homosexuality or pleading subjectivism, Robinson said the key was community.
"No one of us can hear the voice of the Holy Spirit; it must be tested by the community. No one should be absolutely convinced that they know the will of God. We do the best we can to discern God's voice. Let's see if it bears fruit. Right now we are hearing different things. I believe [Archbishop] Akinola and I will be in heaven together. We may be apart here [on earth]. He is following the journey as far as he knows how and as I know how. We are going to be in heaven together, God won't have it any other way. We need some patience while we figure this out. We are each being as faithful as we can muster."
Pushed about how we knew whether we were being lead by the Holy Spirit or our own egos, Robinson said the key was "community."
Questioned about why the worldwide Anglican Communion based its teaching on Scripture, and can we set aside the teachings of the church as it has been handed down for new untested knowledge, Robinson said sexual orientation was determined by age 3 certainly well before it is a chosen orientation. It is a given; the lives of gays and lesbians are the new evidence for that. Look at the pain they have suffered at the hands of the church. He said gays and lesbians were jumping off buildings because nobody understood them.
When asked what new knowledge he possessed and what was his source of his authority that a homosexual relationship can be blessed and have we reached a parting of the ways, Robinson replied by asking how many of his listeners had been divorced and remarried. "The seven biblical texts do not apply to the contemporary issue today. We must separate civil rights from religious rites. Marriage is a civil right, and there is marriage as a religious rite.
Indeed
<>. ECUSA has left the tradition of Anglicanism. We will see how all this unfolds in a few months. With all the news about the Camp Allen conference, it sounds like ECUSA is accelerating it's own demise. The Episcopal Church is dead. The conservatives carry on with the Anglican tradition until all this property rig-a-mah-roe and Rowan Williams comments in June. We are also encouraged by Bishop Wimberly's statements as of late concerning the direction of the diocese of Texas. He is also retiring next year, gives us an opportunity to position a conservative (or more conservative)bishop in his place. I hope that happens. We will see. I am on the vestry of my parish---could be a real exciting vote take place in the months to come. I am so happy my Lord has given me this opportunity to stand firm for HIS word. Blessed indeed.
Just a lame excuse for his homosexual activities. Shame on those people who voted for him.
A fellow Vestryman!!! Be sure to become a delegate for the diocesan convention.
I think this is one of those statements that is accepted the more it is repeated...
I tend to think you're absolutely right!
Come to think of it, I don't think I have ever heard of anyone jumping off a building because they were gay.
Eventually, we've elected our delegates for the diocese.
What diocese are you with sionnsar?
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