Posted on 07/30/2005 8:23:47 AM PDT by sionnsar
A task force in the Diocese of California has concluded that “now is the time to acknowledge in convention our diocesan practice of 22 years.” The committee, charged by the diocesan bishop, the Rt. Rev. William E. Swing, to consider a variety of issues related to the status of marriage and the blessing of same-gender covenants in Church and society, has proposed three resolutions to be considered at convention in the fall.
Resolution 1 asks convention to extend the life of the task force for another five years. The second resolution directs the commission on marriage and blessing to develop, for distribution at the convention in 2007, resources relating to the ethics and pastoral theology of lifelong committed relationships. The third resolution directs the commission on liturgy and music and the commission on marriage and blessing to jointly prepare for consideration by the 2007 convention a rite or rites which formalize the blessing of same-gender unions in the diocese, together with a policy for the use of said rite or rites.
The 21-member task force has met throughout the past year to study the issue and has concluded that while there is widespread consensus within the Diocese of California as to the appropriateness of blessing same-gender covenants, there remains a diversity of opinion regarding the relationship between marriage and same-sex covenants. Bishop Swing has permitted clergy to perform same-sex blessings for baptized members of the diocese on a case-by-case basis since 1983.
With respect to the current crisis within the Anglican Communion, the task force concluded “differences in our understanding and practice of marriage and blessing same-gender covenants do not undermine the doctrinal foundations of the Church’s life and faith.” Disagreement on this issue is a matter of theological opinion, the task force concluded. “This is a conversation among sisters and brothers in Christ, who sometimes disagree. This disagreement is just that – disagreement: not apostasy or heresy or conformity or dissent. It is simply a disagreement among adults who share responsibility for proclaiming the good news of God in word and deed.”
The complete report is available by clicking here
Traditional Anglican ping, continued in memory of its founder Arlin Adams. FYI to the ping list:
Bp Swing was my bishop back in the 1980's and is the proximate reason I am not in ECUSA. It was his high-handededness with my parish back in CA that made it impossible for me to continue as an Episcopalian.
For which I am eternally grateful to him and perpetually praying for anyone in the Episcopal Diocese of California.
In Christ,
Deacon Paul+
Such a small group makes it look like another hand-picked committee of the "ruling elite" trying to stiff the members out of their own denomination.
Interesting. I vaguely recall his consecration; I was "next-door" in the Diocese of El Camino Real at the time. (It was a diocesan convention of ECR that led to my departure soon after, in 1983; I heard in an Episcopal church camp last week that ECR has since become much, much worse.)
Rearly beloved...
That is probably exactly what it is. But please understand, all of this is pretty much completely invisible to your average pew-sitting Episcopalian. Those people have lives, jobs, families, houses, etc., and have better things to do (they think) than to sit on boring, interminable church committee meetings. Do you know how hard it is to get your average parishioner to agree to stand for the Vestry (board of directors)?
Few bother even to read the minutes of Vestry meetings -- even in my (Anglican) church where we post the minutes on a bulletin board in the Parish Hall! Much less do these people they think they can track or even understand what goes on in the hierarchy above their church.
And the hierarchy keeps it that way. There are no reports to parishioners, for example. And the hierarchy uses obfuscative language such as "resources relating to the ethics and pastoral theology of..." guaranteed to make even an inquisitive church-member's eyes glaze over. ("Oh, this is way beyond me!")
This leads to situations, stories, such as Episcopal Church, I Weep For Thee. The signs are all there, if one looks and understands, and have been for a long time. But it always seems to take some momentous trigger for the recognition to occur.
And this is why pretty obviously hand-picked committees are so often able to function so openly.
Is that the right reveren Will E. Swing? I guess it is!
bwahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!
This is nothing less than a movement to set up a New World Religion for the New World Order!!!! It has the support of all the usual NWO suspects--George Soros, the Gorbachev Foundation, Ted Turner, etc. When "Bishop" Swing and his compatriots support "gay rights", they are REALLY working to impose an international fascist order that will destroy all our rights--not to mention our cultures, religions, families, and nations--althogether!!!!
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