Posted on 02/20/2007 10:11:26 AM PST by RonF
“The primates of the Anglican Communion have utterly failed to recognize the faith, relationships, and vocations of the gay and lesbian baptized,” said Integrity President Susan Russell, responding to the communiqué released today from Dar Es Salaam.
“Let us pray it doesn't take another hundred years for yet-unborn primates to gather for a service of repentance for what the church has done to its gay and lesbian members today, as they repented in Zanzibar yesterday for what it did to those the church failed to embrace as full members of the Body of Christ.”
The Rev. Michael Hopkins, immediate past President of Integrity had this
reaction: “Jesus weeps, and so do I. If the House of Bishops (or any other body with actual authority in this church) capitulates to these demands and sacrifices gay and lesbian people to the idol of the Instruments of Unity, it will have become the purveyor of an “anti-Gospel” that will (and should) repel many.”
Integrity encourages its membership and allies to directly contact their bishops—urging them to reject the demands of the primates. Our leadership will seek an immediate meeting with the Presiding Bishop to express our deep concerns and encourage the Executive Council to insist on the inclusion of all orders of ministry in the ongoing process of discernment on Anglican Communion issues.
PRESS CONTACTS
The Rev. Susan Russell, President
president@integrityusa.org
714-356-5718 (mobile)
626-583-2741 (office) Mr. John Gibson, Director of Communications
jhngb@aol.com 917-518-1120 (mobile)
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Speak the truth in love. Eph 4:15
reaction: “Jesus weeps, and so do I.
Quite possibly, but not for the same reason.
Hmm...do those also include fornicators, adulterers, pedophials, atheists, kleptomaniacs, arsonists, murderers, etc.? So much embracing to be done yet...
For some excellent news and commentary on the Tanzanian meeting of the Anglican Primates I recommend
Titusonenine, http://titusonenine.classicalanglican.net/
Stand Firm http://www.standfirminfaith.com/
Both have been following the meeting very closely.
To read some wailing and gnashing of teeth by the GLBT crowd check out Elizabeth Keaton's Telling Secrets blog.
Very interesting indeed. I had read the Communique as a clear right-down-the-middle Anglican muddle, not getting TEC to cease and desist but not clearly respecting territorial boundaries, thus not fully supporting episcopal authority, just somewhat (you see what I mean about clear, yes?)
If they're this unhappy, then I'm just being way too strict in my reading and there's life yet in the Communion.
In particular, the primates request, through the Presiding Bishop, that the House of Bishops of The Episcopal Church
1. make an unequivocal common covenant that the bishops will not authorise any Rite of Blessing for same-sex unions in their dioceses or through General Convention (cf TWR, §143, 144); and
2. confirm that the passing of Resolution B033 of the 75th General Convention means that a candidate for episcopal orders living in a same-sex union shall not receive the necessary consent (cf TWR, §134);
unless some new consensus on these matters emerges across the Communion (cf TWR, §134).
The primates request that the answer of the House of Bishops is conveyed to the primates by the Presiding Bishop by 30th September 2007.
If the reassurances requested of the House of Bishops cannot in good conscience be given, the relationship between The Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion as a whole remains damaged at best, and this has consequences for the full participation of the Church in the life of the Communion.
Susan Russell and the rest of her allies see this as anathema. They correctly see that this means that they will lose a lot more than they gain if they sign this. No more same-sex "marriages". No more sexually-active homosexual bishops. If you haunt a few of their blogs, you'll see that these points is causing a number of them to consider either telling the AC to go scratch, or (if TEC consents), quitting TEC.
Bwahahahaha!
Thanks, Ron, I am greatly encouraged. My own take would be that Miss Katie cannot in any conscience agree to this (even though I think she at least implicitly signed it) and that they will carry on leaving the Communion. Now, if the Communion can then lock the doctrinal door on this and on female ordination, AND allow the use of the 1928 BCP and doctrine, then we are in a position to resume communion with them.
Oh, she signed it. And the Susan Russell's of TEC are hopping mad. They're talking about either TEC tells the AC to stuff it or they quit TEC.
is it just me, or do these libs have an odd view as to just who needs to be doing the repenting with respect to this particular issue?
Ironic.
If they aren't happy, it must be good news coming out of the Primates meeting. Course, the better news would be reunion with Rome (this Catholic would be overjoyed). But, I am happy they just stood firm, can't expect everything now can I. Someday, hopefully in my lifetime.
I guess the only unity the Primates can conjure up is to make everyone upset.
Seems to me that the Primates are pretty unified behind Lambeth 1998 Resolution 1.10, and that they want to hear TEC explicitly state whether it will support it or not. If that makes someone upset, they need to re-read their Bible.
Integrity Lauds New Bishop of California’s Policy on Blessings Russell Says Andrus Has Taken “A Real Step Forward”
The key tenets of the Diocese of California’s policy on same-gender blessings, as announced by Bishop Andrus in a letter to the diocesan clergy and as reported by the Rev. John Kirkley’s blog (http://revkirkley.blogspot.com) include:
1) Blessings are subject to the discretion of clergy in consultation with couples.
2) Careful counseling and preparation should precede the rite.
3) The bishop is to be informed of the blessing in advance and consulted regarding the rite, as part of the exercise of his pastoral responsibility.
4) The Diocesan Commission on Marriage and Blessings will identify and/or develop rites of reference for use in the diocese. (This will relieve couples and clergy of the onerous and unfair task of having to reinvent the liturgical wheel for every rite.)
5) These blessings will be a public expression of the church’s common life. “The blessings of same-sex couples in our churches are celebrations of Christian love and vocation, and deserve the same expressions of joy and excitement that others enjoy.”
Seems to me that the Primates have told TEC that this has to stop by 9/30/07. I don't think that TEC's HoB can tell this Bishop to stop this directly, but the Bishop himself can stop this. If he doesn't, then my guess is that he'll find himself uninvited to Lambeth. I think TEC will also find that they'll be told that if they don't discipline this guy (after all, the Canons still clearly state that marriage is for heterosexual couples only), they'll find themselves out of the AC.
Primates? You mean like Gorillas?
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