Anglican Split Feared as Gay Bishop Is Consecrated (Can you say apostacy?)

wbur.org ^

[Happy2BMe]

Anglican Split Feared as Gay Bishop Is Consecrated
(2003-11-02)

By Greg Frost

DURHAM, N.H. (Reuters) - The Rev. Canon V. Gene Robinson was consecrated on Sunday as the first openly gay bishop of the U.S. Episcopal Church, a move that threatens to tear apart the worldwide Anglican community.

The Most Rev. Frank Griswold, presiding bishop of the U.S. Episcopal Church, consecrated Robinson amid cheers and applause from the several thousand people who gathered under tight security for the ceremony in a college sports arena.

Robinson, his voice trembling, told the congregation he felt deeply honored but also urged compassion toward church members angered and upset by his consecration.

"Our God will be served if we are hospitable and loving and caring toward them," said the new bishop, wearing a robe of gold, red and green. "If they must leave, they will always be welcomed back into our fellowship."

Earlier, in a sanctioned but tension-filled protest, opponents formally voiced their objection to installing an openly gay man as bishop.

Griswold interrupted one cleric as he launched into a graphic description of homosexual acts. Another woman said that consecrating Robinson would tear at the fabric of the worldwide church.

"To press forward with this consecration will be to turn our back on Almighty God," she said. "The vast majority of Anglicans worldwide have told us not to take this step."

The opponents walked out after making their statements. Moments later, Griswold asked those remaining if Robinson, a 56-year-old divorced father, should be ordained a bishop.

"That is our will!" the congregation chanted loudly.

LIBERAL WING

Robinson, who has lived with his male partner for 13 years, has pleaded for unity. But conservatives warn that his installation may split the 70-million-member Anglican Communion.

The church's Lambeth Conference of 1998 held that the Anglican communion regards homosexual practice as "incompatible with scripture" and condemned the blessing of same-sex unions.

The Rev. Canon David Anderson, president of the American Anglican Council, called Robinson's consecration "schismatic" and said his group was already preparing to lead a break from the more liberal wing of the U.S. Episcopal Church.

"I would anticipate that by tomorrow morning, statements of repudiation will be coming in from primates (church leaders) around the world," Anderson said in a telephone interview from Atlanta, Georgia.

Sky News broadcast the service live in Britain, a sign of the keen interest the event generated in the home of the 450-year-old Anglican Church.

Outside the arena, mounted police stood by as protesters opposed the church for appointing an openly gay bishop and members of the congregation hailed the historic event.

"This is a wonderful situation," said John Ebel, a Roman Catholic from Buffalo, New York. "I admire the Episcopal church for recognizing Gene's skill and ability to be bishop."

But others, including members of a Baptist church from Kansas, shouted at participants and waved neon-colored placards with homophobic messages like "God Hates Fags."

Some members of the U.S. church have said they plan to ask Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, spiritual leader of the worldwide Anglican faith, for permission to separate from the Episcopal Church.

Williams has said Robinson should not have been elected a bishop because he is a practicing homosexual. The archbishop spoke last month of a "huge crisis looming" as a result.

[harmony]

Woah ... if I took issue with your "do what I tell you or my sky-daddy will beat the hell out of you" brethren, I'll take even more issue with one whose tagline equates Muslim American citizens with terrorists (they're even, literally, your *neighbours*. Hello?!).

With acknowledgement to Elsie, if by their fruits you'll know them, excuse me if I suspect that this tree might be rotted to the very core.

[ArGee]

He must think he fits in HERE!

Elsie! How are you?

He doesn't care where he fits in.

Scripture didn't fit his lifestyle, so he "made it fit."

Shalom.

[keilimon]

Firstly, there is a distinction between "Anglican" and "Church of England", just as there is a distinction between Protestant and Orthodox/Catholic. The Orthodox, Anglican Catholic Church (of which I am a memeber) is a far cry from the ECUSA and the "anything goes" branches of the Church of England. Anglican denotes more of a common heritage than a particular liturgical style or set of dogmatic beliefs.

Secondly, the history of the Anglican Church is a little more involced than most Protestants believe based on the poor history presented in the public schools. Henry's libido had far less to do with the formation of the Church of England than you have been led to believe. Will and Ariel Durant have written some excellent history of the period; you might also look to Project Cantebury ( http://justus.anglican.org/resources/pc/ ) for some documents from the period - if you care to learn the facts (complicated as they are).

[keilimon]

Done that, in 1976 when the scent of heresy was in the air. No longer ECUSA, still Anglican.

[Romulus]

The Anglican Church is arguably older than the Roman Church.

Uh, no. There were Christians in Rome even before the apostles Peter and Paul. The Roman Church was up and running by 45 -- about the time Claudius's first legions were landing in Britain. Any claim that these legions included Christian missionaries would be fanciful at best.

To use the patristic rule that the Church is "where the bishop is", there was no Church in Britain before Pope Gregory I the Great sent Augustine to Canterbury.

It was already in existence when Constantine (if memory serves) sent missionaries with his soldiers to conquer England.

England didn't require "conquering" by Constantine. Have you never heard of Hadrian's Wall? Evidently you don't know that Constantine was in England himself, with his father's troops, when he launched the campaign that would make him Caesar.

[GrandMoM]

"WHAT A WRETCHED MAN I AM!
WHO WILL RESCUE ME FROM THIS BODY OF DEATH?"
(Rom. 7:24)

[GeekDejure]

As time goes by, the vile anti-social behavior of Queers steadily gets worse and worse . . . as this current FReeper article demonstrates!!! Therefore, allow me to repeat my own personal rant one more time:

Oak Hay, so I'm very disturbed and continually puzzled about how a small bunch of contrary to nature freaks can destroy our entire civilization. . . BUT DAMMIT, THEY'RE DOING IT !!!

These unsavory and unclean sub-human creatures delight in ramming their urine exhaust pipes into the rectal relief tubes of young boys (and of each other) !!! They brag and crow loudly about their filthy behavior !!! They demand access to our young and innocent children... so they can commit sodomy and oral sex acts upon them!!! Then they scream and holler...

"Homophobe"

... when we seek to save our children from their filthy and immoral activities!!! WHY IS THIS ALLOWED TO CONTINUE IN THIS ONCE-FREE REPUBLIC ??? DO WE NOT HAVE THE RIGHT AND MORAL DUTY TO PROTECT OUR CHILDREN FROM SLIME LIKE THIS ???

[pctech]

As much as I applaud you wanting to see people still worship biblically, how can you even suggest people joining an organization that persecuted Christ's church for over 1500 years??? (I know this may start an argument here, but it has to be said. I'll reply to folks at a later time when I get off work)

[harmony]

In ULTRABIG FONT you said: "Oak Hay, so I'm very disturbed and continually puzzled about how a small bunch of contrary to nature freaks can destroy our entire civilization."

I'm puzzled too, because it makes no sense. If anal sex could destroy entire civilisations, the Ancient Greeks wouldn't have got past pottery. I get the whole "we don't want Them in our church" thing. Hey, it's your church, it's your lost income. But don't you think the whole "Banish them!" line is over-reacting just a teensy bit?

[Happy2BMe]

You can thank faithful RATS such as this one for their undying queer agandas . . .

Rep. Barney Frank was one of the outspoken critics against the impeachment of President Clinton

[viaveritasvita]

Truly excellent article by Mark Alexander of The Federalist (Salem's post #32)!! Thanks Salem.

Christian news all day today has been reporting that most Episcopalians around the world are either splitting with the US Epis. leadership or refusing to acknowledge this sodomite as a bishop.

I can only say what I said to Catholics recently: If your leadership is corrupt, the laity has a duty to clean house! And it looks as if the Epis. laity are doing just that -- forcefully and loudly, no excuses -- thank God.

Shame on these leaders!!

<><

[Jorge]

One interview said this consecration would attract many people (ie homosexuals) that would normally not attend church.

I've heard that this never pans out. Pro-gay churches don't even attrack that many gays.

Seems they are more interested destroying any opposition to homosexuality they can find in the church, boy scouts etc, than they are in really belonging to those organizations.

[Campion]

As much as I applaud you wanting to see people still worship biblically, how can you even suggest people joining an organization that persecuted Christ's church for over 1500 years???

He's not. He's suggesting that people join Christ's church.

[GrandMoM]

I can't wait to see what happens when the gay's expect to use one of the Rec. Hall's for the fisting classes!!!!!

[mel]

I suspect there are several gays at my former ECUSA church, however, they are all in the choir. You know I never was rude, mean or impolite to any of them. But I am getting really fed up with this in your face mentality of the homosexual community.

[N3WBI3]

"Robinson, who has lived with his male partner for 13 years, has pleaded for unity."

Notice they dont mention he is divorsed..

[Happy2BMe]

Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) speaks at a gay pride celebration at the CIA headquarters in Langley June 6, 2000.

 

[Aliska]

excerpt from an on-scene account on the episcopalian group on usenet:

"Then he said to Gene that he, when he joined the bishops of the ECUSA, would become (like it or not) a symbol of unity in that body--showing the unity of the church with the dispossessed and marginalized in our day. Big applause for this.

"Then he said he would leave Gene with two charges, one from him, and one from Jesus. For himself, he charged Gene to hold to his humility, despite all the attention showered on him.

"Then he said, The next charge I lay on you is from Jesus, and I'm not sure why I repeat it now, except I feel called to do so:

"Whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, as ye go forth out of that house or that city, shake off the dust of your feet. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment, than for that city. Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to councils, and in their synagogues they will scourge you; yea and before governors and kings shall ye be brought for my sake, for a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. But when they deliver you up, be not anxious how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that hour what ye shall speak. For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father that speaketh in you." (Mt 10:14-20 ASV--he used the standard translation, but these are the verses)

[Happy2BMe]

Are you saying those who will not hear the words (and accept his homosexual doctrine) of the new Anglican bishop are in the same place as the spiritually bankrupt souls of Sodom and Gomorrah?

Or are you pointing out the irony that the Anglican diocese would allude to the words of Christ when he mentioned sending out the apostles?

[GeekDejure]

In ULTRABIG FONT you said: "Oak Hay, so I'm very disturbed and continually puzzled about how a small bunch of contrary to nature freaks can destroy our entire civilization."

I'm puzzled too, because it makes no sense. If anal sex could destroy entire civilisations, the Ancient Greeks wouldn't have got past pottery. I get the whole "we don't want Them in our church" thing. Hey, it's your church, it's your lost income. But don't you think the whole "Banish them!" line is over-reacting just a teensy bit?

Obviously you have difficulty understanding what you read if it's not displayed inULTRABIG FONT ... otherwise you would not see a non-existant font size nor create non-existant words merely to satisfy your own agenda.

No "Banish them!" line exists within my text !!!

Now... having aided you with your visual health problem, allow me to also assist you with your physical health as well.

Don't squat with your spurs on !!! ;-))

.