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Loading ...LA Episcopal diocese OKs gay bishops, unions
12.08.2008 12:42pm EST
(Riverside, California) The feud between liberals and conservatives within the worldwide Anglican Church has grown wider with the decision by the Los Angeles Episcopal Diocese to call for the lifting of a moratorium on consecrating gay bishops.
Bishop J. Jon Bruno also told clergy in the diocese they could bless same-sex unions.The 77-million-member Anglican Communion has been splintering since 2003, when the U.S. Episcopal Church consecrated the first openly gay bishop, V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire.
In 2006 at the urging of the titular head of the denomination, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, Anglicans imposed a moratorium on elevating other gays to become bishops.
The Episcopal Church, the American branch of Anglicanism, signed onto the agreement as conservative parishes began leaving.
Last month the theologically conservative Diocese of Fort Worth voted to split from the liberal-leaning Episcopal Church, becoming the fourth whole diocese to leave the denomination. Last week the four dioceses and a handful of breakaway parishes founded the Anglican Church in North America – a move designed to remain within the Anglican communion but focus on conservative beliefs.
As the feud grew, LGBT Anglicans have said they were being marginalized.
On the weekend, the Los Angeles Diocese at its annual meeting overwhelmingly voted to call for the lifting of the moratorium.
The resolution stated that the moratorium violates church canons, which prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.
The Rev. J. Edwin Bacon of All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena called the moratorium “blatantly discriminatory.”
“It tells a lie about God’s love – radically inclusive love – for everyone.”
All Saints has a history of social activism. Bacon told the synod that he recalled as a child that a pastor told his congregation that racial segregation was God’s will. Bacon said that in the same way some Episcopalians today use the Bible to discriminate against gays and lesbians.
The weekend vote means the issue will be brought before the Episcopal Church national convention in July.
Cheers for them. Bishop Gene Robinson will be part of the history of ending this senseless hypocrisy of those who talk about God, but think that they are God and entitled to judge others. The US Episcopal church will be the next major church after Jewish Reform, United Churches of Christ, Universalist Unitaritans, MCC, and yes even some Jewish Conservative synagogues who willtreat gay people as God wanted them to be treated – in his image. Sure, about 5%, mayb3e 10% of the church will join the radical extremists groups rooted in the past. Just thank that group for leaving, So the main church can continue doing what churches are supposed to do.
Oh to be a fly on the wall when their judgment is rendered by the big boss himself.
And talking with someone who is episcopalian, she explained that the Episcopal church is about ‘Grace’, while the catholic church – especially the calcified upper crust – (some priests really believe in what Jesus lessons were for ALL mankind) seems to be about terroristic threats of hell, promises of an afterlife if if if you do as THEY say, and of course their power to be God and absolve your sins. Sounds like nothing but control freaks to me.
Bud Burgoon-Clark,
A lot of us liberal Episcopalians and Anglicans pay no heed to the Archbishop of Canterbury, he can do whatever he wants and it has no direct bearing on being welcoming of all who come and in meeting needs of those less well off than ourselves.
My church and the practical matter of how it takes care of so many needs out in the community of the needy and the homeless from regularly bringing sandwiches and bottles of juice or water to the county homeless men’s shelter, feeding the homeless every month at another charity, bringing practical gifts this time of year to the county shelter for women with kids (a wonderful place that has these poor women in a 2 year program each woman and child in her own apartment learning child-rearing, cooking and job skills), helping to clean the local stream, walks to raise money for the hungry, the generous outpouring of food donations each Sunday, fixing up the yard and house of a local elderly person not able to do these things, our involvement in a reading program at a local school, is of much more concern to those in our church.
At my church, we are too busy with our friendships, our families, spouses and partners, our church service, and our ministries. Our knitting ministry at our church knitted up a big pile of nice hats and scarves for the homeless clients we feed every month.
It is a good thing Bud, that we Anglicans have this freedom and autonomy from the office of Dr Rowan Williams so that our Washington, DC area diocese led by the liberal, straight but very progay rights Bishop Chane can follow its conscience free from the strangle-hold of a less than gay-friendly Canterbury and be unconcerned with the dioceses and parishes of Virginia and in the other states who want a separate and conservative entity for themselves.
in agreement with Bud — I don’t really believe all this brou-ha-ha was caused by the election of an openly gay bishop (God knows the church — Episcopal and otherwise– has plenty (some would say more than their share) of gay clergy bishops, if not openly-gay ones.
No — all this fuss is really about good old-fashioned misogyny, pure and simple. The gay issue just happens to be a timely talking-point for all the closeted women-haters within the church.
I say, let ‘em go — good riddance, and don’t let the door hit you in your well-used ass on your way out. (Is there an emoticon for a raised middle finger???)
Either you interpret the bible through love and grace or through the law and no one can live up to the law. Shrimp cocktail anyone ?
Thanks Bud for all the real dirt on these people.
Tom in Long Beach who dated a few church organist back in the day.
What Bud said.
First, of all, the Anglicans didn’t “IMPOSE” anything. The Anglican Church is a collection of thirty-some-odd (some DAMNED odd!) autonomous, autocephalous (look it up) Provinces, governed by their several Provincial Synods. The Archwimp of Canterbury doesn’t have JURISDICTION over anything or anybody BUT the British diocese of Canterbury. The Primates’ Meeting (what an APT name!) likes to THINK that they’re the College of Cardinals, Lambeth Conference is a General Synod, and Canterbury is the Anglican “Pope Lite.”
Good luck with THAT!
Anglicans decided in 1549 that was NOT the way the Anglican Church was going to be governed.
The LEGITIMATE Anglican Churches in North America are The Anglican Church of Canada, The Episcopal Church in the United States of America, and The Episcopal Church in Mexico, AND NONE OTHER.
The dissidents are congregationalists/puritans/calvinists who are violating the most basic tenets of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church (of which the Anglican Communion is a part).
THEY are the lawless ones, not ECUSA.
It really wasn’t the gay issue that tipped the scales, but rather the election and enthronement of The Most Rev’d Katharine Jefferts Schori as Presiding Bishop and Primate of ECUSA.
Three of the four dioceses that left refuse to ordain women OR recognize women ordained or consecrated in other dioceses. That is NOT in accord with catholic teaching on Holy Orders. If Archbishop Schori is a bishop and priest in Nevada, then she is a bishop and priest in San Joaquin, Pittsburgh, Quincy, and Ft. Worth as well. Holy Orders are universally valid; those who say they aren’t are in Error, capital “E.” They haven’t read the Articles of Religion in the Book of Common Prayer.
Check out the number of three-foot-tall cloth-of-gold mitres, Coronation tapestry vestments, and filmy lace albs at one of these dissident convocations and tell ME they’re not a bunch of vicious closet queens who like to dress up and pretend they’re 16th-century Roman Catholics (snort!).
Cheers,
Bud Burgoon-Clark
who worked for them 50 years longer than he should have, but who DOES know which closets contain skeletons