Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Help the Boy Scouts find their way to stop discrimination


Dear Oasis California Members and Friends:

I am an Eagle Scout for Justice. That is why I am asking you to oppose the discriminatory policies of the Boy Scouts of America that allowed them to remove a successful scout leader and mother, Jennifer Tyrrell, from her post when she raised concerns about improprieties in the finances of her local troop. Jennifer stood up for equality and so have I and so should you.

All you have to do to start is go to Change.org’s petition drive to tell the BSA to stop teaching our kids it is OK to discriminate against people just because they are LGBT. So farmore than 275,000 American have signed: please add your signature today!

Change.org says it is time for the Boy Scouts of America to reconsider its policy of exclusivity against gay youth and leaders – and The General Convention of the Episcopal Church agreed in way back in the year 2000 when it passed Resolution C031 which included the resolve: "encourage the Boy Scouts of America to allow membership to youth and adult leaders irrespective of their sexual orientation;"

Please take action for justice for our families today! Let the Boy Scouts know that as an Episcopalian you stand for equality!

The Rev. Thomas C. Jackson
President, Oasis California

We still need your help if we are to march with Bishop Christopher of Uganda!

We still need your help if we are to march near the front of the parade as we accompany retired Anglican Bishop Christopher Senyonjo.

To do this, we need to a another eight people who are willing to be trained and serve as Contingent Monitors during the parade.

 We need another four monitors to keep the Oasis cable car bus safe - so far 20 people who can't make the walk have signed up to ride in our bus. Not enough monitors and we can't have the bus.

We need another four monitors to meet the parade's stringent safety standards.

Their rules are clear: not enough safety monitor and we don't march. As a Contingent Monitor you will help keep us safe while we march together.

All you have to do is enjoy the one-hour annual training program (they really do make it as painless as possible) and then show up and walk with us.

 Please click on the link below to register as a 2012 Monitor. We only need eight more - or we won't be able to march.


Training is provided by SF Pride and takes an hour. Monitors must be trained every year. The training is painless - and at times almost fun. If you register below we will send you the training schedule. IF you sign up you will also receive an email detailing when and where we will meet - we won't know until the Parade Committee tells us.

We can't march without a dozen monitors. Please let me know if you can lend a hand.

 Many thanks,

The Rev. Tom Jackson
President,  Oasis California

Saturday, May 26, 2012

St. David's in Austin gets some great local television coverage about their plans to move forward with blessings once authorized by General Convention.

 

Friday, May 25, 2012

TWO Slams Philadelphia Catholic Archdiocese for Offering Anti-Gay Sports Camp


BURLINGTON, Vt – Truth Wins Out slammed the Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia today after the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Kathy Boccella revealedit plans to hold an all-male sports camp this weekend with the purpose of teaching men how to “resist homosexual urges.” The retreat is sponsored by a group called Courage, an official archdiocesan ministry that uses a 12-step program, similar to Alcoholics Anonymous, to encourage Catholics struggling with so-called “same-sex attraction” to suppress their sexuality and live totally celibate lives.
“The idea that homosexuality is a treatable disease like alcoholism, or that sports can somehow influence a person’s sexuality, is an insult to common sense that’s totally detached from reality,” said Truth Wins Out Executive Director Wayne Besen. “The so-called ‘Courage’ ministry masquerades stereotypes as science. It’s shameful that the Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia is selling this snake oil to vulnerable parishioners.”

More 

Saturday, May 19, 2012

INTEGRITY STATEMENT ON THE ELECTION OF THE TENTH BISHOP OF NEW HAMPSHIRE



"Integrity USA celebrates today with the people of the Diocese of New Hampshire on their election of the Rev. A. Robert Hirschfield to serve as their tenth bishop," said Integrity's Vice President of National Affairs, The Rev. Jon M. Richardson. 

Integrity President  The Rev. Dr. Caroline Hall added: "We are confident that the people of New Hampshire have listened to the voice of the Holy Spirit and have elected the person best able to lead them in fulfilling God's mission in the coming years.

The Rev. Jon M. Richardson continued, " "The Diocese of New Hampshire - as well as the wider church - have been richly blessed by the ministry of Bishop Gene Robinson.  Bishop-elect Hirschfield will have big shoes to fill as he moves into his new call.  The bishop-elect was chosen from an outstanding field of three candidates, and it is a credit to the people  of New Hampshire, as well as a testament to the progress of the Episcopal Church as a whole, that the three candidate's sexual orientations served as little more than an historical footnote through this process.

"Bishop-elect Hirschfield was chosen on the basis of his strong credentials as a pastor, priest, and teacher and through the guidance of the Holy Spirit in the context of prayerful discernment on the part of the Diocese of New Hampshire.  The bishop-elect has a strong record of support for marriage equality and is a trusted friend of the  LGBT movement, and we are eager to work with him in the years ahead as we continue to move the church from "Resolution to reality: making all mean ALL

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Integrity's Transgender Video Nears Completion!

"Voices of Witness: Out of the Box" explores issues of gender identity and expression through voices of witness from the transgender community and their allies in the Episcopal Church. One of those allies, Bishop Gene Robinson, is convinced that "the transgender community is being brought to us by the Holy Spirit to become the more fully inclusive church we are called to be."

The third in the "Voices of Witness" series, this short documentary film will be accompanied by a study guide designed to equip individuals and congregations to explore and embrace the full inclusion of transgender people in the work and witness of the Episcopal Church. 

June 1, 2012 is the scheduled release date for the project -- which will be posted to YouTube and made available via DVD to the bishops and deputies of the 77th General Convention of the Episcopal Church. 

New Campaign Highlights Stories of Military Families Harmed by So-Called "Defense of Marriage Act"

A week after President Obama announced his support for ending marriage discrimination against same-sex couples, Freedom to Marry and Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) announced Freedom to Serve, Freedom to Marry, a new national campaign that will highlight the stories of military families harmed by the so-called Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).  The campaign launched with the release of an online video illustrating the real injury inflicted on gay and lesbian military families who, because of the federal government's refusal to respect their marriages legally, are denied the support and protections that all other military families receive.

"Last week the President described how the stories of service members and their families made a difference in his decision to support the freedom to marry.  In deed, the faces and stories of military families impacted by the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act illustrate the unjust ways this law treats our nation's most courageous patriots.  It's unconscionable that we would ask American citizens to put their lives on the line for us in war zones while treating them and their families as second-class citizens at home.  All service members and their families provide the same service, take the same risks, and make the same sacrifices.  When it comes to recognition, support, and benefits, they must all be treated equally.  There cannot be two classes of service members," said Army Veteran and SLDN Executive Director Aubrey Sarvis.

Because of the 'gay exception' created by DOMA, America's legally married gay and lesbian couples are denied 1,100+ federal responsibilities and protections including Social Security survivors benefits, equal treatment under U.S. immigration laws, and the opportunity to take leave to care for a spouse.

"Many people assume that, with the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," gay men and lesbians serving our country are now being treated fairly and equally, but that's not the case.  We ended the ban on open military service for gay and lesbian Americans, but there is still a federal ban on treating married service members as what they are: married," said Evan Wolfson, founder and President of Freedom to Marry.  "The so-called Defense of Marriage Act's 'gay exception' keeps the government in the business of discriminating against families, such as those of service members, and burdening employers, such as the military, who are prevented from treating their employees fairly and equally."

The Freedom to Serve, Freedom to Marry campaign will include video and other multimedia content spotlighting the harms of DOMA on military families, including the denial of health insurance, survivor benefits, and access to military bases and housing for service members' spouses.  Additionally, the campaign will invite the public to sign an online petition calling on Congress to "end this discriminatory and unequal treatment of our service members and veterans by repealing DOMA."

In October 2011, SLDN filed landmark litigation on behalf of eight married gay and lesbian service members and veterans challenging DOMA and three other federal statutes that may be interpreted to prevent the military from providing the same protections and support to all families.  For more information on the case, click here.

Freedom to Marry's federal program works to repeal the so-called Defense of Marriage Act and make the case for marriage to government officials, opinion-leaders, and political operatives in Washington, DC. Freedom to Marry is a leader of the Respect for Marriage Coalition, a diverse group of nearly 70 organizations working together to repeal DOMA, and regularly hosts salons to engage Democratic, Republican, and independent opinion-leaders and operatives in conversations about why marriage matters to same-sex couples. Since the introduction of the Respect for Marriage Act, the bill that would repeal DOMA, the number of cosponsors has increased from 18 to 32 in the Senate, including every Democratic member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and from 108 to 144 in the House of Representatives.

For more information on Freedom to Serve, Freedom to Marry, visitwww.freedomtomarry.org/serve.

ABOUT FREEDOM TO MARRY: Freedom to Marry is the campaign to win marriage nationwide. We are pursuing our Roadmap to Victory by working to win the freedom to marry in more states, grow the national majority for marriage, and end federal marriage discrimination. We partner with individuals and organizations across the country to end the exclusion of same-sex couples from marriage and the protections, responsibilities, and commitment that marriage brings.

ABOUT SLDN:Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) is a non-partisan, non-profit, legal services and policy organization dedicated to bringing about full LGBT equality to America's military and ending all forms of discrimination and harassment of military personnel on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.  SLDN provides free and direct legal assistance to service members and veterans affected by the repealed "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law and the prior regulatory ban on open service, as well as those currently serving who may experience harassment or discrimination.  Since 1993, our in-house legal team has responded to more than 11,500 requests for assistance. To learn more, visit www.sldn.org.  Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender service members with questions are urged to contact the SLDN hotline to speak with a staff attorney: Call 1-800-538-7418 or 202-328-3244 x100.

Saturday, May 12, 2012

Convention to consider position on proposed Anglican Covenant


[Episcopal News Service] The Anglican Covenant has been variously rejected, affirmed, approved and subscribed to by some Anglican Communion provinces, and even been given an “amber light” by one. The Episcopal Church will soon consider its own formal response to the document which supporters say offers a way to bind Anglicans globally across cultural and theological differences.
At present, three resolutions, each calling for partially different responses to the proposed covenant, will be proposed to the 77th General Convention when it meets July 5-12 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
The Episcopal Church’s Executive Council announced last October that it would submit a resolution (A126, found on page 590 of the Blue Book) to convention that would have the church say it is “unable to adopt the Anglican Covenant in its present form.”
In recent weeks, two additional resolutions — from different groups of bishops — have been submitted to convention. Those two resolutions will be posted here soon.
One resolution proposed by Bishop John Bauerschmidt of Tennessee and endorsed by 10 other bishops would commit the church to affirming and adopting the covenant. Another, proposed by Bishop Ian Douglas of Connecticut and backed by two other bishops, would encourage a more via media approach, “embracing” the preamble and first three sections of the four-section document, urging continued study, and committing the church to ongoing participation in the covenant process.
The document’s fourth section, which outlines a disciplinary method for resolving disputes in the communion, has largely been the covenant’s sticking point.
The Executive Council and the Douglas-sponsored resolutions are identical in the first three resolves, saying that the church will “recommit itself to dialogue with the several provinces when adopting innovations which may be seen as threatening the unity of the communion”; and commit to “continued participation in the wider councils of the Anglican Communion” and dialogue “with our brothers and sisters in other provinces to deepen understanding and to insure the continued integrity of the Anglican Communion.”
The Bauerschmidt-sponsored resolution calls on the Episcopal Church to “affirm … and commit itself to adoption” of the covenant “in order to live more fully into the ecclesial communion and interdependence which is foundational to the churches of the Anglican Communion.”
The Anglican Covenant first was proposed in the 2004 Windsor Report as a way that the communion and its 38 autonomous provinces might maintain unity despite differences, especially relating to biblical interpretation and human sexuality issues. The report came in the wake of the 2003 election of Gene Robinson, an openly gay priest, as bishop of New Hampshire, a development that caused some provinces to declare broken or impaired communion with the Episcopal Church.
The covenant also was a response to some church leaders crossing borders into other provinces to minister to disaffected Anglicans and a decision by the Diocese of New Westminster in the Anglican Church of Canada to authorize a public rite to bless same-gender unions.
Following five years of discussion and several draft versions, the final text of the covenant wassent in December 2009 to the communion’s provinces for formal consideration.
Douglas told ENS in an April 24 telephone interview that the Episcopal Church has participated “at an extremely high level” in considering each draft of the covenant. He also said that Executive Council and its D020 Task Force on the Response to the Anglican Covenant “have done an incredibly good job in helping the Episcopal Church construct a response that is broadly inclusive of the diverse perspectives” in the church.
His only reservation about Resolution A126, he said, is in the final resolve that urges the Episcopal Church not to adopt the covenant in its present form. “My concerns about a straight non-adoption are that it doesn’t allow for letting the Episcopal Church embrace what is in the first three sections,” he said, noting that a straight “no” vote would remove the Episcopal Church from the covenant process entirely.
“I’ve never been a strong advocate of this particular covenant process. But participating in the discussion is still very important. And I don’t want to preclude the opportunity for us to be at the table,” he said.
Bauerschmidt wrote in an April 25 e-mail to ENS that he thought it would be a good thing if the Episcopal Church had the opportunity at this convention clearly to affirm and commit to adoption of the covenant.
“A communion that is committed to dispersed authority needs some means for seeking a common mind and expressing a common life,” he said. “The covenant provides the means for this. We ought to decide together the things that concern us all, or we will soon face being of little concern at all to each other.”
General Convention may decide in July whether to pass, amend and pass, or reject any resolutions it considers.
First, the 40-member legislative committee on World Mission will consider the Anglican Covenant resolutions and may decide to rework or consolidate them before any draft legislation is sent to whichever of the two houses (deputies and bishops) of General Convention has been chosen as the so-called house of initial action. The committee, which will begin meeting on July 4, is co-chaired by Douglas and Canon Rosalie Simmonds Ballentine, who also chaired the D020 Task Force that released its report along with its proposed Resolution A126 in October 2011.
The Standing Commission on Constitution and Canons determined in a June 2011 report requested by the D020 Task Force that adoption of the current draft Anglican Covenant “has the potential to change the constitutional and canonical framework of TEC, particularly with respect to the autonomy of our church, and the constitutional authority of the General Convention, bishops and dioceses.”
All three proposed resolutions call for the creation of a new task force that would explore the canonical changes needed if the church were to adopt the covenant in its entirety.
The 76th General Convention in July 2009 asked the dioceses, via Resolution 2009-D020, to study the Anglican Covenant during the 2010-2012 triennium. It also asked Executive Council to prepare a report, along with proposed draft legislation, to the 77th General Convention this year. That resolution led council to create the D020 Task Force.
Some Episcopalians and Anglicans, including the Executive Council, have raised concerns about the covenant being used as an instrument of control, questioning in particular the fourth section and its dispute-resolution process. Some critics have warned that adopting the covenant could result in a two-tier communion.
“I don’t find section 4 helpful,” Douglas told ENS. “I think it moves the covenant from a document that is relational to one that is more juridical. I do think the first three sections are relational and missional.”
The D020 Task Force said in its report (available for download here) that the rationale for advocating its “unable to adopt” resolution was based on its belief that the church’s unity is “best expressed in our efforts to be a church that fully welcomes those who have not always been welcomed.”
The Episcopal Church seeks to be faithful to that unity, the report continues, “by honoring the diversity of ministries in the Episcopal Church in multiple forms: our tradition of empowerment of all orders of ministry in governance; our identification of the interpretation of Scripture as the work of all Christian communities; and our heeding of the work of the Spirit in new understandings of how we are called to be in community and relationships.”
“This understanding of who we are as a church does not allow the Executive Council to support any covenant that might jeopardize this vocation,” the task force members said in the report. “The covenant consistently ignores the importance of the role of the laity and their full expression of ministry in all spheres of the life of the church.”
The task force members included those who were on the “extremes” of opinion in the church about the covenant, as well as people in the middle of that spectrum, Ballentine told the council Oct. 24.
She said that the task force purposely used the language of “unable to adopt in its present form” rather than suggesting that convention “reject” the covenant or “refrain” from adopting it.
“We still have hope for our continuing relationship, our continuing conversations, our continuing efforts to live in community and for us to move forward as part of the Anglican Communion,” she said.
Throughout the Anglican Communion, the seven provinces that have approved or subscribed to the Anglican Covenant are Ireland, Mexico, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, South East Asia, Southern Cone of America, and the West Indies.
The Anglican Church of Southern Africa has adopted the document pending ratification at its next synod meeting later this year.
In March, it became clear that the Church of England could not adopt the covenant in its current form when a majority of its dioceses voted the document down.
The Church in Wales on April 18 gave the covenant “an amber light, rather than a green light.” The church’s governing body said it feared the recent rejection of the covenant by the Church of England jeopardized its future and clarifications about that were now needed before a decision could be made. It sent questions on the matter to the Anglican Consultative Council, the church’s main policy-making body, which meets later this year.
Episcopal Church in the Philippines bishops have formally rejected the covenant although the Anglican Communion Office confirmed that it had not yet received a formal notification from that province. Maori action in the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia rejecting the covenant last November means that it may be rejected when it comes before the province’s General Synod in July.
During a recent visit to England, Bishop Mary Gray-Reeves of the San Jose, California-based Diocese of El Camino Real, told ENS that international partnerships, such as the one that her diocese shares with Gloucester and Western Tanganyika in Tanzania, are the “antidote to the Anglican Covenant.”
Douglas agrees. “Communion is fundamentally about relationships — relationships across our differences in service to the mission of God — and not some kind of juridical or contractual or ecclesiological statement,” he told ENS.
Many conservative Anglicans also have rejected the covenant, saying that it does not go far enough to bring into line provinces that have taken steps towards the full inclusion of gays and lesbians in the life of the church.
“While we acknowledge that the efforts to heal our brokenness through the introduction of an Anglican Covenant were well intentioned we have come to the conclusion the current text is fatally flawed and so support for this initiative is no longer appropriate,” a group of conservative Anglican primates, or archbishops, have said.
— Matthew Davies is an editor/reporter for the Episcopal News Service.

Thursday, May 10, 2012

The Bishops of the Diocese of Connecticut


May 10, 2012
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Ordained Ministry:

We, the bishops of the Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut, want to take the opportunity in this "Episcopal Epistle" to reflect with you on Christian marriage and, more specifically, how we are to understand pastoral and liturgical practices related to marriage here in our diocese at this particular point in time.  The invitation for this reflection grows out of Resolution #6 - "Permitting the clergy of the Diocese of Connecticut to voluntarily officiate marriage of same sex couples" from our 227thDiocesan Convention in October 2011.  We are thankful for this resolution and the opportunity to discuss our current understandings of pastoral responses related to Christian marriage.
  
The first resolve of Resolution #6 "urges the Bishop of Connecticut (and we understand the episcopate to include the diocesan and bishops suffragan) to acknowledge that there are people living in same-gender relationships of mutuality and fidelity who want to be married by their clergy. . ." We bishops know personally that there are good and faithful lesbian and gay sisters and brothers in Christ in the Diocese of Connecticut who seek to be married by their clergy within the context of their worshipping Christian community; and we give thanks for their faithful Christian witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The second resolve of Resolution #6 asks "that the Bishop of this Diocese permit the clergy of the Diocese to determine the appropriate generous pastoral response to meet the needs of the members of his or her own local eucharistic community, including officiating at weddings of same-sex couples, and acting as legal agents of the State in signing marriage licenses." We very much appreciate the intent of this resolution. The Episcopal Church, however, has not yet embraced marriage equality for all people. In this The Episcopal Church lags behind the statutes of the State of Connecticut. More specifically, the Celebration and Blessing of a Marriage service in the Prayer Book articulates that marriage is between a man and a woman, and that the union is between a husband and a wife. Similarly Canons 18 and 19 of The Constitution and Canons of The Episcopal Church: 2009 describe marriage as between a husband and a wife. All clergy, including bishops, have vowed "to conform to the doctrine discipline and worship of The Episcopal Church" as put forward in The Book of Common Prayer and The Constitution and Canons. We, as bishops, do not have the independent authority to change the Church's definition of marriage as currently articulated in these documents. 
We do believe that the current definition of marriage in our Church is oppressive to gay and lesbian couples who seek the same recognition and blessing of their relationships that heterosexual couples receive. This causes us great sadness, and we further believe that the Church's position limits our witness to God's mission of restoration and reconciliation for all people in Christ Jesus. Only the General Convention, however, can resolve this situation of inequality. It is thus beyond our power to give clergy permission at this time to officiate (in a legal sense) at weddings of same-sex couples and act as legal agents of the State by signing marriage licenses for gay and lesbian couples. It is heartbreaking for us to have to say this, yet our understanding of our responsibilities as bishops lead us to this conclusion.

The 2009 General Convention of The Episcopal Church has passed Resolution B056 that says: "bishops, particularly those in dioceses within civil jurisdictions where same-gender marriage, civil unions or domestic partnerships are legal, may provide generous pastoral response to meet the needs of members of this Church." At the present time, "generous pastoral response" in The Diocese of Connecticut is understood as allowing for the blessing of same-sex unions as best interpreted by the clergy and pastoral circumstances of a local eucharistic community. Priests, responsible for the liturgical life of their congregations, are urged to work with their lay leaders to establish parish norms and guidelines for the most robust and generous pastoral response possible for lesbian and gay Christian sisters and brothers seeking the Church's blessing of their relationships characterized by fidelity, monogamy, mutual affection and respect, careful and honest communication, and holy love. These guidelines might include the services of a Justice of the Peace or other qualified person who can legally officiate at a marriage of gay and lesbian couples in the State of Connecticut.

Resolution B056 also asked the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music of The Episcopal Church to develop theological and liturgical resources for the blessing of same-gender unions and report to the 77th General Convention.We have seen drafts of the Standing Commission's report both at our House of Bishops Meeting and at the recent Province One gathering in preparation for this July's General Convention. We expect the 2012 General Convention to consider trial rites for the "Blessing of Same Sex Couples" as well as address the legal implications of blessings of same-gender relationships in states where marriage equality exists. We look forward to revisiting our diocese's liturgical, pastoral and legal position on same-gender blessings and marriage in light of the decisions of General Convention this summer.
Finally, we would like to begin a discussion, in general, about the legal and ethical ramifications related to clergy of this diocese signing a License and Certificate of Marriage for the State of Connecticut. There are some in The Episcopal Church today who believe that the Church should no longer act as an agent of the state in any legal matters. They maintain that it is inconsistent for The Episcopal Church to claim "separation of Church and State" when it comes to matters of the payment of property taxes and at the same time act as an agent of the state in the signing of a License and Certificate of Marriage. Also, for the sake of justice, some clergy choose not to sign marriage licenses for heterosexual couples in order to stand in solidarity with our lesbian and gay sisters and brothers who are currently excluded from marriage in The Episcopal Church. Perhaps it is time for clergy of The Diocese of Connecticut to consider not signing a License and Certificate of Marriage for heterosexual couples married in the Church. This could easily be accomplished by inviting a Justice of the Peace to participate in the service and then sign the License and Certificate of Marriage. We look forward to discussing these ideas with you at the upcoming Clergy Conference, in clericus meetings, and in other venues.

We, the bishops of Connecticut, appreciate that we are living in in-between times with respect to the Church's position on marriage equality. We hope and pray that the guidance provided in this "Episcopal Epistle" will give some clarity to clergy providing care to all seeking the blessing of the Pastoral Offices of The Episcopal Church.

Faithfully,
Ian, Jim and Laura
The Rt. Rev. Ian T. Douglas
The Rt. Rev. James E. Curry
The Rt. Rev. Laura J. Ahrens
The Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

North Carolina Bishop Michael B. Curry on same-gender marriage ban

[Episcopal Diocese North Carolina] North Carolina voters have spoken, passing an amendment to the state constitution – called Amendment One – which allows that “marriage between one man and one woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be recognized by the state.” I, and many other bishops, clergy and laity from within the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina, and faith leaders from many traditions, opposed Amendment One. I opposed it because I believe, as the scripture says, all people are created in the image and likeness of God and that all are therefore to be accorded the rights and dignity that befit a child of God. In like manner, those who hold a very different position are also created in that image — and deserve the same respect that befits a child of God.

My concern for the hurt and harm that this amendment may cause remains. That includes hurt and harm to unmarried victims of domestic violence, unmarried couples — gay or straight, senior couples and children. This must not be the end, but a new beginning to end any form of discrimination in the constitution of our state and to build a new North Carolina, where there is equality and justice for all of God’s children.

I am reminded of the words of the late Senator Ted Kennedy, speaking after his defeat for his party’s nomination for the presidency: “For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on. The cause endures, the hope still lives and the dream shall never die.”

A video of Bishop Curry making the above statement is available here.

Find Amendment One-related resources compiled by the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina here.

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Group asks for apology from Southern Baptist head

SBC president compares gay affirming Americans to Nazis

Faith in America is calling upon Bryant Wright, president of the Southern Baptist Convention, to apologize for incendiary speech that compared affirmation of gay and lesbian people to Nazi propaganda during World War II.

"It is really inconceivable that a person of such prominence within one of America's largest Christian denominations could utter such a comparison," said Brent Childers, executive director of Faith in America. "It is beyond shameful and it makes a mockery of the faith he professes."

In a Sunday, Feb. 5, 2012 sermon entitled "When Homosexual Behavior is a Big Issue", Wright stated that anyone who believes same-sex sexual orientation is God-given or that sexual orientation can't be changed is believing a "lie of the devil" that has been repeated so much that now a majority of the public believes it – saying that was a lesson learned from Nazi Germany.

In his sermon, Wright said it makes him "really shudder" at the thought of faith leaders who affirm the dignity of gay and lesbian people, saying they are teaching "what God says is evil is really good." In addition, he makes the following statements:

"When man all of a sudden decides what God says is sin or evil is really good, that is blasphemous behavior. That is calling God a liar."

"When man says that homosexual desires are God-given and that a person can no more be changed than you could change the color of their skin, this is one of those common lies of the devil that is repeated so much over and over again that now the majority of American public  believe it is true. We learned from the Nazis in World War II in how they approached propaganda. They believed wholeheartedly that if you repeat an outrageous lie over and over again it becomes more and more believable to where the public as a whole finally will embrace it. We saw that in World War II."

Yesterday, CNN and a number of other media outlets reported on a pastor of a Baptist church in North Carolina who had apologized for his comment in a sermon that said boys who appear effeminate should have their wrists broken.

Childers said he understands how a pastor might say something in a sermon that they may not want communicated on the media airwaves but that the posting of Wright's sermon on his web site demonstrates that Wright apparently has no problem with espousing such rhetoric to the public. He said Wright, as a national religious figure, must be held accountable for publicly espousing and promoting that kind of hostility toward gay and lesbian people, especially the rejection and hostility faced by LGBT youth and families.

"Wright’s association of those who affirm lesbian and gay people with Nazis is intentional, even if perhaps unconscious," Childers said. "He obviously wants to paint those who affirm gay and lesbian people to be about as bad as possible, as bad as Nazis."

"But think for a moment what the parent of a gay or lesbian child hears. They hear that treating their child as a natural, wonderfully created child is somehow of the devil and that to embrace their child's sexual orientation is as evil as Hitler. And that if they believe otherwise, they are calling God a liar.

"So parents hear that they must reject their children. Kids hear that it is OK to bully their evil gay or lesbian peers? And young gay kids hear that suicide would be better than a life of rejection and condemnation. This is the kind of physical, emotional and spiritual violence that Wright is inciting within our society.

"Bringing such violence to bear on our neighbors makes a mockery of a faith that emphasizes love and compassion above all else. If Wright feels like shuddering, he should think about the consequences of bringing such violence against children and families."

Last year at the Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting in Phoenix, Ariz., Southern Baptist leader Albert Mohler stated before convention delegates that he did not believe sexual orientation was a matter of mere choice and that "we as Christian churches have not done well on this issue."

"I wonder if Wright considers his colleague Albert Mohler someone who is spreading "outrageous" lies as the Nazis did?" Childers asked. "And I wonder if Mohler would consider Wright's words a job well done?"

Faith in America is a nonprofit organization that works nationally to educate the public about the harm caused to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people, especially LGBT youth and families, when religious teaching is misused to justify stigma and hostility. Brent Childers, who serves as executive director, is a former Southern Baptist and former Religious Right adherent.

NOTE: Wright's reference to Nazis can be viewed at the following web page beginning at the 29:30 mark:
http://rightfromtheheart.org/series/the-everest-of-christian-belief-part-1

Mohler's comments from the 2011 SBC annual meeting can be viewed here:
http://hereiblog.com/transcript-commentary-al-mohler-on-homosexuality-sbc/

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

The SCLM’s Report on Same-Gender Blessings now available in the “Blue Book”

The Rev. Thaddeus Bennett April 30, 2012 The work of the SCLM’s The Blessings Project, concerning same-gender blessings and responding to the 2009 General Convention Resolution C056, has been published in its entirety in the “Blue Book,” the collection of reports to the Episcopal Church’s 77th General Convention of the work completed by its committees, commissions, agencies and boards (CCABs), during the 2010-2012 triennium.  The Blue Book and the SCLM’s Report are available to download at: (http://generalconvention.org/gc/prepare). The SCLM’s report regarding same-gender blessings starts on page 166 and the two proposed Resolutions, A049 and A050, are found on page 168.  The Appendix contains all the work of The Blessings Project (the SCLM and its 5 Task Groups) in the section entitled, I Will Bless You, and You Will Be a Blessing:  Resources for Blessing Same‑Gender Relationships, beginning on page 184 and concluding on page 281. The Blue Book, at more than 750 pages, also contains more than 150 “A” resolutions that the CCABs have proposed to the General Convention, which meets July 5-12 at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, Indiana, in the Diocese of Indianapolis. (Legislative committee hearings and some other convention activities begin July 4.) Go take a look and tell us what you think. El informe de la SCLM sobre la Bendición de Unión de Parejas del Mismo Género ya está disponible en el " Libro Azul"