Oasis News Blog

Consultants reinstated as full members on ecumenical commission

2012-03-03T17:56:00.000-08:00

The Rev. Katherine Grieb of the U.S.-based Episcopal Church and Archbishop Tito Zavala of the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone have been reinstated as full members on the Anglican Communion’s chief ecumenical and doctrinal commission.

The two members have served for the past two years as consultants to the Inter-Anglican Standing Commission on Unity, Faith and Order (IASCUFO) after their full membership on that body was rescinded at the request of Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams.

Williams’ request concerning Grieb came in May 2010 following the consecration of Los Angeles Bishop Suffragan Mary Douglas Glasspool, who is openly gay, and his decision about Zavala was made in October 2010 because the Southern Cone had failed to clarify whether it was still involved in cross-border incursions into other provinces.

Grieb is an Episcopal priest and professor of New Testament at Virginia Theological Seminary. Zavala was bishop of Chile at the time but has since been elected as archbishop of the Southern Cone province.

The request to reinstate the members fully was made by IASCUFO chairman Archbishop Bernard Ntahoturi of the Anglican Church of Burundi.

Williams, according to an article from the Anglican Communion News Service, has asked the secretary general of the Anglican Communion to reinstate Grieb and Zavala “acknowledging that members of IASCUFO are present in virtue of skills relevant to the work of the commission and are not present as representatives of their provinces.” Yet when the sanctions were imposed, Williams cited developments and actions taken by the individuals’ provinces.

The May 2010 sanctions impacted other Episcopalians serving on ecumenical bodies. Two were asked to leave the Anglican-Orthodox Theological Dialogue and one member each stepped down from the Anglican-Methodist International Commission for Unity in Mission and the Anglican-Lutheran International Commission.

One Episcopal Church member serving on the Anglican-Old Catholic International Coordinating Council was initially removed but later reinstated as a consultant after it was agreed that that body is not an ecumenical dialogue but the coordination of work by full communion partners.

At the time, no mention was made about ecumenical commission members from other provinces — such as Nigeria, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda – that had been involved in cross-border interventions in the United States.

Church of England: Sexuality Working Group asks for contributions

2012-03-03T16:32:00.002-08:00

The group chaired by Sir Joseph Pilling to advise the House of Bishops on the Church of England's approach to human sexuality has invited submissions. Written submissions can be sent, to arrive by 31 May, to: Sexuality Working Group, c/o Central Secretariat, Church House, Gt Smith Street, London SW1P 3AZ orsexualityworkinggroup@churchofengland.org. The group will also invite oral evidence at a later stage.

The House of Bishops announced on 1 July, 2011, that it intended to draw together material from the listening process undertaken within the Church of England over recent years in the light of the 1998 Lambeth Conference resolution. It also committed itself to offering proposals on how the continuing discussion within the Church of England about these matters might best be shaped in the light of the listening process. The task of Sir Joseph's group, announced last month, is to help the House discharge its commitment to produce a consultation document.

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CIVIL PARTNERSHIPS AND HUMAN SEXUALITY:

STATEMENT FROM THE HOUSE OF BISHOPS

I attach for information a copy of a statement that the House of Bishops has issued

today on civil partnerships and human sexuality. I also attach a copy of a short

accompanying statement from the Bishop of Norwich which has been published with it.

William Fittall

Church House, Westminster

1 July 2011

Civil Partnerships and Human Sexuality:

A Statement from the House of Bishops of the Church of England

It is now nearly six years since the House issued its PastoralStatement prior to the introduction of civil partnerships in December2005. The preparation of that documentwas the last occasion when the House devoted substantial time to the issue ofsame sex relationships. We undertook tokeep that Pastoral Statement under review. We have decided that the time has come for a review to take place.

Over the past five and half years there have been severaldevelopments. Consistent with theguidelines in the Pastoral Statement a number of clergy are now in civil partnerships.The General Synod decided to amend the clergy pension scheme to improve theprovision for the surviving civil partners of clergy who have died. More recentlyParliament has decided that civil partnerships may be registered on religious premiseswhere the relevant religious authority has consented (the necessary regulationsare expected this autumn).

The review will need to take account of this changing scene. ThePastoral Statement was not concerned with clergy alone but with the wholepeople of God. We recognise that bishopsand clergy have found ways of engaging pastorally with those in civil partnerships,both at the time of registration and subsequently. Within the Anglican tradition our theologicalthinking is formed by a reasoned interpretation of Scripture, within the livingtradition of the Church informed by pastoral experience. The House believesthere is a theological task to be done to clarify further our understanding of thenature and status of these partnerships.

These are the background issues for a review of the 2005Statement. It will be undertaken in thecontext of the Church of England’s teaching on same sex relations as set out inthe General Synod motion of November 1987 and Issues in Human Sexuality (ateaching statement from the House of Bishops in 1991). It will also be consistentwith the approach taken by the Anglican Communion in Resolution 1.10 of theLambeth Conference 1998 and subsequently.

Among the matters to be considered in the review of the 2005 Statementthere is one of some importance which the House did not address in advance ofany experience of civil partnerships. This is whether clergy who have registered civil partnerships should beeligible for nomination to the episcopate. The House has concluded that it wouldbe wrong to pre-empt the outcome of the review and that clergy in civil partnershipsshould not at present, therefore, be nominated for episcopal appointment. The House’s intention is to complete thereview, which will need to take account of the legal analysis set out in GSMISC 992, during 2012.

The House has also decided that more work is now needed on the Churchof England’s approach to human sexuality more generally. In February 2007, the General Synod passed amotion commending “continuing efforts to prevent the diversity of opinion abouthuman sexuality creating further division and impaired fellowship within theChurch of England and the Anglican Communion.”

Alongside the review of the 2005 Pastoral Statement, the House intends,therefore, to draw together material from the listening process which has beenundertaken within 3the Church of England over the recent years in the light ofthe 1998 Lambeth Conference resolution. The House wishes to offer proposals on how the continuing discussionwithin the Church of England about these matters might best be shaped in thelight of the listening process. Ourintention is to produce a further consultation document in 2013.

Church House Westminster 1 July 2011 4House of Bishops’ statement on CivilPartnerships and Human Sexuality – accompanying statement by the Bishop ofNorwich The House of Bishops today issued a statement about the continuingdebate within the Church of England about same–sex relationships. Speaking onbehalf of the House the Bishop of Norwich said: “Contrary to popular perceptionthe House of Bishops has spent very little time over recent years discussinghomosexuality. The last substantive engagement with the issue was in 2005 whenthe House agreed to issue a pastoral statement prepared by a group under mychairmanship on the implications of the introduction of civil partnerships. TheHouse has now agreed that the time has come to commission two new pieces ofwork. First it has asked for a review of the 2005 statement in the light ofsubsequent developments. The review will include examination of whether priestsin civil partnerships should be eligible for appointment as bishops. The 2005statement was silent on this issue and, while the relevant legal background wasanalysed in a recently published Legal Office note, the House acknowledges itsresponsibility to address the policy issue. To avoid pre-empting the outcome ofthe review the House has concluded that clergy in civil partnerships shouldnot, at present, be nominated for episcopal appointment. The review will be completed in 2012. Secondly,the House has committed itself to a wider look at the Church of England’s approachto same-sex relationships more generally in the light of the listening process launchedby the Lambeth Conference in 1998. The Bishops will produce a consultation documentin 2013. The House’s decision is motivated by a desire to help shape the continuingdebate constructively and not by any view about what the outcome should be.” 1July 2011

Forum on HIV/AIDS and hunger cites importance of faith groups

2012-03-02T17:53:00.004-08:00

Senior U.N. officials, business leaders, and development experts on Feb. 29 praised faith groups’ support of global efforts to fight HIV/AIDS and hunger but also stressed their continued support was vital in confronting daunting challenges ahead.

During the forum, which was held at the Geneva headquarters of the World Health Organization and included the participation of Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, participants also praised the strong human rights-based approach taken by faith groups.

Challenges ahead, they said, include new threats posed by climate change and how to increase food output to feed an extra two billion people as the world’s population is projected to increase to nine billion by 2050.

“We are counting on our faith-based partners and their networks to fight this disease (HIV/AIDS),” said Dr. Debrework Zewdie, deputy executive director at the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

“Without them, the millions of people that depend on us would not be reached,” Zewdie noted. She also thanked groups such as the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) for raising funds to fight infectious diseases in Africa such as malaria.

But she also pointed out faith organizations play a major role in helping communities in developing countries increase testing for HIV and in fighting stigmatization of people living with HIV/AIDS.

Williams said that for the faith communities, testing and tackling issues of stigmatization and marginalization is key.

Jon Pender, a vice president of pharmaceutical group GlaxoSmithKline told delegates the role of faith-based groups is vital in delivering care and treatment. Ellen ‘t Hoen, executive director of the Medicines Patent Pool, which works to improve access to treatment, said the strong support by faith organizations for corporate social responsibility has played an important role in helping to secure life-saving antiretroviral medicines.

With regards to fighting hunger, David Nabarro, U.N. special representative for food security and nutrition, emphasized that one-third of the world’s children are chronically malnourished, and new threats of climate change pose serious challenges across the globe.

Peter Prove, executive director of the Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance (EAA), highlighted that finding ways to reduce food waste by consumers should not be overlooked.

Williams remarked that faith communities exist “to help continuously.” He also said that an excessive focus on short-term results “is the enemy,” and argued on the need to focus on sustainable production.

Forum organizers included EAA and members Brot fur Alle, Caritas, LWF, World Alliance of YMCAs, World Student Christian Federation and World Vision International, in collaboration with the World Council of Churches and the Permanent Mission of the United Kingdom.

Episcopal Church, Virginia prevail as court refuses to revise decision

2012-03-02T17:53:00.002-08:00

] Seven breakaway congregations have been ordered by a judge to return control of church property to the Diocese of Virginia by April 30.

Fairfax County Circuit Court Judge Randy I. Bellows set that date after he refused March 1 to reconsider, as requested by the congregations, the part of his Jan. 10 opinion in which he said that some personal property, including monetary gifts, given to the congregations prior to January 31, 2007, belongs to the diocese.

Bellows’ actions were meant to implement his Jan. 10 opinion that the diocese and the Episcopal Church “have a contractual and proprietary interest in the property of these Episcopal churches” for use in the church’s mission and ministry. He added that while congregations “had an absolute right to depart from [the Episcopal Church] and the diocese, they had no right to take these seven Episcopal churches with them.”

The real property includes seven church buildings and a significant number of other parcels. The personal property includes both tangible items, such as chalices, prayer books and crosses, and intangibles, including the funds on hand, the diocese said in a press release issued close to midnight on March 1.

Bellows ordered that the specific inventory of items be based on what he called the “ownership determination date,” which he set at either Jan. 31, 2007, or Feb. 1, 2007, the dates the diocese formally filed for legal action to recover its property.

Bellows issued his order the day after he held a hearing on the issues. The text of the order ishere.

The ruling allows the CANA congregations to retain some restricted funds over which they have no discretion and that do not benefit the local congregation, the diocese or the Episcopal Church, according to the release. The parties have until March 30 to determine the disposition of that money. Where the parties do not agree, the court will decide.

The majority of members and clergy of the seven parishes left to form congregations of theConvocation of Anglicans in North America (CANA), which the Anglican Province of Nigeria began in 2005. The departing members of those congregations then filed claims to parish property under Virginia law.

“We hope that this will mark the end of this lengthy litigation,” Virginia Bishop Shannon S. Johnston said in the diocesan release. “By closing this chapter, both the diocese and the CANA congregations have the freedom to focus our energies on the mission and ministries of our respective congregations, and even what we might be able to do together for people and a world in need of the gospel’s work.”

Johnston added that the diocese has begun an initiative known as Dayspring, which he said was “an integrated effort to discern and implement a comprehensive vision for our congregations and properties affected by this litigation.”

Henry D.W. Burt, secretary of the diocese, called the court’s order “a major milestone in this effort,” and added that the diocese “respect[s] fully the CANA congregations’ right to pursue an appeal, and we are in discussions with them as they face significant issues of discernment and transition in their path forward.”

Jim Oakes, spokesperson for the seven congregations, said in a press release that “while our congregations will comply with the final order, we are saddened that the Circuit Court did not accept the motion for partial reconsideration and we continue to believe that, as a matter of religious liberty, it is the right of donors to restrict the use of their own gifts to the church of their choice.”

The congregations are “prayerfully considering their legal options,” the release said.

“We have always known that a church is not just its buildings, but its people and the transforming gospel of Jesus Christ being proclaimed and lived. We look forward to God leading us in the days ahead,” the Rev. John Yates, rector of the breakaway portion of the Falls Church, said in the same release.

Yates had told his congregation on Feb. 22 that “our intention is to move all staff offices to a convenient nearby office building later this spring, and to shift our Sunday worship services to nearby locations” after the deadline set by Bellows. Some of those worship locations have been determined, others have not, he said.

Yates also said that the congregation “may very well be led” to change its name from Falls Church Anglican. It has already moved its website to http://www.tfcanglican.org/ from http://www.thefallschurch.org. The Episcopal congregation is located here on the web.

Bellow’s Jan. 10 opinion stemmed from a June 2010 decision of the Virginia Supreme Court that found he erred in an earlier ruling when he said that the breakaway congregations involved in the cases were entitled to retain all the parishes’ real and personal property when they left the Episcopal Church and joined another denomination.

In June 2010, the Supreme Court held that although disagreements had caused “a division” within the Episcopal Church and the Diocese of Virginia, the breakaway congregations had affiliated with a church that was not a branch of either the Episcopal Church or the diocese. Such an affiliation is required, the court said, for Virginia’s one-of-a-kind “Division Statute”(Section 57-9(A)) to apply, as the breakaway congregations claimed.

The Supreme Court returned the cases to the lower court for further proceedings to resolve the property claims of the Episcopal Church and the diocese “under principles of real property and contract law.” Bellows held a trial that lasted 22 days stretched over April, May and June 2011, and included testimony by 60 witnesses. He wrote that he also reviewed thousands of pages of post-trial briefs.

In coming to his Jan. 10 opinion, Bellows reviewed Virginia statutes governing church property, the deeds to the real property of the churches, the governing rules of the diocese and the Episcopal Church, and the historic relationship between the parishes and the larger church.

He concluded state statutes support a finding that a local congregation is obligated to comply with the “laws, rules and ecclesiastical polity” of the denomination with regard to property and that the constitution and canons of both the diocese and the Episcopal Church “demonstrate pervasive dominion, management, and control over local church property, in a manner normally associated with ownership, title, and possession.” Bellows said the deeds in question make clear that the property “cannot be removed from the denomination without the larger church’s consent.”

More information about the cases, including all court filings, is available here.

The case originally involved members of 11 congregations of the Virginia diocese but the diocese settled with four of the congregations in the intervening years, including Potomac Falls Church in Potomac Falls and Christ the Redeemer Church in Chantilly, neither of which held any real property.

The diocese agreed to lease the property of Church of the Word in Prince William County to the breakaway members for five years. The Oatlands congregation announced the purchase of a tract of land where they are building a new church. Church of Our Saviour in Loudon County retained the property after paying the diocese $1.95 million, according to Burt. Both congregations agreed to disaffiliate from CANA for a period of time.

The remaining churches are Truro Church, The Church at the Falls – The Falls Church (Arlington), Church of the Apostles (Fairfax), Church of the Epiphany (Fairfax), St. Margaret’s Church (Woodbridge), St. Paul’s Church (Haymarket) and St. Stephen’s Church (Northumberland County).

— The Rev. Mary Frances Schjonberg is an editor/reporter for the Episcopal News Service.

WATCH: Religious Grandparents For Same Sex Marriage

2012-03-02T09:40:00.001-08:00

The 'War on Religion' that never was

2012-02-27T16:16:00.001-08:00

Mail-Order Condom Program Launches For California Teenagers

2012-02-21T14:07:00.002-08:00

A new program supported by the California Department of Public Health will allow teenagers throughout various parts of the state to order condoms online for free.

The initiative, launched on Tuesday and available through TeenSource.org, a website that provides information about safe sex for California teenagers, will be available for individuals ages 12-19 in Alameda, Sacramento, Kern, San Joaquin and parts of San Francisco counties. According to theBakersfield Californian, the effort marks an attempt to tackle "alarmingly high" rates of STDs and teen pregnancies in certain regions. More

'It Gets Better' TV Special Featuring Dan Savage: Best Videos In Support Of LGBT Youth

2012-02-21T13:58:00.000-08:00

"It Gets Better," the hour-long TV special focusing on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth, makes its highly-anticipated MTV and Logo debut tonightw.

According to Dan Savage, sex advice columnist and co-founder of the It Gets Better project, the emotional program will reportedly focus on the lives of three young people who are at different stages of of coming to terms with their sexual orientation and gender identity. MORE

Retired Archbishop Lord Carey launches campaign against same-sex marriage

2012-02-20T10:34:00.002-08:00

Coalition for Marriage has today launched a petition in support of “the legal definition of marriage which is the voluntary union for life of one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others. I oppose any attempt to redefine it.”

In a recent Daily Mail article, Lord Carey claimed the proposal to change the status of marriage ”constitutes one of the greatest political power grabs in history”.

All this is in anticipation of the public consultation on how to make civil marriage available to same-sex couples, to be launched next month, a development supported by David Cameron. At last year’s Conservative party conference, the Prime Minister said: “I support gay marriage because I am a Conservative.”

Lord Carey says he doesn’t begrudge rights and benefits to homosexual couples. Well, you could have fooled me. A glance at the list of signatories on the petition shows that the anti same-sex marriage campaign is supported by those who are hostile to the full inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in the church and actively campaign to deny us any rights, benefits or equality in the church.

They oppose the acceptance of anyone not prepared to suppress desire for intimacy nor willing to eradicate any feelings of love which might draw them into a relationship with a person of the same sex. The petitioners refuse to believe that gay is a natural identity or that anyone is born gay. They support ex-gay ministries and advocate the healing of same-sex sinfulness to make people ‘normal’, which in their belief system means heterosexual.

More of Colin Coward's brilliant post at changing attitude.

Marriage Equality Acts Pass in NJ Senate & House, Action Needed to Overcome Veto

2012-02-16T19:21:00.001-08:00

Integrity NYC-Metro responds to Marriage Equality progress in New Jersey

Both houses of the New Jersey Legislature passed versions of the Marriage Equality and Religious Exemption Act this week. On Monday, Feb. 13th, the Senate voted 24-16 in favor, and today (Thursday) the Assembly followed with a vote of 42-33.

Integrity NYC-Metro is extremely grateful to the Right Rev. Mark Beckwith, Bishop of Newark, and the Right Rev. George Councell, Bishop of New Jersey, for their repeated visits to the State House and speaking out to the press. Thanks to all the clergy and laity who have dared to BELIEVE OUT LOUD about marriage equality as a Christian value.

“It's exciting to witness the progress toward marriage equality that is already happening in the state of New Jersey and I'm particularly heartened by the leadership on that front by our Episcopal bishops,” said the Rev. Jon M. Richardson, Integrity’s Vice-President, National Affairs and Priest-in Charge at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Jersey City. “ I join my voice with so many others in our state calling on Governor Christie to sign the bill.”

However, our work is not yet complete. Governor Christie has indicated he will veto these bills if they reach his desk, and that he prefers a public referendum on the matter. While the majority of New Jerseyans favored marriage equality in recent polls, we do not believe people's civil rights should be put to a vote. We need your voices added to ours in the effort to either build veto-proof support for this legislation or convince the governor to let it pass. We must ensure that a referendum, should it occur, would not put marriage equality in New Jersey further beyond reach.

We ask that you contact your assembly and senate representatives, friends, family members and those in your congregation and be willing to speak from your heart on why marriage equality matters to you. Too often Christians are assumed to be against LGBT equality: at this historic moment in our state's history, let's break that assumption and tell New Jersey that ALL love is of God, and the rights and responsibilities of a stable, recognized relationship belong to ALL couples.

Obama's "Anglican solution" to the birth control controversy

2012-02-13T23:52:00.000-08:00

Jon Meacham, an Episcopalian, suggests that Barack Obama has found an Anglican solution to the controversy controversy over whether Roman Catholic schools and hospitals would be required to provide employees insurance plans that covered contraception..summary

Liberal parishes seek oversight of liberal bishop in conservative diocese

2012-02-13T16:01:00.001-08:00

Read about it here.

Anna Deavere Smith Plumbs Religion and Art at Grace Cathedral

2012-02-13T08:55:00.001-08:00

Last Sunday, worshipers at the 11 a.m. service at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco heard something unusual: a sermon delivered by Anna Deavere Smith, the award-winning actress and playwright.

Clad in white robes and standing between two flickering candles, Smith teased the audience that there would be some interactive elements: “I grew up in the black church so it’s Black History Month and I’m going to need you to be responsive.”

One of her chief themes was the search for “you.”

“Show of hands. How many of you have searched on Google to see what others are saying about you?” she said, pausing to absorb the crowd’s laughter.

It was the first homily for Smith, 61, who is also the first artist-in-residence at this Episcopal cathedral on Nob Hill. She is working on a play, to be performed at the cathedral on Feb. 17 and 18, that will explore the meanings of grace. She has also taken part in a series of public conversations for the Sunday morning Forum program; this coming week she will join the composer John Adams onstage.

Source: The Bay Citizen (http://s.tt/15CSm)

Giles Fraser: As long as it is not a blessing . . .

2012-02-11T11:56:00.000-08:00

Giles Fraser writes: "The point here is that, as the Chancellor has pointed out, nothing in the present restriction precludes clergy from conducting a service of prayer and dedication for those who have undertaken a civil partnership. “The position is clear,” Mr Seed says “. . . clergy may use a form of service they consider suitable in respect of civil partnership, provided that service does not amount to a service of blessing.”

There are those of us who would like this restriction lifted. And we would like to use the church as a venue in which to conduct civil partnerships. But it seems that there are various ways in which the clergy can respond pastorally and liturgically to those who come to them wanting a service after a civil partnership." MORE

Why I signed the London clergy's petition for 'gay weddings' Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2098809/Why-I-signed-London-clergys-petition-gay-weddings.html#ixzz1m6Z7FjTN

2012-02-11T11:54:00.001-08:00

The Rev. George Pitcher writes: "am one of the 100 or so clergy from the Diocese of London who signed a petition to this week's Church of England "parliament", the General Synod, urging it to allow civil partnerships to be conducted in churches.

In many conservative quarters, this letter will generate outrage - not to mention wailing, gnashing of teeth and rending of clothing, though we've probably moved on from a slaughter of the first-born.

Let me explain why I signed: It's a simple rationale and I have four points to make.

Police tell LGBT youth, “It gets better”

2012-02-10T23:06:00.000-08:00

The San Francisco Police Department has become the nation’s first law enforcement agency to assure lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual young people that yes, it does get better.

More than a dozen LGBT officers and 9-1-1 dispatchers appeared in the eight-and-a-half minute video released today on YouTube and the department’s website. It’s part of a nationwide effort by the non-profit Trevor Project to stem the rising number of teen suicides among the LGBT community. MORE

Some church leaders join battle against Uganda’s gay bill

2012-02-10T15:40:00.001-08:00

[Ecumenical News International] Following the re-introduction in Uganda of a bill that would harshly punish homosexuality, gay rights activists, including some church leaders, are uniting through Twitter and Facebook to oppose it.

The Anti-Homosexuality Bill 2009 was revived on Jan. 7 in parliament by David Bahati, the legislator who is its architect, prompting fresh protests worldwide, similar to those that led to its shelving in 2011.

“I am very disappointed with the return of the bill,” former Anglican Bishop Christopher Ssenyonjo of West Buganda told ENInews in a telephone interview on Feb. 8 from Kampala, Uganda’s capital.

A significant change is the removal of the provision for the death penalty, but the new bill still increases to life imprisonment the punishment for homosexual activity, which is illegal in Uganda, with many faith leaders rejecting it as sinful and contrary to Scripture.

But Ssenyonjo criticized politicians for seeking popularity through the bill. He cautioned that it will not work in the long run. “As you can see, a lot needs to be done and we have to use all methods such as Twitter and Facebook,” said the bishop who ministers to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people (LGBTs).

Action against the bill has been mounting on social networks including Twitter and Facebook. A petition seeking 5,000 signatures to urge President Yoweri Museveni and the Ugandan Parliament to reject the law is currently being signed by linking through the networks. It warns Uganda of isolation by the west over the bill.

In Kenya, Anglican priest Michael Kimindu, the African president of the Other Sheep, a gay rights group, said he will post tweets against it.

“It is un-African to suggest killing, whether it is because of sexual orientation or any other reason. We think this bill is very unfair. We are lobbying for its removal,” said Kimindu.

According to Jane Wochaya, communications official at Gay Trust Kenya, the social networks were being used to unite calls for protection of homosexual rights in Uganda.

“The bill goes against the U.N. declaration of human rights and against fundamental basic human rights,” she said.

LBGTs will not start new churches or mosques, according to her, but hoped for acceptance in the existing ones since the faiths stress love, acceptance and inclusion.

Uganda: Anti-homosexuality bill ‘a grave assault on human rights'

2012-02-08T22:46:00.000-08:00

LONDON, /AfricanPress Organization (APO)/ -- Uganda's Parliament today re-introduced a proposedAnti-Homosexuality Bill which Amnesty International considers a ‘grave assaulton human rights’ that must be rejected.

Under the bill, gayand lesbian people in Uganda could face the death penalty for so-called‘aggravated homosexuality’ ‘ a definition which includes consensual sexualconduct.

‘It's alarming anddisappointing that Uganda's Parliament will once again consider theAnti-Homosexuality Bill,’ said Michelle Kagari, Deputy Africa ProgrammeDirector at Amnesty International.

‘If passed, it wouldrepresent a grave assault on the human rights of all Ugandans, regardless oftheir sexual orientation or gender identity.’

The bill introducesdraconian provisions on top of Uganda's existing prohibition on consensualsame-sex relations, which already violates international norms.

It aims to criminalizethe ‘promotion’ of homosexuality, compels HIV testing in some circumstances,and imposes life sentences for entering into a same-sex marriage. It would alsobe an offence for a person who is aware of any violations of the bill'swide-ranging provisions not to report them to the authorities within 24 hours.

The bill wouldsignificantly hamper the work of human rights defenders and others who findthemselves in conflict with the law merely by carrying out their legitimateactivities.

‘The knock-on effectof passing this bill would reach far beyond gay and lesbian people in Uganda,impeding the legitimate work of civil society, public health professionals, andcommunity leaders,’ said Michelle Kagari.

At the bill'sreintroduction, the Speaker informed the House that the bill would not need tobe considered again by the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee, raising fearsthat it could be passed into law imminently.

‘This deplorable billwould not only violate the rights of Ugandans to life, to non-discrimination,to equality before the law, and to privacy, but would sanction hatred, violenceand the persecution of a group of people based on whom they love alone,' saidMichelle Kagari.

Ugandan andinternational human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, haverepeatedly called for the bill to be scrapped since it was first introduced inOctober 2009.

‘We strongly urge theUgandan Parliament to reject this bill in its entirety. It must not legislatehate,’ said Michelle Kagari.

Maryland Nun: Most Catholics Disagree with Bishops on Gay Marriage

2012-02-08T22:35:00.001-08:00

ter Jeannine Gramick of New Ways Ministry spoke at the Maryland Marriage Equality clergy press conference last week, in support of the bill introduced in the state legislature to legalize gay marriage. "I speak on behalf of the majority of U.S. Catholics who favor legal marriage for same-gender couples," she said, adding that this position "flows from our own church's social justice teaching." WATCH:

'Facing the Bully' Special Edition of Weekly Reader's Current Health Magazine Focuses on Defusing Bullying

2012-02-08T22:32:00.001-08:00

In-Depth Advice for Children, Parents and Teachers Available in Free Online Publication

With one in five high school students saying they've been bullied, this societal ill is reaching epidemic proportions. To address this crisis, Weekly Reader's Current Health magazines have assembled special issues – one for grades 4-7, the other for grades 7-12 -- highlighting practical solutions for parents, teachers, and children. Current Health is offering free online versions of the "Facing the Bully" issues atwww.weeklyreader.com/CHbullying. [An extensive teacher's guide is also available online for classroom use.]

"There are meaningful steps that everyone can take to combat bullying and we want to reach as broad an audience as possible with this important information," said Erin King, Current Health's Senior Editor.
A few of the surprising facts about bullying cited in the special issue include:

The most powerful person in any bullying situation is often the bystander.
Bullies are frequently popular with other children.
Children most likely to be bullied are not the kids at the bottom of the social prestige ladder but actually those somewhere in the middle.

Additional articles define different forms of bullying, expose the myths surrounding cyberbullying, and outline ways to develop empathy in children and teens. Current Health editors spoke with experts and students and compiled a variety of simple steps that children can take to begin to solve the problem such as:

Speak up, stand up. "When one person stands up against the bullies, other people will stand up against them. Anyone could be the hero in the hallway," says New Jersey teen Ashley Craig, founder of Students Against Being Bullied — a group she started after being bullied herself.
Acknowledge your own actions. Children should ask themselves: "Have I done or said something hurtful?" Thoughtless phrases such as "That's so gay" can hurt even when no harm is meant. If children have done or said something, it's never too late to apologize—and change that behavior.

Parents are encouraged to listen carefully to their children's comments about bullying and to take them seriously. Mothers and fathers should avoid making potentially hurtful comments about people, as children mimic adults. Parents can also help their children care about others by volunteering together at a nursing home or animal shelter, as empathy has been linked to lower levels of bullying.

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Uganda Lawmakers to Bring Anti-Homosexuality Bill to Floor of Parliament

2012-02-08T22:27:00.000-08:00

According to this news report from Uganda’s NTV, the Parliament’s Business Committee met today and agreed to move the revivedAnti-Homosexuality Bill forward to the full house, possibly as early as tomorrow when the Ninth Parliament begins its third sitting following its Christmas break. There are reports that several lawmakers in Parliament are aggressively pushing for the bill’s passage as part of broader anger over the American and British announcements making nations’ protections of LGBT rights a component of foreign policy. More.

Bishop Marc responds to today’s Prop. 8 ruling

2012-02-08T22:25:00.001-08:00

Written by the Rt. Rev. Marc Andrus

Inspired by the Gospel as carried forward in our tradition, and with a courage that has kept us engaged in the moment with the embodiment of justice in succeeding generations, The Episcopal Church has been led by God’s Spirit (as we believe) to recognize the dignity and appertaining rights of all of God’s children.

Today we rejoice that civil society, represented by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, has upheld a lower court decision overturning the unjust California Proposition 8, regarding the legality of same-sex marriage in California. I pray that if an appeal reaches the U.S. Supreme Court that our justices will show the same wisdom as the majority has shown in the 9th Circuit Court.

Further, although I have publicly advocated for an approach that would invite all couples seeking marriage in the Church, same-sex or heterosexual to first be married in a civil ceremony and then to receive a blessing in the Church, let me be clear that it is my hope that the General Convention of The Episcopal Church meeting in Indianapolis in the summer of 2012 will continue to evolve marriage rites for all couples that will have the approval of the entire Church.

Let us all pray that we may be servants and agents of the Holy Spirit bending the arc of history towards the fullest expression of justice.

+Marc Andrus

The Anti-Defamation League Hails Court Decision Affirming Perry v. Brown

2012-02-07T15:56:00.001-08:00

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - - - The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today hailed the Ninth Circuit court decision affirming Perry v. Brown, holding that California's 2008 amendment, known as "Prop 8" and which banned same-sex couples from marrying, is unconstitutional. ADL issued the following statement:Today's decision is a momentous step forward for same-sex couples who seek the fundamental right to marry. We are gratified that the court has found that there is no basis for singling out gay men and lesbians for denial of a marriage license, and that such discrimination is unconstitutional. As the court stated, "Proposition 8 serves no purpose, and has no effect, other than to lessen the status and human dignity of gays and lesbians in California, and to officially reclassify their relationships and families as inferior to those of opposite-sex couples. The Constitution simply does not allow for 'laws of this sort.'"ADL stands committed to the principle of equal treatment for same-sex couples. With this ruling, California can once again proudly demonstrate its commitment to the fight for individual liberty and freedom from discrimination for all.The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world's leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.

Federal Appeals Court Says California Marriage Ban Is Unconstitutional

2012-02-07T12:23:00.001-08:00

ACLU Hails Landmark Decision and Urges Efforts in Other States to Ensure Success on Appeal SAN FRANCISCO – A federal appeals court today issued a historic decision upholding a lower court ruling that Proposition 8, the California ballot initiative that excluded same-sex couples from marriage in the state, violates the U.S. Constitution. The decision, unless appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, will clear the way for same-sex couples in California to marry once again. The American Civil Liberties Union, the National Center for Lesbian Rights and Lambda Legal filed two friend-of-the-court briefs in the case supporting the argument that Proposition 8 is unconstitutional. “This is a wonderful victory not only for same-sex couples, but for everyone who values fairness and dignity for all families,” said James Esseks, director of the ACLU Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender Project. “Same-sex couples want to marry for the same reasons others do – to make a solemn commitment to their partners and to protect their families. It’s cruel for any state to bar them from marriage, and today’s decision confirms that it’s unconstitutional as well.” Since the Proposition 8 case was filed in 2009, an increasing number of states have embraced protections for same-sex relationships, and a majority of the American public has come to support the freedom to marry. Currently, six states plus Washington, D.C. allow same-sex couples to marry, three other states recognize marriages of same-sex couples performed elsewhere, nine states have full domestic partnerships or civil unions and three more states have more limited domestic partnership registries. “The best thing we can do to support this case is to continue working for greater protections for LGBT families in as many additional states as possible,” said Elizabeth Gill, staff attorney for the LGBT Project at the ACLU of Northern California. “We’ll celebrate this ruling, and then put that momentum toward important battles we’re facing this year.” The ACLU is working in coalition with other organizations to secure the freedom to marry across the country, including passing marriage bills in Maryland and Washington state, passing a voter initiative in Maine that would allow same-sex couples to marry and defeating proposed anti-marriage amendments in Minnesota and North Carolina. The ACLU is also seeking domestic partnership protections in Montana, Missouri and Alaska.

Video Link on Court Decision

2012-02-07T12:20:00.000-08:00

In a split decision, a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found the state's Proposition 8 "works a meaningful harm to gays and lesbians" by denying their right to civil marriage in violation of the 14th Amendment. Supporters of same-sex marriages cheered the decision when it was announced outside the courthouse Tuesday morning.GET THE FULL STORY AND WATCH VIDEO >> http://pridenation.com/magazine/?p=2037

9th Circut Affirms Biblical Truth: We Are All Equal In Eyes of God

2012-02-07T12:17:00.000-08:00

The ancient Biblical truth that all men and women are equal as children of God is affirmed in today’s decision by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. By a 2 to 1 margin the three-judge panel affirmed that same gender couples have an equal right to share in eth responsibilities and merits of marriage. Now we look ahead to the General Convention where we hope of the Episcopal Church will establish a service for blessing the marriage of same gender couples.Three of four federal judges have ruled Proposition 8 violates the U.S. Constitution. We hope and pray a similar majority of justices will concur if the case is appealed to the full 9th Circuit court or the US Supreme Court.Today’s decision makes clear that state and federal law cannot damage people solely on the basis of bias. "Proposition 8 serves no purpose, and has no effect, other than to lessen the status and human dignity of gays and lesbians in California, and to officially reclassify their relationships and families as inferior to those of opposite-sex couples," said Judge Stephen Reinhardt in the majority opinion."The Constitution simply does not allow for laws of this sort."Reinhardt, joined by Judge Michael Hawkins, pointedly refrained from deciding whether gays and lesbians have a constitutional right to marry. Instead, he said Prop. 8 violated the Constitution because it was rooted in moral disproval of gays and lesbians and withdrew rights they had won less than six months earlier, when the state Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage.Their narrowly framed ruling would apply only to California, if upheld on appeal.Reinhardt relied on a 1996 Supreme Court ruling that struck down a Colorado initiative prohibiting cities and counties from enacting civil rights laws protecting gays and lesbians. The high court, in an opinion by Justice Anthony Kennedy, said a state violates equal protection when it strips rights from a vulnerable minority for no apparent reason other than moral disapproval.Prop. 8 falls into the same category, Reinhardt said.

INTEGRITY CALLS ON SIX CALIFORNIA BISHOPS TO EXTEND GENEROUS PASTORAL RESPONSE IN RESPONSE TO PROP 8 DECISION

2012-02-07T12:06:00.001-08:00

Today, Integrity USA celebrates a giant step toward justice with the decision of the Ninth Circuit Court that California’s Proposition 8, which denied marriage to same-gender couples, is unconstitutional. "What wonderful news!", said The Rev. Dr. Caroline Hall, President of Integrity. "Since 1888 the Supreme Court has ruled 14 times that marriage is a basic civil right, but again and again it has been denied to loving, faithful gay or lesbian couples. We can rejoice that in California, our right to equal treatment under the law has been upheld and our marriages are once again recognized. This will be an encouragement to all those fighting this battle in their own states." Rev. Harry Knox, Interim Executive Director of Integrity added, "The Ninth Circuit’s decision affirms same-sex couples’ freedom to commit to care for each other for a lifetime. Thank God the court recognized government should never limit our freedom nor deny our love. Today’s ruling is an important one. We wait to see whether this is the last word or whether our opponents will take their case on to Supreme Court." Both Hall and Knox issued a call to action to the Episcopal Church in the state of California: "Integrity calls upon the bishops of the six California dioceses to extend a generous pastoral response to lesbian and gay couples so that our legal rights can be celebrated in our churches and our marriages blessed by the church in the same manner afforded to our straight friends and family. This is an enormously important symbol of the Episcopal Church’s true willingness to welcome all people even those of us who are LGBT and to extend all the sacraments to all the baptized.We hope that California citizens will soon be able to marry the person they love."While this is a huge victory in the battle for marriage equality, this fight is far from over. Same-sex married couples still face federal discrimination against their marriages because of the so-called Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Integrity vows to continue to fight for marriage equality both within and outside of the church. We will not stop until we can claim the promise that all really means ALL."

No Anglican Covenant Coalition ANNOUNCES PROFESSOR DIARMAID MacCULLOCH AS PATRON

2012-02-06T19:37:00.000-08:00

LONDON – The Revd Dr Lesley Crawley, Moderator of the NoAnglican Covenant Coalition, has announced the appointment of Oxford UniversityProfessor Diarmaid MacCulloch, DD, as a Patron of the Coalition. Professor MacCullochjoins the Rt Revd Dr John Saxbee and the Rt Rev Dr Peter Selby, who wereappointed last June.

“I’m thrilled that Professor MacCulloch has agreed to acceptthis appointment,” said Crawley. “As oneof the acknowledged experts in the English Reformation, he has a very clearunderstanding of how the centralization of authority in the proposed AnglicanCovenant is at odds with fundamental Anglican ecclesiology.”

“Anglicanism was born in the Reformation’s rejection of anunwarranted and unhistorical over-centralization of ecclesiastical authority,”according to Professor MacCulloch. “Thispernicious proposal of a Covenant (an unhappy choice of name if you knowanything about our Church’s history) ignores the Anglican Communion’s past, andseeks to gridlock the Anglican present at the cost of a truly Anglican future.”

MacCulloch is Professor of the History of the Church, andFellow of St Cross College, in the University of Oxford. He is also a Fellow of the British Academyand co-edits the Journal of Ecclesiastical History. He has written several books on Christianhistory and the English Reformation, including the award winning Thomas Cranmer:A Life and The Reformation: A History. His most recent book, A History of Christianity: the First Three ThousandYears, won the 2011 Cundill Prize. Hedevised and presented the BBC television series based on that work. MacCulloch received a knighthood earlier thisyear for his services to scholarship.

9th Circut Appeals Court to Issue Prop 8 Decision TOMORROW!

2012-02-06T12:29:00.000-08:00

Prop 8 Decision Alert

Overview

The U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals anticipates releasing an opinion by 10 AM tomorrow (Tuesday February 7, 2012) in the appeal that seeks to overturn Judge Walkers rejection of Proposition 8.

A summary of the opinion prepared by court staff and the decision itself will be posted online.

Please join us for rallies:

Please join same-sex couples, LGBTIQ people, friends, family, and clergy for 2 events on the day that the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals announces its decision regarding Proposition 8. The Ninth Circuit has completed all hearings and briefing in the case and could rule at any time.

FIRST RALLY @9:45 AM:
Gather on the steps of the Ninth Circuit Federal Courthouse, 95 7th Street (at Mission), San Francisco, CA 94103-1518 to receive the ruling (anticipated at 10:00 AM). Afterwards, we will proceed to San Francisco City Hall, where clergy will be available to bless couples who are not able to marry because of Prop. 8. (Even if the Ninth Circuit rules in our favor, it is highly likely that there will be a stay on the decision, meaning no marriages could take place immediately.)

SECOND RALLY @5:00 PM:
Gather at Jane Warner Plaza, on 17th street across from the MUNI station on Castro and Market, San Francisco, CA 94114 for a community rally. We will either celebrate or protest the decision, and either way, rededicate our resolve to achieve full federal equality nationwide.

If you are able to attend one or both of these rallies, please send an email to:

Rev Dawn Roginski
Associate Coordinator
Bay Area Coalition of Welcoming Congregations
(510) 849-8208
droginski at clgs.org

One of the best welcome videos we've ever seen - from Ft. Worth, TEXAS

2012-02-06T09:17:00.000-08:00

"Come and see:" an invitation that Oasis California churches extend to all of us. This video from Ft. Worth can serve as an introduction to the Episcoapl Church in general and many of our parishes around the Bay Area.

In London, Occupy movement says Jesus would join them

2012-01-31T23:10:00.001-08:00

[USPG] Residents of the Occupy London camp outside St. Paul’s Cathedral are challenging church and society to consider their stance on global economics.

Speaking to the U.K.-based USPG mission agency, residents of the campsite – now passed its 100th day – were clear in their belief that Christians should stand on the side of the marginalized and the poor, and against the drive for profit at any cost.

Resident Tammy Samede said: “Jesus himself was a protester. He fought for economic and social justice. He threw the money lenders out of the temple because they were taking advantage of the poor.”

Samede expressed her gratitude for Christian support for Occupy London – including plans for a Prayer Circle to be formed around the camp on the day when eviction orders are finally issued (expected at the end of January).

Campaigner George Barda said: “We are part of a global movement. If enough people are inspired, we have a chance of tackling global injustice issues. We have a system in which profit is put above development and the environment. Anything to do with values is way down the pecking order, so we are desperately trying to pick up the pieces caused by the institutionalized drive to maximize profit.

“This is about establishing a global framework that will tackle poverty and injustice. I support the idea of compassionate revolution. This was Jesus’ message. He talked about turning the world upside down. We need to take power from the top and redistribute it to the majority on a compassionate basis.”

Matthew Varnham, a resident who also acts as the campsite’s legal liaison, said: “We’re not saying we have the answer. This is all about encouraging people to have a discussion about what we want our society to look like and what we want our world to look like.

“The Occupy movement represents an opportunity to really engage with issues in a way that hasn’t been available before. The momentum is here – we should make the most of it.”

USPG Chief Executive Janette O’Neill explained that USPG is actively working with international church partners to tackle injustice and the poverty gap. “Whatever your view of Occupy, they are bringing important issues to the attention of society and the church,” she said. “In all of this, we pray that Christ’s message will be uppermost, urging us all to choose compassion and justice over greed.”

John 3:16: Meaning Of Tim Tebow's Touted Bible Verse And A Look Into Religion In Sports

2012-01-31T04:30:00.000-08:00

The quarterback's highly publicized Christian image has long been discussed among sports fans nationwide, but what's the significance of Tebow's favorite scripture passage and how has religion played a role in sports? More

Archbishop Sentamu is “intolerant and out of touch”

2012-01-30T23:24:00.000-08:00

London, UK –

“The Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, has condemned the UK government over its plans to legalise same-sex civil marriage; insinuating that it is behaving in a dictatorial manner. But he is the real dictator. Dr Sentamu wants to impose his personal opposition to gay marriage on a society that rejects his demand for homophobic discrimination,” said human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell, coordinator of the Equal Love campaign, which seeks marriage equality.

“The Archbishop is unelected, whereas the government is democratically elected and a clear majority of the public support same-sex civil marriages. See below.

“Dr Sentamu is a religious authoritarian who opposes equality. It is not a loving Christian value to demand legal discrimination against gay couples and to treat them as inferior, second class citizens.

“The government is proposing to legalise same-sex marriages in register offices only. This will not affect churches. The Archbishop has no valid grounds for objecting to civil registrations that will ensure marriage equality for all couples.

“The vast majority of the British people, including many Christians, support the right of same-sex couples to get married. Dr Sentamu is intolerant and out of touch. His stance colludes with homophobia. It brings shame and dishonour to the Church of England.

“The Archbishop’s insulting, disparaging attitude towards lesbian and gay people is evidenced by the way he dismisses loving same-sex civil partnerships as mere friendships.

“His demand to preserve the tradition and history of marriage is very similar to the arguments that were in the past used by the church to justify slavery, colonialism and the denial of votes to women,” said Mr Tatchell.

Notes:

The Equal Love campaign is seeking to overturn the twin legal bans on same-sex civil marriages and opposite-sex civil partnerships. It played a major role in persuading the government to commit to the legalisation of same-sex civil marriages, and currently has an appeal against the twin bans under consideration by the European Court of Human Rights.

www.equallove.org.uk

Nearly two-thirds of the British public say the law on civil marriage should not discriminate.

A Populus poll, published in The Times newspaper in June 2009, found that 61% of the public believe that: “Gay couples should have an equal right to get married, not just to have civil partnerships.” Only 33% disagreed.

The Episcopal Diocese of Newark's Oasis Ministry announces The Louie Crew Scholarship

2012-01-30T18:33:00.000-08:00

The Oasis

Working for Justice since 1989

In recognition of Dr. Louie Crew’s many years of prophetic witness in and beyond the Diocese, The Oasis – a justice ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of Newark – is pleased to award up to two annual scholarships awarded from its endowment fund to support scholarly work which shares The Oasis’ mission “to make the church safe forALL people, and to challenge the church when its interest is self-preservation and not prophetic witness.” Scholarship applications will be vetted by a special Scholarship Committee which will include Dr. Crew and will be announced at our anniversary service in June. Each scholarship is $2,500.

We welcome applications from writers, students, and researchers. To apply:

· Describe specifically in no more than 500 words how you will use the money to support ongoing scholarly workwhich shares the Oasis' mission "to make the church safe for ALL people, and to challenge the church when its interest is self-preservation and not prophetic witness." At the top of the sheet include your name and contact information.

· Attach a résumé no longer than one sheet.

· On a third sheet, provide a name, postal address, phone number and any electronic address for two references who know you and your scholarship.

Submit the three sheets of your application to by April 1, 2012 to:

The Oasis

Attention: Scholarship Committee
Episcopal Diocese of Newark
31 Mulberry Street
Newark, NJ 07102

or Chair@oasisnewark.org

2012-01-30T15:40:00.000-08:00

Lord Carey, the former Archbishop of Canterbury - who led the charge to demonize LGBT people during the 1998 Lambeth Conference - has joined other clerics to back a therapist who was found guilty of professional malpractice last year after offering ‘gay cure’ therapy. More.

Don’t legalise gay marriage, Archbishop of York Dr John Sentamu warns David Cameron

2012-01-30T15:31:00.000-08:00

In an interview with The Daily Telegraph, Dr John Sentamu, the second most senior cleric in the Church of England, tells ministers they should not overrule the Bible and tradition by allowing same-sex marriage.

The Government will open a consultation on the issue in March and the Prime Minister has indicated that he wants it to be a defining part of his premiership. But the Archbishop says it is not the role of the state to redefine marriage, threatening a new row between the Church and state just days after bishops in the House of Lords led a successful rebellion over plans to cap benefits.

“Marriage is a relationship between a man and a woman,” says Dr Sentamu. “I don’t think it is the role of the state to define what marriage is. It is set in tradition and history and you can’t just [change it] overnight, no matter how powerful you are. MORE

Church on the path to irrelevance

2012-01-30T15:20:00.001-08:00

The Rt. Rev. George Packard writes:

After the dustup with Trinity Church over Duarte Park in Manhattan and my arrest I thought it was a good idea to put the past aside and gather some Episcopalians for coffee one block north of Zuccotti Park. Before arriving I spent a half hour staring at that infamous space with its barricades set aside and chained together, made irrelevant by the court order favoring Occupy Wall Street. Still, there was an ominous and newly-erected watch tower glowering down on the far corner. It bristled with TV cameras. The tower, a collapsible assembly hoisted up and down for better police vantage, was tactically sensible, but given the strident tone of police behavior it gave the look of Damascus. As our meeting awaited, I shuddered, thinking, “Would the Church cope or collude with this kind of future?”

UN Secretary General Calls Out African Homophobia

2012-01-30T09:42:00.000-08:00

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon urged African nations to end government-sanctioned discrimination and violence against LGBT people.

Speaking at the African Union summit on Sunday in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Ban Ki-Moon called the discrimination a violation of the UN's universal declaration of human rights.
UN Secretary General Calls Out African Homophobia

Effort to Kill Calif. LGBT Education Act Ramps Up

2012-01-28T19:38:00.001-08:00

An effort to kill the California law that mandates the teaching of historical contributions by LGBT people moves closer to qualifying for the ballot as opponents now have until June to collect half a million signatures.

The Amazing Story of the Televangelist and his Gay Grandson Read More http://www.details.com/culture-trends/critical-eye/201202/preacher-oral-roberts-grandson-randy-roberts-potts-the-gay-agenda#ixzz1kcNAblgD

2012-01-27T17:30:00.000-08:00

Randy Roberts Potts likes to say he grew up 50 feet and a million miles away from firebrand televangelist Oral Roberts. Now openly gay and a pariah to his family, the 37-year-old is on a mission of his own: to undo his grandfather's legacy by preaching in churches and touring the bible belt with his new performance piece, The Gay Agenda.

Read More

Same-gender blessings: one parish's progress

2012-01-26T22:30:00.001-08:00

St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Fayetteville, Arkansas engaged in deep conversation before deciding to bless same-gender relationships. In this video, members of the congregation reflect on their process and their decision. More

The Church of England's fudge on female bishops is breathtaking

2012-01-26T21:36:00.000-08:00

The Church of England's House of Bishops – for which, read the archbishops of Canterbury and York – has explained how they hope to mollify the opponents of female clergy.

The proposals are breathtaking.The archbishops envisage that the Church of England, once it has female bishops, will continue ordaining men who do not accept these women, finding them jobs they will deign to accept, and promoting some of them to be bishops who will work to ensure the continued supply of male priests who refuse to accept female clergy. In fact, the church will pay three bishops (the formerly "flying" sees of Ebbsfleet, Richborough, and Beverley) to work full time against their female colleagues, and to nourish the resistance.

The General Synod, last summer, rejected the archbishops' plan to fix a reservation in law where the opponents could live as if nothing had changed. Now they have brought back the same proposals, but call them "a code of practice" instead. In theory, this gives both sides what they want. In reality neither will find it easy to accept. MORE

At Sundance, "Love Free Or Die," Documentary About Bishop Gene Robinson Takes Center Stage

2012-01-26T17:28:00.001-08:00

It's been years since the incident, but Bishop Gene Robinson's heart still races when he sees it on film.

Robinson, the Episcopal Church's first openly bishop, was preaching in London when a man in the audience stood and began yelling at him. The heckler waved a motorcycle helmet in his hand as he ranted. Robinson silently wondered if he was hiding a gun or a bomb beneath it.

Ultimately, the man was escorted from the church, but the moment reminded everyone, including Robinson, of the risks of taking a stand.

It's one of many moments -- some suspenseful, some inspiring, some heartbreaking -- captured in "Love Free or Die," a documentary about Robinson that's premiering at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. MORE

Slain Ugandan gay rights activist honored one year on

2012-01-26T10:53:00.000-08:00

About 100 Ugandan gay rights activists and mourners gathered Jan. 26 to commemorate the first anniversary of the murder of David Kato.

Kato, former advocacy officer for Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG), was found bludgeoned to death at his home outside Kampala on Jan. 26, 2011. The local police initially put the motive down to robbery. But in November, a Ugandan court sentenced 22-year-old Enoch Nsubuga to 30 years in jail after he admitted killing Kato. Nsubuga alleged he was reacting to sexual advances.

Kato had received several death threats since October 2010 when his photo had appeared on the front page of a newspaper alongside that of former Ugandan Anglican Bishop Christopher Senyonjo under a banner reading “Hang Them.” Both men have been outspoken advocates for human rights in Uganda, where current laws on homosexuality carry sentences of up to life imprisonment.

“We are here to celebrate and thank God for our beloved friend and human rights activist David Kato,” Senyonjo said during the gathering, according to reports.

Kato’s family members at the event spoke of the support that they had received from campaigners both in Uganda and the international community following his death, according to a news report from AFP.

“It is not easy when a loved one dies but thanks to all the friends inside and outside Uganda who worked with David … when I get down they lift me up and help me,” said Nalongo Kisule, Kato’s mother, according to the report.

Kato’s death came in the midst of international condemnation towards a bill that had been proposed in the Ugandan Parliament calling for broadening the criminalization of homosexuality and introducing the death penalty in certain cases.

The bill, which had been temporarily withdrawn due to public pressure, was reintroduced in October 2011 and parliamnetary debate re-opened.

Talking at the memorial event, international gay rights supporters pledged to help defeat the proposed legislation, the AFP reports.

An ENS video report highlighting Senyonjo’s ministry follows. The report, produced in March 2011, features a visit to Kato’s grave and his mother’s home.

Barney Frank Marriage: Retiring Congressman Intends To Marry Longtime Partner Jim Ready

2012-01-26T09:54:00.001-08:00

Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) intends to marry his longtime partner, Jim Ready in Massachusetts, New England Cable News reports.

Maine Poised For Second Public Vote On Gay Marriage

2012-01-26T09:51:00.000-08:00

AUGUSTA, Maine -- Gay rights activists in Maine, the only New England state that doesn't allow gay marriage or civil unions, said Thursday that they are forging ahead with plans to put the marriage question up to a second statewide vote. MORE.

Six Answers About Same Sex Marriage From a Minnesota Priest

2012-01-24T17:07:00.000-08:00

Integrity Province 6 Coordinator Scott Monson, based in Minnesota, is bracing for a long and potentially polarizing campaign upcoming after state lawmakers there agreed to allow voters to decide whether to limit civil marriage to heterosexual couples – a prohibition that already exists in state law.

Much discussion is going on about the issue. A commentator in the The Minneapolis Star Tribune recently published an article titled "Six questions for supporters of same-sex marriage to answer -- forthrightly" and asked for responses. A friend and colleague of Scott's who is a straight ally and supporter of same sex marriage, The Rev. Lisa Cressman, sent in a response which the Star Tribune liked and published. (See below.) Scott wants to share her answers with our readers to file away and use when necessary. He says, "Her responses are loving, compassionate and wise—in a word, Christ-like. I think that is why they ring so true."

Here is that article:

Marriage Questions, Asked and Answered

• Article by: The Rev. LISA CRESSMAN

• Published January 17, 2012 - 11:21 PM

Editor's note: The Jan. 14 commentary "Six questions for supporters of same-sex marriage to answer -- forthrightly" inspired an unusual outpouring of response, with scores of readers submitting answers to commentator Dan Nye's questions. Although each counterpoint writer brought a unique voice and perspective, their answers were similar in substance. We have selected this rebuttal as representative:

1. Were our ancestors all dumb and bigoted?

Our ancestors knew many truths, but not all. A common example of what our ancestors held to be self-evident, biblically sanctioned truth, which we now hold in abhorrence, is slavery. It's appropriate to ask ourselves whether a particular societal tradition is the best way for us to continue.

2. Don't our sexual organs exist for reproduction?

Reproduction is one of their purposes, but so is intimacy. If our sexual organs existed solely for reproduction, couples would have sex only at the times necessary for procreation. Moreover, if this were the case, physical fulfillment in marriage wouldn't be enjoyed by couples who cannot have children (for medical reasons or by virtue of advanced age) or who choose not to do so.

3. Do we just give in to our sexual desires?

Our sexual desires have been channeled through the worthy tradition that people choose one mate and make a promise of fidelity through marriage. A mutual, joyful and public commitment, permanently held, one to another, is the healthiest way to build stable families and a stable society. This would argue for encouraging members of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community likewise to make a commitment of marriage as the appropriate avenue for their sexuality.

4. Adultery, pedophilia and bestiality are wrong. So homosexuality?

Adultery is a problem because of the trust shattered when marriage vows are broken. Pedophilia and bestiality are anathema because there cannot be mutual consent -- an adult always holds power over a child or an animal. Homosexual commitment is mutual between consenting adults.

5. Changes in norms require universal acceptance. Prevalent homosexuality will not work.

Many changes in our country have taken place without universal acceptance. Indeed, many laws in our country were designed to protect the very people who do not receive universal acceptance.

As to prevalent homosexuality, the long-held estimate is that roughly 10 percent of the population is homosexual. No law has the ability to increase or decrease those numbers.

6. The religious question: Shouldn't we be trying to encourage others to repent of a wrong?

The assumption is that homosexuality is wrong. Assumptions are fair to question, even religious ones. We understand now, in a way our biblical ancestors could not, that medically and psychologically, homosexuals are born, not made. Would a loving God deliberately create someone who is fundamentally a mistake?

If it's a question about "love the sinner but hate the sin," the way we discern whether something is, in fact, sinful, is to look at its consequences. The consequences that result from committed homosexual relationships are as positive as they are for committed heterosexual relationships: stable, tax-paying, caring-for-one-another-through-thick-and-thin families. These are the kinds of consequences that benefit all of society.

Marriage matters to the GLBT among us as much as it does to the rest of us. Surrounded by family and friends, to make a promise to cherish that one other person until parted by death, matters.

This is a big change, surely. I am persuaded, however, that change based on a commitment, a lifelong commitment of mutual joy, will benefit us all.

* * *

Lisa Cressman, of Lake Elmo, is assistant priest at St. Mary's Episcopal Church-Basswood Grove.

© 2011 Star Tribune

Archbishops suggest ‘open-ended engagement’ with breakaway Anglicans

2012-01-23T16:36:00.000-08:00

Archbishops Rowan Williams of Canterbury and John Sentamu of York have suggested that the Church of England and the Anglican Communion ought to be in “an open-ended engagement” with the Anglican Church in North America.

The organization is made up of individuals and groups that have left the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church of Canada, as well as those that have never been members of those two provinces. It includes entities such as the Reformed Episcopal Church, formed in 1873, and theAnglican Mission in the Americas, founded by Rwandan Archbishop Emmanuel Kolini and Moses Tay, the now-retired primate of the province of South East Asia, in 2000.

Williams and Sentamu made their remarks in a report to the Feb. 6-9 sessions of the Church of England’s General Synod.

The report comes in response to a resolution the synod passed two years ago in which the Church of England recognized and affirmed ACNA’s desire “to remain in the Anglican family,” but said it was not yet ready to be in full communion with the breakaway entity.

The archbishops said that theirs was “a report on work in progress since the consequences of the establishment of ACNA some two and a half years ago are still emerging and on a number of issues any assessment at this stage must necessarily be tentative.” They offer some details on three issues: the range of possible relationships between other Christian churches and the Church of England, how a “particular local Church” can be accepted as part of the Anglican Communion, and under what circumstances the orders of another church might be recognized and accepted by the Church of England.

They noted that General Synod determines the nature of its relationship with other Christian churches and that the Anglican Consultative Council‘s constitution allows for new members by decision of the Standing Committee of the Communion and with the assent of two-third of the primates of the Churches already listed in the constitution. And, they said, people ordained in churches that accept the historical episcopate may be received into the Church of England and be authorized to minister.

The February 2010 resolution referred to “the distress caused by recent divisions within the Anglican churches of the United States of America and Canada,” and the archbishops said that that distress will continue “for some considerable time.” The divisions occurred over the decisions of the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church of Canada related to full inclusion of LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) people in the life of the church, the ordination of women and the authority of scripture.

“Wounds are still fresh,” Sentamu and Williams write. “Those who follow developments in North America from some distance have a responsibility not to say or do anything which will inflame an already difficult situation and make it harder for those directly involved to manage the various challenges with which they are still grappling.”

Thus, they said, the outcome of the open-ended engagement that they suggest “is unlikely to be clear for some time yet, especially given the strong feelings on all sides of the debate in North America.”

The two men stressed that the Church of England “remains fully committed to the Anglican Communion and to being in communion both with the Anglican Church of Canada and the Episcopal Church.”

Another one bites the dust: Georgia Supreme Court upholds property ruling 6-1

2011-11-21T14:29:00.000-08:00

[Episcopal News Service] The Georgia Supreme Court has affirmed a lower court ruling that the real property and other assets of Christ Church Episcopal in Savannah are held in trust for the Diocese of Georgia and the Episcopal Church.

The text of the 6-1 opinion, as well as the dissenting opinion, is here.

The court's opinion, issued Nov. 21, said that two lower courts properly applied the "neutral principals of law" approach, previously adopted by that court and approved by the U.S. Supreme Court as a constitutional method for resolving church property disputes.

The "neutral principles" approach requires courts to resolve church property disputes by examining deeds, state statutes, and the governing documents of the local and general church in order to discern whether local church property is held subject to any obligations to the larger church.

Supreme Court Justice David E. Nahmias, writing for the majority, said that "the record shows that at all times during the 180 years before this dispute began, Christ Church acted consistently with the Episcopal Church's canons regarding its property, demonstrating the local church's understanding that it could not consecrate, alienate, or encumber - much less leave with - its property without the consent of the parent church."

The opinion also said "the First Amendment allows Christ Church and its members to leave the Episcopal Church and worship as they please, like all other Americans, but it does not allow them to take with them property that has for generations been accumulated and held by a constituent church of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America."

Georgia Bishop Scott Behase said in a statement that "while we are grateful that a third court has upheld our legal rights to the property held in trust for the Episcopal Church for more than 200 years, whatever satisfaction we feel in prevailing in the courts is muted by the knowledge that this decision is painful for some of our brothers and sisters in Christ," referring to the congregation that disaffiliated from the Episcopal Church while continuing to occupy church property.

"As Christians we know that even those with whom we disagree are also seeking to follow Jesus faithfully," he added. "While we were forced to take action when the breakaway congregation deprived the thriving congregation of Christ Church Episcopal of the property we hold in trust for them on Johnson Square, we know that both groups share faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of the world."

The Rev. Michael S. White, Christ Church rector, said in a statement that he was thankful that the dispute is over but, "we remain saddened that our brothers and sisters decided to leave the Episcopal Church. Our church is diminished by their absence and by the loss of their voice in our midst.”

White added that "we will return to our church home on Johnson Square and maintain our abiding commitment to Christian grace, joy, humility and forgiveness.”

White and the continuing congregation have been worshipping on Sunday evenings since October 2007 at St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church in Savannah. That gathering will continue "until further notice as we conclude certain administrative matters associated with our transitioning back to our historic home," he said.

When they return, White said, it will be as "a changed people."

"During this time in exile, we have formed as a community of faith and a Church centered in worship and service to God and God's world," he said. "Through the work of the Holy Spirit in our midst, we have also experienced the truth that we are called to be faithful stewards of his word and sacraments wherever we may meet."

The Anglican Church of the Province of Uganda-affiliated congregation said in a statement on its website that it was reviewing the ruling and that the leaders of the parish "will meet to determine our next course of action which could include an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court if warranted."

The Episcopal Church, the Diocese of Georgia and Christ Church Episcopal originally filed a lawsuit after some clergy and members of the parish voted to align with the Province of Uganda in September 2007 but refused to vacate the building and relinquish control over other church assets.

In July 2010, the Georgia Court of Appeals upheld an Oct. 27, 2009, ruling by Chatham County Court Judge Michael Karpf, which said that "a trust over the property exists in favor of the national church and the Diocese of Georgia. Accordingly, the court finds that the church property reverts to the control of the bishop of the Diocese of Georgia for the uses and purposes of the Episcopal Church and that plaintiffs are entitled to immediate possession."

Until the congregation split, Christ Church had abided by the requirements of the Episcopal Church's property canons, including after the General Convention in 1979 passed the "Dennis Canon" (Canon 1.7.4), which states that a parish holds its property in trust for the diocese and the Episcopal Church, the appeals court said.

The breakaway congregation now has until Dec. 1 to file a motion for reconsideration.

Amicus briefs were filed in the case by the American Anglican Council, the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, the Church of God, the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Atlanta, the Presbyterian Lay Committee and the South Georgia Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church.

The dispute began in March 2006 when the church's former rector and members of the vestry changed the parish's articles of incorporation to disavow its affiliation with the Episcopal Church. In November 2007, the diocese filed a petition in Chatham Superior Court to regain the parish's real and personal property after the vestry voted unanimously to place the congregation under the care of John Guernsey, a former Episcopal priest who had been consecrated as a Province of Uganda bishop.

Established in 1733 by General James Oglethorpe, founder of the Georgia colony, Christ Church is known as the "Mother Church of Georgia." The church has been the home for many of Savannah's most prominent citizens, according to a statement on its website, including Girl Scout founder Juliette Gordon Low and Academy-award winner Johnny Mercer. It counts among its former rectors John Wesley and George Whitfield, and in more recent times, Bland Tucker.

The Episcopal Diocese of Georgia covers the southern two thirds of the state of Georgia, including Savannah, Augusta, Albany, Thomasville, Valdosta and Brunswick.
-- The Rev. Mary Frances Schjonberg is an editor/reporter the Episcopal News Service.

Court: Prop. 8 forces can defend measure

2011-11-17T11:18:00.001-08:00

Court: Prop. 8 forces can defend measure

State Supreme Court rules sponsors of the gay marriage ban have the right to appeal a federal judge's ruling that struck it down.

CA Supremes to rule 10 AM Thursday Re: Standing in Prop 8 Appeal

2011-11-16T14:23:00.001-08:00

PERRY (Kristin M.) et al. v. BROWN JR. (Edmund G.), as Governor, etc., et al.
S189476 (9th Cir. No. 10-16696; N.D. Cal. No. 3:09-cv-02292-VRW)
Argued in San Francisco 9-06-11
The court granted the request of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit to address the following question: “Whether under Article II, Section 8 of the California Constitution, or otherwise under California law, the official proponents of an initiative measure possess either a particularized interest in the initiative’s validity or the authority to assert the State’s interest in the initiative’s validity, which would enable them to defend the constitutionality of the initiative upon its adoption or appeal a judgment invalidating the initiative, when the public officials charged with that duty refuse to do so.”

Opinion(s) in the above case(s) will be filed on:
Thursday, November 17, 2011 at 10:00 a.m

In Massachusetts, An Unfolding Dream

2011-11-15T19:15:00.000-08:00

It's been a tense, exciting day in the Boston area as the legislation known as the "Transgender Equal Rights Bill" makes its way out of the Judiciary Committee for the first time in six years.  The bill is heading to the legislature with a vote expected tonight or tomorrow as the winter recess approaches.

Yesterday the Boston Globe and Boston Herald reported on the impending vote, and this morning both papers reported on dueling press conferences in which the bill's opponents called the vote a "distraction" from economic issues.  When one such representative argued, "The goals of the advocates is to have this litigated in the courts,” he was confronted by Ken and Marcia Garber.  The Garbers' transgender son was, as the Globe explained,"bullied and discriminated against before he lost his life to a drug overdoes at the age of 20." When the representative "said he did not have time to answer their question because he was late to a meeting," the Garbers, faithful members of Dignity Boston, "challenged Lombardo’s contention that the transgender bill is a distraction from bills that would protect the state’s economic future, [saying] 'Some of these people will never have a future if they don’t do something' to pass the legislation.".

As the battle over this legislation heats up, I find myself seeking to be present to it as a holy time and space, as an invitation to be, as Bishop Shaw often puts it, opened.  It strikes me that this openness is not simply a static state of welcome and inclusion, but an ongoing process of being opened, transformed by God, ushered into new ways of being in the world, into a new time and space that Christians name as the reign or dream of God. That notion of openness is unsettling and challenging indeed, but hopeful and promising beyond our wildest imaginings.  May it be—may it become – so.

Posted by the Rev. Dr. Cameron Partridge, is the Episcopal Chaplain at Boston University and a Lecturer at Harvard University, to Walking With Integrity.

Despite surpirse legal action, Diocese of Connecticut seeks way forward with leadership of St. Paul's, Darien

2011-11-10T16:32:00.000-08:00

Editor's note: Follow the money to understand this story. St. Paul's is very rich and very conservative. For years they have participated in diocesan convention but refused to pay their fair share of the cost of running the diocese. The parish has filed yet another suit challenging "the legitimacy of a trust that the Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut claims it has regarding the Parish's Darien church grounds and assets." Big bucks are at stake here.Bishop Douglas has been very nice to St. Paul's so far, offering them oversight by a more conservative Bishop. And he has nudged them toward paying up. Their response is described below. Do they really think they look like Jesus when they sue to keep more of their money in Darien?

The Rt. Rev. Ian T. Douglas, Ph.D., bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut, and the rector and vestry of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Darien, Conn., are working within the existing structure of the Church to find a way forward for the clergy and lay leadership of St. Paul’s to remain validly within The Episcopal Church. The Bishop and other diocesan leaders have maintained and expressed a strong desire that St. Paul’s rector, the Rev. Christopher Leighton, and all of the present members of St. Paul’s continue their historic and present witness to the power of the Holy Spirit within The Episcopal Church. The lay and ordained leadership of the congregation of St. Paul’s have recently expressed a similarly strong desire to continue as members of The Episcopal Church.

In recent months, Bishop Douglas has met with the Rev. Leighton, the officers of the parish, and the vestry of St. Paul’s to discuss how the present congregation of St. Paul’s can be faithful to their theological commitments within the structure of The Episcopal Church. Bishop Douglas has outlined that all Eucharistic communities in the Diocese need to maintain a relationship with a bishop of The Episcopal Church, participate in the life of the wider Church including diocesan councils and committees, and contribute financially to the work of the diocese. To that end, Bishop Douglas has offered St. Paul’s, Darien the possibility of Delegated Episcopal Pastoral Oversight (DEPO) by which another bishop of The Episcopal Church who is more theologically aligned with St. Paul’s oversees the parish at the invitation of the Bishop of Connecticut.

Bishop Douglas has been working closely with the Rt. Rev. William H. Love, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Albany to offer pastoral oversight to St. Paul’s. On October 19th, 2011 Bishops Douglas and Love met with the rector and vestry of St. Paul’s to consider the possibilities of Delegated Episcopal Pastoral Oversight for the parish. Specific steps were offered by which the people of St. Paul’s could maintain their relationship with The Diocese of Connecticut.

Nonetheless, on October 27, St. Paul's rector and vestry filed a lawsuit with the Connecticut Superior Court against the Diocese of Connecticut and The Episcopal Church. The Diocese of Connecticut believes that the lawsuit is misguided and asks the court to resolve a dispute where none exists; and that the lawsuit appears to ask the court to give its opinion on ecclesiastical questions that are not appropriate or necessary for it to consider, such as whether the Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut and The Episcopal Church are part of the Anglican Communion.

Surprised by the legal action, Bishop Douglas responded: “I am shocked and saddened that the ordained and lay leaders of St. Paul’s, Darien have decided at this point to sue the Diocese and The Episcopal Church; especially as I am laboring so hard to find a way for them to remain in The Episcopal Church. Still, I believe that the love of Jesus can redeem even the most difficult of circumstances and so I will continue to work with Bishop Love and the leadership of St. Paul’s to try and effect a Delegated Episcopal Pastoral Oversight arrangement as soon as possible.”

A 2005 suit by the same parish is described here.

Confronting The Gaystapo

2011-11-10T15:24:00.000-08:00

"Having forcibly – and understandably – rectified the Versailles-type injustices and humiliations foisted on the homosexual community, the UK’s victorious Gaystapo are now on a roll. Their gay-rights storm troopers take no prisoners as they annex our wider culture, and hotel owners (here) and (here), registrars (here), magistrates (here), doctors (here), counsellors (here) and (here), foster parents (here), grandparents (here), adoption agencies (here) and traditional street preachers (here) and (here) find themselves crushed under the pink jack-boot."

That's how Alan Craig starts an article published in The Church of England Newspaper. The Church of England Newspaper has no official status, besides being offensive from time to time.

Medical Schools Neglect Gay and Gender Issues

2011-11-10T15:06:00.000-08:00

NY Times reports:

Researchers from the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Medical Education Research Group at Stanford University School of Medicine surveyed medical school deans in the United States and Canada and asked about the curriculum devoted to topics like gender identity, coming out as gay and disparities in health care access for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender patients. While nearly all the students were learning to ask patients about the gender of their sexual partners, a majority of medical schools devoted only five hours to teaching anything more than that simple question. Fully one-third of schools allotted no time at all.

“These results should serve as a call to action for the health profession to include L.G.B.T. health as part of the standard curriculum,” said Dr. Desiray Bailey, an anesthesiologist and president of the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association.

See Gene on Rachel's TV Show Tonight

2011-11-07T13:09:00.000-08:00

The Rt. Rev. Gene Robinson is scheduled to be on be on Rachel Maddow's show tonight toward the end of the hour - he is expected to be talking about Occupy Wall Street.

Church rift widens as aide attacks bishop over handling of St Paul's protest

2011-11-07T12:10:00.000-08:00

A senior aide to the Archbishop of Canterbury has ridiculed the Bishop of London over his handling of the St Paul's protest.

An email sent from an official close to Rowan Williams expressed dismay over Dr Richard Chartres's role in the crisis and accused him of presiding over a public relations disaster.

The message, seen by the Evening Standard, is further evidence of a growing rift at the top of the Church of England over the Occupy London protest camp on St Paul's doorstep.

MORE

Liturgical tradition's return planned in New Haven

2011-11-07T12:06:00.000-08:00

To fill that spiritual hole, as well as other pastoral needs of the neighborhood, Christ Church and the ministry interns of its St. Hilda's House program are trying to bring the liturgical tradition back to the Hill, to Church of the Ascension at Howard Avenue and Lamberton Street.

The main goal is to meet both practical and spiritual needs and to help heal the "sense of hurt and abandonment that so many churches have pulled out of here," Hendrickson said.

"We began to ask people, 'What do you need in the neighborhood?'" said Hendrickson, who has handed out cards for people to list their prayer requests. A branch of New Haven Reads now meets in the parish house behind the church, and Hendrickson said people have asked for classes in English as a second language and training to earn their high school equivalency diplomas.

MORE

Value and Values: Perceptions of Ethics in the City Today

2011-11-07T09:00:00.000-08:00

St Pauls Institute has finally issued their report: Value and Values: Perceptions of Ethics in the City Today.

Professionals in the Financial Services sector believe that City bond traders, FTSE Chief Executives and stock brokers are paid too much, teachers are paid too little and that there is too great a gap between rich and poor in the UK, according to a survey carried out by ComRes on behalf of St Paul's Institute.

Marking the 25th anniversary of the financial 'Big Bang', the survey also indicates that the majority of Financial Services professionals do not know that the London Stock Exchange's motto is 'My Word is My Bond' and many think that deregulation of financial markets results in less ethical behaviour.
The survey of 515 professionals working in the Financial Services sector in London carried out online by ComRes between 30th August and 12th September 2011 also found that:

· The majority of FS professional think that bankers, stock brokers, FTSE 100 chief executives, lawyers and city bond traders are paid too much.
· 'Salary and bonuses' are the most important motivation for professionals working in the FS sector in London for 2 in 3 (64%) participants. 'Enjoyment of the work' comes a distant second.
· 75% agree that there is too great a gap between rich and poor.
· Only 14% of respondents correctly indicated the motto of the London Stock Exchange ("My Word is My Bond").
· Many are not familiar with what happened after the financial 'Big Bang':
1 in 3 disagree that the financial markets were deregulated
More than two-thirds (69%) did not know that the financial Big Bang happened in 1986.
· The majority of respondents feel that their companies maintain high ethical standards that are broadly in line with their personal moral standards.

Commenting on the survey Revd Michael Hampel, Canon Precentor of St Paul's Cathedral, said:

"Action is a crucial goal of the protest camp outside St Paul's Cathedral. We hope that the telling findings of this report can provide a solid foundation for future engagement and highlight issues where action might be of mutual concern for all sides of the debate."

This report can be downloaded in full here.

Catholic Official Who Linked Gays to Devil Resigns

2011-11-06T23:57:00.000-08:00

Daniel Avila, who worked on policy and research for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, resigned — possibly under pressure — after he wrote a newspaper column that linked same-sex behavior to Satan. Advocate

Church of England vetoes services of blessing for same-sex couples

2011-11-06T22:56:00.001-08:00

The Church of England has warned its clergy not to register same-sex relationships, following government confirmation that places of worship can host civil partnership ceremonies from next month.

Gay and lesbian couples can, from 5 December, celebrate their big day in religious premises opting into a new scheme. But there is no obligation on religious groups to take part in the initiative. MORE

How St Paul's protesters rocked Church of England leaders

2011-11-06T22:47:00.001-08:00

Within days, two of the big four had resigned and a third was questioning the meaning of his faith. Their beloved St Paul's was derided as a joke. But the inside story of their agony has not been told, until now.

What do clergy who have resigned do next?

2011-11-05T23:37:00.000-07:00

Riazat Butt has an interesting article in the UK Guardian that begins:

Giles Fraser and Graeme Knowles weren't just leaving their salaries when they announced their resignation over the Occupy London farrago. They were walking away from their homes and better financial and material security than mere mortals can ever hope for. In addition to their salaries and pensions, the two senior figures at St Paul's Cathedral enjoyed rent-free housing. So what happens now they've stepped down?

City lets protesters stay at St Paul's until Christmas

2011-11-05T18:39:00.000-07:00

Protesters camped outside St Paul's Cathedral have been given permission by the Square Mile's governing body to stay until the new year. @ UK Independent.

Ed Miliband: politicians must listen to the St Paul's Cathedral protesters

2011-11-05T14:32:00.000-07:00

Ed Miliband says the protesters camped outside St Paul's Cathedral present a stark warning to the political classes and reflect a wider national crisis in confidence about the values of those in business and politics. Guardian.

NEW ZEALAND: Maori quash Anglican Covenant

2011-11-05T11:22:00.000-07:00

By Taonga staff, November 04, 2011

[Anglican Taonga] The Anglican Covenant is all but dead in the water in the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand & Polynesia, following a crucial vote by Tikanga Maori at its biennial runanganui (synod or convention) in Ohinemutu on Nov. 4.

The covenant will still come before the province's General Synod in July 2012, but a decision to accept it requires a majority vote in all three houses – lay, clergy and bishops – and by all three tikanga, or cultural streams: Maori, Pakeha and Pasifika.

The Nov. 4 decision effectively binds all Maori representatives on General Synod to say no to the covenant, according to a news article from Anglican Taonga.

Two of the five Maori hui amorangi (dioceses) have already rejected the covenant, largely on the grounds that it could compromise Maori rangatiratanga (sovereignty).

Moving the resolution, Archdeacon Turi Hollis noted that the covenant applied at provincial level. "If one diocese makes a decision that another objects to – then the whole province will be held accountable," he said.

"We are being asked to conform to the standards of the rest of the world. Yet we have a constitution that the rest of the world does not understand.

"Would that have been agreed to had the covenant been in force?

"The proposed covenant is trying to impose on us something that should be based on relationship – onwhanaungatanga or manaakitanga."

Seconding the motion, the Rev. Don Tamihere said the covenant was not about homosexuality.

"It is about compliance and control. We are being asked to sign over our sovereignty, our rangatiratanga to an overseas group ... To a standing committee over whom we have no choice or control. And they have the power to recommend punishment," he said. "The proposed covenant offers us nothing new – or nothing we need as Anglicans, as Hahi Mihinare, or as disciples of Jesus Christ.

"We don't need it to have faith in Jesus Christ: We already have a covenant that binds us to our savior, Jesus Christ. And that is the only covenant we need."

Philip Charles said: "Over the years, the practice has been: If you disagree with the church, you leave. And those groups who have left have often withered and died. The covenant changes that. If you disagree with a group – you kick them out. I give it two thumbs down."

The Rev. Ngira Simmonds pointed out that to be Anglican means to be in relationship with people – even if you don't like them.

"We want this church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia to focus, instead, on acting for the restoration of justice."

The full story and resolution is available here.

Anti-gay campaigner says opponents are part of “Satan’s plan”

2011-11-05T00:07:00.000-07:00

Peter LaBarbera, the founder of anti-gay campaign group Americans for Truth, claimed this week that the people who say he fosters a “climate of hate” are part of “Satan’s plan”. Pink News UK

Murdering St Paul's Cathedral

2011-11-04T23:37:00.000-07:00

George Pitcher has an interesting explanation of why things went so terribly wrong when St. Paul's Cathedral in the UK first tried to deal with the issue of Occupy London of its doorstep. His church, St Bride’s, stands at the foot of Ludgate Hill, perhaps 500 yards from the camp. The distinctive tower of St. Bride's - the Cathedral of Fleet Street - is at left. He lists a series of mistakes St. Paul's made and then details how the current Bishop of London Dr. Richard Chartes has started to sort things out.

"Dr Chartres is a man that most organisations under bombardment would want in their trench. He is battle-hardened in crisis management. When the terrorist bombs exploded in London on July 7 2005, he had clergy heading against the flow of evacuees and into the crime scenes to open churches as marshalling points for the emergency services," Pitchard writes. It is a jolly good read here at the UK's Telegraph

Episcopal Church membership shows some regional growth, overall decline

2011-11-04T23:22:00.000-07:00

Statistics mirror trends in U.S. Protestant membership

By Mary Frances Schjonberg, November 04, 2011

[Episcopal News Service] While membership in 16 of the Episcopal Church's domestic dioceses and eight of its non-domestic ones grew in 2010, recently released data shows that overall membership has declined.

The decrease is part of a trend that has seen membership decline by just more than 16 percent since 2000.

Membership in the Episcopal Church in 2010 was 2,125,012, with 1,951,907 in its domestic dioceses and 173,105 in the non-domestic dioceses, according to a report here. Membership in the church's domestic dioceses in 2009 was 2,006,343, showing a decrease of 54,436 in 2010.

The 16 U.S. dioceses that grew in the past year were Alabama, Arkansas, Atlanta, Central Gulf Coast, East Carolina, Iowa, Kentucky, Montana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Navajoland, North Dakota, Northwest Texas, Oklahoma, Pittsburgh and Wyoming. The eight non-U.S. dioceses that grew in membership were the Convocation of Churches in Europe, Dominican Republic, Ecuador-Central, Haiti, Honduras, Micronesia, Puerto Rico and Taiwan.

St Martin's Episcopal Church in Houston had the largest number of active congregants with 8,406.

The average pledge was $2,346 in 2010, compared with $2,314 in 2009 and $1,948 five years ago. Overall plate and pledge income declined 1.2 percent in 2010, going to $1,273,709,000 from $1,289,458,871 in 2009.

The research shows that the average Sunday attendance across the church in 2010 was 657,831 in the United States. That compares to 856,579 in 2000. Average Sunday attendance in the non-U.S. dioceses grew in 2010 to 40,049, compared to 35,572 in 2003 (the first year the report lists non-domestic ASA). The 2010 non-domestic ASA is down 4.4 percent from 2009's total of 41,882.

Sixty-eight percent of Episcopal Church congregations have an average Sunday attendance of 100 or less and 286 of the church's 6,794 parishes and missions have an ASA of 10 or less. The median ASA is 65.

"These statistics reveal something very important about the challenges we face as a church," Bishop Stacy Sauls, the church's chief operating officer, said in a press release about the research reports from the Office of Public Affairs. "One of those is that we cannot allow statistics like this to make us anxious about our survival. Earthly survival is not much a value of the Gospel. Striving for the kingdom and righteous of God is. Concentrating on the latter is likely to yield more abundant life than the former (Mt. 6:31-33)."

Sauls said that the statistics also show that "we cannot continue to pretend we are the church of the establishment entitled to the power, prestige and privilege that comes with that."

"Right now, I think the cross calls us to die to those trappings of our old establishment life, and that means turning our attention single-mindedly to God's mission and our participation in it, which means that we are going to have to restructure and reform ourselves accordingly," he said. "Churches that turn inward will die. Churches that turn outward will not only live, but thrive. The numbers call us to strengthen our commitment to turn outward."

The decrease in Episcopal Church membership reflects a trend across most other Protestant denominations. In 2008, the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life's U.S. Religious Landscape Survey reported (that its research and that of other scholars shows "the proportion of the population that is Protestant has declined markedly in recent decades while the proportion of the population that is not affiliated with any particular religion has increased significantly."

Just more than 16 percent of American adults are not affiliated with any particular religious group, the survey found.

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America reports that its 2010 membership of 4,272,688 is a decrease of 270,349 from 2009. ELCA membership has declined every year since 1988 when there were 5,288,048 members. The 2010 decline of 5.95 percent is largest in those 22 years. There were 11,133 congregations in 1988 and 10,008 in 2010.

The Presbyterian Church USA reports that at the end of 2010 it had experienced a net loss of 61,047 members from 2009 (-2.9 percent) and a net loss of 97 congregations. There were 10,560 congregations and 2,016,091 members at the end of 2010. Total contributions for 2010 were $2,027,479,202, a loss of $74,516,440 (3.5 percent) over 2009. The average contribution per member in reporting congregations was $1,122.29.

The current membership reflects a net loss of 509,239 members, or about 20.2 percent, over the last 10 years, according to the PCUSA website. There were 11,178 congregations in 2000, 618 more than in 2010. Fifty-two percent of Presbyterian congregations have 100 or fewer members.

The United Methodist Church said earlier this year that its U.S. membership had declined while the number of Methodists in Africa, Europe and Asia grew from 3.5 million to 4.4 million in the five years ending in 2009. U.S. professing membership in 2009 was down 1.22 percent from 2008, to a 7.8 million members, according to data from the United Methodist Council on Finance and Administration. Overall UMC membership stood at 12 million in 2009, making it the third largest denomination in the United States behind the Roman Catholic Church and the Southern Baptist Convention.

-- The Rev. Mary Frances Schjonberg is an editor/reporter for the Episcopal News Service.

"Alarm bells are ringing all over the world. St Paul's has now heard that call."

2011-11-01T12:10:00.000-07:00

The Bishop of London, Dr Richard Chartres said: "The alarm bells are ringing all over the world. St Paul's has now heard that call.

"Today's decision means that the doors are most emphatically open to engage with matters concerning not only those encamped around the cathedral but millions of others in this country and around the globe."

Members of the Chapter met representatives from the protest camp this morning in a bid to engage "directly and constructively with both the protesters and the moral and ethical issues they wish to address, without the threat of forcible eviction hanging over both the camp and the church", a spokesman for the cathedral said.

The Bishop has invited investment banker Ken Costa, formerly chairman of UBS Europe and chairman of Lazard International, to spearhead an initiative which aims to reconnect the financial with the ethical.
Mr Costa will be supported by a number of City, Church and public figures, including Dr Giles Fraser, who resigned as the chancellor of St Paul's Cathedral last week. MORE @ UK Independent

London Cathedral Stops Legal Action Against Protesters

2011-11-01T12:02:00.001-07:00

LONDON — St. Paul’s Cathedral has suspended legal action to evict hundreds of anti-capitalist protesters camped outside its doors, according to a statement on Tuesday. MORE

Protesters To Be Given 48 Hours To Move Tents From St Paul's Or Face Eviction

2011-10-31T23:47:00.001-07:00

The City of London Corporation will hand over a letter warning the group that it has 48 hours to clear its campsite or High Court action will be taken to secure their eviction.

On Monday the row claimed another victim as the cathedral's Dean, the Right Rev Graeme Knowles, resigned saying his position was "untenable". His departure followed those of Canon Chancellor of St Paul's Giles Fraser and part-time chaplain Fraser Dyer. MORE

The Bullying Academy, a Web-based Program for Schools, Takes Aim at a Social Epidemic

2011-10-31T13:10:00.001-07:00

Developed by a NYU law school student who is openly gay, The Bullying Academy is quickly becoming the tool of choice by schools to teach students how to recognize bullying and cyber-bullying, and what to do about it
As an openly gay young man, Tommy Walser, currently a New York University Law School student, watched in shock and anger as it seemed like every week a new suicide was being committed due to bullying and cyber-bullying. He states, "Cyber-cruelty is rapidly increasing in volume and complexity because adolescents and teens are never taught how to act responsibly and appropriately while communicating online or via other electronic devices."

Enter The Bullying Academy (www.bullyingacademy.com), which Tommy Walser created as a free online resource that is quickly becoming the leading web-based, interactive program designed to help parents, students and teachers deal with the dangers associated with bullying and cyber-bullying.

Tommy, now 23, is proud of his sexuality, but growing up it was a different story. He admits that as an adolescent and teen, he was picked on by others for being "different." He decided to channel his experience into something positive by creating a program to educate kids before bullying reaches a critical point.

The Bullying Academy does not require any additional software or extensive training. Schools register with the organization's website and students immediately have access to the program. The Bullying Academy provides a professionally developed curriculum and grade appropriate content to engage students through a scavenger hunt composed of lessons and learning links, as well as utilizing quizzes which function as assessments. The program has been designed with a pre- and post-quiz so that participants can measure what was learned about bullying and its ramifications.

There are also contests for schools that participate, whereby the winning school gets a trophy, pizza party and certificate for the teacher. Any students who complete the program will also receive a diploma that ranges from gold to bronze depending on score. Students learn:

-- How to avoid violence while standing up for each other
-- How to properly respond and report bullying
-- How to recognize the short- and long-term effects of bullying on victims
and bullies
-- What bullies look for in victims
-- Characteristics and risk factors common to bullies

Dean of St Paul's Cathedral Quits

2011-10-31T12:24:00.000-07:00

The Dean of St Paul's Cathedral, the Rt Rev Graeme Knowles, announced his intention to resign from his post this afternoon. He made his decision known to the Chapter and to the Bishop of London last night and has removed himself from Cathedral operations with immediate effect. He intended to submit his resignation as Dean of St Paul’s to HM the Queen today.
In the light of the Dean's resignation, the Chapter has unanimously voted to request the Bishop of London to assist them in providing an independent voice on the ongoing situation at St Paul's. The Bishop has had no part to date in the discussions and decisions made by Chapter and it is felt his input is now required.

The Rt Rev Graeme Knowles said:
"The past fortnight has been a testing time for the Chapter and for me personally. It has become increasingly clear to me that, as criticism of the cathedral has mounted in the press, media and in public opinion, my position as Dean of St Paul’s was becoming untenable. In order to give the opportunity for a fresh approach to the complex and vital questions facing St Paul’s, I have thought it best to stand down as dean, to allow new leadership to be exercised. I do this with great sadness, but I now believe that I am no longer the right person to lead the Chapter of this great cathedral.
"This has not been an easy decision for me to make, at this stage in my ministry, as I have very much enjoyed being at St Paul’s as dean. I am immensely grateful to the current members of the Chapter, both ordained and lay, as well as previous colleagues, for their help, support and encouragement, but above all, their friendship.
"I would also wish to place on record my thanks to all the staff of the cathedral, both paid and volunteers, who work tirelessly, day by day, to ensure that this amazing place is maintained, and that it is indeed cherished as a place of worship and pilgrimage.
"In recent days, since the arrival of the protesters’ camp outside the cathedral, we have all been put under a great deal of strain and have faced what would appear to be some insurmountable issues. I hope and pray that under new leadership these issues might continue to be addressed and that there might be a swift and peaceful resolution.”

The Right Reverend Michael Colclough said (on behalf of Chapter):
On behalf of the Chapter and the whole cathedral community here at St Paul’s, I would like to pay tribute to the dedication, diligence and pastoral care shown by Graeme Knowles during his time as Dean.
We received news of his resignation yesterday evening with a heavy heart after one of the most challenging weeks in the recent history of this great Cathedral. Graeme has led the Chapter and the Cathedral with enormous vitality, wisdom and fun. His time at St Paul’s has energised and encouraged us all by his unique, approachable way of combining focused leadership with a pastoral heart. This combination has also made him a widely-loved ambassador for the Christian faith and for the work of St Paul’s.. We will miss him deeply.
He has led the Chapter with conviction out of a sense of real responsibility entrusted to his care, not least in recent days. He has also represented the Cathedral in the City, the Diocese and the wider Church with a clear awareness of the importance of this great dome as a symbol of a Christian presence in the heart of the City. His clear belief in an inclusive Gospel of peace, justice and integrity should, at this moment, not be lost. It should be acknowledged and confirmed.
Cathedral staff and volunteers, currently being told of his resignation, will tell you of their respect for him and that he goes out of his way to make people feel appreciated and valued.
We would like to pay tribute to his wife Susan, too. The absence of her modest and strengthening presence amongst us at the Cathedral will be felt by everyone here. Together Graeme and Susan have enlarged the Cathedral with their generosity and incredibly tireless hard work for our ministry alongside the many diverse peoples, institutions and charities we have privilege and challenge of serving.
It is that ministry that remains the Chapter’s priority in these difficult days and we are committed to doing all we can to finding a way ahead that ensures the main message of the protest is not only heard but properly attended to and in such a way that people in the local community, as well as our own team, can do their work peacefully for the good of everyone who comes to this City and its cathedral.

Dr Richard Chartres, The Bishop of London, said:
"I was very sad to hear the Dean’s decision and believe he has acted honourably in a very difficult situation. During his time at St Paul’s, Graeme has accomplished a great deal that should not be overshadowed by recent events.
"The Chapter has now requested me to help them find a way forward. I have repeated over the past few weeks my own desire to shift the attention to the economic and moral challenges which our country, in common with so much of the rest of the world, is having to face. There are many diverse voices in the camp outside St Paul’s but among them, serious issues are being articulated which the Cathedral has always sought to address.
"While St Paul’s is not on any particular political side – that is not its role – it does have an important part to play in providing a place for reasoned debate within a moral and spiritual context."

Dean who shut St Paul's resigns: second cleric quits over 'tent city' protest

2011-10-31T12:22:00.001-07:00

St Paul's was in crisis this afternoon after the dean of the cathedral sensationally resigned over his handling of the "tent city" protest.

The Rt Rev Graeme Knowles's decision was described as a "tragedy" by the Bishop of London who is stepping in to help the cathedral "find a way forward".

Dean Knowles is the second senior high-ranking Church of England cleric to step down over the issue. MORE

Church aims to fill spiritual void (video)

2011-10-30T19:53:00.000-07:00

In order to fill that spiritual hole, as well as other pastoral needs of the neighborhood, Christ Church and the ministry interns of its St. Hilda’s House program are trying to bring the liturgical tradition back to the Hill, to Church of the Ascension at Howard Avenue and Lamberton Street.

The main goal is to meet both practical and spiritual needs and to help heal the “sense of hurt and abandonment that so many churches have pulled out of here,” Hendrickson said.

“We began to ask people, ‘What do you need in the neighborhood?’” said Hendrickson, who has handed out cards for people to list their prayer requests. A branch of New Haven Reads now meets in the parish house behind the church, and Hendrickson said people have asked for classes in English as a second language and training to earn their high school equivalency diplomas.

It is also a way for the interns of St. Hilda’s House to see if parish ministry is right for them. While living together as a community, the young people volunteer with church-related or other nonprofit programs to determine whether they will pursue clerical or lay ministry. Full Story @ New Haven Register

Occupy London could be protected by Christian ring of prayer

2011-10-29T17:51:00.000-07:00

Christian groups have drawn up plans to protect protesters by forming a ring of prayer around the camp outside St Paul's Cathedral, should an attempt be made to forcibly remove them.

As the storm of controversy over the handling of the Occupy London Stock Exchange demonstration deepened on Saturday, Christian activists said it was their duty to stand up for peaceful protest in the absence of support from St Paul's. One Christian protester, Tanya Paton, said: "We represent peace, unity and love. A ring of prayer is a wonderful symbol." MORE

St Paul's is a national problem

2011-10-29T17:49:00.000-07:00

What an extraordinary historical accident that the London Stock Exchange should have taken space in the new Paternoster Square office block seven years ago. Thus it was that, when the Occupy movement tried to invade what it thought was the hub of capitalism two weekends ago, it found itself on the steps of the best-known church in Britain. It being a Saturday, the hub of capitalism was closed and, Paternoster Square being private property, the police prevented the protesters from putting up their tents there.

Unintentionally, therefore, a protest against the greed of the City of London also became a separate, if related, and more engaging, debate about our national morality and the role of our established church. Although the American style of evangelical teaching – "What would Jesus do?" – puts many Anglicans' teeth on edge, the echoes of the New Testament are so strong that many Christians find themselves drawn to the tent people. Indeed, in engaging the sympathies of many non-church people, too, the biblical parallel is more effective than the message of the "99 per cent" against the establishment. Had the protesters camped out by the dealers' desks in the stock exchange itself, they would have attracted much less interest and support. The dispute would have been between some people in an office and a bunch of squatters. Instead, it has become a parable. MORE

Related articles

St. Pauls, CofE Stumble over Occupy Movement

2011-10-29T12:25:00.000-07:00

Catherine Mayer of Time has written London Protestors 1 God 0: Anti-Capitalism Camp Scores PR Victory Against St Paul’s

Evening Standard last night: A loose Canon, his Bishop, the Dean and unholy war at St Paul’s
Nick Curtis on how the creators of BBC2 sitcom rev might have written up the theological storm of the past days…

AN Wilson C of E has lost the plot over the St Paul’s camp
The camp outside St Paul’s Cathedral has been a public relations disaster for the Church of England.

Independent this morning
Paul Cahalan and Jerome Taylor God vs Mammon: Britain takes sides

As St Paul’s reopens its doors, the City of London and the cathedral launch legal actions to evict demonstrators, another clergyman resigns in dismay, David Cameron threatens legislation to ban protest camps – and the Archbishop of Canterbury…says nothing.

Telegraph
Tim Walker Canon Mark Oakley considers his position at St Paul’s cathedral

The Rev Dr Giles Fraser’s resignation as Canon Chancellor of St Paul’s over the cathedral’s muddled response to the demonstrators on its doorstep looks unlikely to be the last.
Mandrake is reliably informed that another senior figure in the hierarchy of St Paul’s, Canon Mark Oakley, its affable Canon Treasurer as well as a well-known author and broadcaster, is this weekend wrestling with his conscience.
“I voted the same way as Giles at Chapter as I couldn’t vote for any course of action that might lead at some point to violent behaviour,” Oakley, 43, tells me.

Guardian
Lucy Mangan St Paul’s – embrace your new flock
‘When you’re dealing with protesters who bring their own portable loos, what’s the worst that can happen?’

Stephen Bates St Paul’s Cathedral resumes normal service after week of rancour (longer version of yesterday’s report)

Marina Hyde Jesus may be with Occupy London, but St Paul would have sided with health and safety
The cathedral’s namesake was a sucker for authority – as the church is and ever was.

More @ www.thinkinganglicans.org.uk

"Putting the Protest Back in Protestant"

2011-10-28T17:51:00.000-07:00

Diana Butler Bass writes that its time for the Protestant churches to remember their heritage. Especially so as many will be celebrating Reformation Day on Nov. 1 (in commemoration of Martin Luther's posting of the 95 Theses on the door of Wittenburg Castle Church).But as she notes, the majority of American Protestants have forgotten the meaning of their name. MORE

Shame on St. Paul's: Is This What Jesus Would DO?

2011-10-28T17:49:00.000-07:00

Statement from the Dean and Chapter (28 October 2011)

The Rt. Rev. Graeme Knowles,
Dean of St Paul's Cathedral

The Chapter has previously asked the encampment to leave the cathedral precinct in peace. This has not yet happened and so, following the advice of our lawyers, legal action has regrettably become necessary. Email: reception@stpaulscathedral.org.uk

The Chapter only takes this step with the greatest reluctance and remains committed to a peaceful solution. At each step of the legal process the Chapter will continue to entreat the protesters to agree to a peaceful solution and, if an injunction is granted, will then be able to discuss with the protesters how to reach this solution.

Theirs is a message that the Chapter has both heard and shares and looks forward to engaging with the protesters to identify how the message may continue to be debated at St Paul’s and acted upon.

Canon of St Paul's: church cannot answer peaceful protest with violence

2011-10-28T17:18:00.000-07:00

In his first interview since his resignation, the Reverend Giles Fraser says he was unable to reconcile his conscience with the breakup of the Occupy London camp.

The canon chancellor of St Paul's Cathedral, the Reverend Giles Fraser, spoke on Thursday about his reasons for resigning over the cathedral's stance towards the protest camp which has been established over the past two weeks.

"I cannot support using violence to ask people to clear off the land," Fraser told the Guardian. "It is not about my sympathies or what I believe about the camp. I support the right to protest and in a perfect world we could have negotiated. But our legal advice was that this would have implied consent." Full story @ the Guardian.

Occupy London anger after resignation of St Paul's Cathedral canon

2011-10-27T17:09:00.001-07:00

Activists react to Giles Fraser's exit and call on Archbishop of Canterbury to speak out in favour of the movement

Asked what he made of the Rev Dr Giles Fraser, the 28-year-old Anonymous activist was unequivocal: "He's stood by his principles all this time. He stood by what the Christian faith is supposed to be about. The church is meant to be there to help people and he's stood by us." Near where Woodwards was sitting, a green tent and a white banner both asked the same question: "What would Jesus do?"
As news of Fraser's departure spread , anger descended on a camp that has sat stubbornly, but generally happily, outside St Paul's for nearly two weeks. MORE

St Paul's Cathedral canon resigns

2011-10-27T17:08:00.000-07:00

Giles Fraser quits over plans to forcibly remove Occupy London Stock Exchange protesters from outside cathedral

The canon chancellor of St Paul's Cathedral, the Rev Dr Giles Fraser, has resigned in protest at plans to forcibly remove protesters from its steps, saying he could not support the possibility of "violence in the name of the church".

Speculation grew in the last 24 hours that Fraser, a leading leftwing voice in the Church of England, would resign because he could not sanction the use of police or bailiffs against the hundreds of activists who have set up camp in the grounds of the cathedral in the past fortnight.

Just after 9am on Thursday, Fraser tweeted: "It is with great regret and sadness that I have handed in my notice at St Paul's Cathedral."

In a statement to the Guardian, Fraser, who was appointed canon in May 2009, confirmed his resignation, saying: "I resigned because I believe that the chapter has set on a course of action that could mean there will be violence in the name of the church."

• Giles Fraser interview: Church cannot answer peaceful protest with violence

Exclusion of gay couples sinks Marriage Encounter in Connecticut

2011-10-27T08:14:00.000-07:00

A motion at the Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut's convention has postponed "indefinitely" adoption of the Roman Catholic based "Marriage Encounter" program based on concerns it is not open to same gender couples.

The full text of the convention report is as follows:

Resolution #11: Diocesan Commitment to Marriage Encounter Movement: POSTPONED INDEFINITELY

The presenter stressed how the movement can help families, and convention sought to know alternatives to the current Marriage Encounter Movement, which is run by the Roman Catholic Church and does not allow gay or lesbian married couples to participate. The resolution was postponed to allow time to learn of alternatives."

Earlier the Convention approved a resolution asking their bishop to allow clergy to officiate at the marriage of same sex couples:

Resolution #6: Permitting the clergy of the Diocese of Connecticut to voluntarily officiate marriages of same sex couples: PASSED AS AMENDED

As anticipated this was much-debated and there was concern over its reach and impact. An amendment to change "permit" to "may permit" passed, as did an amendment adding "acting as legal agents of the State" to the sentence about officiating. An amendment calling for the next General Convention to propose gender-neutral language in marriage rites did not pass. There was a call to vote each resolve separately. Both passed.

Final language: RESOLVED: That the 227th Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut urges the Bishop of Connecticut to acknowledge that there are people living in same-gender relationships of mutuality and fidelity who want to be married by their clergy; and be it further

RESOLVED: That the Bishop of this Diocese may 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.

Property litigation involving Episcopal Diocese is over

2011-10-26T20:43:00.000-07:00

By Ann Rodgers in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Eight years of property litigation involving the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh has ended, but most parishes that broke from the Episcopal Church still face negotiations over their buildings.After the Pennsylvania Supreme Court last week denied an appeal from the Anglican Diocese of Pittsburgh, which had argued that it owned the property, the Anglican decided diocese it will not appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, spokesman David Trautman said.
"This whole string of litigation is ended, is done," he said.
The lawsuit was filed in 2003 by Calvary Episcopal Church, Shadyside, whose leaders believed that Bishop Robert Duncan and many others might leave the denomination and try to take property. According to the Episcopal canons, all property -- including parish buildings -- is held in trust for the denomination.
The split occurred in 2008, when the majority at the diocesan convention voted to leave the Episcopal Church. Those who wished to remain Episcopalians immediately chose new leaders and continued that diocese. The Anglican diocese argued that it was the legitimate heir to the Episcopal Church property.
"We accept that the courts have not found in our favor and will, of course, comply with all court orders," Anglican Archbishop Duncan wrote last week.

'A chauffeur-driven bishop, and a Church that refuses sanctuary'

2011-10-26T18:25:00.000-07:00

Mark Donne writes:

The most senior cleric to intervene so far is the Bishop of London, the Rt Hon Dr Richard Chartres, whose private residence happens to be opposite the square the protesters occupy. Dr Chartres is the primary representative of the Church in the Royal Court. He has announced he would like the protesters to leave, but has made not a single mention of safety.
Dr Chartres is renowned for his conservative political outlook, and has been criticised for his "chauffeur-driven lifestyle". Despite his professed fondness for the Oyster card, in the most recent year for which records are available he spent more than £17,000 on a private car and chauffeur. The Bishop and others in the church are entitled to a comfortable lifestyle and their own political standpoints, but when the central message of the church is called into question in a time of unparalleled greed and growing inequality, should it not do more to side publicly with the 99 per cent of the population who do not share the wealth of the few?

Cathedral may be set to reopen, but the bitterness over the Church's attitude to protesters has deepened

2011-10-26T18:23:00.000-07:00

St Paul's had been forced to close on Friday because of health and safety issues, the Dean said, though the cathedral refused to make public that advice or say who gave it.

Richard Chartres, the Bishop of London and third most senior cleric in the Church of England, echoed the call, saying the protesters "should leave". But one of the cathedral's chapter members, Canon Giles Fraser, was understood to have threatened to resign if the church tried to rid its grounds of the demonstrators.

His views echoed many of those in the church who felt the demonstration, campaigning against corporate greed and for a better distribution of wealth, seemed a perfect fit with Christian teaching.

Richard Harries, Baron Harries of Pentregarth, the former Bishop of Oxford, who sits in the House of Lords, said the decision to close the cathedral was "sad and mistaken". "Capitalism at the moment is working against the most vulnerable." MORE

Update: St Paul's Cathedral set to reopen after Occupy London shuffles tents

2011-10-26T18:17:00.000-07:00

The Dean of this cathedral is making fool of himself.

St Paul's Cathedral is expected to reopen on Friday, in spite of its earlier claims that an anti-capitalist protest camp posed a "grave danger" to staff and visitors.

His latest announcement is all the more surprising given his strenuous assertions a week ago that the camp was a clear fire hazard.

Clergy at St Paul's have been divided over what action to take against the protest. Its canon chancellor, Giles Fraser, reportedly vowed to resign in the event of any use of force to remove protesters. He was unavailable for comment. MORE

St. Paul's Cathedral makes a bigger mess

2011-10-26T16:43:00.000-07:00

From The Episcopal Cafe:

The leadership of St. Paul's Cathedral, London, seems to be heading down the march of folly with their decision to ask the protesters to cease their protest so that the Cathedral can reopen:

From The Guardian (UK)

This rather messy and absurd situation has handed the dean and chapter of St Paul's a truly historic opportunity to discredit Christianity in this country. They seem determined to take it. They should think, and stop.The dean and chapter appear to have decided that health and safety considerations mean they must be rid of the makeshift camp. These grounds are frankly risible. Pretending otherwise compounds the first mistake, which was to shut the cathedral altogether, rather than expose visitors to the sight and smells of a couple of hundred
protesters. A cathedral isn't really there for the tourists, even if it can charge visitors £14.50, as St Paul's does. It is a place for prayer and worship. The congregations who come for these, the real purposes of the building, should remember that Jesus talked to
publicans and tax collectors. He might even have talked to merchant bankers. He would certainly have talked to the protesters camped outside.
Aspects of the protest camp are silly and rather squalid. But it still represents a profound and important moral revulsion which the Church of England needs to take seriously. These aren't the usual Spartist suspects. The sense that there is something outrageous, unjust and absurd about the world of modern finance has spread across the whole political and religious spectrum. Even Pope Benedict XVI has reinforced his predecessor's teaching with a demand that the markets of the world be brought under human control. The Church of England needs to be part of this discussion, for its own sake and for the sake of the country. And that is done far more effectively by theatre and by conversation than by lecturing or even preaching. It is no use having clever bishops saying clever things that no one listens to. Here at St Paul's right now, there is a chance to catch the attention of millions of people who would never listen to a bishop or recognise a Dean without a Torvill.
The protesters aren't right about everything. A lot of the time they aren't even coherent enough to be wrong. But the role of the church is to talk with them and to find out how their sense of injustice at the present slump can be refined and educated and brought out into the wider conversation. The cathedral has a chance to take Marx's taunt about religion being "the heart of a heartless world" and try to make it true, and valuable. It must not fumble this.

And, from David Allen Green at The New Statesman:

Closing the doors at St. Paul's Cathedral
How seriously is the Cathedral taking health and safety concerns?

This response of the protesters warrants careful reading, as it indicates what appears to be a serious flaw in the Cathedral's position. On the one hand, it is contended that the health and safety concerns are so serious, they required the closure of the Cathedral and nothing less. But, on the other hand, the Cathedral is refusing to provide any information to the protesters so as to allow those supposed health and safety concerns to be properly addressed since the time the Cathedral closed its doors.It would almost seem as if the Dean and Chapter, with a health and safety report in their hands, looked down the steps of St Paul's at the protesters and, rather than sharing the content of the report with those who could be affected, chose to close the Cathedral doors instead.
The position of the Cathedral seems to be a hopeless muddle. Few, if any, of the contentions advanced actually explain the two crucial decisions made -- to close the Cathedral to all visitors and to then not engage with the protesters in respect of health and safety. The revealing back story to these decisions is that before Thursday last week the Cathedral was in fact dealing with the protesters directly, and on the Wednesday there was a wide-ranging meeting where variety of health and safety concerns were discussed, and constructive solutions agreed. Attending the meeting were those directly charged with maintenance and safety of the building. It was only after what appeared to be this successful and practical exercise in identifying and managing risks that the Dean and Chapter then moved to close down the Cathedral completely and to break off further engagement with the protesters. It seemed the mood of the Cathedral changed overnight on Wednesday and Thursday of last week.

Rediscover the Seven Sundays of Advent

2011-10-26T08:05:00.000-07:00

The Rev. Cannon Frank Logue, Canon for Congregational Missionaries in the Diocese of Georgia, has wn interesting idea. We quote:

Historically, the season of Advent was the seven Sundays leading up to Christmas, with the days in between. Currently, and in an unbroken tradition that is centuries old, those in Eastern Orthodox churches celebrate seven Sundays of Advent. The readings in the RCL do not have to be changed to observe this longer season of preparation for both the first coming in Bethlehem or Christ’s second coming at the end of time. In fact, the readings in these last three Sundays of the church year are designed for a longer Advent. One goal of this move is to reclaim the time for preaching and teaching about the second coming as was traditionally part of the season and remains so in truncated form now.
Last year, I led the congregation of King of Peace, Kingsland, in an experiment. Together with six other congregations in the US and Canada, we expanded Advent to its historic length. We used Rite II Prayer B Penitential Eucharist. The prayers of the people are changed weekly, adapted from those in Liturgy Training Publication’sIntercessions for the People. We used a seasonal blessing for Advent from the Book of Occasional Services. We also used liturgist Bill Petersen’s seven Advent collects written for this project (which I can send to interested persons).
In previous years, we has an Advent wreath on the way into worship and replaced that with a seven candle stand to show the same season is lengthened. We do not have a choir and music is by piano except on fourth Sundays when it is guitars, dulcimer and drum. I used O Come, O Come Emmanuel in the spot of a hymn of praising with verses 1 and 2 in week one, verses 1 and 3 in week two and so on.
Preaching reflected seasonal themes found in the texts each week. Music was a huge challenge, but we made it work. This needs improving over time. Some hymns from the Lutheran Book of Worship helped us expand available music on the fly.

More by

THE BLOG OF THE REV. CANON FRANK LOGUE, CANON TO THE ORDINARY FOR THE EPISCOPAL DIOCESE OF GEORGIA

Much has changed for gay and lesbian Catholics in L.A.

2011-10-25T17:23:00.000-07:00

"In the last 25 years, Ponnet said, the church in Los Angeles has become more accepting of gays and lesbians and, in some parishes, his ministry has faded away as members have been absorbed into regular parish life. Still, those at Saturday's Mass said the ministry was still needed, in part to educate the church, in part to show gay Catholics who have fallen away that they have a place to return.

Talk at the Mass wasn't so much of living up to church doctrine as changing it." More @ LA Times

Peter Popham: A cathedral turns its back on the people

2011-10-25T05:17:00.000-07:00

The protesters outside St Paul's are demanding an end to the reign of naked greed over our lives. It is a proposal in which one would expect Christians of conviction to play an active part. By turning them away, St Paul's has indicated that, whatever the church's spiritual message, for those who run the place its fabric is more important. That's a bureaucratic way of saying, yes, God is dead. Full column

Executive Council submits General Convention resolution saying church is 'unable to adopt Anglican Covenant'

2011-10-24T18:46:00.001-07:00

[Episcopal News Service – Salt Lake City, Utah] The Episcopal Church's Executive Council will submit a resolution to General Convention next year that would have it state that the church is "unable to adopt the Anglican Covenant in its present form."
The resolution also promises 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 commits 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 77th meeting of General Convention July 5-12, 2012 will decide whether to pass, amend and pass, or reject the resolution. Convention is "the only body that can act on behalf of the whole church in this matter," Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori said during a post-meeting press conference.
The unanimous decision to submit the resolution to convention came Oct. 24, on the last day of council's four-day meeting here.
A covenant task force, composed of six council members, based its recommendation to council in a report that is available in English here and Spanish here.
Jefferts Schori said the proposed resolution "goes on at significant length and with great care to remind Episcopalians and other Anglicans that we continue in solidarity, building missional partnerships, across the communion and that that is the way in which we understand our relationship – that we are bound to our brothers and sisters across the communion and we will continue to respect that."
Just after council's action on the covenant, the members passed a 2012 budget for the Episcopal Church that includes $1,178,066 in money to support missional work in the Anglican Communion and to help support the communion's administrative work.
Jefferts Schori noted that the reasons given in the report for being unable to adopt the covenant in its present form have to do with the Episcopal Church's Constitution and Canons. The task force's report noted that the Standing Commission on Constitution and Canons has said that to adopt the current version "would significantly alter our current understanding of what it means to be an autonomous province."
The presiding bishop said that the task force was also concerned "that all people of this church might be included in the life of the church."
House of Deputies President Bonnie Anderson suggested during her closing remarks to council that the communion could be better bound together by a commitment to the Five Marks of Mission, developed by theAnglican Consultative Council between 1984 and 1990, and the Covenant for Communion in Mission based on those "marks" and developed in 2005 by the Inter-Anglican Standing Commission on Mission and Evangelism and endorsed by the ACC. At Anderson's behest, the General Convention in 2009 called for the church's 2013-2015 budget to be centered on the Five Marks of Mission.
"I share with all of you a deep commitment to our sisters and brothers across the Anglican Communion and to the mission that binds us together," Anderson told the council. "I believe that the Five Marks of Mission are the covenant that will endure and strengthen our communion, and I am eager to continue the dialogue to which we have pledged ourselves and in which many of us are actively involved."
The task force's rationale for advocating the resolution, according to the report, begins with the fact that the Episcopal Church believes "when the church is faithful, the unity of the church is reflective of the unity that is in God, divinely ordered and discernable on the earth."
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."
The church's unity is "best expressed in our efforts to a church that fully welcomes those who have not always been welcomed," the report said.
"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 report said.
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, Rosalie Ballentine, chair of council's committee on world mission and the task force, told the council Oct. 24.
"We have looked at this as more of a process of discernment, not just a matter of 'should we adopt a covenant' but, also looking at who are we as the Episcopal Church, what does it mean to live into our baptismal covenant, what does it mean to live in community, what does it mean to be a part of the Anglican Communion," Ballentine said.
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.
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.
Some Episcopalians and Anglicans, including the Executive Council, have raised concerns about the covenant, particularly in section 4, which outlines a method for resolving disputes in the communion.
The 2009 meeting of General Convention asked, via Resolution D020, that the church's dioceses study the proposed covenant and report to Executive Council, and that council report to convention with proposed legislation. Council formed the task force to help council respond to D020's requirements.
In September 2010, the task force asked dioceses to study the final text of the covenant and respond by Easter 2011. The group said in its report that the "vast majority" of the respondents are not in favor of adopting the covenant in its entirety.
The task force also recommended to convention a "new study of the foundations and boundaries of our polity and governance as we seek to deepen our communion-wide engagement and equip the leadership of the church" and to document changes in the Constitution and Canons that would be needed to adopt the covenant and analyze "how those changes may alter our identity from theological, philosophical and polity perspectives."
Previous to the current task force, a council committee, also chaired by Ballentine, reviewed and responded between 2007 and 2009 to the first three drafts of the Anglican Covenant. The response to the first draft is available here. The response to the second draft is here.
Council's October 2009 response to the so-called Ridley Cambridge draft is here. At that time, a small group appointed by Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams was considering whether the draft's fourth section needed further refinement. In December 2009, the final version of the section was released and the covenant was officially opened for consideration and adoption by the communion's provinces.
Council member Lee Crawford, who served on both groups, told the council Oct. 24 that the last six years have been a "long, long journey of reading, listening and praying."
"We pray that as we move forward between now and General Convention that the same prayerful, heartfelt discussions will continue," she said.
Some Anglican Communion provinces have adopted the covenant or are in the process of considering it. One chart of provincial action is available here.
The Executive Council carries out the programs and policies adopted by the General Convention, according to Canon I.4 (1)(a). The council is composed of 38 members, 20 of whom (four bishops, four priests or deacons and 12 lay people) are elected by General Convention and 18 (one clergy and one lay) by provincial synods for six-year terms, plus the presiding bishop and the president of the House of Deputies.

-- The Rev. Mary Frances Schjonberg is an editor/reporter for the Episcopal News Service.

Pat Robertson: God Let Zoo Animals Escape to Bite Gay People

2011-10-24T18:03:00.001-07:00

As dozens of escaped exotic animals terrorized the town of Zanesville, Ohio, the Rev. Pat Robertson raised eyebrows today by saying that “God allowed those wild animals to escape because he wanted them to find gay people and bite them.” The Borowitz Report

Retired Ugandan bishop tells Morristown congregation how he risked all for gay rights

2011-10-24T17:09:00.001-07:00

Retired Anglican Bishop Christopher Senyonjo, who has risked his own life and that of his family as an advocate for gay-, lesbian- and transgender rights, shared his experiences and beliefs at the Adult Forum at the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer in Morristown on Sunday.

In 2007, Senyonjo was relieved of his duties as a bishop in Uganda. “They never formally put me out of the church, but simply took away my duties,” he said.

“Prejudice and homophobia drive drastic measures such as the current laws on homosexuality in Uganda carrying sentences of up to 14 years in prison,” he told the group. In October 2009, a controversial bill was proposed to the Ugandan Parliament that called for broadening the criminalization of homosexuality in the East African country and introducing the death penalty in some cases.

The bill has been temporarily withdrawn, but it is expected to be reintroduced, Senyonjo said.

Currently, more than 80 countries criminalize homosexuality, he said. “They believe it is a crime against God and nature. Their ignorance prevents much needed educational programs that would aid in stopping the spread of HIV/AIDS.”

The way to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS, he said, is by decriminalizing “something that people cannot change about themselves, thereby opening the door to education about the spread of HIV/AIDS.”

Redeemer was the last stop on Senyonjo’s latest tour spreading the word and seeking funds to continue his counseling in Uganda of marginalized people. Senyonjo councils not only the gay, lesbian, transgender community but people with addictions, single mothers and HIV/AIDS workers because, he said, he believes God loves everyone. He sees too many young people leaving the church because of discrimination. MORE

Michele Bachmann, Husband Marcus Defend Characterizing Being Gay As 'Personal Enslavement'

2011-10-24T15:57:00.000-07:00

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) and her husband, Marcus Bachmann, sought to clarify their position on gays and lesbians in a new interview with PeopleMagazine.

Michele Bachmann said in 2004 that being "involved in the gay and lesbian lifestyle" amounts to "personal bondage, personal despair and personal enslavement." She added that she was not "bashing" anyone.

Her husband has compared gays to "barbarians" who need to be "disciplined." He runs a Christian counseling center that has offered therapy to try to change sexual orientation, according to an undercover investigation by Truth Wins Out, a gay rights organization. More at Huff Post

Bad news for straight dudes: Pastor Says Masturbation Can Be Form Of Homosexuality

2011-10-23T19:33:00.000-07:00

Mark Driscoll, Pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, has a hip, 21st century approach to leading a megachurch. Huffinington Post report that whiel " Driscoll and his congregation may come across as surprisingly liberal in some ways -- tattoos and nose rings are a common sight at Mars Hill -- their approach to Biblical teachings is less so. They rail against premarital sex, feminism, modern interpretations of the Bible, and viewing Jesus as 'a Richard Simmons, hippie, queer Christ... a neutered and limp-wristed popular Sky Fairy of pop culture that . . . would never talk about sin or send anyone to hell.' And they're not huge fans of homosexuality -- a fact not lost on a group of protestors that showed up to picket a satellite branch of Mars Hill in Portland earlier this week. But while a church having an anti-gay stance won't turn many heads, a new claim by Driscoll that masturbating can be a form of homosexuality might. More

New Study Of Gay And Bi Men’s Sexual Behavior Has Implications For Health Advocacy

2011-10-23T18:34:00.000-07:00

Results were not so different for heterosexuals, who in another study reported their last sexual partner was someone they were committed to just over half of the time. In other words, men who have sex with men are not particularly less monogamous than opposite-sex couples.

Read more of this article at Think Progress.
Read the new study from George Mason University, Indiana University.

Court Protects All Episcopal Property and Accounts During Appeal: Sets Six-Figure Bond, and Orders Monthly Financial Reporting from All Southern Cone Defendants

2011-10-22T19:00:00.001-07:00

On October 20, 2011, the Hon. Judge John P. Chupp signed an order setting the terms of a $100,000.00 supersedeas bond and imposing injunctions designed to protect all of the historic Church property during the breakaway faction's appeal. See copy of the order to the right.

To stop execution of the February 8, 2011 Final Judgment against them, the Southern Cone defendants must post a $100,000.00 bond by November 20, 2011. The Court declined to adopt the breakaway faction's repeated assertion that $0 was the only permissible bond.

The Court also imposed the injunctions requested by the Episcopal Parties at the May 19 supersedeas hearing. These injunctions protect "all real and personal property," including all historic church buildings, trusts, endowments, and savings accounts, that were held by or for the Episcopal Diocese, its Corporation, its parishes and missions, and its other constituent entities as of November 15, 2008, plus any new property acquired by or through the protected property ("Episcopal Property"). The order applies to all 62 breakaway Defendants, from the individuals wrongly holding themselves out as Diocesan leaders to the breakaway factions from 48 congregations that wrongfully took and retained possession of Episcopal Property. Defendants must submit monthly financial reports to monitor their actions during appeal, to ensure that no further wrongful dissipation, transfer, or encumbrance of Episcopal Property occurs.

The order also prohibits the breakaway faction from using any Episcopal Property to pay the breakaway faction's attorney's fees or litigation costs without prior notice, hearing, and leave of court. And it prevents the breakaway faction from increasing the balance of indebtedness on the Jude Funding line of credit, or on any other debt that is purportedly secured by Episcopal Property, without prior notice and hearing.

The breakaway faction also remains bound by its March 14, 2011 Rule 11 Agreement with the Episcopal Parties to "preserve and safeguard all documents in their possession relating to bank accounts, endowments, trusts, investment accounts, investments, real, personal, or intellectual property, expenditures, income, finances, transactions, taxes, and any and all other [such] documents."

The Court's injunctions are effective immediately.

Chancellor Kathleen Wells noted that, "This order is yet another positive step to preserve the sacred property that has been accumulated over more than 170 years of Episcopal mission in this area and to hasten the day that this property is returned for the mission and ministry of The Episcopal Church."