In London, Occupy movement says Jesus would join them

[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

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”

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

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

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

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

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?”

More

UN Secretary General Calls Out African Homophobia

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

See also:  Church of England reports on ACNA

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.”