Tuesday, July 29, 2008

LGBT Anglicans Back on the Chopping Block

After the release of Part Three of the Windsor Continuation Group's Preliminary Observations, the Rev. Susan Russell issued the following statement:
LGBT Anglicans are back on the chopping block based on the work of the Windsor Continuation Group. While we recognize that this is a long-term process, sadly, what was continued today was the process of institutionalizing bigotry and marginalizing the LGBT baptized. Acceptance of these recommendations would result in de facto sacramental apartheid.

Read the rest of the statement on the Walking with Integrity blog.

10 comments:

Cany said...

sacramental apartheid. an absolutely perfect definition of what is going on--or what seems to be going on--or what may be coming on.

its a sad, sad circumstance.

James said...

I'm afraid that I have to disagree with Susan. TEC is not going to back down on this and neither are most of the provinces. Yes, the Puritan communion will, but not the majority of the world's Anglicans.

David said...

I dunno, James. I'm pretty confident that the Canadians, the Kiwis and the Scots will do the right thing. But I'm slightly less confident in our own church (TEC).

There are plenty of bishops in TEC who're "go along to get along," company men types.

OCICBW, so I guess we'll see :)

Anonymous said...

Now that Davis Mac-Iyalla has been granted asylum and is safe in the UK, I tell "the rest of the story" on my blog:

http://akinolarepent.wordpress.com

James said...

David; fortunately, it's not our bishops who will call this shot -- it's our deputies.

The bishops are on less than firm ground in my opinion. If they don't do the justice/Christian thing, they may find resolutions at GC that severely restrict their bishops' rights. I'm not a canon lawyer but I get there are ways to call the bishops up on the carpet if they try to sell our autonomy down the tubes. This is where we need Jake to "'splain" things to us.

James said...

David, i had a laugh over your "who're" comment. Just remove that little apostrophy and what do you get? Bishops who will do anything for tea with Her Majesty.

Anonymous said...

Off topic, we had a little rock-n-roll here in SoCal this morning, some damage, but fortunately everyone seems okay.

As for the windsor thing, same ol', same ol'. Wouldn't you think if they were actually interested in a compromise they would include people of both iewpoints on the committee?

Increasingly the church makes itself irrelevant. In canada, the UK, parts of Europe and even parts of the US, gay couples have equal rights responsibilities and privileges. The conservatives attempt to turn this clock back and align themselves with archaic pre-modern views that seem as out-moded as powdered wigs.


IT

Anonymous said...

IT, sweetie, WE (We fags, dykes, anything-that-moves bi's, trannies, and "Straight But Not Narrows") ARE THE CHURCH.

Don't believe the 'phobic hype. (though you and I have our reasons to, I know :-/)

The WORST that happens, is that The Church---the REAL Church (filled w/ the types mentioned above)---become scattered communities, further apart. But if so, how much more might our Spirit grow???

"All will be well, and all will be well, and all manner of things shall be well": in as much as I'm (unintentionally) named for the Dame who uttered those words, I BELIEVE IT! Maranatha! :-)

IT said...

JCF,
I don't care at one level; it's ME, after all--the atheist. It's a buncha irrelevant old men in dresses subscribing to a polite myth, who don't like people like me. Fine, at some level it doesn't matter.

BUT I care for my partner and the wedding in which we will exchange our vows. She'd like to invite God. Right now He's apparently not coming. Her own Catholic faith wasn't going to send him, and it appears the 'piskies won't either.

I care for people. This sort of thing makes Christianity particularly, well, irrelevant to a modern context. I think that there is a lot of potential in REAL Christianity, the social justice type my partner practises. It's becoming irrelevant.

And I care for all you folk who DO care who are stiffening yourselves against this knife in the back: Lisa F, and Scott H, and James, and Counterlight, and you JCF, and ... and.... and... I don't like seeing y'all ripped away from something you care about simply for being the folk you are.

Thats not religion or faith. That's humanity. THe same reaction I'd have itf you all worked for a big company that fired you for being gay.

It ain't right.

David said...

Thanks, IT. We appreciate it :)

And I think every director of "congregational development" (and every clergy person) at every parish ought to read your third paragraph above and spend some really serious, quiet meditation time on it.

The Church in the Western World can either live, or fade into irrelevant obscurity. And how it responds to observations like your's will be, IMHO, a primary, determining factor.