It is obviously that it IS compatible, look at the men and women who make up the assorted MCC churches or online forum members of GayChristian.net - it is obvious that God is in the lives of many of these men and women.

There is one Gospel singer - Marsha Stevens - who is also gay and christian. I remember her music from singing in our church when I was a little kid, back in Marshaltown, IA. She has a beautiful voice and her music is still very uplifting. I say "still" because so many christians want to think that if you are gay you can't have a strong relationship with God. They believe that your life will only go down hill.

I think my parent believe that as well, if anything bad happens to you, it is because you are 'going against God' but if anything good happens, well... everyone has ups and downs. Yet for themselves, if anything good happens it is because God is blessing them and if anything bad happens it is either Satan going against them or it is 'just life'. Very much a double standard!

What got me posting was an article I was reading about another Gospel singer - Cynthia Clawson - that had come out in support of gays and has received attacks from mean-spirited, 'christians' who disapprove of her opening her heart and arms to the glbt community. A sad situation and one that is unfortunately, not surprising.

I was also reading about a guy who hosts a TBN (trinity broadcast network - Pat Robertson founder) show called REMIX that has come out of the closet and declared that he - Azariah Southworth - is still a christian while also being gay.

I never watched TBN, frankly couldn't stomach some of it's gaudiness and occasional hokiness, but I wish Azariah the best for his future and the show. I also pray that Cynthia doesn't let the ugliness of some 'christians' to spoil her love for those who still care. And a big thanks to Marsha for actually being one of the first out christian gays in the community - a definite leader in both music and life!

But that's not what's been bothering me. You see, I would always head up to see her in her home town, I loved coming up and being with her and her friends. Her friends were something else. Her friends are amazing; they're some of the most compassionate, outgoing people I've ever met. You could tell they just had addicting personalities. Although one stood out in particular. He wore an orange hoody and navy blue sweat pants. He had shortish brown hair, and beautiful blue eyes. I couldn't take my eyes off him he looked incredible cute and as I was soon to learn, his personality was something else. We hit it off instantly; it felt like I had known him for years. The next day when I was back at my house I decided to facebook him. Which inevitably lead to AIM conversation. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. We got to know each other pretty well and became quick friends. I soon found myself up until 2:00AM talking to this boy about everything; it was just so easy to talk to him. I felt a strange sense of trust and soon felt myself spilling my whole life story to him. This boy was amazing, he would listen and respond intelligently to anything I threw at him, I've never had such meaningful conversations like I would have with him, he was special to me. A month or so of talking to this boy just about every day I brought out the fact that I was bisexual and a bunch of crap that's happened to me in my life (that's a story for another day). I guess he trusted me enough and realized how pure the stories of my past were that he responded, "are you my friend?” to which I replied, "of course". He followed with, "well I don't like girls". At this point, I'm literally shaking, my heart is pounding my mind is racing. We didn't sleep that whole night, we shared every story, answered every question, just everything was thrown in until we exhausted our feelings and our words. I really liked him a lot and he is in the same position I'm in. We're both Christian and have relatively the same beliefs which makes everything a lot harder for us. Well I quickly learned that he had fallen for a friend of his and he's held his interest for about a year now (his friend is straight and has no idea). I was heart broken to find out he liked another guy. I was then further crushed when I told him I really liked him and he said he didn't feel the same way. He just said there was 'something' missing that prevented him from feeling the same way I did.

This brings me to tonight. I've always tried to tell myself to just move on, and get over him. Well the truth is I can't. I've asked him how he feels about me and he says, "You’re cute, I really look forward to talking to you, you have an amazing personality, all the characteristics you would think liking someone entail. But I just don't love you like that". I can't possibly explain to you how that feels. We talk almost every day and I head up to see him whenever I get the chance because we love being around each other. I would love nothing more to be able to just lay with him for the rest of my life. But unfortunately, it can't be like that. It shouldn't be like that. Homosexuality is wrong, all these impure thoughts are wrong. We've done things that can only be classified as 'bad'. We've kissed, and we've cuddled and we sort of played around a bit one night, with our clothes on of course. It's just like we can't just enjoy being close to each other because it arouses sexual pleasure which is a bad thing. It hurts so much to know that he doesn't feel the same way I do and that he still has feelings for his friend. He talks to me about his friend and I just try to be supportive and help him through things. Even though deep down inside I'm incredibly jealous and it just hurts me so much more. But I could never tell him that. Well tonight all my feelings for him caught up to me and I cried for about 10 minutes. Why do things have to be like this? Why do I even have these feelings? I should probably get to bed.

]]> http://queerforchrist.wordpress.com/?p=84 Thu, 27 Mar 2008 13:53:01 +0000 QFC http://queerforchrist.wordpress.com/?p=84 Please jump right over to Father Jake Stops the World to read about the latest hate crimes perpetrated by Akinola sympathizers in Nigeria against anyone associated with LGBT Christ followers. This one has all the lovely qualities of a Fred Phelps demonstration, Nigeria-style: earlier this month, during the funeral for the late sister of Davis Mac-Iyalla, Director of Changing Attitude Nigeria (CAN), the leader of the Port Harcourt members of CAN was taken out and beaten by a gang yelling anti-gay epithets while they slapped, punched, kicked and spat on him.

Maundy Thursday gets me every time.

[please note that I had posted a photo of Mehdi here, but his family has asked that it not be displayed on the web]

Last week, the British Labour government (aren't they supposed to be on our side!?) was set to send yet another young Iranian man to the gallows until 80 members of the House of Lords intervened, writing a letter that seems to have made a strong impression on Ms. Smith. Mehdi Kazemi is a 19 year-old student who had been studying in the UK when his boyfriend named him to authorities in Iran prior to his own hanging. The British Home Office initially denied Kazemi's asylum request, based on his belief that he would be immediately executed upon his return to Iran.

So anyway, thanks be to God and some members of the House of Lords, last week the Home Secretary announced she would review her decision denying the young Iranian asylum in the UK. Her earlier decision, for which no rational explanation is immediately apparent, led Mehdi to head to the Netherlands, which ruled against him in legal deference to the UK - a fellow EU country - which had already ruled on the matter. Again, aren't these people (the Dutch) supposed to be on our side!?!?

Here's a fact many of us on the Western side of the Atlantic don't know: the Archbishop of Canterbury sits in the House of Lords. I have sought in vain on the internet for the list of the 80 members of the Upper House of Parliament who signed the letter urging the Home Office to review this asylum claim, to no avail. As an Episcopalian and (for now) an Anglican, I am sending out a call to any and all in the UK or wherever who may know the answer to this question: did Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury and the spiritual leader of 80 million Anglicans worldwide, sign this letter? Has he spoken out on this matter at all? In light of his recent comments on Sharia law in the UK (for which he got something of a bum rap, I will concede), one would think he would seize on the opportunity to show Christian leadership on this issue, and exercise his leadership, if any, on this most compelling of humanitarian emergencies. If he did not sign this letter, I will have more to say. If he did, I will likewise be back, praising his name and thanking God. But right now, the evidence is that he has remained silent.

Here's something else you may not have known: the Iranian government, in its misguided, pre-modern ignorance of human sexuality, offers gay and lesbian Iranians a "humane" alternative to death by hanging or stoning: forced - even subsidized - sexual reassignment surgery. Now, Willie Nelson has recently recorded a song that might indicate he shares this unsophisticated understanding of queerness, but I can forgive Willie, 'cause he's trying to do the right thing - I think.

Can we at least expect this much from Rowan Williams?

These are wonderful to read through (click on picture below) - I removed names since they only gave Beyond ExGay authorization.

This post started out as a mild mannered survey of what the Better Bloggers than Me of the world were writing about. However, it seems that hatemonger and Christ betrayer Peter Akinola's real motives and beliefs about Christianity are finally coming to hideous light with the story of his complicity, before or after the fact, in the massacre of Muslims in Nigeria. He is a militant Christian exclusivist and fundamentalist, and he must, at long last, be denounced, rather than hailed as the savior of the Anglican communion many have made him out to be.

This month's Atlantic Monthly features an article by Eliza Griswold that should leave no doubt in the minds of those who foolishly hold him as their spiritual leader that their allegiance to - and faith in - Falsebishop Peter Akinola has at long last been shown to be tragically misplaced. His role in the retributive religious violence that has marred his country is no longer in doubt - he condemns himself by his own words, and more so by his silence, regarding attacks by "Christians" against "Muslims" in his country.

Father Jake Stops the World continues to attempt to hold Archbishop Akinola accountable for, and demands an accounting of, his possible role in the alleged massacre of Muslims in Nigeria. He also calls on us all to get off our butts and do something about this. I have written the proper authorities, and hope you do the same.

Episcopal Cafe has the story in full as well, excerpting heavily from Griswold's article and calling on Akinola and all his supporters to answer fully the questions raised about his involvement in inciting murder and rape of Muslims in Nigeria.

It is past time for reasonable Anglicans around the world to stop and take stock of the morals and values of this man, and at long last to admit that they have hitched their wagon to a false prophet, whose motivations are power and whose refusal to obey the command of the Lord he purports to confess - to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with God - should shame all who ever walked with him.

"...if there is a God in heaven it will do neither you nor your cause any good."
- Joe Welch, Counsel to the United States Army, denouncing Senator Joseph McCarthy's brutal witch hunts for alleged communists in the 1950's.

In familia unor pocaiti s-a nascut o fata. Tatal violent, homosexual, niciodata nu s-a recunoscut.

Fata a crescut ca baietzii: parul scurt, imbracaminte, comportament, vorbe, atitudini, ganduri…de baiat. Era “Baiatul”, “Baietzoi”.

Se referea la genul feminin ca “ele” niciodata “noi”. Normal, ca baiat se uita la fete: aia e draguta, aia e simpatica, aia e nashpa.
A crescut asa pana… a inceput sa lucreze si constiinta de sine: “Hei, esti fata, ai toate caracteristicile fiziologice ale unei fete!”

Dar constiinta ei respingea lucrul acesta: “Cum se poate sa fiu fata si sa ma simt atrasa de fete?” A inceput o lupta intre constiinta si sentimente. Faptul ca Dumnezeu condamna aceasta inrautatea si mai mult lucrurile. Il iubea pe Dumnezeu si nu avea nici o indoiala ca El o iubea. Il acceptase ca Mantuitor si Stapan cu ochii complet deschisi si stiind ce implica asta.

La inceput refuza sa recunosca faptul ca are vreo problema. Treptat a recunoscut fatza de sine “Nu e bine, nu e normal”; a inceput rugaciuni “Doamne scapa-ma, scoate din mine asta”. Parca nimic. Normal ca s-a intrebat “De ce eu, de ce mi se intampla mie? Cu ce sunt eu vinovata? Eu nu vreau sa simt asa, de ce nu imi iei Doamne astea?”

Dar constiinta o avertiza mereu. Nu a povestit nimanui. Nu indraznea. Era prea riscant. Si in plus: “pocaita!” Si mai mult: il iubea sincer pe Domnul Isus. Si faptul ca acest ceea ce simtea il facea pe El trist era si mai rau.

Chiar a marturisit altor persoane. Dar parca nimic. A inceput sa se gandeasca: “Asa m-ai creat, asta am sa fiu.” Simtea ca nu mai poate lupta, ca atractia e prea mare si promisiunile frumoase. Simtea sa se scufunda in mocirla, ca puterile slabesc, ca renunta la lupta.

Dar in mintea ei lucrurile sunt clare:

“NU pot fi CRESTIN si gay crestin.”

“NU pot pretinde ca citesc Biblia si sa nu o las sa imi fie oglinda.” (Oh, de cate ori a privit in aceasta Oglinda si s-a ingrozit din cauza imaginii reflectate!)

“NU pot pretinde ca Isus e Mantuitorul meu si sa ii batjocoresc jertfa, cum ca ea nu are putere pentru mine sa ma schimbe.”

“NU pot pretinde ca Isus e Stapanul meu si sa am secrete fatza de el, camarutze incuiate, cu cheile aruncate.”

“Nu pot pretinde ca imi este Stapan si sa imi traiesc viata dupa cum imi dicteaza necesitatile, si sa le implinesc in un mod care dovedeste ca eu sunt stapana”

“Nu pot pretinde ca sunt crestin si sa renunt la lupta, sa cred eronat ca esti singura, abandonata, uitata si condamnata de El.”

“Abandonand lupta, abandonez singurul aliat” aceasta e ingrozitoarea concluzie.

“Da, El e IUBIRE dar e si SFINTENIE. Ma iubeste neconditionat insa nu imi scuza pacatul. Bunatatea Lui ma indeamna la indreptare, insa nu imi incurajeaza greseala.”

Fata asta si azi se lupta. Uneori asa oboseste ca ii vine sa renunte.

Insa sunt lucruri care o fac sa continue:

Harul lui Dumnezeu, pe care il cere neincetat
E constienta ca Dumnezeu o iubeste, si nu doar pentru ca altii ii zic
Chiar il iubeste pe Dumnezeu si Cuvantul lui, nu doar ca asa a fost crescuta sau a vazut ca altii zic asa
Nu se ascunde dupa deget, cautand sa isi justifice slabiciunea, si inca cu versete din Biblie, declarand raul bine.
Ar fi putut da vina pe Dumnzezeu: asa m-a facut.
Ar fi putut sa dea vina pe genetica: transmitere de la tatal.
Ar fi putut sa dea vina pe mediu: asa a crescut.
Ar fi putut…………..

Azi isi duce lupta…

Asezata in Trupul lui Hristos, cauta ajutor de la celelalte madulare. Nu condamnare, nu respingere, nu atitudini: “atentie, lepros in zona”, nu “accepta-ma ca asta sunt”, ci ajutor si sprijin pentru indreptare, pentru eliberare, pentru sfintire, pentru intarire, pentru vindecare.>

By Invincta Maneo

Today's featured site is Whosoever, an online magazine where every hyperlink sends you straight into the loving arms of Jesus. Whosoever is edited by Candace Chellew-Hodge, and boasts many contributors, from many backgrounds.

I tried in vain to find on Whosoever a single snarky remark or backhanded slap at those who disagree, but found nary a one. What I did find, in the most recent issue, is well-represented by contributor Lori Heine's piece, "Canaries in the Mine." Lori blogs at Born 0n 9-11, and is a prolific contributor to Whosoever. An excerpt:

GLBT folks are, indeed, like the canaries that miners used to put down in the shaft, in cages, to indicate to them whether it was safe to work down there. As long as those canaries kept on singing, they knew there was enough good, clean air for them to breathe. But when they found the little birds dead, they knew that so much poisonous gas had seeped into the mine that they themselves could no longer stay there. The canaries' gift, for which they gave their very lives, was their life-saving warning to the miners.

...The health of the Body of Christ is threatened, sometimes even gravely so, by the way the majority of believers treat minorities or those who are otherwise vulnerable to exploitation and abuse. How "the least among us" are treated was, according to Jesus Himself, the chief indicator of His followers' fidelity to Him (or of their lack thereof). For how we treat "the least of these," He asserts in Scripture, is how we treat Him.

There is, indeed, a Christ-like element to our unfortunate role. Not because God wills our sufferings, but because of the opportunities they present. They graphically illustrate the duties of the followers of Christ toward other people and toward one another. How we endure the ordeal presents us with a tremendous opportunity, as well. Bearing this cross with courage can help lead others to true faith and a closer walk with God.

There is much more, which I hope you will all enjoy. Candace and her crew have been at this for ten years! I stand amazed in the presence.

First, a disclaimer. My partner U.C. had nothing to do with any of the contents of this post, and while he will tell you that he would not be an Episcopalian, let alone a postulant for Holy Orders, if it were not for Bishop Gene Robinson's consecration in 2003, he has nary a political bone in his body, and so is not saying much about the current goings-on in our tiny little division of the Dominion of God. But I am a political being, like it or not, and I do have some things to share with any of you who are still consuming blog posts on this subject. And if you are, well, God help you.

There are queer folk who are so disappointed with the recent statement by our Bishops that they are contemplating leaving the church. If you are one of those folks, or know any of them, you may not like what I say, or you may dismiss me as too sycophantic or old school or whatever. I probably am all of those things, compared to younger and more radical people who may have less invested in the Church, or less to lose in general by leaving. I worked very hard for several years as part of a group of people, queer and non, to help grow a progressive, inclusive Episcopal parish. I have lost friends because of my faith. I have not yet begun to really serve God and humanity, but I have invested a good deal of time, energy and money in the effort and I have made some sacrifices. So if you are wondering, I am NOT a closeted, bitchy, rich-as-Cresus Republipalian who thinks the "activists" should keep their mouths shut and stop all the fuss. God loves those people, and so I have to as well, but I am not one of them. I don't want anyone to shut up about anything. Be passionate! Care deeply! But please, don't walk away just when things are getting better for queer Christians in the Episcopal Church.

So what do I have to say that is helpful, and not just more diatribe? The only words that are justified at this point are what I hope are words of comfort to the queer folks who may be thinking of leaving the Episcopal Church. So I write to you, dear ones, in love and solidarity, and in the hope that you find some meaning here.

1. The Episcopal Church is not God. Nor is the Roman Catholic Church, the Southern Baptist Convention, the Anglican Communion, Sunni or Shi'a Islam, Tibetan, Theravadan or Zen Buddhism, or any other group or organization. Also there is no book ever printed or published that is God. There is no god but God. Taking anything that comes from the mouth (or keyboard) of any human being, whether s/he wears a pointy hat or a skull cap or dances naked in a circle under the moon as God's word on the subject is just, well, un-Protestant. Protestantism (and we Episcopalians are protestants, you will recall) is about getting rid of all those fallible human intercessors that the Church put between us and a direct experience of the divine. So why let the church determine how you feel about being a Christian? It's not a club, it's just how we come together to express our love for God. It's like our families - not always accepting of us at first, but slowly, if we hang in there, witnessing, loving and being ourselves within it, it will surely change. If it doesn't, then maybe we don't come to Thanksgiving every year. Or we don't speak at all, if the cruelty is extreme. But the Episcopal Church is hardly demonstrating cruelty to queers at this juncture, far from it. So to get up from the table now is to say to a church that has staked its future on building a theology that admits us queers as full participants, "well, Mom, thanks for going to all those support groups, joining PFLAG four years ago, sponsoring me in the AIDS ride, and defending me to all your hateful brothers and sisters even as you yourself struggled to understand me, but it's just too little, too late, so I'm changing my name and leaving the family. Good luck in your retirement years." It's not perfect yet, friends, but for God's sake let's not abandon it just when it has begun to change! Note: I know family metaphors are dicey, but please understand that my own mom did none of these things.
2. Maybe you don't need the church anymore, but it does need you. Maybe you think you have all the spirituality you need without belonging to the Church. Are you sure? If so, then yes - I think you can be right with the universe and the creator and not belong to an organized religion. In fact I have just started reading an atheist blog that reminds me that there are a lot of people out there who are living as Christ would have us live, yet doing so without any expectation of God's grace as a reward. But that is really hard for some people; for those of us who do need to be supported and loved and nurtured by a community that shares our desire to worship a God of love and compassion, and a Christ that embodied that love, we want to walk on the path with others. Thus, we go to church and belong to The Church, but we need not depend on that church, nor should we expect that church, to be infallible - because nothing is, brothers and sisters.
3. This is all about politics. Politics is the art of the possible, and I do firmly believe that the Episcopal Church is doing all it possibly can to serve the long-term best interests of queer Christians. A dear friend has written a book about the conflict over sexuality in the Anglican Communion from an anthropological perspective, which is a very dense treatment of the subject and not for the timid. Nonetheless, she is writing about the social, historical and cultural forces that led us to this current pass. She assiduously avoids talking about all this in terms of power politics, and rightly so - she is an anthropologist. The Bishops of the Episcopal Church are, nonetheless, confronted with a situation that is entirely political (that is, it's all about rival groups vying for power and recognition) and their recent statement is obviously a tactical move on their part to (1) keep the American church in an uneasy state of unity within itself so it can survive as an institution, and (2) to curry enough favor with the Anglican power brokers that they will say "no" to those who insist that the Episcopal Church be ejected from the Anglican Communion in favor of those who are trying to set up a "new ecclesiastical structure" (oh, would you just say new CHURCH and stop obfuscating, folks?). I don't think the Episcopal Church's bishops have any illusions that these American dissenters are coming back; they are long gone. No, what our bishops are doing is trying to keep more from leaving, I think. And for now, that may be what is in the long term best interest of queer inclusiveness in the life of the church.
4. Communion Does Matter. Yes, I do think that we should do all we can to stay involved in the life of the Global church. I think that Jesus wants to hit the bong every time a new breakaway sect appears, because division and conflict, especially in and among people of faith about matters of faith, is moving us backwards on what Dr. King called the "long arc of the moral universe" that "bends toward justice." Sometimes things get so completely out of hand (as at the time of the Reformation) that people of conscience need to "walk apart" from those who have completely abrogated Christ's simple directive to love God and neighbor. But we should always, it seems to me, be working to come back together as people who love God. And we can do more to feed the sheep and clothe the naked as members of a global community than we can alone.
5. It's not just about me or you. There are lots of religious organizations out there who seem to have an image of the Church as one big self-help organization. It is not intended to be that, I don't think. Yes, it is a place where we should find comfort, but also a place that demands more of us than we get back. What is the message of Christ, if not that? If we stop and think about the Church as a place of serving, rather than being served, we will come much closer to the mind of God. Having said that, one way to serve people and God is by working very hard for justice, and that work needs to continue, inside the church and out, even if we do not hope to see full equality achieved in our lifetimes. There are queer kids and queers yet-unborn who will need Christ, and want to find a place where they can serve God without fear or shame. The Episcopal Church is destined to be such a place, I am absolutely sure of it. But what will be left for them if those of us who are being asked to work harder and sacrifice more simply walk away? We have the chance to reform, in a small "r" sort of way, a branch of the one catholic and apostolic church, and I happen to think we are called to stay in it, love it, and work hard within it.

God, I hope that helped. Let me know, I welcome your comments.

The Gospel means: Good News! The good news is that we are God's children by God's grace alone (unmerited favor) and we appropriate that grace through our abiding faith (implacable trust) in God (i.e. trusting God over and above seen circumstances), love, peace, reconciliation, and inclusiveness! That's the only Gospel to be found in Christianity.

Unfortunately, we are primarily exposed to the false gospel of legalism, perfectionism, and exclusion, a false gospel that is diametrically opposed to the good news, to Christianity itself. Far too many propound the gospel of genital placement, rather than the Gospel of Christ; ignore such egregious sins as unjust war, poverty, and disease.

I liked this response to Genesis idea of being fruitful and multiplying:

First of all, a tribal society, living on the edge, and surrounded by enemies must be "fruitful and multiply" if it is going to survive! Therefore, under those conditions, there is no premium placed on homosexual activity! However, we are no longer a tribal society living on the edge; it's inappropriate to blindly translate the cultural practices of ancient societies to contemporary society as to do so cheapens the Bible

Please go read the rest, you won't be disappointed.

At a time when progressive, inclusive Anglicans, not to mention queer folk like yours truly are feeling somewhat unloved by our brothers and sisters to the South, let me here publish for you all a reminder. Calling themselves the "Global Center," this is an honor roll of Global South Primates and Bishops who support the idea of diversity amid our various opinions and see this as the hallmark of Anglicanism, saying in their May, 2007 communique:

We exhort our Communion to preserve its partaking nature, diversified, wide and inclusive, characteristics that we consider essential to our Tradition and that constitute our main contribution to the Christian tradition.

It has been proven in our relations that we greatly represent the plurality and diversity that are universal characteristics of Anglicanism and that we hold different positions on the themes that are presently discussed in the Communion. However, we have also experienced that the plurality and diversity we represent has become a rich source for growth, rather than a cause for controversy and division.

We have many friends in the Carribean and Central and South America. Let's remember them at this difficult time, and give thanks:

Mauricio Andrade, Primate of Brasil
Carlos Touché Porter, Primate of México
Martín Barahona, Primate of El Salvador
Lloyd Alien,  Diocese of Honduras
Jubal Neves, Diocese Sul Occidental, Brasil
Naudal Gómez, Diocese of Curitiba, Brasil
Sebastiao Gamaleira, Diocese of Recife, Brasil
Filadelfo Oliveira, Diocese of Recife, Brasil
Orlando Santos de Oliveira, Diocese Meridional, Brasil
Julio Murray, Diocese of Panamá
Armando Guerra Soria, Diocese of  Guatemala
Héctor Monterroso, Diocese of Costa Rica
Lino Rodríguez, Diocese of México;
Benito Juárez, Diocese of Sureste de México;
Francisco Duque, Diocese of Colombia;
Alfredo Morante, Dicosese de litoral, Ecuador;
Orlando Guerrero, Diocese of Venezuela;
Miguel Tamayo, Diocese of Uruguay and Cuba;
Wilfredo Ramos, Diocese of Central Ecuador
Julio Cesar Olguín, Diocese of the Dominican Republic
José Antonio Ramos, Retired Bishop

Bishop in full support of gays

Curry will help set Episcopal position

Yonat Shimron, Staff Writer (C) 2007, The News & Observer

Episcopal bishops gather today in New Orleans to consider their response to leaders of the parent church who want them to back down from their commitment to gays and lesbians.One North Carolina bishop will bring a clear message: Don't do it. Bishop Michael B. Curry of the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina has been listening to members of his diocese, many of whom say he should not bow to demands from the Anglican Communion that the American church stop ordaining openly gay bishops and blessing same-sex unions. As one Episcopalian put it at a congregational meeting in Raleigh earlier this week, "We don't dictate to them how they should behave, they shouldn't dictate to us how we should behave."

In the four years since the consecration of an openly gay man as bishop of New Hampshire, the 2.4-million-member Episcopal Church has stood on the verge of schism with the global 77-million-member Anglican Communion. Some within the communion, especially the African Anglicans, have insisted the American church reform its ways.

In the United States, entire churches that opposed openly gay bishops split from the Episcopal fold, and some dioceses are threatening to do so. It is not clear what action the Anglican Communion would take if there is no agreement on gay and lesbian issues. Some think that the prospect of a schism has never been higher and that if the Episcopal bishops reject these demands, they will, at the very least, face diminished status in the communion.

But to judge from a congregational meeting that drew more than 100 Episcopalians on Tuesday night, those remaining a part of the church are willing to stand by their convictions to include gays and lesbians in every aspect of church life.

"People have had an opportunity to prayerfully reflect on what kind of people we want to be," said Curry, who has held four meetings across the diocese to listen to people's views. "We want to be like Jesus. We want to love everybody."

Curry will submit a report on what he hears to the bishops who will be meeting today and Friday with the archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, the spiritual leader of the Anglican Communion. The bishops will craft a response to a demand that the Episcopal Church refrain from electing openly gay and lesbian bishops. None has been elected since V. Gene Robinson was made bishop of New Hampshire, but a lesbian is now among the candidates to become the bishop of Chicago. The bishops must also respond to the demand that they ban blessings of same-sex unions. The Episcopal Church has no formal rites for such ceremonies, but individual bishops, including Curry, have let them take place in their dioceses. Many North Carolina Episcopalians said they would be saddened to see a rift in the Anglican Communion. But they don't want to backtrack from their convictions.

"We need to stand up for the truth as we understand it and be inclusive of all God's people," said the Rev. George Clifford, a retired priest from Raleigh.