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| US Episcopal Diocese of Washington Votes to Avoid Using ‘Gendered Pronouns’ for God in Book of Common Prayer Source: Christian News |
From a Sunday Times report (£): "The Church of England has warned its American sister church that it could be kicked out of the global Anglican family if it forces priests to use a gay-friendly marriage ceremony that relegates the importance of bearing children.
"In a strongly worded eight-page letter, William Nye, the Church of England’s secretary-general, told the Episcopal Church that it could face “stringent consequences” if it replaced the marriage rites in its Book of Common Prayer with a gender-neutral ceremony that removed all reference to procreation."
In February this year Christian News reported:"The Episcopal Diocese of Washington, D.C. voted on Saturday to stop using 'gendered pronouns' for God in future revisions of its Book of Common Prayer and to “remove all obstacles” for “transgender” participation in church life by making all gender-specific facilities and activities accessible to those who identify as the opposite sex.
"It was passed by a show of hands during the 123rd Convention of the Washington Diocese with only a few opposed, according to Strategic Communications Director Richard Wosson Weinberg."
This morning on the BBC's Breakfast TV show the 'Prada priestess', the Rev Sally Hitchiner, founder of Diverse Church, took the opportunity not only to publicise her LGBT credentials but to highlight gender dysphoria, a condition which is thought to affect 0.07% of the population. To put this into perspective please watch this short (6 min) video.
Anglican clergy should be aware that the media feeds on sensationalism. Consequently the church militant is obscured by the church deviant as bishops and priests constantly trot out their propaganda, making the Church appear little more than a refuge for those who are allegedly mistreated.
It is right that the church shows concerned for vulnerable minorities but what of the far greater cloud of witnesses abandoned by their church? Without them them Anglicanism will die.
Faith by balloting like-minded activists is not the historic catholic faith received from the Apostles. The consequences are very much in evidence.
Postscript [24.04.2018]
The LGBT pressure group OneBodyOneFaith has sent a strongly-worded letter to William Nye "after the emergence late last week of a letter he wrote last October to The Episcopal Church, on behalf of the Archbishops' Council". It disassociates the group from the letter which, they claim, "has been met with anger, frustration and disappointment by many across the Church of England, on whose behalf you presume to speak. We wish to add the voices of our members to those calling for a more courageous, just and Christ-like response to what has become – we wish it were not so – the issue on which many will judge our church, and find it sorely wanting."
What the group believes can be read here. One of the groups objects is "to advance the education of the public on the needs and experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) Christians, and promote acceptance of diversity, so that they may be able to live without fear of rejection or recrimination and be fully included in the life and ministry of the Church".
It is a mystery how so many LGBT people flourish at senior levels in the church if what the group claims were true.
A more balanced approach is reported in CRUX: The bishops of England and Wales have raised concerns over the rise of gender ideology, saying it is creating confusion among people about the truth of human nature. In a statement issued at the end of their April 16-19 bi-annual plenary meeting in Leeds, the bishops acknowledged some people did not “accept their biological sex” but said they, as pastors, were “committed to their pastoral care.”
The bishops said the notion that gender was a social construct rather than a biological fact ran counter to the intuition of most people. “The idea that the individual is free to define himself or herself dominates discourse about gender. Yet our human instinct is otherwise,” they said in the statement. [Full report here]
Perversely, the only person who is denied being able to identify their own gender preference in TEC is God himself. Its time to take a stand and say enough is enough - we no are no longer in communion.
ReplyDeleteYou are right Whamab it is sad to see those lost souls voting to demolish the cherished and comprehensive vision of the Three States of the Church as Militant here on Earth, Penitent on their journey and Triumphant in the courts of Heaven. Where America leads Wales will soon follow with its present secular episcopacy who have created an edifice which is Deviant here on earth, Defiant on their journey and Absent from the Courts of Heaven.
ReplyDeleteGuess what the Bench are asking their clergy? Would they be happy to bless same sex unions in their churches, or allow their churches to be used for such services by a more "progressive" cleric? (For Progressive read theologically illiterate) The Church in Wales has become like the European Union: if you don't give the right answer first time as far as the benchsitters are concerned; we will keep voting until you do - the Church Deviant and Defiant indeed.
DeleteSeymour
Quite so Seymour. Your comment reminds us of the way the benchsitters of their day kept voting time and again for the ordination of wimmin until they secured the desired result and look at the mess they have created. Deviant, Defiant and Destructive.
ReplyDeleteMilitant and Deviant?
ReplyDeletehttps://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-43893884
'The landscape has changed for queer artists'
Growing up in Blackpool, Olly Alexander lived next door to a church. As a young gay man, that presented him with a dilemma.
"I was always aware that, in the bible, homosexuality was viewed as sinful and that's always stayed with me," says the singer.
"But I really love religious iconography and religious language because it's so powerful and so evocative... so now I love to play around with that and subvert it."
He certainly achieves that goal on Years & Years' recent single, Sanctify, which characterises being gay as a sacred act. ("Maybe it's heavenly," sings Alexander in the bridge.)
"I love a bit of drama," laughs the singer, "and it doesn't get more dramatic than sanctifying your sins when you pray."
The 27-year-old was inspired to write the song after a brief relationship with a straight man.