1. Because The Episcopal Church (USA and other regions) is more accepting than most provinces of lesbians and gay people, including those in loving partnerships, it has been accused of failing to act in accord with the clear teaching of the Bible and the agreed position of the Communion, being too heavily influenced by the dominant culture and acting in an imperialist manner. Resolution 1.10 of the 1998 Lambeth Conference is often mentioned: though its position on homosexuality was not binding, TEC has been condemned for breaching ‘bonds of affection’ by not conforming.
2. However it is unjust to punish TEC when senior clergy in certain other provinces have to a far greater extent failed to act in line with Scripture and Anglican consensus, to examine their own cultures critically and to oppose imperialism. These include the primate and bishops of the Church of Nigeria, who have acted in ways contrary to key Biblical teachings, the 1998 Lambeth Resolution on homosexuality and over thirty resolutions agreed by Lambeth or the Anglican Consultative Council, as well as several recommendations of the Windsor Report.
No other Anglican province has DEFIED the rest of Anglican as ECUSA has. ECUSA consecrated VGR despite being warned that doing so “would tear the fabric of our Communion at its deepest level.” ECUSA largely defied the Windsor Report and the Dromantine Communique. It is, by its own choice, in a class by itself.
Yes, this article is a good example of re-writing history.
“You can’t discipline me! My brother did worse things and you didn’t discipline him! Of course, only I consider them worse, but that doesn’t matter, two wrongs make a right! We need to live together in community and mutual submission, so you are not the boss of me!” – standard reappraiser logic about being disciplined.
<blockquote> 5. Traditionally Anglicanism’s broad nature, and careful attention to scripture, tradition and reason in responding to complex issues, had enabled the church to revise its position radically on various matters over the past couple of centuries, including ethnicity, gender and sexuality, while staying true to its heritage.
I do not blame gays and lesbians for pursuing and/or believing this. The ones that are at fault (and are clearly under severe condemnation and judgment according to Scripture) are the false priests and bishops of ECUSA that teach the same, knowing the Scriptures say directly otherwise.
Like the “open” communion issue, they are doing directly the opposite as they have been commanded by God’s Word, and will be held accountable before the Judgment Seat.
This appears at the Kentucky American Anglican Council webpage:
WARNINGS ABOUT FALSE TEACHERS ACCORDING TO:
JESUS in Matthew 7:15-20: “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.”
JESUS in Matthew 24: 11-13: “”. . and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.”
THE APOSTLE PAUL in 2 Timorthy 4:2-5: “Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage–with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.”
THE APOSTLE PAUL in Acts 20:29: “Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.”
THE APOSTLE PAUL in 2 Corinthians 11:12-15: “And I will keep on doing what I am doing in order to cut the ground from under those who want an opportunity to be considered equal with us in the things they boast about. For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen , masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.
THE APOSTLE PAUL in 1 Timothy 4:-2: ” The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spiritis and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.”
THE APOSTLE JOHN in 2 John 7-11 Many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist. Watch out that you do not lose what you have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully. Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take him into your house or welcome him. Anyone who welcomes him shares in his wicked work.”
THE APOSTLE JOHN in 1 John 4:1- “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. The is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world. You dear children are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world and the world listens to them. You are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.”
THE APOSTLE PETER in 2 Peter 2:1-2: “But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them–bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute.”
JUDE (JUDAS) the half-brother of Jesus in his letter, Jude 3,4,7,8,10 “I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints. For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.. . .And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home–these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day. In a similar way Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire. In the very same way, these dreamers pollute their own bodies, reject authority and slander celestial beings. . . . these men speak abusively against whatever they do not understand; and what things they do understand by instinct, like unreasoning animals–these are the very things that destroy them. . . .But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. They said to you, ‘In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.’ These are ungodly men who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.”
The Ekkelesia website headlines the report, “Re-writing History: the Episcopal Church struggle”, while the actual title of the document (see page 1 of the pdf file) is: “Rewriting History: Scapegoating the Episcopal Church”. Why did Ekklesia change the subhead?