The General Convention of the US Episcopal Church will be asked to authorize rites for the blessing of same-sex unions at their triennial meeting in July. On Jan 31 the Diocese of Newark synod endorsed a resolution asking the General Convention to amend the national Church’s canons governing Holy Matrimony, making them gender-neutral.
Newark’s Resolution 2009-05 asks the national church to amend Canon 18: Of the Solemnization of Holy Matrimony, substituting the words “two persons” where the words “a man and a woman” now appear, and to amend Canon 19: Of Regulations Respecting Holy Matrimony, to substitute the word “spouse” where the words “husband or wife” appear.
Delegates to the Newark synod also asked their diocesan clergy to henceforth record services solemnizing same-sex civil unions in the parish register “in a manner identical to the recording of marriages,” and stated the diocese’s intention of asking the national Church to amend its canons making this innovation church wide.
The Trinity has been an option since 1979 in the service, why not the gender of the players?
Uhhh, if I were still an Episopalian……which, thankfully, I’m not…..I’d have to say “Thanks, but no thanks!” Because, you see, the marriage vows between my wife and me meant something to us 46 years ago, and they mean the same thing NOW. The state of Holy Matrimony is God’s sanctification of the union existing between one man and one woman……and nothing can ever change that…….nor WILL it!
Gen Con to AC: pffffllllltttt!
“Religious Intelligence”? And the liberals had such fun of sneering at “Military Intelligence”. What goes around, comes around. Statmann
Was there a ceremony when the Episcopal Church married the Spirit of the Age?
I am tired of the mis-use of the word “Justice.” There is only one Justice in the created cosmos and that is God’s Justice. If an action is sinful, then the recognition of that action by the state or by the church as licit cannot be just. The Church lacks the authority to bless same sex unions just as it lacks the authority to bless any sex outside of marriage. It also lacks the authority to change the definition of marriage.
BTW, Statmann – the title “Religious Intelligence” is the name of the website that reports on religious stories, not an editorial on the wisdom or intelligence of this proposal by Newark.
YBIC,
Phil Snyder
This is a blatantly schismatic action on the part of the Diocese of Newark.
This is an action taken by that diocese after admonition after admonition after admonition from the demographic majority of the Anglican Communion.
This is a ‘slap in the face,’ it is a direct challenge to “…the Faith once given….”
If General Convention 2009 passes anything similar to or in support of this resolution then that convention, that is all members supporting such action at that convention, will also be guilty of the sin of schism.
But, what the heck? It seems that the leadership of ECUSA has drifted and is drifting so far from “…the Faith once given…” that schism will no longer an appropriate term to apply to that leadership’s actions since they no longer are/will be Christian leaders of a Christian church.
I think that those leaders should seriously reflect upon their temporal actions taken to serve perceived temporal mortal needs since mortality is temporary and death may be permanent if they are told by Him, “I don’t know you.”
If TEC’s General Convention goes ahead and approves this, then they might just as well send a formal notice to everyone in the Anglican Communion that they are no longer in communion with them, and they are thereby leaving the Communion forthwith.
Schori and Company have thumbed their noses at the rest of us for far too long, and it’s about time the Primates called them on it! They need to be told that they are not welcome, and to get out…..get away from us…. we do not want them among us!
[blockquote]Newark’s Resolution 2009-05 asks the national church to amend Canon 18: Of the Solemnization of Holy Matrimony, substituting the words “two persons†where the words “a man and a woman†now appear[/blockquote]
After this passes, one wonders how long it will be before the word “two” is substituted with something else…
7, the Primates and the AC will do nothing.
The Diocese of Newark is, of course, the diocese which gave us Bp. Spong. It has, shall we say, a history. :>
Phil Snyder:Yes, I got it. Just thought it was a good fit for the article and that this dippy item from Newark did not speak too well for the intelligence of the website. One must search for some humor in the mainline church scene. Statmann
Enough to gag a maggot!
We’ll see if this passes at Anaheim. But even if it doesn’t this time, it will soon. It goes with gender-neutral Bibles and so on.
Finny that no one has yet remarked that making a service “gender-neutral” was precisely how WO was brought in at Minneapolis in 1976. Once again, the parallel is exact, as is the parable (Luke 16:18b): “for the children of this world are wiser in their generation than the children of light.”
And so the final purge of believing clergy will begin, with same-sex couples targeting orthodox clergy and congregations, asking to be married in that church and bringing forth depositions on clergy who refuse. Coming soon to a congregation near you!
Further news to look forward to: General Convention 2015 votes to remove the word “two” from the Rite of Holy Matrimony, so it now states simply “persons.”
While not entirely certain, I think this effort has the wind in its sails. I wonder if the Archbishop of Canterbury will cancel his visit to Disneyland this summer, as being present may make it more difficult to ignore. In the meantime, the pastoral visitors continue to make their plans, which apparently do not include meeting with any global south bishops shepherding the current or former TEC laypeople who disagree with these revisionist efforts.
I continue to be stunned that the Archbishop decided to allow things to get to this state, but it really is rapidly getting outside of his ability to influence, let alone control. Very sad.
From:
http://www.robgagnon.net/RespHarwoodPorter.htm
[blockquote]In response to a question about how the Church should respond to nonmonogamous homosexual relationships, Countryman has said: “I would be distressed if the drive toward blessing gay unions merely applied Reformation understandings of heterosexual unions to gay unions.â€
He has written in his book Dirt, Greed, and Sex (Fortress, 1988) that “the gospel allows no rule against the following, in and of themselves: . . . bestiality, polygamy, homosexual acts,†or “pornography,†or (apparently) adult incestuous unions. As regards such matters we are not free to “impose our codes on others.†[/blockquote]
If this passes it will be more than just my toes in the Tiber or the Bosporus!
Blurr the distinctions between male and female. Blurr all the God-established distinctions and boundaries: life-death and East-West. That way we can pretend that we are the creator.
Get ready to head for the hills!! The dam is just about ready to break. There are still Episcopal churches that disagree with the TEC PB, and they may have to leave it when the time comes. The PB may continue to sue breakaways and grab empty churches but unless she has a big bag of money somewhere she will wind up unable to pay the untilities or salaries of the priests to keep those churches operating.
Louis Crew had this same resolution in committee at GC2006. It just never got out of committee because so much time was spent on the other matters. I predict it will not pass the HOB. These bishops know how much money and members they will lose if this passes. They won’t allow it this time around. 2012 may be different.