A deadline of Sept. 30 for compliance with the worldwide church was set earlier this year, when the Anglican Church called for the 2.4 million member Episcopal Church to renounce the blessing of same-sex marriages and agree to no longer allow non-celibate homosexuals to become bishops.
A majority of American bishops are not inclined to agree with the worldwide body, and the tension threatens to split a relationship between Episcopalians and Anglicans, and has already divided Episcopalians in the United States.
Citing the Rutgers’ women as examples of how to lessen tension, “was an appropriate comparison,” said Rev. Greg Bezilla, the Episcopal chaplain at Rutgers. He likened comments Imus made about African-American women at Rutgers to comments often made about homosexuals.
“For so many people who are gay or lesbian, they are used to being disregarded, and insulted,” said Bezilla.
Bezilla does not anticipate the Episcopal Church will yield to the Anglican demands. “My expectations are that the bishops will not accept any proposal that would infringe on their own autonomy and authority as national church,” he said.
“The truth of the gospel is that Jesus proclaimed acceptance for all, and that he broke down barriers wherever he found them,” said Rev. Karin R. Mitchell, the rector of the St. David’s Episcopal Church in Cranbury.
Meanwhile, Dave Beers and Co. are taking 2×4’s to dozens of parishes in the new TEC paradigm of “civility.”
These people are irony-proof.
Whenever I read a silly–and originally a doctrine dreamed up by the theologians of the NY Times–as spouted by Rev. Mitchell, I am convinced these promoters of the corrupt American version of Christianity have never spent 10 minutes reading any major portions of the 4 Gospels or the book of Revelation or, indeed, any major portions of the New Testament. Their religion seems based on sound bites pulled out of context by people who don’t really give one whit about the Truths taught by Christ.
And what goes on in the Episcopal Church is of crucial importance to members of other Christian churches (I am Catholic) because as many orthodox Christian doctrines get jettisoned there it makes it that much harder to strengthen Christian moral principles in our nation.
If the TEC wants to keep “its” authority that’s fine. But it does seem to me that if this is so then it is past time to forget about wanting to be part of the Anglican Communionand let them go their way but many there are that will not follow them.