Breakaway Episcopal Churches Lose Court Case

In welcome news seven anti-gay Episcopal parishes that broke away from the national church after the installation of Gene Robinson as bishop of New Hampshire - yet tried to retain the national church property they had been utilizing - have lost their court battle to retain the basically stolen property. Part of their legal strategy had been to rely on a civil war era statute still on the books that had been enacted to allow break away pro-slavery southern baptist churches to break from the national church and keep the anti-slavery national church's property. One would think that reliance on such a morally flawed statute should have seen the gay haters a message. Here are highlights from the Washington Blade on the victory for the Episcopal Church USA:

A Fairfax County Circuit Court Judge issued a ruling on Jan. 10 against seven conservative Episcopal congregations in Northern Virginia that broke away from the church in 2006 in protest of the church’s earlier decision to accept same-sex relationships.

The ruling could force the breakaway congregations to turn over to the Episcopal Church buildings and property in Virginia worth more than $40 million that the conservative faction seized after congregations voted to separate from the church over the gay relationship dispute.

The dispute between the conservative and more progressive congregations within the U.S. Episcopal Church came to a head in 2003 when church leaders approved the ordination of a gay Episcopal priest, V. Gene Robinson, as the Episcopal Bishop of New Hampshire, making Robinson the denomination’s first out gay bishop.

Nicholas Benton, editor and publisher of the Falls Church, Va., News Press, said the court ruling would have an enormous positive impact on the LGBT-supportive Episcopal leaders and worshipers who lost possession of their church buildings, including an historic Episcopal Church building in the City of Falls Church.

The Depressing Lack of LGBT Employment Protections

Click map to enlarge.

As the map above from Think Progress reveals, it is still dangerous to be an LGBT employee in the vast majority of states (the map doesn't reflect recent victories for transgender protections in Hawaii, Nevada, and just yesterday, Connecticut). What makes the issue so disturbing is that a vast majority of voters believe that LGBT employees enjoy non-discrimination protections when in fact we do not. Bishop Robinson sees supporting LGBT equality as a matter of Christian principle and has stated the following:

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The scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are filled with admonitions that we will be judged by the way we treat our most vulnerable members. For Christians and Jews, God is described as having a special concern for the poor, the marginalized, and the vulnerable. We are morally bound to take special care to protect those who are so marginalized. I believe that in our time, it is gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people who are the marginalized deserving of civil protections. Surely, in this great nation, we can at least do that much.

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Unfortunately, until special deference and privileges cease to be given to the most hate-filled and intolerant form of Christianity practiced by the modern day Pharisees of the Christian Right, what Robinson calls for will not happen. Certainly not in a hater's paradise like Virginia.

Bishop Gene Robinson Retiring Due to Death Threats

I'm sure that there will be rejoicing among the modern day Pharisee crowd upon hearing that Episcopal bishop, Eugene Robinson is going to take an early retirement. It seems that the constant death threats from "godly Christians" has finally pushed Robinson to the point of retiring in order to protect his family and those around him. It's a shame that he feels he must take this step, but I can understand Robinson's reasoning. The fact that he has received non-stop death treats is truly an indictment of just how horrible Christianity has become at the hands of fundamentalists and gay-haters. And people wonder why many in the LGBT community have simply walked away from the Christian faith in which they were raised. Why would one want to remain a part of something that now has hatred and intolerance as its principal hallmark? Here are highlights from the New York Times on Robinson's announcement:
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Bishop V. Gene Robinson, whose consecration as the first openly gay bishop in the Episcopal Church set off a historic rift in the global Anglican Communion, announced to his New Hampshire diocese on Saturday that he intended to step down.
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The news took some by surprise because Bishop Robinson is an energetic 63-year-old, and mandatory retirement age for Episcopal bishops is 72. He has led a relatively stable and healthy diocese, despite predictions by some that his election would undermine the Episcopal Church in New Hampshire.
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The reason to depart, he said in a speech delivered at the close of the annual convention of his diocese, is that being at the center of an international uproar has taken a toll on him and on the diocese.
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“Death threats, and the now worldwide controversy surrounding your election of me as bishop, have been a constant strain, not just on me, but on my beloved husband, Mark” and on Episcopalians in the state, he said.
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But those who know Bishop Robinson say he has no intention of retiring from public life. His status as a symbol in the international gay rights movement means that after he steps down, he will have no shortage of platforms from which to preach his message that God blesses gay relationships too.
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In his resignation speech in New Hampshire, Bishop Robinson said: “This is the one place on earth where I am not ‘the gay bishop.’ I believe that you elected me because you believed me to be the right person to lead you at this time. The world has sometimes questioned that, but I hope you never did.”

Another Gay University Student Dead by Suicide - Meanwhile Gene Robinson Goes on Offensive Against Anti-Gay Churches

Sadly, the wave of gay teen suicides seems to be continuing. The Michigan Messenger is reporting that the body of 19-year-old Corey Jackson (shown at left), a student at Oakland University, was found in a wooded area of the campus. The local police and the medical examiner’s office have advised that the young gay man hung himself. So far bullying does not seem to have been a factor. But candidly, living in much of the USA as an LGBT citizen is in and of itself a constant case of being subjected to bullying: by many churches, the U.S. government - think DADT which has been at least temporarily reinstated at the request of the Liar-in-Chief, DOMA and other laws that are daily reminders of inferior status - local governments and of course much of the media. While some religious denominations are becoming more LGBT accepting, their silence in challenging the hate emanating from other denominations is deafening. Here are highlights from this latest suicide:
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The suicide happened Tuesday night, as activists across the nation were preparing for a Facebook driven day of activism to counter a wave of suicides of young gay people across the country that have been tied to bullying. Wednesday was dubbed Spirit Day by the Facebook plans, and was designed to draw attention to the suicides by encouraging people to wear purple. Police say there is no indication bullying was a factor in Jackson’s suicide.
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And while bullying may not be a factor, Melissa Pope, director of the university’s Gender and Sexuality Center said the issue points to larger, hidden epidemic of suicides among LGBT youth.
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We must look beyond the term “bullying” to the overall treatment of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community to begin to grasp the long-standing epidemic of suicide among our LGBT youth.
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While the national press has picked up this issue over the last two months, we have been losing high numbers of LGBT youth to suicide for decades. In recent years, we’ve labeled the cause as bullying. But the root cause goes deeper – it goes to the very core of our society that discriminates against the LGBT community on all levels, including the denial of basic human rights that are supposed to belong to every person.
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Ms. Pope is 100% on point in her remarks and the reality is that one force motivates all of the anti-gay bigotry faced by so many of us on a daily basis: RELIGIOUS BASED BIGOTRY. While the ELCA, the Episcopal Church, the United Church of Christ and others are gay accepting. But out of professional courtesy or whatever one might call it, they fail to loudly and openly condemn the modern day Pharisee elements of Christianity. At least until today when Bishop Gene Robinson went expressly after the Roman Catholic Church, the Mormon Church and the Southern Baptist Convention. Christs as reported in the Bible (for what that's worth) did not hold back in condemning the Pharisees. Would that more real followers of Christ would emulate Bishop Robinson:

How Religion Is Killing Our Most Vulnerable Youth

Bishop Gene Robinson has a great piece at Huffington Post that mirrors some of the thoughts I and others have also expressed in terms of the responsibility of the Religious Right for gay teen suicides. He also calls out progressive denominations and pastors for failing to do more to counter the toxic and deadly message that is a daily drum beat coming from the Mormon Church, Catholic Church, Southern Baptist Convention and similar anti-gay denominations and faith traditions. While the United Church of Christ, Unitarians, Metropolitan Community Church, ELCA and Episcopal Churches have all taken real steps to accept LGBT individuals and clergy, more is needed to counter the hate flowing from falsely named "family values" organizations and the parasites of the professional Christian set who specialize in hate and intolerance. Readers should read the full column. Here are some highlights:

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An increasingly popular bumper sticker reads, "Guns Don't Kill People -- RELIGION Kills People!" In light of recent events I would add religion kills young people: gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender young people. Perhaps not directly, though. And religion is certainly not the only source of anti-gay sentiment in the culture. But it's hard to deny that religious voices denouncing LGBT people contribute to the atmosphere in which violence against LGBT people and bullying of LGBT youth can flourish.

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[W]hy this rash of bullying, paired with self-loathing, ending in suicide? With humility and heartfelt repentance I assert that religion -- and its general rejection of homosexuality -- plays a crucial role in this crisis.

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On the one hand, Religious Right hatemongers and crazies are spewing all sorts of venom and condemnation, all in the name of a loving God. The second-highest-ranking Mormon leader, Boyd K. Packer, recently called same-sex attraction "impure and unnatural" in an act of unspeakable insensitivity at the height of this rash of teen suicides. He declared that it can be cured, and that same-sex unions are morally repugnant and "against God's law and nature." Just as many gay kids grow up in these conservative denominations as any other.

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They are told day in and day out that they are an abomination before God. Just consider the sheer numbers of LGBT kids growing up right now in Roman Catholic, Mormon, and other conservative religious households. The pain and self-loathing caused by such a distortion of God's will is undeniable and tragic, causing scars and indescribable self-alienation in these young victims. You don't have to grow up in a religious household, though, to absorb these religious messages.

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[W]hat's the role of more mainline, more progressive denominations such as mainstream Christianity, Judaism, and Islam in these recent tragedies? Mostly silence. And just like in the days of the AIDS organization Act Up, "silence equals death."

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It is not enough for good people -- religious or otherwise -- to simply be feeling more positive toward gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people. Tolerance and a live-and-let-live attitude beats discrimination and abuse by a mile. But it's not enough. Tolerant people, especially tolerant religious people, need to get over their squeamishness about being vocal advocates and unapologetic supporters of LGBT people. It really is a matter of life and death, as we've seen.

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Ministers who remain in comfortable silence on sexuality must speak out. Churches that have silently embraced gay and lesbian members for years must publicly hang the welcome banner. How long will we continue to limit and qualify our messages of acceptance, inclusion and embrace for the most vulnerable in order to maintain the comfort of those in our communities of faith who are well served by the status quo?

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These bullying behaviors would not exist without the undergirding and the patina of respect provided by religious fervor against LGBT people. It's time for "tolerant" religious people to acknowledge the straight line between the official anti-gay theologies of their denominations and the deaths of these young people. Nothing short of changing our theology of human sexuality will save these young and precious lives.

DADT Illegal Under First Amendment and Equal Protection Clause

Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson has a thoughtful and timely column at Huffington Post that explains in plain language why DADT should be struck down as illegal and in violation of the Establishment Clause and Equal Protection Clause of the United States Constitution. Would that more among progressive Christians would loudly condemn religious based discrimination that turns the promise of the Constitution on its head. Sadly, too many courts - i.e., think Supreme Court of Virginia - lack the courage to apply the clear language of the Constitution that bar unequal treatment based upon one's failure to conform to the religious beliefs of others. In the process of his column, Robinson excoriates Archbishop for the Military Services USA, Timothy Broglio, who supports the continuation of Don't Ask Don't Tell which has wrongfully enshrined the Roman Catholic Church's (and other religious faiths') anti-gay religious beliefs into the civil and military laws. DADT flies directly in the face of Section 1 of Thomas Jefferson's draft of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom wherein Jefferson ripped religious persecutors like Broglio a new one." As for the Catholic Church's claim that gays are "inherently disordered," it would seem that if anyone is inherently disordered it's Pope Benedict XVI, Broglio and the rest of the Church hierarchy that covered up the sexual abuse of hundreds of thousands of children and youths. Here are some highlights from Robinson's slam dunk column:
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Archbishop for the Military Services USA Timothy Broglio released a statement earlier this month arguing that the federal government should not repeal the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, which prevents gay and lesbian men and women from serving openly in the military. He claims that doing so would compromise the faith and role of Roman Catholic military chaplains. In reality, nothing could be further from the truth. His arguments are so spurious and misguided it is hard to find a place to begin in refuting them.
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The separation of church and state is not threatened by a change in the DADT policy, despite the archbishop's claims. No Roman Catholic chaplain, nor any other chaplain with negative views of homosexuality, will be required to teach, preach, or counsel anything outside their own beliefs.
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The archbishop restates in his letter what everyone knows: The Roman Catholic Church believes and teaches that "homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered" and "are contrary to the natural law" and that "Homosexual persons are called to chastity." If you go to a chaplain with those beliefs under a repealed DADT, that's still what you're going to get in the way of counsel. What you won't get under the repeal is a dishonorable discharge to boot!
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No chaplain is required to marry or bless any relationship against his or her will--just as no such requirement is made of any clergyperson in American society. This is a red herring--a strenuous objection to a problem that does not exist. DADT is not about relationships or marriage. It is about who is allowed to serve their country in the military.
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The archbishop inexplicably goes on to drag alcoholics into the debate: . . .
Saying that there is no cure for homosexuality, as for alcoholism, is to say that there is something that needs curing. The archbishop is welcome to his opinion, but he must admit that it flies in the face of contrary judgments by every reputable psychiatric association in the world.
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I am not saying that the archbishop has no right to his religiously held beliefs. My question is whether the church has the right to impose those beliefs on the state. Separation of church and state works both ways! Just as the archbishop argues that he should not be coerced by the state to change his beliefs (I totally agree!), so must the church not impose its beliefs on the secular state and its military. The church has no right to argue for less-than-equal rights for any American citizen.
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As I have argued many, many times, when anti-gay arguments are stripped of all the smoke and mirrors, they come down to one thing: RELIGIOUS BELIEF. As such they are inherently unconstitutional and need to be struck down.

Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson Gives Advice to Pope Benedict

While the leadership of the Roman Catholic Church has disingenuously tried to blame that Church's sex abuse problems on gays, it is an ironic turn that the Washington Post is carrying and op-ed column by a gay Episcopal bishop that politely takes Pope Benedict XVI to task and underscores the difference in the manner his church and the Catholic Church have address sexual abuse problems involving clergy. I do not deny that sexual abuse happens in other denominations and in the public sector such as schools. However, how these other institutions have dealt with the problem in contrast to the Catholic Church is where the moral bankruptcy of the Catholic Church leadership becomes so shockingly clear. Unfortunately, until such time as (1) the Catholic Church abandons its feudal structure (where the Pope serves as King while the bishops and cardinals function as lords controlling the laity/serfs), and (2) the requirement of celibacy which attracts psychologically unhealthy individuals is eliminated, I do not see the any of the recommendations being adopted. Here are some highlights:
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Though our churches differ in many ways, we believe in the same God. As your brother in Christ, it pains me to see Catholics struggle with your response to recent allegations of sex abuse by priests. Since my denomination has also battled these demons, I want to share with you what I have learned as a bishop of the Episcopal Church.
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[F]or instances involving children, we have no statute of limitations on reporting abuse. Those suspected of committing child abuse are immediately reported to the civil authorities for investigation.
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Rather than refusing to acknowledge our transgressions, we sought to change our church's culture -- an effort that took no small amount of courage. In my diocese in New Hampshire, and across the Episcopal Church, we perform a thorough background check on every bishop, priest or deacon who serves under my authority. We correspond with every employer the clergyperson has ever had and every bishop under whom the clergyperson has ever served to determine whether there is a history of complaints.
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Events with and for children may never be conducted without two adults present and always in view of each other. This protects children from abusive behavior and protects adults who might be falsely charged. Many of our parishes have installed windows in the clergy office doors, so that no activity -- even private counseling -- may go unobserved.
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I believe it is misguided and wrong for gay men to be scapegoated in this scandal. As a gay man, I know the pain and the verbal and physical violence that can come from the thoroughly debunked myth connecting homosexuality and the abuse of children. In the media, representatives of and advocates for the Roman Catholic Church have laid blame for sexual abuse at the feet of gay priests. These people know, or should know, that every reputable scientific study shows that homosexuals are no more or less likely to be child abusers than heterosexuals. Psychologically healthy homosexual men are no more drawn to little boys than psychologically healthy heterosexual men are drawn to little girls.
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You will not rid your church of sexual abuse by throwing homosexuals out of your seminaries or out of the priesthood. Homosexual priests have faithfully and responsibly served God throughout Catholic history. To scapegoat them and deprive them of their pulpits is a tragedy for the people they serve and for the church. Yours is a problem of abuse, not sexual orientation.

Episcopal Bishops Vote to End Moratorium on Gay Clergy

In a welcomed move, the Episcopal Church voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to open the door to consecrate more bishops who are openly gay. No doubt the haters among the homophobic bishops in Africa and elsewhere will blow a gasket and continue the perversion of the Gospel message into a weapon of hate. What the weak kneed Archbishop of Canterbury will do is likewise yet to be seen since he seems to largely be selling out to the homophobe set within the Anglican Communion. In my view, accepting gay clergy is a move that is overdue and is a trend that the I hope the ECLA will move forward on next month at its Churchwide Assembly. It is sad that a few phrases written thousands of years ago without the benefit of modern knowledge continue to be used to justify so much hatred and mistreatment of other human beings. Here are some highlights from the New York Times:

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The Episcopal Church voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to open the door to consecrate more bishops who are openly gay, a move that is likely to send shock waves throughout the Anglican Communion, the global network of churches to which the Episcopal Church belongs.

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By voting to affirm that “any ordained ministry” is open to gay men and lesbians, the Episcopal Church effectively ended what many regarded as a moratorium on ordaining gay bishops, which the church passed at its last convention three years ago.

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Many delegates to the church’s convention here characterized the action not as an overturning of the moratorium, but as simply an honest assertion of “who we are.” They note that the church, which claims about two million members, has hundreds of openly gay laypeople, priests and deacons, and that its democratic decision-making structures are charged with deciding who merits ordination.

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“It’s not an attempt to fly in the face of the Anglican Communion,” said Bonnie Anderson, who as president of the House of Deputies, which represents laypeople and clergy members, is one of the church’s two top officers. “It’s an attempt to deepen relationships with the rest of the communion, because real relationships are built on authenticity.”

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The Episcopal Church acted despite a personal address at the start of the convention from the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, who as head of the Church of England is considered “first among equals” among the communion’s archbishops. “Along with many in the communion,” the archbishop said, “I hope and pray that there won’t be decisions in the coming days that will push us further apart.”

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It says that many gay men and lesbians are already ministering in the church and that “God has called and may call such individuals, to any ordained ministry in the Episcopal Church, and that God’s call to the ordained ministry in the Episcopal Church is a mystery which the church attempts to discern for all people through our discernment processes acting in accordance with the constitution and canons of the Episcopal Church.”

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Conservative provinces in the Anglican Communion, especially some in Africa, broke their ties with the Episcopal Church after it consecrated Bishop Robinson.

Bishop Gene Robinson to Give Inaugural Prayer

I have been extremely critical of Barack Obama's selection of Christianist bigot and fraud, Rick Warren, to give the inaugural invocation next week. I continue to believe that that decision is beyond flawed and that if Obama had any backbone, he'd un-invite Warren as more about the real Rick Warren has come out. Nonetheless, I am happy that Bishop Gene Robinson has now been invited to deliver a prayer at a pre-inaugural event. I have always admired Robinson, particularly after learning even more about his faith journey in the movie "For the Bible Tells Me So," a movie that should be required viewing for all who call themselves Christians. Robinson will offer the prayer at the Lincoln Memorial on Sunday, January 18. Here are some highlights from PageOneQ:

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Rt. Rev. V. Gene Robinson, the first openly gay man to be ordained as such in 2003, has been invited to deliver the invocation at the first Inaugural event the President-elect will attend this weekend. The Episcopal bishop will offer the prayer at the Lincoln Memorial on Sunday, January 18. President-elect Obama and Vice President-elect Biden are both expected to attend.

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For the first time in history, an out gay man will lead the nation in opening the transfer of power from one administration to another -- and every person watching in the U.S. and around the world will have seen it. That, alone, is change." Bishop Robinson has been one of many outspoken critics of Obama's choice of megachurch pastor Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at the January 20 swearing-in. Robinson, in December, called the pick a "slap in the face."

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When asked if the Rick Warren controversy was a factor in choosing Robinson, inaugural committee spokesman Clark Stevens said that Robinson had been chosen because he had advised the Obama campaign, and is an "important figure in the religious community. We are excited that he will be involved."

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"It's important for any minority to see themselves represented in some way," Robinson told the Concord Monitor on Monday. "Whether it be a racial minority, an ethnic minority, or in our case, a sexual minority. Just seeing someone like you up front matters."

Neanderthals in Anglican Communion Not Just Anti-Gay

As if the controversy over gay clergy being fueled by knuckle draggers in the developing world - e.g., homophobe, Peter Akinola of Nigeria - is not bad enough, some of these assh*les in the Church of England are also anti-women. It's the Anglican version of keep them barefoot and pregnant. While I was only a member of the Episcopal Church for roughly a year and may not have standing to comment on another denomination, I view it as very sad that the rational element within the Church of England and the larger Anglican Communion are allowing themselves to be whip sawed by the worse elements within the Church who seem more focused more on who they hate and/or want to keep subjugated as opposed to preaching the Gospel and caring for those in need. I truly wish they'd tell the reactionaries in the Church of England (as well as Akinola and company) to go to Hell, literally and figuratively. The man is a monster, as are a number of his fellow African archbishops and bishops. My advice is to cast them adrift and have the western/moderate segment of the Communion keep its money and utilize it in non-wingnut areas. True, it may not be the most Christian thing to do, but eventually it might lead to an overthrow of the reactionary/Akinola crowd. Here are some highlights from the Independent on the increasing strife:

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Divisions appeared to widen yesterday between senior Church of England clergy on opposite sides of the debate over the consecration of women bishops, as the issue dominated the agenda at the General Synod.

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Traditionalists point to the Bible for justification. They say that since Jesus chose an all-male band of apostles as his first leaders, he must have seen the job as suitable only for men. Others simply protest that the Church of England would be going back on its founding principles. For a new generation of women in the church, however, the wait has already been too long.

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The Rev Rose Hudson-Wilkin of Hackney, east London, was one of many female clergy who were concerned about the delay. "In 1994, when I was ordained in the priesthood, I remember a sense of excitement," she said. "I also remember the sense of overwhelming sadness etched on the faces of the women in their 70s who had served the Church over all their lives and were never allowed to exercise that ministry – and the great loss to the Church [that resulted].

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A related editorial piece in the paper sets out a number of my thoughts on not only the infighting within the Anglican Communion, but also for denominations like my own Evangelical Lutheran Church where there seems to be far too much pandering to the unloving hater crowd. If one is a true Christian, the hallmark of your faith should not be who you hate and loath as is the case with the James Dobson and Peter Akinola crowd, but rather love of God and love of neighbor. Too much is being yielded to those who have no love of anyone except themselves (and power and money). Maintaining unity at the price of casting aside what is morally right is simply wrong headed in my opinion. Here are some highlights from the editorial:

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The Church of England is fundamentally a theological peace treaty. As the Reformation plunged continental Europe into an ideological bloodbath, with Catholics and Protestants murdering each other by the million, England created a church that made the most remarkable claim for itself: both Catholic and Protestant. Sick of religious warfare, it invented the original big tent philosophy. Those of widely different philosophies could kneel together and worship God through the appropriately named Book of Common Prayer.

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Two things have undermined this vision: the British Empire and the internet. In the days of the Empire, missionaries from the English church made faith our most successful export. Global Christianity mushroomed in the 20th century, with Anglicanism leading the way. There are now 77 million Anglicans. But what did not get exported was the very idea of Anglicanism as a peace treaty. Transplanted into different soil, Anglicanism grew hotter and more ideological, re-exposing deep theological fissures between believers that the C of E had agreed to set aside for the greater good. With the growth in communications technology, these differences could no longer be hidden.

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Liberals were horrified to discover that some Anglicans were little more than fundamentalists in vestments; conservatives were horrified to discover that some Anglicans had gone native with secular humanism. Gay sex started it all. And the more the headlines rolled in, the more the cracks widened.

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In fact, the fight over homosexuality exposed a darker side to the English reticence to confront difference head-on. We all knew there were loads of gay vicars; we all knew there were many gay bishops too – but it was a form of knowledge communicated in nods, winks and church code. But the spirit of "don't ask, don't tell" kept many of them stuck in the church closet. It took an American bishop first to be open about having a partner of the same sex. Gene Robinson's crime was his honesty. Likewise, the idea that the gay "marriage" that recently took place in St Bartholomew's church was a first is simply not the case. There have been hundreds of such weddings. It's just that they have been – and what a very English word this is – discreet.

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But all that is over. The conservatives have decided that they can exploit the deep homophobia of many African Christians in order to stage a coup for the soul of the church. Suddenly, we are once again fighting the unresolved battles of the Reformation, with narrow-minded puritans seeking to impose their joyless and claustrophobic world-view on the rest of the church. The newly formed Federation of Confessing Anglicans (Foca) is seeking bridgeheads in wealthy evangelical parishes and the English ecclesiological peace treaty lies in tatters.

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All eyes now turn to Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury. Is there anything he can do about these Focas? His track record isn't all that encouraging. Time and again, the Archbishop has given in to conservative ultimatums in the search for unity. And all that happens is that they come back for more. . . . But the current crisis needs him to care more about the condition of the Church of England. The open space that is the traditional mark of the English church is being undermined by a determined minority of well-funded extremists. It is time for him to fight back.

APA "Ex-gay" Symposium Canceled

I had previously posted about an ill advised (at least in my view) plan to have a symposium on "ex-gay" therapy at the APA's upcoming annual convention. Christianist ex-gay therapy quacks like Warren Throckmorton who suck monies from parents trying to "cure" their children had been pushing for the symposium. No doubt they planned to somehow twist the fact that the symposium had been held to lend legitimacy to fraudulent 's ex-gay "ministries." Fortunately, the symposium has been cancelled and this propaganda tool has been taken awy from Throckmorton, et al. Here are highlights from today's Washington Blade:

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A controversial symposium that was supposed to look at the relationship between religion and homosexuality has been canceled. The symposium, put together by some American Psychiatric Association members, caused consternation among some psychiatrists and gays, who argued that holding a dialogue with hostile figures would legitimize homophobic views. The forum was titled “Homosexuality and Therapy: the Religious Dimension” and was supposed to take place Monday in Washington.

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Warren Throckmorton, a counselor known for helping patients in efforts to alter homosexual behavior, was slated to speak at the event. The Grove City, Pa.,-based counselor said he was disappointed that the forum was no longer scheduled.

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The event caused some discontent among other APA psychiatrists. Jack Drescher, a gay New York City-based psychiatrist and former chair of the APA committee on gay issues, said association members organizing the forum did not appear to understand “how conversion therapists and their supporters on the religious right use these appearances as a public relations event to try and legitimize what they do.”

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Controversy surrounding the event had prompted a gay religious figure who was scheduled to speak to cancel his appearance. Rev. Gene Robinson, the first openly gay, non-celibate priest to be ordained a bishop by the Episcopal Church, said he canceled his plans to attend because he came to believe that making an appearance would validate the concept that sexual orientation can be changed.

Gene Robinson: 'It is a sin to treat me this way'

In sharp contrast to the insufferable Cardinal Egan who I discussed in a prior post, there is Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson who has never enabled sexual predators or covered up their crimes against minors but whose homosexuality has split the Anglican Church. It certainly makes one question the values and priorities of "Godly Christians" in both churches that Egan continues to have Kool-Aid drinkers kissing his wide ass while Robinson continues to catch Hell from many directions and receives threats of physical violence aginst him - naturally from good Christians. In the UK's Daily Telegraph, Robinson recently shared his views and feelings on the treatment he has received. I applaud his motives, especially his feeling that he has an obligation to provide a role model for the younger generations of gays. Having watched the movie, For the Bible Tells Me So, Robinson has an amazing witness that more alleged Christians need to know about. Here are some interview highlights (note the reference to Archbishop Peter Akinola who may have been involved in the massacre of hundreds of Muslims):

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The storm is set to intensify in July when the world's Anglican bishops meet for their once-a-decade gathering at Lambeth Palace and debate what to do about the "problem" of Bishop Robinson. However, when the host, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, sent out invitations to the Lambeth Conference, Gene Robinson's was the one name missing from the list. It was, Robinson believes, an "unstrategic" attempt to appease the conservative Anglican primates from Africa, Asia and Latin America, led by Archbishop Peter Akinola of Nigeria, who have described the installation of a gay bishop as the work of Satan.

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Robinson is in London to promote his new book, In The Eye of the Storm. It is a spiritual memoir aimed, he says, at showing that he is more than "a one issue guy". The last of its five sections, however, sets a course for the Lambeth Conference and beyond. It is, in one way, Robinson having his say, even though he's not going to be at the event itself. He won't, as many Anglicans seem to hope, be allowing the whole issue to go away. It is in this refusal to be silent that I finally begin to see in this otherwise gentle and genial prelate that flash of steely resolve that drives all implacable dissenters forward.

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Jesus never says anything about homosexuality," he says, the light tone in his nasal voice suddenly darkening, "but he says a lot about treating every person with dignity and respect. All the biblical appeals for a particular attitude to homosexuality can never quote Jesus." What, though, of Old Testament condemnations of "men who lay with men"? "The Church isn't the same yesterday, today and tomorrow," he says. "Only God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. The Church has always been changing. The Holy Spirit is leading us into truth. And I believe we have learnt that about people of colour, about women, about those who are disabled and now about lesbian and gay people."

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"Occasionally I don't like the probing and the questioning. But I put up with it because I grew up in a time when there were no role models. "To be gay and lesbian was to be a failure. The good gay people killed themselves. And the others were drug addicts and bums. There was no possibility for a life of integrity or respect. So I feel called to be as open as I can be about my life so that young lesbians and gay men will understand that they can have wonderful relationships, be mothers and fathers and make a real distinction for themselves in their careers. I owe it to those who come after me."