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.”

German Lutheran Church May Elect Gay Bishop

Depending upon how the final vote turns out, Yahoo News is reporting that the Lutheran Church in Germany may soon elect a gay bishop. Sadly, the un-Christian far right faction within the Church is whining and protesting about that prospect. Obviously, as a Lutheran myself, the more sister churches to the ELCA adopt gay accepting policies, the more pressure there will be on the ELCA to official grant full acceptance to gays as members of all levels of the clergy and as committed couples. Personally, I find it amazing that an allegedly well educated denomination like the ELCA - a few weeks ago I did a post that compared the inverse correlation between the education level of various denominations with their acceptance of biblical literalism where the Lutherans ranked high on education and low on biblical literalism - continues to have an element that refuses to accept modern advances in medical and mental health knowledge. These Neanderthals prefer to cling to the medically and scientifcally ignorant writings of more than 2000 years ago as a basis for hating and denigrating other human beings. Are they so lacking in self-esteem that they need to cling to a sense of being superior or what? Here are some story highlights:

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BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany could elect its first openly gay Lutheran bishop next month, a move conservatives say would alienate many Christians and open divisions in the Church. The July 12 election brings to Germany the question of gay clergy and same-sex unions which has caused rifts in several countries and faiths, including the Anglican community.

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Horst Gorski, a senior cleric from Hamburg, is standing for the post of bishop of Schleswig in northern Germany against Gerhard Ulrich, a senior cleric from the Schleswig area. The incumbent bishop is retiring in September. Gorski is a widely respected theologian and he helped set up a centre for gay and lesbian Lutheran pastors. His open homosexuality angers some Lutheran conservatives who argue his election as bishop would leave many Christians with no spiritual home.

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The election committee is standing by its choice of candidates. "After careful consultation, we have nominated two experienced provosts as candidates who have excelled in their localities and in the region in a variety of ways," said election committee member Bishop Maria Jepsen, the world's first woman Lutheran bishop.

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The Lutheran World Federation, which represents nearly 69 million Christians, says it will not get involved as it has no common line on the question of homosexuality. "This is a pastoral issue that each church individually must deal with," LWF General Secretary Reverend Ishmael Noko told Reuters. "We have no position on this issue at the moment," he said, adding the body, which has 140 churches in 78 countries, has commissioned a study on marriage, family and sexuality.

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Last year the largest U.S. Lutheran body, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), said it would allow homosexual clergy in sexual relationships to serve as pastors.