(RNS) — Spong ma headl when he ordaed the first openly gay male prit the Epispal Church.
Contents:
- OPENLY GAY EPISPAL PRIT RECEIV MORE NODS
- EPISPAL CHURCH ORDAS 2ND OPENLY GAY BISHOP
- * J. ROBERT WILLIAMS; FIRST OPENLY GAY EPISPAL PRIT
OPENLY GAY EPISPAL PRIT RECEIV MORE NODS
In 1977, Spong beme one of the first Amerin bishops to orda a woman to the clergy. In 1989, he was the first to orda an openly gay man. Spong died Sept. 12. Origally broadst 1996. * gay episcopal priest *
You were ordaed a gay man shortly after the Epispal Church said that was OK to orda non-celibate homosexuals. JOHN SHELBY SPONG: The first homosexual person that I ordaed knowgly was a man named Robert Williams.
And this me after I had wrten a book lled "Livg In S" on the whole gay issue as well as some other patterns human sexual life that I thk we need to look at and reasss om a different perspective than the tradnal one.
And he began to work among the people, most of whom are eply alienated om the church bee the only msage they've ever heard om the church is that God hat homosexual people and that they ought to eher be nverted to beg heterosexuals or be thrown out of the church or even executed, as the Book of Levic You end up - We wound up ordag him to the prithood 1989 December. And he blew his ol and began to say thgs that ma his mistry and the Dce of Newark - we were right far out on a le to support him - almost impossible to said that monogamy was a heterosexual practice and should never be imposed upon homosexual people. Well, that jt blew headl across the, he had been ordaed to open a mistry to gay and lbian people the Dce of Newark so that we uld hold up to the gay and lbian populatn the mol of a fahful, mted lifetime partnership.
EPISPAL CHURCH ORDAS 2ND OPENLY GAY BISHOP
Wh an timated 2.3 ln members, the Epispal Church is open and welg of the lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr and queer muny. * gay episcopal priest *
And then he began to say that he did not thk fahfulns to a partner was a virtue that homosexual people ought to be held to, and that he began to prcribe sexual activy sort of random or promiscuo. And there is no way that I, as a bishop or our dce, was prepared to support promiscuo sexual activy on anybody's part, whether 's homosexual or What was like for you to go out on a limb to orda a gay prit and then have to ask for his rignatn? Robert Williams tght me far more about the meang of homosexual persons and the value that they have to brg to the life of the church than he ever hurt me.
* J. ROBERT WILLIAMS; FIRST OPENLY GAY EPISPAL PRIT
Bishop is First Openly Gay Woman to be Consecrated Bishop, Only 2nd Female Dce of Los Angel * gay episcopal priest *
And he was clearly HIV posive and head toward his soon to be that Robert, for me, was symbolic of the fact that gay and lbian people have been so abed by the church. And Robert opened the door to enormo numbers of gay and lbian people to fd their way back to the church that will be an acceptg muny. And we today have a signifint number of gay and lbian prits servg the Dce of Newark wh credible most recent one that's been volved the ntroversy was Barry Stopful (ph), who was ordaed prit by me, but ordaed an by Bishop Reer (ph).