3 gay prits on short list for Epispal bishop posts

Contents:

• GAY EPISPAL PRIT DECLAR GOD IS A WOMAN
• WHAT WILL FOLLOW EPISPALIAN VOTE FOR GAY CLERGY?
• EPISPAL CHURCH SPLS OVER GAY EQUALYEPISPAL CHURCH SPLS OVER GAY EQUALY
• OPENLY GAY EPISPAL PRIT RECEIV MORE NODS
• EPISPAL CHURCH WON'T BACK DOWN ON GAY RIGHTS DPE CENSURE
• ALL 4 NY EPISPAL BISHOP NDIDAT WILL ALLOW GAY MARRIAGE IF ELECTED
• EPISPAL CHURCH PICKS GAY PRITS FOR PROMOTN
• WHERE CHRISTIAN CHURCH, OTHER RELIGNS STAND ON GAY MARRIAGE

GAY EPISPAL PRIT DECLAR GOD IS A WOMAN

In 1976, both the Hoe of Deputi and Hoe of Bishops voted for a fully clive Epispal Church, statg, “homosexual persons are children of God who have a full and equal claim wh all other persons upon the love, acceptance, and pastoral ncern and re of the church.

(CNN) -- Epispal church California and Mnota moved toward appotg gay bishops over the weekend, ls than a month after the nomatn lifted a self-imposed eeze on promotg openly gay clergy to the top ranks of the church. Los Angel announced six ndidat for posns as assistant bishops, cludg Mary Glasspool and John Kirkley, both of whom spoke openly about beg gay statements on the dce Web se. John the Evangelist San Francis, refers to himself as a gay man and is married to a man whom he lls "my hband, Andrew" on the Los Angel Dce Web se.

Five years ago, the Epispal Church appoted Gene Robson, an openly gay man, to be bishop of New Hampshire, a move that tore apart the Epispal Church and prompted a semi-official moratorium on namg new gay bishops. A number of Epispal dc broke wh the official church stcture, formg the breakaway Anglin Church North Ameri prott of the church's stance on homosexualy. " Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury and head of the worldwi Anglin Communn, has been tryg to bridge the gap between liberals and nservativ on homosexualy.

WHAT WILL FOLLOW EPISPALIAN VOTE FOR GAY CLERGY?

"The ial is that both 'tracks' should be able to pursue what they believe God is llg them to be as Church, wh greater tegry and nsistency, " he said a lengthy statement on his Web se rponse to the new Epispal Church posn on homosexualy. "No Anglin has any bs rercg prejudice agast [lbian, gay, bisexual or transgenred] people, qutng their human digny and civil liberti or their place wh the Body of Christ, " he wrote.

EPISPAL CHURCH SPLS OVER GAY EQUALYEPISPAL CHURCH SPLS OVER GAY EQUALY

But changg the Anglin theologil posn on homosexualy would have to be "based on the most pastakg biblil exegis and on a wi acceptance of the rults wh the Communn, " he wrote. It as no surprise that a practicg homosexual man would spise God for who he is — is likely that if this man uld fd a way to get pregnant, he would jt so he uld have an abortn.

OPENLY GAY EPISPAL PRIT RECEIV MORE NODS

Wayne of the Church of the Epiphany New York Cy preach that homosexuals “mt be accepted fully to the fellowship of the church” while they also mt seek unselg or psychologil treatment. 1967: November Durg a symposium on homosexualy sponsored by the Epispal Dc of New York, Connecticut, Long Island, and Newark, nety Epispalian prits agree that the church should classify homosexualy as “morally ntral” and “ some s…a good thg.

1975: Augt Integry ns to trouble when planng s first natnal meetg Chigo bee the promotnal materials mentn gay marriage, upsettg some lol church lears. The Executive Council of the Epispal Church subsequently urg that homosexuals not be ordaed until the Church as a whole n fe the “posn of homosexuals.

EPISPAL CHURCH WON'T BACK DOWN ON GAY RIGHTS DPE CENSURE

Augt Bishop William Frey of Colorado endors a mistry aimed at “nvertg” homosexuals to heterosexualy, which is cricized by many other members of the clergy. They overwhelmgly adopt a theologil statement “that nmns homosexualy as un-Biblil, bars ordatn of homosexuals to the prithood, and forbids prits of the church om blsg homosexual marriag. December A Commtee for Jtice the Epispal Church is formed of about 40 clergymen and lay people to “put prsure on Epispal bishops and puti on the issue of women and homosexuals as prits.

1979: June A report is submted by a natnal missn remendg that homosexuals be allowed to be ordaed if they are “able and willg to nform their behavr to that which the Church affirms as wholome. The Conventn ultimately pass a rolutn statg that no “practicg homosexual” nor heterosexual person engagg extramaral sex should be ordaed, though homosexuals have “equal claim wh others upon the love, acceptance, and pastoral ncern of the church”.

ALL 4 NY EPISPAL BISHOP NDIDAT WILL ALLOW GAY MARRIAGE IF ELECTED

1982: Undated (Likely June/July) The General Conventn pass a rolutn reaffirmg the actns taken by the 1976 and 1979 Conventns, holdg that “homosexual persons are children of God and are entled to full civil rights. 1984 July Epispal Bishop of New York, a long-time supporter of gay rights, wr an edorial for the New York Tim which he nmns the Salvatn Army and the Roman Catholic Archdce, while praisg the NYC mayor a ntroversy over the employment of homosexuals publicly fund NYC church agenci. 1985: September The General Conventn pass a rolutn urgg each dce to “fd an effective way to foster unrstandg of homosexual persons, to dispel myths and prejudic about homosexualy, [and] to provi pastoral support.

1987: January-December (yearlong ntroversy) In January, John Shelby Spong, the Epispal Bishop of the Newark, New Jersey dce, backed by a report prepared by lol clergy and lay people, seeks approval to regnize and bls “nonmaral relatnships, cludg those between homosexuals.

Bishop Spong later claims that his support of homosexuals stems om his work the Civil Rights Movement, argu that the Christian Church’s treatment of homosexuals throughout history is “immoral, ” and says that the church mt “al wh realy. October In an terim report, Epispal bishops ll for the spensn of “ancient judgments” agast homosexuals until the church has ma a more thorough study of homosexualy. Febary The Epispal Dce of Newark, New Jersey, head by Bishop Spong, approv a policy that would offer the church’s blsg on homosexual upl, makg the first dce the untry to do so.

EPISPAL CHURCH PICKS GAY PRITS FOR PROMOTN

May A manual entled “Sexualy: A Dive Gift, A Sacramental Approach to Human Sexualy and Fay Life, ” which was released September of 1987, draws ntroversy for ndong homosexualy as well as s “failure to nmn” sex outsi of marriage. July The General Conventn pass a rolutn “cr[yg] the crease vlence agast homosexual persons” urgg law enforcement officials “across the land to be sensive to this peril and to prosecute the perpetrators of the acts to the fullt extent of the law.

” The rolutn also lls upon Bishops to “repudiate the misnceptn that the Church enurag such vlence and to unter the public claratns of those who claim that AIDS is the punishment of God upon homosexual persons. 1989 June The Dce of Newark, New Jersey opens a special mistry, entled Oasis Mistry, to brg “unchurched and embtered lbians and gay people” to a church program that accepts their sexual orientatn. April A “tradnalist” group of church wh the Epispal nomatn, the Epispal Synod of Ameri, requt to be rporated to their own provce bee of their opposn to the Church’s “morn posns like ordatn of women and equaly for homosexuals.

May Anglin Bishop Alexanr Muge of Kenya, who had been ved to speak at a San Francis church, is barred om the pulp after he mak clear his nmnatn of “homosexual activy.

WHERE CHRISTIAN CHURCH, OTHER RELIGNS STAND ON GAY MARRIAGE

1991 March A church mtee issu a report that, after three years of study, remends that the cisn of whether or not to orda homosexuals be left to the dividual dce. Dpe the ongog tensns, Integry, an Epispal gay rights group, timat that more than 50 gay prits have been ordaed sce 1977, more than any other nomatn.

1994 June A mtee of the Epispal Church bishops releas a draft statement that asks the church to “uphold an ial of lifelong fahful unns for both heterosexual and homosexual upl, and treat gay people wh hospaly rather than hostily.

Augt At the General Conventn, the Standg Commissn on Human Affairs nclus that “ironilly this De of Evangelism, we seem tent on keepg out one of the few intifiable groups of people who want to be weled [gays and lbians]. ” Their “wish list” for 1994 clus “dialogue on human sexualy to ntue wh the Church, more lbian and gay members [to] e out of the closet and be regnized as human begs rather than as an issue, members [to] speak out agast ‘gay bashg, ’ and church members [to] fight lol iativ signed to prive gays and lbians of equal civil rights.