OK, kiddo! Here are all the fantastically amazing posts tagged with Anglicans
More Churches Bless Gay Couples
Montréal and Niagara are the two latest Anglican churches to approve the blessing of same-sex couples within the past month, defying a national decree to disallow such blessings.
The Canadian Anglican Church decided in June that same-sex blessings are compatible with core church doctrine, but decreed that they be banned anyway. This mixed message has caused a bizarre rift in the church, with several priests being ejected for blessing couples. That may sound a little drastic, but I’m assured that there’s nothing quite like blessing a loving couple within the parish community to undermine years of goodwill, charity, and other selfless services to the Church.
- Niagara Diocese Approves Blessings For Gay Couples [Anglican Journal]
- Montreal Anglicans vote to bless same-sex union [Globe and Mail]
Bishop Leaves Canada Over Gay Marriage
Don Harvey, an Anglican bishop, has become so distraught over gays being able to marry in Canada that he has decamped the country entirely. His destination: Southern Cone, a province in South America where gay rights are presumably unlikely to advance for several hundred dozen fiscal years.
Oh Don, whatever shall we do without you?
In related news, a choleric 7-year-old from Manitoba has run away from home after her parents insisted she eat her vegetables.
Anglican Church Kinda Approves Same-Sex Blessings
Ottawa Anglicans have voted to allow priests to approach the bishop to request that they can bless same-sex couples.
(I’ll wait if you need to re-read that.)
This clear and decisive baby step passed by a vote of 177 to 97 on Saturday, making Ottawa Anglicans the first in Canada to not officially forbid same-sex blessings. A national meeting over the summer decided that blessing same-sex couples was not against core church doctrine, but that such blessings should be banned. Blessings that are allowed nationally include heterosexual unions, births, houses, boats, and pets.
- Ottawa Anglicans approve same-sex marriages in vote [Canada.com]
Gay-Friendly Churches To Ignore Blessing Ban
Despite last month’s decision by the Anglican Church to ban same-sex blessings, several brave churches are going ahead with the practice anyway.
Toronto’s Holy Trinity Church and Victoria’s St. Saviour’s Church have both declared their intentions to continue to bless same-sex couples against the rules of the national church, the latter saying that they even plan to full-out marry gay couples should the opportunity arise.
Of course, the hierarchy isn’t too happy. A senior Anglican official, under the protection of anonymity, said priests will be disciplined if they are too liberal with their blessings. And I think they mean business: Antonio Osorio, an Anglican priest, was issued a warning this month after blessing four same-sex couples, even though the blessing was simply a general blessing of members of the community. In the past year, two Anglican priests have even been ejected over the practice.
- Churches to defy same-sex ban [CBC News]
- Anglican priests set to defy same-sex blessing ban [Canada.com]
Anglican Church Sends Gays Mixed Message
The Canadian Anglican Church has decreed that the blessing of same-sex unions is perfectly compatible with their core doctrine. Hours later, they forbid the blessing of same-sex unions.
With these votes, gay Anglicans have been sent a clear and decisive message: Your church thinks your relationships are worthy of their full blessing, but they, uh, just don’t feel like doing it right now.
Canadian Anglicans had spent months preparing for this decision, during which time the global Anglican community issued an ultimatum threatening to shut down “errant” churches. (I think the official wording was something like: “Stop blessing gays or there’ll be no church for anyone!”) While several Anglican denominations supported gay blessings, yesterday’s vote means they won’t be able to continue the practice.
Church Supports Gays in Face of Shutdown
Scott Tribe writes in with an interesting story: The U.S. Episcopal Church has voted to face expulsion from the Anglican hierarchy rather than reject gay rights. The Anglican Church issued an ultimatum in February for what it called “errant” churches, which support gay clergy and bless same-sex marriages.
The Canadian Anglicans are expected to vote to let each parish decide whether or not to accept or reject the ultimatum in June. Retired archbishop Terrance Finlay, who was suspended in October for officiating over a gay wedding, encouraged the church to follow the U.S. example:
Be willing to risk the cause of love over institutionalism.
Well said!
- Gay rights, church’s ‘defining moment’ [Toronto Star]
Another Priest Fired For Supporting Gays
Anyone got a golf score clicker I can use?
An Anglican priest in Saskatoon will have his minister’s license stripped for not refusing to perform same-sex marriages. Reverend Shawn Sanford Beck said he’d rather be dismissed than go against his conscience:
[Denying same-sex marriages] goes against everything else I’m about in my ministry and everything else that the church stands for. I’m trying to send a very strong message to the gay and lesbian community, and to other communities that have been alienated from the church, that we don’t all think the same and there are people willing to go to the wall.
While I commend Reverend Beck for his stand, his ejection doesn’t surprise me considering the Anglican Church is willing to shut down entire congregations and punish retired Archbishops over their pro-gay stance. Of course, the Catholic church is also quite happy to fire priests, deny communion to elderly volunteers and rescind charity money over gay speakers.
This judgment is apparently called the “What Would Jesus Do?” approach.
Incidentally, in addition to losing his minister’s license, Reverend Beck will no longer be able to continue working for a Lutheran inner-city project. Yep, that’ll teach him to treat gay people as ordinary human beings!
- Sask. priest cut from church for performing gay marriages [Star Phoenix]
- Priest fired over same-sex marriage [Montréal Gazette]
Church Threatened With Shutdown Over Gay Blessings
B.C. Anglican churches may be forced to shut down if they don’t stop blessing gays. The Anglican Communion, a global collection of Anglican authorities, issued this ultimatum to “errant” churches last week in Tanzania.
This is especially unfortunate for the churchgoing community who agrees with their local church over the foreign ultimatum. Under the Anglican structure, church buildings are owned by the Anglican denomination itself, not the individual parishes who pay their mortgage. If a parish is thrown out of the denomination, it must surrender the property, or pay double to purchase it.
Throwing an entire community out of their church for blessing gay people like anyone else… That’s totally what Jesus would do, right?
- Gay rights split Anglicans [Toronto SUN]
- Call to bar same-sex blessings split Canadian Anglicans [Globe and Mail]
Church Suspends Gay-Friendly Archibishop
The Anglican Church has suspended a retired Archibishop for blessing a same-sex couple at their wedding. Although the wedding took place in a non-Anglican church and the marriage certificate was signed by a different, non-Anglican minister, Archibishop Terrence Finlay was suspended for officiating over Mary Rowe and Sandra Morris, his longtime friends.
Gee, from what all the anti-gay groups were saying earlier, I thought same-sex marriage was supposed to be a terrifying slippery slope—forcing priests to marry gay couples left-and-right. Who’d have thunk that it’s the priests who’d be forced to refuse their blessings?
And just think! If we get that new Defence of Religions act that Justice Minister Vic Toews promised (because religions are having such a hard time), then a Justice of the Peace or civil marriage commissioner can refuse their officiation, too!
Whoops! Watch your step here, folks; it’s icy!
