Be very careful if you ever get invited to a dinner party by clergy of the Church of England!
Openly gay and un-celibate Bishop Gene Robinson of New Hampshire, the man who lit the fire which is burning the Anglican Communion, is currently in gay merry ol’ England and his given an interview in which he ‘outs’ the clergy of the Church.
Speaking in an interview in London, Bishop Gene said: “I have met so many gay partnered clergy here and it is so troubling to hear them tell me that their bishop comes to their house for dinner, knows fully about their relationship, is wonderfully supportive but has also said if this ever becomes public then I’m your worst enemy.
…
He said bishops in the Church of England had backed him but declined to name them. “I have received huge support from the Church of England both from the clergy and from the pews. Hardly a day goes by never mind a week that I don’t receive encouraging words of support. I think the thing that is the most mystifying to me and the most troubling about the Church of England is its refusal to be honest about just how many gay clergy it has – many of them partnered and many of them living in rectories.”
…
If all the gay people stayed away from church on a given Sunday the Church of England would be close to shut down between its organists, its clergy, its wardens…..it just seems less than humble not to admit that.”
I have no idea how much truth there is in what Robinson is saying, I suspect that he is over blowing exaggerating the situation. Even so, this does not make matters any easier for the CofE to broker any kind of deal on the situation. In my mind, that is a very good thing. Putting this all back in the closet and pretending it doesn’t exist serves no one. I hope they are honest about how far gone the situation really is. Perhaps then something real can be done about it.
July 28, 2007 at 6:06 pm
He might not be exaggerating. I had a gay [theology] student who at that time had the innocuous ambition of working for the Conservative party. I heard, though, from his peers, that he has gone on to become of CofE Vicar, living with his partner. Of course, that’s just one Vicar, but the fact that such an ordinary boy could do it, without any objections apparently being raised, suggests that its socially normal in Anglican circles.
July 28, 2007 at 6:37 pm
Fisher-Price Play Church.
July 29, 2007 at 5:31 am
“Protestants are not ‘pious Hindus’ living on that proverbial desert island. They know Jesus Christ; reason tells them where His Church is and where it is not. They cannot stand behind the shield of invincible ignorance. We must pray for them, then, as we must recognize our own sacred duty before God to commit ourselves entirely to their conversion to the only true and sure means of salvation known to man—the Holy Catholic Church, outside of which there is no salvation.”
–Michael Matt
Editor, “The Remnant”
July 30, 2007 at 1:56 am
It seems to be something every week. An Anglican priest, who claims to be a practicing Hindu: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/priest.converts.to.hinduism.still.claims.to.be.priest/7634.htm
Or a practicing Muslim:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003751274_redding17m.html
And of course, a disgraced “outed” Governor of NJ becoming an Episcopal Priest:
http://blog.nj.com/ledgerupdates/2007/05/mcgreevey_mulling_episcopal_pr.html
In a quote from the book “Exodus: Why Americans are fleeing Liberal Churches for Conservative Christianity, Dave Shiflett states “…When heretics make headlines, they are also making Catholics, and very good Catholics at that.”
I am one of them. Rome Sweet Home!!
July 30, 2007 at 2:02 am
It’s funny: protestants always accuse Catholics of not knowing Scripture, yet protestants seem to ignore the teachings they don’t like. I guess the “church” of England and its bastard cousin, the “episcopal church,” missed this one somehow:
“Know you not that the unjust shall not possess the kingdom of God? Do not err: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, Nor the effeminate, nor liers with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor railers, nor extortioners, shall possess the kingdom of God.”
1 Corinthians 6:9-10
October 24, 2008 at 7:34 pm
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