AnglicansUnited.com

[Ed. Note:  This House of Bishops meeting ends today, with a report expected tomorrow.  The Evangelical Lutherans, the United Methodists and the Presbyterians are all on the same path of approval of non-celibate gays in highest leadership positions and gay marriage.  All are suffering the same divisions that have hit the Episcopal Church, the poster child for gay inclusion in all aspects of Church life.  Cheryl M. Wetzel]

http://www.christianpost.com/article/20100307/elca-bishops-expected-to-review-divisive-policy-changes/index.html

Cherie General news Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

[Ed. Note:  Kentucky is not one of the states that has approved gay marriage through legislation or referendum.  Yet, many clergy do bless gay marriages privately, with or without the bishop's permission or approval, and  Bishop Ted Gulik   acknowledges this fact.    Cheryl M. Wetzel]

http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20100306/FEATURES10/3070318/Louisville+Episcopal+church+first+here+to+bless+same-sex+relationship

By Peter Smith • psmith@courier-journal.com • March 6, 2010

A Louisville congregation has quietly become the first in the Episcopal Diocese of Kentucky to begin blessing same-sex relationships.

St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church conducted its first such blessing late last year, for two male members of the congregation, after voting last April to approve such ceremonies.

The move, while not reflecting diocesan policy, is a milestone in one of the state’s denominations that generally has been the most accepting of gay members and ministers. But it also has complicated efforts to maintain unity, given that some churches and members oppose homosexuality.

The Rev. Lucinda Laird of St. Matthew’s stressed that the ceremony was not presented as a civil or sacramental wedding — since neither Kentucky nor the Episcopal Church recognizes same-sex marriages.

Nor, she said, was it presented as any other type of official rite of the national church. The church adapted a same-sex liturgy used by an Anglican diocese in western Canada.

St. Matthew’s approved a policy allowing blessings of same-sex relationships in April 2009 after two years of study. The church also took affirmation from the denomination’s main legislative body — the General Convention — which in July 2009 called for “a generous pastoral response” toward same-sex couples.

“We believe that committed Christians can differ in their interpretation of Scripture” on homosexuality, Laird said. “We see in Scripture a constant demand for justice and the radical love and inclusivity of Jesus.”

St. Matthew’s neither broadcast the change widely nor kept it secret, Laird said, noting that the church has posted minutes of its deliberations on its Web site. As word of the change filtered out among Episcopalians, Bishop Ted Gulick, who will be retiring later this year, issued a statement neither approving nor opposing the ceremony.

Gulick maintained he could not authorize same-sex rites because the denomination has not approved them for its foundational Book of Common Prayer. But he has left the door open to private ceremonies.

“As we pray, so we believe,” Gulick said in a written statement. “Until the ‘we’ on this issue becomes very large, it is dangerous to place such rites ‘front and center’ in our liturgical life.”

But, he added: “If the conscience of the ordained minister allows, private liturgies of blessing and support and public services of the Eucharist in thanksgiving for the covenanted, lifelong, monogamous realities of these committed relationships can be held in the churches of our diocese.”

He added in an interview: “It is our norm that we don’t do those publicly in a church building, but we don’t second-guess each other’s private pastoral ministry.”

Same-sex blessings have become part of the larger controversy over homosexuality and theology inside the Episcopal Church and in its relations with global partners in the Anglican Communion.

Disputes exploded in 2003 with the American church’s approval of its first openly gay bishop, Gene Robinson of New Hampshire. Gulick and the rest of the Kentucky delegation to that year’s General Convention voted to ratify Robinson’s appointment.

Many overseas Anglican churches have declared themselves in broken communion with the Episcopal Church, saying the American denomination has defied biblical teaching against homosexuality. Some Episcopal churches and dioceses have split from the denomination.

The St. Matthew’s decision dismayed some Kentucky Episcopalians who have remained within the denomination.

“God’s blessing is not something we can vote on,” said the Rev. Robin Jennings, pastor of St. Francis in the Fields Church in Harrods Creek.

“To invoke God’s blessing comes out of Scripture, comes out of tradition, comes out of the faith that has come down to us,” he said, citing biblical precedents for church sacramental rites such as marriage.”

Jennings also said no one has clearly defined a “generous pastoral response.”

“You can take that to mean whatever,” he said. “Once we get the bishop encouraging us to do stuff that’s private, you’ve lost the distinctiveness of the Book of Common Prayer and sacramental theology, which by its nature is a public act.”   Read more…

Cherie Anglican Communion, Gay Agenda, General Convention 2009, General news gay marriage

[Ed. Note:  According to Lt. Col. Oliver North, none of the military hierarchy agrees with the reversal of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"  policy.  Although he has contacts that few others have, this article  - and opinion - has been widely derided by those who are entrenched in enacting the gay agenda.  I agree with North that this is a political move by the president, with little thought about how this will play out in real life.  Cheryl M. Wetzel]

http://townhall.com/columnists/OliverNorth/2010/03/05/not_so_fast
Oliver North
Friday, March 05, 2010

WASHINGTON — He had to give them something. During his first year in office, Barack Obama made the rounds of his constituents and tried to appease them all. For the pacifists, there were promises to get out of Iraq. Self-loathing Americans were given a global kowtowing presidential apology tour. The Marxist-librarian constituency was assuaged when he accepted communist literature from Hugo Chavez. To satisfy Rodney King “can we all get along?” adherents, Mr. Obama promised to close the terrorist detention facility at Guantanamo Bay. Proponents of global environmental policy, universal health care, nationalized industry and massive government all got something.

But the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, which worked so hard to elect Mr. Obama, wasn’t feeling the love. The president wouldn’t let them out of the closet, they argued, and their patience was wearing thin. POTUS had to give them reason to stay in the fold.

The payoff came in his State of the Union address, when Mr. Obama went off on another frolic and diversion in declaring, “This year, I will work with Congress and our military to finally repeal the law that denies gay Americans the right to serve the country they love because of who they are.”

That set Washington’s Self-Esteem Caucus on full throttle. “Fairness” is liberalism’s golden calf and now a central organizing principle of Mr. Obama’s national security policy. The pundits, citing politicians and polls, declared that “society has moved on” and that the 1993 law barring active homosexuals from military service is “old and outdated.”

When Secretary of Defense Robert Gates went so far as to suggest that he was prepared to ignore enforcement of the law, he wasn’t chastised; he was commended. Others who once stood up for our military and its families but who now voice support for opening the military to active homosexuals are — for the first time in their careers — cited by the media as “authoritative,” even “heroic.”

Such is the inane duplicity that passes for governance in our nation’s capital. Proponents of overturning the law cite the hurt feelings of homosexuals, their “integrity” and the ever-popular “aw, shucks, gee whiz, can’t we just let these nice folks serve the country they love?” argument. But few have actually addressed the national security implications of such a change. Now the Joint Chiefs of Staff have done just that.

Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey informed the Senate Armed Services Committee he has “serious concerns” about repealing the law in the midst of war. “We just don’t know the impacts on readiness and military effectiveness,” Casey testified.

A somewhat softer note was sounded by Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton A. Schwartz, who said, “This is not the time to perturb the force that is, at the moment, stretched by demands in Iraq and Afghanistan and elsewhere without careful deliberation.”

Adm. Gary Roughead, chief of naval operations, testified that he endorsed a “study” of the issue because “only with that information can we discuss the force that we have, not someone else’s.” He also resisted a “freeze” on discharges for homosexual behavior, citing duty to “the families that support the force.”

The straightest shooting of all was done by Gen. James Conway, the commandant of the Marine Corps. In testimony to the House Armed Services Committee on Feb. 24, he said, “Unless we can strip away the emotion, the agendas and the politics and ask … ‘Do we somehow enhance the war-fighting capabilities of the United States Marine Corps by allowing homosexuals to openly serve?’ then we haven’t addressed it from the correct perspective.” Then he reloaded.   Read more…

Cherie Gay Agenda, General news Dont ask Don't tell repeal

http://www.christianpost.com/article/20100304/-don-t-ask-don-t-tell-repeal-introduced-amid-opposition/index.html

By Nathan Black|Christian Post Reporter

March 6, 2010

Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (I-Conn.) introduced legislation in the Senate on Wednesday to repeal the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.

The Military Readiness Enhancement Act of 2010 would lift the ban on homosexuals openly serving in the military and enforce a policy of nondiscrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

“If Americans want to serve, they ought to have the right to be considered for that service regardless of characteristics such as race, religion, gender or sexual orientation.” Lieberman stated, according to The Washington Post.

The legislation comes a month after President Barack Obama called for the repeal of the contentious policy in his State of the Union address.

The American Civil Liberties Union has urged Congress to make ending “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” a priority this year.

“We cannot lose momentum,” said Laura W. Murphy, director of the ACLU Washington legislative office, in a statement Wednesday. “Congress must act quickly to ensure that lesbian and gay Americans can serve their country free from discrimination. When the president, our nation’s top military leaders and the majority of our country have called for an end to this discriminatory policy, it is time to act. Congress must answer these calls with conviction.”

A Washington Post-ABC News poll last month found that three-quarters of Americans support openly gay people serving in the U.S. military.

But Defense Secretary Robert Gates and other service chiefs are cautious of a hasty repeal especially before they have a chance to review a Pentagon study analyzing the impact of ending the 17-year-old law.

“To be successful, we must understand all issues and potential impacts associated with repeal of the law and how to manage implementation in a way that minimizes disruption to a force engaged in combat operations and other demanding military activities around the globe,” Gates said in a March 2 memo. “Should Congress take this action, strong, engaged and informed leadership will be required at every level to properly and effectively implement a legislative change.”

Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James Conway believes a repeal would be disruptive.

“At this point, I think that the current policy works,” Conway said last month. “My best military advice to this committee, to the secretary, to the president would be to keep the law such as it is.”   Read more…

Cherie Gay Agenda, General news Dont ask Don't tell repeal

[Ed. Note:  Focus on the Family relinquished ownership of the "Love Won Out" conferences in December, 2008.  They are now conducted by Exodus, International, the largest and most authoritative group focused on liberating gays from homosexual orientation.  Exodus is to homosexuality what Alcoholics Anonymous is to alcoholics.  In Dallas, Living Hope Ministries offer the same counsel and support to homosexuals.  both are excellent organizations and deserve support and commendation.  Cheryl M. Wetzel]

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/mar/07/choice-of-homosexuality-focus-of-dueling-meetings/

Activists counter faith-based group

By Scott LaFee, UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

published on www.Sign On San Diego.com   on March 8, 2010

Sunday, March 7, 2010 at 1:28 a.m.

An ongoing, traveling fight for the hearts, minds and souls of gays passed through San Diego yesterday, with an international, faith-based group sponsoring a one-day meeting in East County to declare that homosexuality is essentially a choice and a “repentable” sin at the same time a national counter-group of gay activists and critics convened in Hillcrest to broadly condemn those assertions.

The gulf between the groups was considerably wider than the 15 miles that actually separated their conferences.

More than 600 people gathered at Skyline Wesleyan Church on Campo Road in Rancho San Diego to listen to a series of speakers from Exodus International, an Orlando, Fla.-based Christian organization. The group claims to be “the largest global ministry addressing the issue of faith and same-sex attraction.”

The conference, titled “Love Won Out,” was the 60th in a series launched in 1998 and originally conducted by the conservative evangelical group Focus on the Family.

“Our mission is to reach out to men and women and their families affected by homosexuality,” said Exodus International President Alan Chambers. “We want to help those of faith who are conflicted, who are looking to bring their sexuality back into line with what the Bible says.”

That meant recognizing that regardless of its cause or origin, homosexuality is a mortal sin, said Joe Dallas, a sex-addiction counselor based in Tustin and one of the Exodus speakers. “The why of the thing doesn’t determine the rightness. Saying that being gay is inborn doesn’t mean it’s normal. We are against homosexuality as we are against any behavior that is against the intent of our creator,” he said.

Such talk leaves people such as Michael Bussee dismayed and upset. Bussee was among Exodus International’s founders in 1976. He said the original goal of the group was to provide a place for Christians to discuss and reconcile their homosexuality with their faith. He renounced the group in 1979, with other former Exodus leaders, because they said it no longer reflected their views or goals.

“They’ve become political and intolerant. They’ve softened their message a little bit in recent years by saying they want to embrace and understand gays, but the bottom line is that they think homosexuality is worthy of eternal damnation,” Bussee said.

Bussee spoke at the Hillcrest conference, which was attended by about 100 people at St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral on Sixth Avenue. Sponsored by a four-year-old, New York-based group called Truth Wins Out, the counter-conference’s existence is almost entirely dedicated to rebutting the contentions of conservative religious groups that homosexuality is a behavior that can be a “cured,” said executive director Wayne Besen.    Read more…

Cherie Gay Agenda, General news