YES TO COMPREHENSIVE UNITY: The Anglican Covenant defeated in the diocese of London, Church of England

Report from London Diocesan Synod: Anglican Communion Covenant

MOTION DEFEATED

Bishops: 2 for / 1 against / 0 abstentions
Clergy: 17 for / 32 against / 1 abstention
Laity: 26 for / 33 against / 2 abstentions
 
·  Thanks to Thinking Anglicans, HERE
·  Thanks to Peter Owen

COMPREHENSIVE UNITY FROM THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND TODAY: St. Albans, Ely and Liverpool vote NO to ANGLICAN COVENANT -- Chester and Norwich vote YES

WHY DO WE NEED ANOTHER COVENANT? “The Windsor Report,” he said. “It’s just a report. When did it become like The Bible? The Covenant. Why do we need another covenant? We have the Baptismal Covenant. We have the creeds. What else do we need?”  Archbishop Martin Barahona,  San Salvador

Chester: covenant accepted

Bishops: 3 for / 0 against / 0 abstentions

Clergy: 22 for / 14 against / 5 abstentions

Laity: 26 for / 23 against / 5 abstentions

Ely: covenant defeated

Bishops: 1 for / 0 against / 1 abstention

Clergy: 16 for / 23 against / 1 abstention

Laity: 19 for / 19 against / 0 abstentions

Liverpool: covenant defeated

Bishops: 0 for / 2 against / 0 abstentions

Clergy: 10 for / 26 against / 1 abstention

Laity: 8 for / 28 against / 5 abstentions

Norwich:  covenant accepted

Bishops: House of Bishops: For - 3; Against - 0; Abstentions - 0

House of Clergy: For - 26; Against - 10; Abstentions - 1

House of Laity: For - 19; Against - 15; Abstentions - 1

St Albans: covenant defeated

Bishops: 2 for / 0 against

Clergy: 21 for / 31 against

Laity: 17 for / 44 against

·  Thanks to Thinking Anglicans (voting data), HERE

·  Thanks to Simon Kershaw

MR. FRANK MUGISHA -- UGANDA: “The life and death of David will be honored as we struggle for justice and equality and win the hearts of people around the world because we are your sons and daughters, brothers and sisters.¨ Part Nine

Thousands of LGBT Advocates Pause to Grieve the Death of David Kato

·Anglican David Kato Remembered·

The National Religious Leadership Roundtable of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force:

In the wake of the brutal murder of David Kato, gay advocate in Uganda, thousands of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender leaders attending the Creating Change conference in Minneapolis, February 2-6, paused to remember his life and vowed to work even harder to tell our stories and move public opinion to accept LGBT people in all countries.

At a memorial vigil on Friday night, February 4, LGBT faith leaders and advocates from across the country and the world grieved the loss of their brother, David.

“No form of intimidation will stop our cause,” said Mr. Frank Mugisha, executive director of Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG). “The life and death of David will be honored as we struggle for justice and equality and win the hearts of people around the world because we are your sons and daughters, brothers and sisters. David is gone but the struggle will be won. David wanted to see a Uganda where all people will be treated equally. It is our turn to pick up the mantle and carry on.”

“Faith leaders have been working for the last year to expose the efforts of some American Christian conservatives to spread anti-LGBT attitudes to Africa, and Uganda in particular,” said Dr. Sylvia Rhue of the National Black Justice Coalition. “So-called ‘ex-gay’ ministries have failed so dismally in the United States that they are now exporting their damaging beliefs. They will continue to fail because diversity in sexual orientation and gender identity is inherent to humankind.”

“Jesus taught us that we must love God and love our neighbor as ourselves. But some of our Christian brothers and sisters in the United States and around the world turn Jesus' ministry on its head,” said the Rev. Rebecca Voelkel, faith work director for the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. “They preach judgment, condemnation and rejection and use fear to raise money and stoke violence. Where is the love? The murder of David Kato must be investigated and those responsible need to be brought to justice. But all of us--Ugandans, Americans and all our neighbors around the world--need to build societies in which love, respect and human dignity rule the day, no matter what faith tradition or culture we come from.” HERE

David Kato, one of our ¨Anglican¨ brothers

“David Kato was a member of the Anglican Church of Uganda. Sadly, most Ugandan Anglican leaders preach messages of rejection and condemnation under the guise of religion,” said the Rev. David Norgard, president of Integrity USA. “As members of the Episcopal Church, we have a long standing relationship with our LGBT brothers and sisters in Uganda as members of the global Anglican Communion and must face the fact that the Church has been a big part of the problem. It is long overdue for Christians, and good people of all faiths, to be the solution: to stop this violence, to sow love where hatred now festers and to respect the dignity of every human being.”

The Heroic ¨Kuchus¨ of Uganda

· Thanks to The ¨Kuchus¨ of Uganda
· Thanks to Integrity, U.S.A. and Uganda
· Thanks to SMUG, Uganda
· Thanks to The Reverend Canon David Norgard, TEC
· Thanks to The Global Anglican Communion
· Thanks to Creating Change Conference, Minneapolis
· Thanks to Mr. Frank Mugisha, Uganda

HERE

THE LIARS CLUB -- KENYA:¨Religious movements and African religious leaders deny they’re inciting hate crimes against homosexuals...Part Two

They say they encourage an attitude of “love the sinner but hate the sin” Denis Nzioka, Kenya

East African gay rights activist tells of homosexuals’ struggle to belong in a society that condemns them!

Archbishops Henry Orombi/Uganda and Eliud Wabukala/Kenya ¨attack homosexuals in their sermons¨ 

“All the…religions condemn homosexuality in any form.… So you have these preachers, these bishops, these televangelists, gaining massive followings by violently attacking homosexuals in their sermons,” Nzioka says.

African religious leaders blame ¨Gays¨ for natural disasters

He tells how some Kenyan religious leaders have blamed the country’s gays for natural disasters, saying events like drought are God’s punishment for Kenyans having same-sex relationships. Some Kenyan religious leaders have also organized public protests against gays.

Anti-LGBTI Anglican African Bishops gather at Entebbe, Uganda and condemn homosexuals as ¨evil¨

“Here we have actually had religious leaders visiting gay people’s homes and shouting to the public, ‘This is an evil homosexual house!’”, Nzioka exclaims. “And it’s a bishop, it’s an imam, it’s a sheikh, and they’re the ones leading the people (against gays). So religion is fueling homophobia, is instigating violence, is instigating discrimination.”

Sometimes, he says, Kenyan religious “zealots” are even more overt in their actions against the gay community. Last year, police arrested an evangelical preacher with some grenades in his possession. The suspect told police he intended to bomb the Gay and Lesbian Coalition’s office in Nairobi.

The Lesbian and Gay Coalition members ¨stay together¨ for safety and mutual support in Kenya

“He actually said that he was going to kill homosexuals. And he was asked, for what reason? (He replied) ‘Oh, God said; God said that homosexuals should be killed’.… It’s very shocking, and it’s actually a bomb! It’s not like it’s a knife or a stone.…” says Nzioka, continuing, “So now there’s constant paranoia here. We are never sure when a parcel arrives that it is not a bomb. When we leave the office, we are aware that we may be attacked at any time by some homophobic maniac. It’s very, very scary.” read it all, HERE

· Thanks to Gay Kenya
· Thanks to Denis Nzioka, Nairobi
· Thanks to Voice of America

After understanding the words of Christ: ¨One can either be his follower or be a hater. But not both.¨

18 Anti-Gay Groups and Their Propaganda

By Evelyn Schlatter

Even as some well-known anti-gay groups like Focus on the Family moderate their views, a hard core of smaller groups, most of them religiously motivated, have continued to pump out demonizing propaganda aimed at homosexuals and other sexual minorities. These groups’ influence reaches far beyond what their size would suggest, because the “facts” they disseminate about homosexuality are often amplified by certain politicians, other groups and even news organizations. Of the 18 groups profiled below, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) will be listing 13 next year as hate groups (eight were previously listed), reflecting further research into their views; those are each marked with an asterisk. Generally, the SPLC’s listings of these groups is based on their propagation of known falsehoods — claims about LGBT people that have been thoroughly discredited by scientific authorities — and repeated, groundless name-calling. Viewing homosexuality as unbiblical does not qualify organizations for listing as hate groups. HERE

Why Family Research Council was so furious to be called a hate group

A Commentary

By Timothy Kincaid

¨In December, the Southern Poverty Law Center updated its list of Anti-gay Hate Groups to include the Family Research Council and gave honorable mention to the National Organization for Marriage and Concerned Women for America. This did not go over well with the nation’s social conservatives. HERE

John 13:35 – A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.

By the words of Christ, one can either be his follower or be a hater. But not both. You may call yourself “Christian” and have all sorts of views about theology, but the one indicator that is a non-negotiable criterion is that you love. HERE

What follows are 10 key myths propagated by the anti-gay movement, along with the truth behind the propaganda.

By Evelyn Schlatter and Robert Steinback

These fairy tales are important to the anti-gay right because they form the basis of its claim that homosexuality is a social evil that must be suppressed — an opinion rejected by virtually all relevant medical and scientific authorities. They also almost certainly contribute to hate crime violence directed at homosexuals, who are more targeted for such attacks than any other minority in America.

Ever since born-again singer and orange juice pitchwoman Anita Bryant helped kick off the contemporary anti-gay movement more than 30 years ago, hard-line elements of the religious right have been searching for ways to demonize homosexuals — or, at a minimum, to find arguments that will prevent their normalization in society. For the former Florida beauty queen and her Save Our Children group, it was the alleged plans of gays and lesbians to “recruit” in schools that provided the fodder for their crusade. recognize all the myths HERE

· Thanks to Evelyn Schlatter and Robert Steinback
· Thanks to Box Turtle Bulletin, sidebar
· Thanks to Timothy Kincaid
· Thanks to The Southern Poverty Law Center, sidebar

PART TWO--Dupes, Opportunists and Allies of the Power Elite: The hatred shown toward African Americans in the justification of White Supremacy is the exact same hatred shown toward LGBT people...

Anti-LGBTI Anglican schismatic bishops meet at Gafcon Singapore Conference 2010

IT'S NOT ABOUT ISSUES

By The Reverend Dr. Jerry Maneker, Part Two

¨...the Power Elite also has as a useful tactic the pitting of one minority group against another, having them cannibalize each other, thereby deflecting attention from its self-serving machinations, and having what is called "conservative Christianity" as providing the supposed biblical and moral justifications for the oppression of the minority group du jour.

In addition, we have the irrational and surreal phenomenon where we have people aligning themselves with the Power Elite by directly working against their own interests, so that we see the spectacle of some African American clergy willing to align themselves with the KKK to oppose same-sex marriage, as seen by Rev. Gregory Daniels who is quoted as having said, "If the KKK opposes gay marriage, I would ride with them."
HERE

The reactionary mind-set of the Power Elite has even infiltrated many other African American clergy and their gullible followers who should certainly know better, so that they perversely use the very same rhetoric, justifications for, and advocacy of, discrimination against LGBT people and their acquisition of full and equal civil rights that were once used against African Americans by the allies and members of the Power Elite, and they are now willfully blind to the fact that it was those "activist judges," "liberals," and courageous people, Black and White, which and whom they now roundly condemn, that made possible the end of slavery and segregation.

TEC San Joaquin diocese Bishop John David Schofield, deposed schismatic

We also have the spectacle of Gay people who are against same-sex marriage, or who align themselves with those who actively discriminate against them, such as Gay people who attend and support homophobic churches and their clergy, and/or who otherwise support and align themselves with their avowed political enemies.

The Power Elite is well able to manipulate the all too frequent shame and self-loathing among Gay people, the shame and self-loathing that they and their reactionary "religious" allies have all too successfully created, fomented, and perpetuated, just as it did among the African Americans during the times of Slavery, and later on, Segregation, of which Malcolm X so brilliantly spoke, most notably in his speech describing the difference between the "House Negro" and the "Field Negro."

The "House Negro" was the one who loved his Master, and couldn't do enough for him. If the Master was sick, he'd say, "What's the matter, Master, we sick?" It was this House Negro who found it remarkable when the "Field Negro" expressed resentment against Slavery and the Master.

Some Gay People are ¨content¨with being treated as an oppressed, second-class citizen, bereft of full and equal civil and sacramental right.

It was the "Field Negro" who rebelled and, as Malcolm said, "Felt the sting of the lash." Unfortunately, among Gay people, there is the equivalent of the House Negro who is quite content with being treated as an oppressed, second-class citizen, bereft of full and equal civil and sacramental rights that "the Master" enjoys. So, we not only have the spectacle of some Gay people not favoring the right for loving same-sex couples who want to make a lifetime commitment to each other from marrying, but we also have some Gay people who seemingly willfully stick their finger in the eye of potential allies by deliberately dressing in bizarre ways for public consumption, thus reinforcing many negative stereotypes that many Straight people in their naivety have of Gay people.

 The same mind-set that has hostility toward LGBT people and their acquisition of full and equal civil and sacramental rights is the mind-set that used what the "religious" reactionary White Supremacists saw in the Bible, and who then selectively used certain verses (usually without understanding the original Greek or the likely context about which those verses were written) in justifying and expressing their savagery against African Americans, both during the institutionalization of Slavery in the U.S., and in the relatively recent past during the era of Segregation and Jim Crow laws.

¨Selective¨ Scriptural Bible ¨Evangelical¨ Extremists

The same hatred shown toward African Americans in the justification of White Supremacy is the exact same hatred shown toward LGBT people and the justification of heterosexism! Some of the manifestations of that hatred are, of course, different, but the hatred and the justifications for that hatred are exactly the same!¨ read it all, HERE

To be continued, Part Three:

"Church of England refuses to comment on Vatican secret talks,"

· Thanks to The Reverend Dr. Jerry Maneker
· Thanks to A Christian Voice For LGBT, sidebar
· Thanks to Flickr Photo Sharing

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: NO ANGLICAN COVENANT COALITION GATHERS MOMENTUM

NEWS RELEASE
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NO ANGLICAN COVENANT COALITION GATHERS MOMENTUM

LONDON – As the Church of England General Synod prepares to debate the proposed Anglican Covenant, a group of unlikely campaigners are working hard to ensure that there is a serious debate about the potential risks involved.

Started just three weeks ago after online conversations among a small number of international Anglican bloggers, the No Anglican Covenant Coalition has built on the work of two English groups, Inclusive Church and Modern Church, to set the shape of the debate.

“A month ago, General Synod and the entire Communion were sleepwalking into approving the Covenant without a proper discussion of the issue,” according to Coalition Moderator, the Revd. Dr. Lesley Fellows. “In some places, the Covenant was being presented as a means to punish North American Anglicans. In Britain, the United States and Canada, it was being spun as nothing more than a dispute resolution mechanism. I’ve spoken to many Synod members who were only dimly aware of the Anglican Covenant. An astonishing number of people thought I was referring to the Covenant with the Methodists.”

The week preceding the General Synod debate has seen a flood of articles criticizing the Covenant, including:

• an article by Canadian canon law expert the Revd. Canon Alan Perry, challenging the assertion that the Covenant would have no impact on the constitution and canons of member churches of the Communion;

• an article by the former Chancellor of the Anglican Church of Canada, the Hon. Ronald Stevenson QC, a former judge of the Court of Queen’s Bench, critical of the lack of clarity regarding the disciplinary procedures in the Covenant; and

• an article by the Bishop of the Convocation of American Churches in Europe, the Rt. Revd. Pierre Whalon, challenging the idea of enhancing communion by excluding those who disagree with the majority.

“We are all strongly committed to the Anglican Communion, but we are not convinced that this proposed Covenant will do anything to keep the Communion together,” according to the Revd. Malcolm French, the Coalition’s Canadian Convenor. “Covenant supporters have hurt their case by being dismissive of critics while failing to make a compelling case for this proposed Anglican Covenant. And no one has been prepared to explain the initial and ongoing costs to implement the Covenant.”

Within the last three weeks momentum has gathered to encourage the Church of England to wake up. Covenant. The first test will come tomorrow, when General Synod debates the Covenant and votes on a motion for initial approval, the first step towards final approval at a later session. Although significant decisions such as women in the episcopate about why the English House of Bishops has proposed only a simple majority for the Covenant.
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noanglicancovenant.org
The articles referred to, and several others, can be found at: noanglicancovenant.org/resources.html

Revd. Dr. Lesley Fellows (England) +44 1844 239268

Dr. Lionel Deimel (USA) +1-412-512-9087

Revd. Malcolm French (Canada) +1-306-550-2277

Revd. Lawrence Kimberley (New Zealand) +64 3 981 7384

Revd. Hugh Magee +44 1334 470446

UPDATE: 

NO ANGLICAN COVENANT COALITION RESPONDS TO GENERAL SYNOD VOTE


LONDON – Responding to the voting on the proposed Anglican Covenant by the Church of England General Synod, No Anglican Covenant Coalition Moderator, the Revd. Dr. Lesley Fellows made the following statement:

“The No Anglican Covenant Coalition is disappointed that the Church of England has voted to continue consideration of the Anglican Covenant. The debate made it clear that many members believe the Covenant will undermine the traditional Anglican comprehensiveness. We have lost this round. We will continue to oppose the Covenant in the Diocesan Synods and work to defeat it when it returns to the General Synod.

“We note that the GAFCON Primates have said ‘the current text is fatally flawed and so support for this initiative is no longer appropriate.’ A two‐tier communion appears to be unavoidable.”

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noanglicancovenant.org

The articles referred to, and several others, can be found  CLICK BELOW:

HERE

LA COALICIÓN NO ANGLICAN COVENANT: ¨Anglicanos por la Unidad Incluyente¨

 Atención Dr. Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury

A las iglesias Anglicanas se les está pidiendo que adopten una llamada Anglican Covenant que busca unirlas más fuertemente una a la otra y codificar procedimientos por medio de los cuales se podrán resolver futuras disputas dentro de la Comunicón Anglicana.



Nosotros creemos que este Covenant está mal pensado. En respuesta a dicha “crisis” en la Comunión los que diseñaron el Covenanat han favorecido la coerción en vez de favorecer el trabajo difícil de la reconciliación. El Covenant busca hacer más estrecho el rango de creencias aceptables adentro del Anglicanismo e impedir el desarrollo ulterior del pensamiento Anglicano. En vez de traer paz a la Comunión nosotros predecimos que el texto del Covenant en si, podría convertirse en causa de futuras disputas o riñas y que sus mecanismos centralizados para resolución de disputas podría traer resentimientos y pleitos interminables.


Nosotros creemos en un Anglicanismo basado en la herencia compartida de culto, no en una colección de doctrinas a las que todos nos tenemos que suscribir. Nuestra comprensión del Anglicanismo nos lleva a ver el Covenant como profundamente no-Anglicano.


En No Anglican Covenenat, nosotros presentamos el caso contra el Anglican Covenant y material útil para los que estudian el Covenant o están buscando argumentos para apoyar su oposición a su adopción. También damos material de fondo y rastreamos el estatus de la adopción o rechazo del Covenant a través de de toda la Comunión.

Esperamos que Ud. encontrará No Anglican Covenant interesante y útil, y sus comentarios están bienvenidos. AQUI

Anglican churches are being asked to adopt a so-called Anglican Covenant that seeks to bind them more tightly to one another and to codify procedures by which future disputes within the Anglican Communion will be resolved.


We believe that this covenant is ill-conceived. In response to the reputed “crisis” in the Communion, drafters of the covenant have favoured coercion over the hard work of reconciliation. The covenant seeks to narrow the range of acceptable belief within Anglicanism and to prevent further development of Anglican thought. Rather than bringing peace to the Communion, we predict that the covenant text itself could become the cause of future bickering and that its centralized dispute-resolution mechanisms could beget interminable quarrels and resentments.


We believe in an Anglicanism based on a shared heritage of worship, not on a set of doctrines to which all must subscribe. Our understanding of Anglicanism leads us to view the covenant as profoundly un-Anglican.


At No Anglican Covenant, we present the case against the Anglican Covenant and useful material for those studying the covenant or looking for arguments to support their opposition to its adoption. We also provide background material and track the status of the adoption (or rejection) of the covenant across the Communion.


We hope you will find No Anglican Covenant both interesting and useful, and we welcome your comments. HERE

· Thanks to No Anglican Covenant Coalition
· Gracias a Anglicanos por la Unidad Incluyente
· Thanks to Dr. Lionel Deimel, No Anglican Covenant (logo)