GAY TRUTH

A gay clergyman has become the first ordained priest to break the Church of England's ban on same-sex marriages to wed his partner. The African Church is calling for his immediate dismissal. Canon Jeremy Pemberton, who is a hospital chaplain in Lincolnshire , is reported to have tied the knot with long-term partner Laurence Cunnington in a ceremony at a hotel on Saturday, describing the nuptials as "a lovely wedding". Last month, same-sex marriages became legal in England and Wales after a change in the law was voted in by MPs . However, the Church of England, while advising its clergy to offer pastoral support to members of their congregation in same-sex marriages, barred gay ordained priests from being wed. The House of Bishops ' pastoral guidance on same-sex marriage, issued in February, reads: "It considers that it would not be appropriate conduct for someone in holy orders to enter into a same-sex marriage, given the need for clergy to model the Churc

Image via Wikipedia Despite Britain being an officially Christian country with a majority Christian population and a Christian heritage reaching back to the 7th century AD , the UK’s equalities chief has said that Christians need to “integrate” better into Britain’s “modern liberal democracy.”  Compared to Muslims , he said, Christians are “more militant” and have a harder time blending in. “There are a lot of Christian activist voices who appear bent on stressing the kind of persecution that I don’t think really exists in this country,” said Trevor Phillips , chairman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC). The current movement towards doctrinal and moral orthodoxy in the Anglican and Catholic churches is a revival of “an old time religion incompatible with modern society” that is clashing with “mainstream” views, especially on homosexuality, he continued. Phillips told the Sunday Telegraph in an interview this weekend that while most actual cases of religious discr

Image via Wikipedia New South Wales Premier Kristina Keneally has strongly berated Cardinal George Pell , saying she is greatly “saddened” by his recent comments criticizing Christian politicians who disregard Church teaching. She said she believes Pell risks being “interpreted as condemnatory and threatening.” Kealey who bills herself as a devout Catholic, opposes Church teaching on homosexuality and abortion. In an interview with the Herald Sun earlier this month, Cardinal Pell had criticized politicians who “fly under the Christian or Captain Catholic flag” but “blithely disregard Christian perspectives” when facing a vote on moral issues in parliament. “I read those comments from the Archbishop and, if anything, they saddened me,” Keneally  told  the Sunday Telegraph . “Almost every Catholic politician I know takes their responsibility as an elected representative and their faith very seriously,” said the Premier. “Many have really struggled, as have I, when moral issues requi