US Episcopal Primate: Embracing gay ‘marriage’ is ‘who we are’
The presiding bishop of the U.S. Episcopal
Church says that his denomination will not repent of accepting same-sex
"marriage."
Presiding
Bishop Michael Curry, the first African-American to lead U.S. Episcopalians,
told leading Anglican archbishops meeting in England that despite recent
sanctions imposed by Anglican leadership, the U.S. branch will not reverse its
decision to approve of homosexuality.
"They
heard from me directly that that's not something that we're considering,"
Curry said. "We made our decision, and this is who we are."
The leaders
of the worldwide Anglican Communion suspended the U.S. Episcopal
Church for three years over the issue. The primates of 38 Anglican churches
throughout the world voted to bar the U.S. Episcopal Church from representing
the denomination on ecumenical and interfaith organizations and from taking
part in Anglican decision-making on any issues pertaining to doctrine or
polity.
In the U.S.,
not only do Episcopalians accept gay "marriage," but they also accept
practicing homosexuals and lesbians as bishops and priests/priestesses.
Rev. David W.
Haines, vicar general for Global Partnerships for the Anglican Province of
America, said that his group broke off from the Episcopalians precisely because
of increasingly liberal morals and ignoring the Word of God.
"Because
of the errant ways of The Episcopal Church, its unbiblical actions and
teachings … many lay people and clergy felt that to preserve the beauty, truth,
and liturgy of the 'One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church' they must leave
the Episcopal Church," the bishops of the Anglican Province of America explained.
The issue of
gay marriage is only the most recent in a long line of Episcopalian deviations
from Holy Scripture, Rev. Haines said. He said other issues include abortion,
homosexual clergy and bishops, priestesses, and substantive changes to the Book
of Common Prayer.
Even though
the Archbishop of Canterbury defended the suspension of the U.S. Episcopal
Church, he issued an apology to gays "for the hurt and pain, in the past
and present, that the church has caused and the love that we at times
completely failed to show, and still do, in many parts of the world, including
in this country."
Anglican
homosexual activist Jayne Ozanne commented, "We're not going
away. We are here; baptized members of the faith, gathering our straight
friends who are choosing to stand tall with us. Momentum is building, and I
believe that is Holy Spirit-inspired."
