Beloved in Christ,
The most liberal and revisionist clergy of The Episcopal Church (TEC) seem to be afraid that if they don't constantly drag sexuality, and specifically homosexuality, back into the news, the general public might somehow forget about gays and lesbians. This is, of course, not likely in today's culture. One of the most revisionist of TEC's clergy, in one of the nation's most revisionist parishes, felt a need to shock the nation. The Rev. Canon Ed Bacon of All Saints' Episcopal Church in Pasadena, California, opined to Oprah Winfrey that "being gay is a gift from God." Canon Bacon likes to startle his listeners with provocative statements and actions, but this shocked even Oprah Winfrey.
When questioned what he meant by that, he responded by saying, "I meant exactly what I said." Bacon, who is not gay himself, would like to be seen as an advocate and friend of homosexuals. In actuality, he does the gay and lesbian community a tremendous disservice by giving them misinformation about their status before God. The inclination a person has toward certain types of sexual behavior is not a sin in itself, but it frequently sets the stage for a person to act out the behavior, which becomes sin.
Canon Bacon, in assuring his homosexual friends that they are just fine, even specially blessed by God in their behavior, means that his friends are not told the truth and thus can't repent of their destructive behavior, nor can they be transformed and brought out of their sin. The price of living in and celebrating behavior that is condemned by God in the Bible is an ongoing life of physical and spiritual deterioration. If Bacon told them the truth, his friends might feel less affirmed in the short run, but in the longer run might turn to God for forgiveness, for reorientation, restoration, and wholeness. Christ died on the cross for all sinners, not to confirm them in their sin, but to lift them from that sin and offer them a new life of grace.
St. Barnabus Church in Omaha, Nebraska, has joined a very long line of congregations who left TEC and are now being sued by their former TEC diocese. In 2003, at the General Convention of the Episcopal Church in Minneapolis, when the heterodoxy of TEC was made clear in the confirmation of The Rev. Gene Robinson to be the next diocesan bishop of New Hampshire, TEC leaders assured everyone that protests would blow over and come to nothing. Those who appealed against the confirmation based on pleading from the global Anglican Communion partners were told "you'll get over it." Now, nearly six years later, it is clear that the church hasn't gotten over it, and compounding the problem are the more serious heresies that TEC has promoted concerning the person and work of Jesus Christ.
Whereas Jesus himself says "I am the Way and the Truth and the Life, and none come to the Father except through me," the leaders of TEC say that Jesus is NOT "the" way but "a" way, one among many. They also believe that TEC can rewrite the Bible to adapt it to modern culture and the issues that are of interest to the Episcopal Church today. Once you swallow those two false teachings, it is easy to swallow the false teachings on sexuality and other issues. The dichotomy is seen with Bishop Robinson's prayer at the Presidential Inaugural services, where he insists he didn't want to come across as too Christian, and proceeds to pray not to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, but rather to "the God of our many understandings." I think that I have a great deal more in common spiritually with the God of Pastor Rick Warren's prayer than "the God of whatever or whoever" in Robinson's prayer.
This week, we include an open letter to the Covenant Design Group by the Rev. Dr. Ephraim Radner. Although the AAC and Dr. Radner have often favored different strategies for the reform and renewal of the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion, we note the strength and perception in this recent article. He assesses the change of direction by Colorado TEC bishop Rob O'Neill in moving from a moratorium on ordaining partnered gay and lesbian candidates to embracing such ordinations. Radner's comments are worth reading, as he quotes remarks posted on the House of Bishops and Deputies Listserve, where uber revisionists can hardly wait to push the remaining conservative and orthodox believers out of TEC. He points out the difficulty of an "inside strategy" while the power structure of TEC is bent on pushing the orthodox out of the Episcopal Church, and argues for the need of an international strategy. Although Dr. Radner and the AAC might or might not agree on exactly what the international strategy should look like, we commend him for this insightful article.
Blessings and Peace in Christ Jesus,
The Rt. Rev. David C. Anderson, Sr.
President and CEO, American Anglican Council
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