In Sunday's Post-Gazette, I found this piece from John Bryson Chane who is Episcopal bishop of Washington.
The Bishop questions the pastoral concern of the conservative wing of the Anglican church for the gay and lesbian community.
Archbishop Peter J. Akinola, primate of the Church of Nigeria and leader of the conservative wing of the communion, recently threw his prestige and resources behind a new law that criminalizes same-sex marriage in his country and denies gay citizens the freedoms to assemble and petition their government. The law also infringes upon press and religious freedom by authorizing Nigeria's government to prosecute newspapers that publicize same-sex associations and religious organizations that permit same-sex unions.
This clearly crosses the line from opposing gay marriage to criminalizing homosexuality and, in fact, homosexuals. This is clearly an assault on the human rights of gays and lesbians in Nigeria.
Where is the pastoral concern for the citizens of Nigeria? Is this the future direction of the worldwide Anglican church? Or the Pittsburgh church?
Here in Pittsburgh there is growing sense of schism (I'll get called out for using that term) within the Episcopal church led by our own version of Akinola, Bishop Robert Duncan and the Anglican Communion Network. In November 2005, Akinola was a prominent speaker at a local meeting of the Network. A meeting filled with battle cries to gird the loins of faithful Episcopal conservatives against the threat of homosexuality.
You may recall that the US Episcopal Church ordained an openly gay bishop in New Hampshire in 2004.
Very troubling it is.
