They can't stop smiling

It makes them happy to be on the forefront of something new and exciting. Gay bible and gay leadership.

This Jefferts lady bishop understands that her American friends are so far advanced, it may take the rest of the world 100 years to catch up to their new reading of God's Word that now says all are welcome at the table without the admonition to sin no more.

Two strong currents got them into this future place. One is their understanding of inclusiveness regardless of sin. Added to their understanding that homosexual acts are no longer a sin. Pre-Jesus and the 2,000 years since, people were simply wrong in their gut understanding that homosexual acts are as dirty as any other sin. They have changed shame into smiling pride.

Lesbian Rev. Tracey Lind and lesbian Rev. Liz Steadman and who knows how many other homosexual clergy with them agree that this is indeed a proud and future moment.

Somehow, the last line in the sand has become the argument about homosexual bishops, since the argument about homosexual clergy was settled for them back 10's of years ago. I wonder what made anyone think their bishops could somehow remain normal.

And so now their church will be ripped along American, non-American lines. Those who are the future, and those who will take 100 years to catch up. In the mean time, old thinking bishops from Africa will have to come in to minister to the non-futurists.

I am in no way gloating over their demise. It is a sad lesson to be learned for us Catholics. We can not be fooled into letting sinful structures into the clergy, and not expect it to infect the whole. And as we can see, not in a quiet way, but with pride and smiles.

We don't have much pride or smiling regarding the gay boys who became Priests in the 60's and 70's, fooled around with the school boys, and now drain the coffers making the grown school boys rich. That sinful structure has been suppressed.

And perhaps given the anglican lesson playing out before our eyes, we will be safe from their scandal.

Who can say what will be the devil's next temptation to smiling pride?

link

Though Anglican leaders have urged the U.S. church to stop electing gay bishops who are in committed relationships, a lesbian priest is among five finalists for bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago. Meanwhile, dissidents in the diocese will turn out Sunday in suburban Wheaton to hear Archbishop Peter Akinola, conservative leader of Nigeria's Anglican Church and the fiercest critic of the Episcopal Church's stance on gays.

"We are asking Rowan Williams to be bold and represent the worldwide Anglican Communion and not just the Episcopal Church," he said. "The Episcopal Church has engaged in behavior that has caused a rupture in the communion, and I feel saddened by that."

The directive being considered came out of a February meeting in Tanzania, where three dozen Anglican leaders demanded that the Episcopal Church bar blessings for gay couples and stop consecrating gay bishops. Though bishops have yet to address those requests, the Chicago diocese this month named Rev. Tracey Lind, a lesbian in a committed relationship, as one of five finalists to become its next bishop. She and four other candidates will tour the diocese in October.

Rev. Liz Steadman, the Episcopal chaplain of Northwestern University, finds Akinola's visit troubling. The chapel where Akinola will preach is named after her grandfather, a former president of Wheaton College, and she is a lesbian in a committed relationship.

"I don't love the Gospel despite the fact that I am a lesbian. I love it because of who I am—Victor Raymond Edman's granddaughter, a child of God and, yes, a lesbian," she said. "It breaks my heart when the Gospel is perverted to justify the abuse of entire groups of people."

Yes Liz, it does. Perverted abuse of the Gospel that is.

The church is a clinic for sinners. But that doesn't work so well when the person preaching lives in a sinless proud future of their own design. Even our bad Catholic Priests knew shame. To be shameless is something altogether worse.