Episcopal Church Elects Gay Bishop and Canadians Endorse Gay Marriage

By: Rev. Jack Cascione
In this Article:
1. Commentary From Reclaim News
2. New Hampshire Episcopalians Choose Gay Bishop, and Conflict according to
New York Times
3. Episcopal Church Website Announces Election of Gay Bishop
4. Episcopal Church Cannon Law on the Election of A Gay Bishop
5. New York Times Editorial Celebrates Canadian Gay Marriage
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1. Commentary From Reclaim News:
When people, an entire church body, or a government gives up God's law,
homosexuality is the inevitable consequence.  Romans 1:21 reads: "Because
that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were
thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was
darkened."

The world, church, or any individual has no definition for self-existence
without God, including gender orientation. Gay marriage is impossible
because the definition of marriage must include two members of the opposite
sex.

The election of a gay Episcopal bishop shows their worship about man instead
of God.  Rather than true worship, church members participate in mortal sin.

Notice how apostate churches leads governments to embrace homosexuality.  If
God's word is be distorted, why shouldn't men be distorted with desire for
intimacy with other men as a sign of their hatred for God's word?

Notices the elaborate Cannon Law the Episcopalians have invented to
legitimatize homosexual clergy and bishops.  They dress their abomination in
the church's finest robes and offices.

With its new rulings, the LCMS's CCM is also developing and expanding LCMS
"Cannon Law."  The LCMS Constitution is now interpreted and reinterpreted
through a labyrinth of interconnected rulings to justify worship with
Moslems and ecclesiastical immunity for the LCMS president.  CCM rulings are
now sited as a higher authority than the Bible in the LCMS, as in the Benke
case.
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2. New Hampshire Episcopalians Choose Gay Bishop, and Conflict
    New York Times National Desk | June 8, 2003, Sunday

By LAURIE GOODSTEIN (NYT) 1393 words
Late Edition - Final , Section 1 , Page 1 , Column 1
LEAD PARAGRAPH - Episcopalians in the Diocese of New Hampshire today elected
as their leader the first openly gay bishop anywhere in the worldwide
Anglican communion, a step likely to roil the church in the United States
and England, and deepen the disaffection of the more conservative Anglican
churches in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
The bishop-elect, the Rev. Canon V. Gene Robinson, who had developed a loyal
following here in 16 years as assistant to the current bishop, was elected
from among four candidates on the second round of balloting at St. Paul's
Church.
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   2003-125
3. Canon Gene Robinson elected bishop coadjutor of New Hampshire
http://www.episcopalchurch.org/ens/2003-125.html

BULLETIN
(ENS) The Rev. V. Gene Robinson was elected bishop coadjutor of the
Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire today on the 2nd ballot.

Robinson is the first openly gay man in the Episcopal Church to be elected
as a bishop.
The other nominees were: the Rev. Ruth Lawson Kirk, rector of St. Peter's
Church in Glenside, Pennsylvania; the Rev. Canon Pamela Mott, pastor at
Trinity Cathedral in Portland, Oregon; and the Rev. Robert Tate, rector of
St. Martin-in-the-Fields parish in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. A fifth
nominee, the Rev. Joe Goodwin Burnett, was elected bishop of Nebraska in
May.

The leadership of the national Episcopal Church now must ratify Canon
Robinson's election during the General Convention, meeting in Minneapolis in
late July. Both the House of Bishops and the House of Deputies will need to
approve his election by a two-thirds majority.

Robinson has served as canon to the ordinary in New Hampshire since 1988
where he coordinates diocesan staff and ministry of the current bishop, the
Rt. Rev. Douglas E. Theuner. Since 1983, Robinson has served as executive
secretary of the Episcopal Province of New England, and since 2001 on the
Board of Trustees of the General Theological Seminary in New York City.

A 1969 graduate of the University of the South, Sewanee, Tennessee, he has a
B.A. in American Studies/History. In 1973, he completed the M. Div. at
General Theological Seminary; after ordination he served as curate at Christ
Church, Ridgewood, New Jersey. Upon moving to New Hampshire in 1975,
Robinson co-owned and directed an accredited girls' summer camp and horse
farm. As founding director of Sign of the Dove Retreat Center in Temple, New
Hampshire, he facilitated spiritual direction and designed programs for a
variety of groups. He also managed the diocesan Living into Our Baptism
program of spiritual growth and development.

Robinson enjoys entertaining and cooking, gardening, music, and running. The
father of two grown daughters, Jamee and Ella, he lives with his partner
Mark Andrew, employed by the N.H. Department of Health and Human Services.

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4. Episcopal Church Cannon Law On Election of Bishop
A summary of TITLE III, CANON 22:
Of the Election and Ordination of Bishops
If the date of the election occurs within 120 days before a meeting of the
General Convention, the Standing Committee of the Diocese shall forward to
the Secretary of the House of Deputies evidence of the election of the
Bishop-elect by the Convention of the Diocese, together with evidence that
the Bishop-elect has been duly ordered Deacon and Priest, evidence of
acceptance of election, and a testimonial signed by a constitutional
majority of the Convention, a summary of biographical information relating
to the Bishop-elect, and certificates from a licensed medical doctor and
licensed psychiatrist, appointed by the Ecclesiastical Authority with the
approval of the Presiding Bishop, that they have thoroughly examined the
Bishop-elect as to that person©^s medical, psychological and psychiatric
condition and have not discovered any reason why the person would not be fit
to undertake the work for which the person has been chosen. Forms and
procedures agreed to by the Presiding Bishop and the Church Pension Fund
shall be used for this purpose.

The Secretary of the House of Deputies shall present the testimonials to the
House, and if the House consents to the ordination of the Bishop-elect,
notice of its consent shall be sent to the House of Bishops.

If a majority of the Bishops exercising jurisdiction consent to the
ordination, the Presiding Bishop shall notify the Standing Committee of the
Diocese electing and the Bishop-elect of the consent.

Upon receipt of the consents and assurance of the acceptance of the election
by the Bishop-elect, the Presiding Bishop shall take order for the
ordination of the Bishop-elect either by the Presiding Bishop or the
President of the House of Bishops of the Province of which the Diocese
electing is part, and two other Bishops of this Church, or by any three
Bishops to whom the Presiding Bishop may communicate the testimonials.

In case a majority of all the Standing Committees of the Dioceses do not
consent to the ordination of the Bishop-elect, the Presiding Bishop shall
declare the election null and void and shall give notice to the Standing
Committee of the Diocese electing and to the Bishop-elect. The Convention of
the Diocese may then proceed to a new election.

No person shall be ordained Bishop unless the person shall at the time, and
in the presence of the ordaining Bishops and congregation, subscribe to and
make the declaration required in Article VIII of the Constitution.

Constitution, Article VIII Declaration:

No person shall be ordained and consecrated Bishop, or ordered Priest or
Deacon to minister in this Church, unless at the time, in the presence of
the ordaining Bishop or Bishops, the person shall subscribe and make the
following declaration:

I do believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the
Word of God, and to contain all things necessary to salvation; and I do
solemnly engage to conform to the Doctrine, Discipline, and Worship of the
Episcopal Church.

Summary of Constitution, Article III
No one shall be ordained and consecrated Bishop until the attainment of
thirty years of age; nor without the consent of a majority of the Standing
Committees of all the Dioceses, and the consent of a majority of the Bishops
of this Church exercising jurisdiction. But if the election shall have taken
place within three months next before the meeting of the General Convention,
the consent of the House of Deputies shall be required in place of that of a
majority of the Standing Committees. No one shall be ordained and
consecrated Bishop by fewer than three Bishops.

A Bishop shall confine the exercise of such office to the Diocese in which
elected, unless requested to perform episcopal acts in another Diocese by
the Ecclesiastical Authority thereof, or unless authorized by the House of
Bishops, or by the Presiding Bishop by its direction, to act temporarily in
case of need with in any territory not yet organized into Dioceses of this
Church.

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5. New York Times Editorial June 19, 2003
"Canada's Celebration of Marriage"
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/19/opinion/19THU1.html?th

The landmark ruling came down from the north with some of the simple delight
of a June wedding announcement: "Same-sex couples are capable of forming
long, lasting, loving and intimate relationships." In unanimously affirming
the obvious, an Ontario appeals court opened the way for Canada to end the
bar on marriage between partners of the same sex. Final approval of a
milestone law striking down discrimination against gay couples is expected
within months. But the northward flow by gay couples from the United States
has already begun. Canada has no residency requirements for love-struck
people intent on marriage, while Belgium and the Netherlands enacted tighter
restrictions in pioneering legal gay unions.

When they head home after the vows and rice, the newlyweds will expect to be
treated as legally married people here, as will gay Canadian couples
visiting the United States. They should get that respect, both out of simple
decency and because this nation has a long history of recognizing legal
marriages performed across borders.

June 22, 2003