They Still Don't Get It

The House of Deputies met on July 9 as a committee of the whole to consider possible action by the 76th General Convention regarding Resolution B033, passed at the previous General Convention.  As reported by Episcopal Life, most of the testimony favored moving beyond the moratorium on consecration of bishops.  One deputy who spoke for retaining the moratorium was the Rev. Bob Haskell from the Diocese of Albany.  In his statement to the House, Haskell defended B033 "because I would like to stay in the Anglican Communion.  Jesus wants us to be united...."

The article continues:

He challenged those testifying at the hearing who "intimated that persons speaking in the direction I'm speaking would consign them to hell.  These are crude stereotypes.  That would not be my position.  Others would say persons who speak in favor of B033 would not include gay people in churches."  He added that gays and lesbians have taught Sunday School and had been leaders in his congregations.

Never mind the fact that I have never heard a gay or lesbian person claim that agreeing with B033 was equivalent to "consigning them to hell."  As stereotypes go, that would not only be crude, but ridiculous.  Still, it's nice that he lets gays and lesbians teach Sunday School.  How very inclusive.  Haskell goes on to reveal the depth of his commitment to inclusiveness:

"I would like to help our gay brothers and sisters be liberated and healed," he added.  "Some of the gay people I've had in my churches have been there because they have said it is the only church they could find where they were both accepted and encouraged to work toward healing and escaping from their compulsive lifestyle."

Now we see.  Mr. Haskell welcomes gays because the Church can "heal them."  Church is the place for them to come in order to "escape from their compulsive lifestyle."  We should accept them so that they can be "healed."

I do not presume to speak for my LGBT brothers and sisters.  Speaking for myself, though, I find it hard to reconcile the Rev. Haskell's position with the promise of full inclusion.  Mr. Haskell, and other sincere church members who share his attitude, still don't get it.  Through the sacrament of Baptism, "we who are cleansed from sin and born to new life" are healed, and made fully human, by our covenant with Christ.  Jesus has already healed us, both straight and gay.  Therefore, the "healing" that Bob Haskell speaks of is the opposite of Christ's promise of inclusion in the Kingdom of God and His Church.  If Christ has already accepted us as we are, including our gift of sexual identity, then the Church can do no less

Comments

[Suzanne Smith]

In the Episcopal Churchs I have atteneded, gay members have stated they are there because it is a church that is welcoming. But none ever said he/she was interested in healing or being delivered from their homosexuality. Who is Fr. Haskell talking about? I once watched an interview with the Evangelical Mel White, who surprised everyone when he came out of the closet a number of years ago. He said that being gay and an evangelical was not inconsistent and that the gay Christians he knew were among the most ardent and commited as they must believe very, very deeply to want to be part of a group that doesn't want anything to do with them.

I am thrilled about the decisions our church has made these last two days to effectively lift the moratorium on ordaining gay individulas in same sex relationships to the clergy - as well as the decision to begin officially drafting language for same sex blessings.

I am deeply sad about what will be the inevitable fallout worldwide -- and yet I am very proud of my church for doing the right thing.

[(The Rev.) Glen Michaels, Trinity Church, Plattsburgh]

"But the leader of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had cured on the sabbath, kept saying to the crowd, ‘There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be cured, and not on the sabbath day.’ But the Lord answered him and said, ‘You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger, and lead it away to give it water?" (Luke 13:14-15)

I rejoice today that the House of Bishops as well as the House of Deputies have approved D025. By doing so they have decided to follow the true Word of God, Jesus our Lord, rejecting as He did a narrow view of Scripture in favor of the all-embracing, boundary-shattering love of God.

Those who would have us break fellowship with our LGBT brothers and sisters unfortunately follow in the footsteps of the synagogue leaders of Jesus’ own day, who cited Scripture to exclude and condemn rather than to love and heal. The Word of God is Jesus himself, whose radical fellowship with the outcasts of his day showed the immensity of his Father’s love yet brought condemnation and death at the hands of the religious authorities.

Therefore, let us rejoice that our representatives have chosen to follow the Word of God. But let us not be surprised if primates and other principalities condemn us for it.

The Rev. Glen Michaels
Priest Associate
Trinity Church, Plattsburgh

[Robert Dodd]

Passage of B025 on Monday makes the offside position of the Diocese of Albany more obvious than ever. Of course, our leadership can just continue to stiff arm the large moderate to liberal minority, but it would be wiser to draw us in to create a broader, more diverse, Episcopal and Anglican diocese.

Bob and Marya Dodd

[Ben Brockman]

The APA only removed homosexuality as a recognized and treatable mental disorder after pressure from the gay lobby. Prior to the DSM IV-TR, the condition was fully accepted by the medical community as a psychiatric condition amenable to treatment (having been changed to the diagnosis Sexual Orientation Disturbance in the DSM III). Dr. Robert Perloff, the past president of the APA has stated publicly that it was only after immense pressure to be "politically correct" that the DSM was altered to remove the diagnosis. Both Perloff and Dr. Warren Throckmorton, immediate past president of the American Mental Health Counselors Association, insist that treatment of homosexuals can effect change, is ethical, and causes no greater "damage" than any type of psychotherapy (which always involves a painful process of change). You can brand Bishop Love and others any way you want, but the truth is that the psychological community was pressured into changing the DSM. The idea that homosexuals are in need of healing not only has Biblical ground to stand on, but also solid medical support.

[Robert Dodd]

Canon Haskell and Bishop Love cling to the thoroughly discredited myth that homosexuality is a bad habit and can, lke thumb sucking or nail biting, be cured with the help of prayer. As both the American Psychiatric Association and its British equivalent have said over and over, efforts to "heal" homosexuals rarely succeed and often do grave psychological damage.

It is bad enough that Albany's spiritual leaders walk in darkness, far worse -- in fact, shameful -- that they encourage others, particularly young people, to do the same.

[Richard Angelo]

How very nice of Fr. Haskell to let GLBT people teach Sunday School while at the same time praying for thier "healing". Once again the Diocese of Albany leads the way in its ignorance of the truth of our Baptisms. GLBT members of the Church are only "accepted and tolerated" so that the Church can then work on them to
"heal and liberate", according to Fr. Haskell. Well, sorry Father but that is not acceptble!!