Carolyn Woodall, the first transgender deacon in the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin, led the Gospel procession during the Integrity Eucharist at Episcopal General Convention in Indianapolis.
Posted on 07/10/2012 7:20:08 AM PDT by lightman
GC2012: Transgender, Homosexual Activists Hail Victories at Episcopal Convention
By Jeffrey Walton
July 9, 2012
Officials in the U.S.-based Episcopal Church have given homosexual and transgender activists two victories on the fifth day of their triennial denominational convention.
The House of Deputies passed legislation stating that "gender identity and expression" would not be barriers to ordained ministry, while also altering the church's canons to include the transsexual categories alongside gender, race and sexual orientation as specially protected status.
Later the same afternoon, the House of Bishops voted 111-41 to authorize rites for same-sex blessings. The bishops had already signed off on the new language for transgender Episcopalians, while deputies are expected to easily authorize the new same-sex rites before the close of the convention on July 12.
"If the glory of the Lord hasn't shown today, I don't know when it did," asserted an ebullient Gene Robinson, outgoing head of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire and the church's first openly partnered homosexual bishop. Robinson's 2003 consecration brought a debate over scriptural authority to the forefront of the Episcopal Church and set in motion a split in the 1.9 million-member church.
Robinson preached Wednesday night at a special communion service in the Indianapolis Convention Center hosted by Integrity USA, the church's unofficial homosexual and transgender caucus. Joining Robinson were Los Angeles Suffragan (assisting) Bishop Mary Glasspool, the church's first openly partnered lesbian bishop, and Carolyn Woodall, the first transgender deacon in the formerly conservative and Anglo-Catholic Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin. A majority of the diocese voted to leave the Episcopal Church in 2006.
"You have no idea what it is like to be on this platform with Mary Glasspool - it's because of her that I can retire," the New Hampshire bishop claimed to laughter from the hundreds of church activists gathered.
"Welcome on the day the Episcopal Church put its actions where it mouth is," greeted Integrity USA President Caroline Hall at the opening of the service. Hall listed gay, straight, evangelical and catholic as all welcome at the service, briefly pausing for laughter from the assembled after saying evangelical. The Integrity president presented longtime Newark, New Jersey homosexual activist Louie Crew as recipient of an award from the caucus.
"Today is the result of Louie's dream," Hall declared.
Robinson preached on the Book of Hebrews, Chapter 11:8-12, in which the Apostle Paul writes of Abraham setting out for a foreign land, living in tents.
"I hate camping - I would make a lousy lesbian," the New Hampshire Bishop confessed to more laughter. Describing the first fight of his earlier married life as centered upon chasing down a mosquito in a camping tent on his honeymoon, Robinson wondered aloud how Abraham felt about camping.
"Abraham dreamt of a city with foundations, but was asked to dwell in tents," Robinson observed, adding that God meant everyone to "live in tents" by moving from place to place "and never settle down until we're all in heaven."
Saying that "by God's grace we have been led to affirm gay and lesbian people," the homosexual bishop said the church convention had "begun that process with our transgender brothers and sisters."
Recalling a conversation earlier in the week with an unnamed "conservative bishop from a conservative diocese" who wanted to better understand transgenderism, Robinson named it a "remarkable" development.
"Tell your stories because it is the only way we change minds," the activist bishop charged, encouraging the gathering to spread acceptance of transgender persons. "At the end of the day we will disperse with all the letters [LGBT], because there are as many sexualities as there are each one of us."
While Robinson publically thanked a dozen transgender church members seated at the front of the gathering and asked for their patience, he asserted that their affirmation by the church had a message in it for everyone.
"This is about daring to believe in the goodness of the Lord," Robinson summarized. "Where would we be today if we did not believe in the goodness of the Lord? Look what the Lord has done for us today."
Following Robinson's sermon, Glasspool celebrated communion with several transgender-themed prayers.
"Spirit of Life, we thank you for disordering our boundaries and releasing our desires as we prepare this feast of delight," the offering prayer began. "Draw us out of hidden places and centers of conformity to feel your laughter and live in your pleasure."
END
Carolyn Woodall, the first transgender deacon in the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin, led the Gospel procession during the Integrity Eucharist at Episcopal General Convention in Indianapolis.
Therefore:
Lutheran (EL C S*A) Ping!
* as of August 19, AD 2009, a liberal protestant SECT, not part of the holy, catholic and apostolic CHURCH.
Be rooted in Christ!
Why do the nations conspire[a]
and the peoples plot in vain?
2 The kings of the earth rise up
and the rulers band together
against the Lord and against his anointed, saying,
3 “Let us break their chains
and throw off their shackles.”
4 The One enthroned in heaven laughs;
the Lord scoffs at them.
Psalm 2
And if you tell one of these postsurgery heeshees to go bleep themselves, by golly they’ll do it!
;^)
A victory for coprophiles and the genitally mutilated. Societal progress takes a step back toward Sodom and Gomorrah.
I’m growing mighty tempted to pray for fire from heaven...
“A people deserve the leaders they have” Jefferson
Can I ask a stupid question?
Since these “gay, lesbian, trans-whatever” people tend to be non-religious or hostile to religion, why is it that they seem hell bent on getting religions to endorse and approve of homosexuality and “trans-whatever” people?????
The Devil indeed walks among us!
My advice to believing Episcopalians (and I know you're out there) is to get out now. There are Anglican Communion churches where they actually believe that Jesus is who He says He is. If you don't mind leaving the stultifying liturgy and hidebound music behind, come join us in the evangelical churches. We actually believe in God and love to proclaim His Word as Truth and His Son as Savior.
“Can I ask a stupid question?
Since these “gay, lesbian, trans-whatever” people tend to be non-religious or hostile to religion, why is it that they seem hell bent on getting religions to endorse and approve of homosexuality and “trans-whatever” people?????”
I don’t think they are really hostile to religion so much as they are hostile to God. Religions change obviously, but He doesn’t. Besides the prince of the air doesn’t do any original work, he prefers to just tag God’s. So think of this as spiritual spray paint all over the Episcopal Church.
The LBGSTQ folk crave “acceptance” and ‘inclusion” and the appearance of normalcy.
To attain that they need to remove all sanctions against their deathstyle.
The ultimate sanction is SIN and Judgement.
Man can attempt to remove or redefine the former; but cannot the latter, thanks be to God!
Is the Episcopal Church the official glbt church now? Seems like when you hear of it, it’s always the Episcopals.
“Since these “gay, lesbian, trans-whatever” people tend to be non-religious or hostile to religion, why is it that they seem hell bent on getting religions to endorse and approve of homosexuality and “trans-whatever” people?????”
Not a stupid question at all. In fact, it’s almost a rhetorical question.
Religion is how it all ends up. Religion is what keeps most of us from deciding not to blow our own heads off. When our time has come, religion is the first, middle, and last thing on the to do list. The idea that there is someone up there that has a plan for me, and me personally, is as powerful as it gets.
Imagine a religion where God is in charge, but sort of in the same way Mickey Mouse is in charge of Disney. The person calling the shots is you - if you feel it, its right - what you loose on earth is loose in heaven.
You’ve arrived at the Episcopal Church. The commandments are merely guidelines, not rules. Pregnancy is an affliction, like malaria and less like marriage, and your gender is something you can change with the right health insurance.
This, of course, is going to get weird the minute the Man-Boy love people show up and say, ‘What color is our stripe on your rainbow, Pastor Robinson?’
Wonder if they celebrated the two big wins with an orgy afterward?
If they finally do any meaningful brain research someday, they are going to look back on this and shake their heads. It’ll be like phrenology.
This notion that God accepts us as we are is dangerously ridiculous. He discriminates. He’s gone all 99.9 yards of the football field for us, but it is each person that decides whether to accept Christ or not. After that, we may be saved, but we have responsibilities.
We are here to struggle, until we are called home. You do this with as much dignity and grace as you can muster.
First was the Metropolitan Community Church (MCC) in the 1970’s, closely followed by the United Church of Christ (UCC);
the Episcopalians are the first church body with fancy vestments and incense to go this way.
Yep... I think God gave them up because they are doing the hideous things He clearly warns them not to do and then to celebrate it in a liturgical blasphemous fashion. Nope, no repentance here. When they read Romans 1, it has no meaning for them as the Holy Spirit is no longer among them. I think there is a line in the sand and this is it.
People who have Gender Dysphoria (the present accepted term for this disorder) are profoundly unhappy about the sex they were born with. If they get "reassignment surgery" ---a sexually maiming operation -- and are dosed up into permanent hormonal abnormality, they STILL have Gender Dysphoria: they still are profoundly unhappy about the sex they were born with.
In other words, the so-called "treatment" doesn't cure the disorder: it makes it permanent. They've irrevocably ruined their healthy bodies to match their sick minds, rather than healing their sick minds to match their healthy bodies.
Medical mutilation and psychiatric fraud: that's what they're calling progress. Enabling it with religious and social i ndulgence: that's what they're calling justice.
People who have Gender Dysphoria (the present accepted term for this disorder) are profoundly unhappy about the sex they were born with. If they get "reassignment surgery" ---a sexually maiming operation -- and are dosed up into permanent hormonal abnormality, they STILL have Gender Dysphoria: they still are profoundly unhappy about the sex they were born with.
In other words, the so-called "treatment" doesn't cure the disorder: it makes it permanent. They've irrevocably ruined their healthy bodies to match their sick minds, rather than healing their sick minds to match their healthy bodies.
Medical mutilation and psychiatric fraud: that's what they're calling progress. Enabling it with religious and social i ndulgence: that's what they're calling justice.
If the Episcopal Church is putting its actions where its mouth is, I hope it’s using a dental dam.
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