Free Republic

The Episcopal Church's gay and lesbian lobby is vowing to fight any retreat from the denomination's recent embrace of homosexuality. A report by a 14-member commission late last week urged dioceses to proceed with caution when choosing bishops whose "manner of life presents a challenge" to the wider church. The commission was referring to the election of priests as bishops who are known to be homosexual. The commission was formed to propose recommendations to the Episcopal Church, which is the U.S. branch of the worldwide Anglican Communion, about efforts of a majority of the Communion to expel the Episcopal Church...

And on the homosexuality issue, at least one church is calling the ball on the underlying issue of Scriptural interpretation. Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson, leader of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, called for a global, ecumenical council on the Christian interpretation of Scripture. In his report Aug. 9 at the 2005 Churchwide Assembly of the ELCA Hanson called for the Pope, the Ecumenical Patriarch in Istanbul, and the Anglican and Lutheran Communions to come together to address a church identity crisis due to the dominance of a "fundamentalist-millenialist-apocalypticist reading of Scripture." Blaming one interpretation or another for the Church...

Pastor denies membership to homosexual, placed on leave July 26, 2005 A UMNS Report By Linda Green* A United Methodist pastor in Virginia has been placed on “involuntary leave of absence” for refusing to allow a homosexual to become a member of his congregation. The Rev. Edward Johnson was placed on a yearlong involuntary leave of absence, effective July 1, by action of the clergy of the denomination’s Virginia Annual (regional) Conference on June 13. He will receive medical benefits but no salary. The clergyman, pastor of South Hill (Va.) United Methodist Church for six years, could be reinstated as...