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2001-141

News Briefs

Canadian bishop won't approve blessings, despite vote of synod

     (ENS) Delegates to the synod meeting of the Diocese of New Westminster in 
Vancouver voted again for a motion to allow the blessing of same-gender 
relationships. And again the bishop refused to give his consent.

     By a 226 to 174 vote, the delegates from 80 parishes in the diocese asked 
Bishop Michael Ingham to authorize clergy to bless long-term, covenanted 
homosexual relationships. "It is clear now that we have a growing acceptance of 
our gay and lesbian members," the bishop said after the vote was announced. Yet 
the vote fell short of the 60 percent margin he was looking for before he would 
give consent. "Historic changes are never made quickly," he said after hours of 
intense debate.

     "I realize this is a very difficult decision for gay and lesbian people, and 
I make this decision with some reluctance but with a sense of responsibility both 
for the unity of this diocese and for collegiality with the wider church to which 
we belong," he said.

     Ingham argued that the synod needs "a little bit more time before the kind 
of consensus emerges that we will need in order to move forward with a sense of 
unity." The synod narrowly approved a similar resolution three years ago and 
launched a lengthly "dialogue process" over the issue. The parishes were paired 
and took a look at the biblical issues, the interpretation of theologians, and 
what a rite of blessing might look like. 

     The bishop also asked church lawyers if he had the authority to authorize 
blessings. The legal and canonical commission ruled in April that he did, 
clearing the way for the vote by the synod meeting.

     

Finances improve at National Council of Churches

     (ENS) The executive board of the National Council of Churches (NCC) heard 
some good news at its May 30 meeting--the somewhat precarious financial situation 
has improved and next year's budget could end with a surplus. In the current 
fiscal year, ending June 30, a deficit of about $730,000 will be absorbed by 
reserve funds but the future looks brighter.

     "We've come a long way," said General Secretary Bob Edgar. "We haven't 
gotten there yet, but we've come a long way." Edgar has trimmed staff and 
spending to end years of deficit spending that depleted reserve funds and 
precipitated a special appeal to the council's 36 member churches to provide 
financial stability. He expects a surplus of about $10,000 next year.

     The council is also exploring new relationships with evangelicals and Roman 
Catholics, as well as possible partnerships with groups such as the Salvation 
Army and Habitat for Humanity. The NCC launched a Poverty Mobilization last 
November, seeking to make a difference in areas such as housing, child poverty, 
health care, environment and public policy.

     "We're looking forward with a great deal of anticipation that the Holy 
Spirit has something exciting in store for the ecumenical movement," said Stated 
Clerk Clifton Kirkpatrick of the Presbyterian Church (USA), a member of the NCC's 
vision committee. He told the board that formal conversations with Roman 
Catholics could be launched later this year.

     

Presbyterians will review covenant with Boy Scouts association

     (PCUSA) The Presbyterian Church (USA) will review its covenant with the 
National Association of Presbyterian Scouters (NAPS) in the wake of the Supreme 
Court decision upholding the right of the Boy Scouts of America to block gays 
from serving as troop leaders.

     In 1990 the General Assembly of the PCUSA adopted a "Vision for Presbyterian 
Youth Ministry" that included among its goals a vow to "be inclusive of all 
people," raising the possibility of a conflict.

     "We would never tell a young person that they couldn't walk into a church or 
the youth room because they are gay or lesbian," said Gina Yeager, coordinator of 
the church's youth ministry program and liaison to NAPS. "We could never 
discriminate." Her office denied a grant from the association to prepare a 
resource for a national gathering, although church officials said that the 
decision doesn't imply a change in the relationship.

     Yeager also denied reports that the church was beginning to dissociate from 
the Boy Scouts, saying that such a move has never even been discussed by her 
office. "As long as they're a covenant group, we're fully backing them," she 
said. 

     

Indian Christians say Sikh book threatens centuries of harmony between faiths

     (ENI) Negative references to the life of Christ and his family in a book by 
a Sikh author have drawn protests from the tiny Christian community in the state 
of Punjab in northern India.

     The book on the life of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, is regarded by 
Christians as "an attempt not only to hurt the sentiments of the Christian 
community but also to disturb the centuries-old harmonious co-existence of the 
Sikhs and Christians," said Vidya Sagar, a Church of North India pastor.

     Christians are charging that the book depicts Jesus as an illegitimate child 
thrown into an open stable by his mother who wanted the child to die of exposure 
to hide her shame. The book also describes the crucifixion of Christ as a 
punishment for his "immoral" relations with Mary Magdalene.

     Bishop Pradeep Kumar Samantaroy said the author "sees Christians as satanic 
people without morals who drink and dance nude in clubs and convert masses 
through allurement." He said that the book is sending "shock waves throughout the 
whole Christian community." He wants the book to be banned and existing copies 
destroyed. Christian leaders are also asking the chief priest of the Sikhs "to 
take appropriate action against such religious fanatics."

     

People

     Nashotah House has elected the Rev. Robert S. Munday as the 18th dean and 
president of the seminary, the oldest institution, of higher learning, in 
Wisconsin. Munday is professor of systematic theology and dean of library and 
information services at Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry in Ambridge, 
Pennsylvania. A former Southern Baptist minister and seminary professor, Munday 
said that he was drawn to the liturgy and sacramental ministry of the Episcopal 
Church where he was ordained in 1989.

          The Episcopal Church Foundation has announced the appointment of the Rev. 
Ann Hallisey as the new director of Cornerstone, a project that seeks to 
strengthen the personal and professional lives of those called to lead Episcopal 
congregations. With the appointment, the offices of Cornerstone will move to the 
campus of the Church Divinity School of the Pacific in Berkeley, California. 
Hallisey is the former rector of the Church of the Ascension in Vallejo, 
California, and brings to the position 20 years of ordained and lay parish 
leadership experience.
     
     Prof. Matthew Price has been appointed as director of analytic research for 
the Church Pension Fund (CPF), a newly created position. He is former associate 
director of Duke University's Pulpit and Pew Project, funded by the Lilly Foundation. 
In his new role, Price will draw on the extensive data already collected by the CPF 
staff, conduct studies on specific issues, and collaborate with others in the church.