Members of the IALC present at the meeting told The Church of England Newspaper the US delegation led by Prof. Ruth Meyers of the Church Divinity School of the Pacific and Bishop Thomas Ely of Vermont offered a theological rationale for same-sex blessings and offered a sample of one rite, with two female members of the US delegation serving as the spouses. After the ceremony the American team solicited comments from the gathered IALC, but asked for the return of the service leaflet as the rite remained a work in process and was not ready for publication.

While some members of the IALC, including its new chairman, Canadian-member the Rev. Dr. Eileen Scully, were generally supportive of the US view, the majority were not. One participant told CEN the objections fell in two general groups: those who believed the concept of same-sex blessings was un-Biblical, and those who were perturbed by the “aggressive” push by the US team to seize control of a study process on rites for traditional marriage to include their own agenda.

The Bishop of Bolivia, the Rt. Rev. Frank Lyons explained the “theme of blessings for same sex partners was not in the purview of the IALC which is preparing a forthcoming study based upon marriage between a man and a woman.”

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Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • Anglican Provinces • Church of England (CoE) • Episcopal Church (TEC) • Sexuality Debate (in Anglican Communion) • Same-sex blessings • * Christian Life / Church Life • Liturgy, Music, Worship • * Culture-Watch • Sexuality • --Civil Unions & Partnerships • * Theology • Anthropology • Sacramental Theology

1. Archer_of_the_Forest wrote: The mental image of this exchange, complete with a mock blessing, to a crowd of IALC people is truly hysterical. August 30, 9:19 pm | [comment link]

2. robroy wrote: Did they really think this would go well? Arrogance and stupidity. August 30, 11:56 pm | [comment link]

3. AnglicanFirst wrote: “...and those who were perturbed by the “aggressive” push by the US team to seize control of a study process on rites for traditional marriage to include their own agenda.” The above quote states the overall situation “in a nutshell.” The GLBT movement within ECUSA is not solely about GLBT issues.  It is about an agressive secular effort to “de-construct” the Anglican faith in the USA and within the Anglican Communion.  This effort to “de-construct” is intended to remove the Anglican faith system as an impediment to the radical transformation of society in accordance with an aggressive political movement. August 31, 7:14 am | [comment link]

4. Sarah wrote: I agree with Archer’s comment. This reminds me of the naive thought back at Lambeth that if all the bishops just saw and conversed with the great TECusa revisionist bishops, that progress could be made. The result of Lambeth was 1) more knowledge about, 2) more clarity about, and 3) more distance from the revisionist bishops in TEC. “To know is [not] to love us.” So now they’ve succeeded in “educating” further AC leaders by indulging in a faux “marriage” ritual in front of them, resulting in a nasty taste in the mouth of those observers who believe the Gospel. August 31, 10:54 am | [comment link]

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