While the Chicago Consultation claims it won over a few African Anglican hearts and minds by hosting this conference, their February 24 email to supporters suggests that their more immediate goal was to win over the "movable middle" in TEC and convince them there will be no serious repercussions for approving same sex blessings at General Convention in July. The letter promises a report and video of the conference will be released soon and states: "Opponents of the full inclusion of LGBT people in the life of the church frequently argue that doing justice within our church will ruin our relationships with others in the Anglican Communion. This honest, joyful gathering demonstrated that this is not the case." However, others see meetings like this as little more than disingenuous political moves.

"Any time a member of a conservative province participates in Continuing Indaba or meetings such as the one held in Durban, it's used by the revisionists as a sign of agreement with TEC and the Anglican Church of Canada's moves toward ordaining lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals to all three clergy offices and approving same-sex blessings and marriage. It is not just a conversation across differences" said the Rev. Canon J. Philip Ashey, AAC chief operating officer. "Make no mistake about it, the Chicago Consultation and TEC leadership believe it is their "Manifest Destiny" to spread their false gospel to the rest of the Anglican Communion. By hosting this conference they hope to gain a foothold in the conservative African provinces, and they are using their new African "friends" to try to prove to the rest of TEC that there will be no cost to approving same-sex blessings," Ashey added.

Read it all.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • Episcopal Church (TEC) • Global South Churches & Primates • Sexuality Debate (in Anglican Communion) • Same-sex blessings • * International News & Commentary • America/U.S.A. • * Theology • Anthropology • Ethics / Moral Theology • Theology: Scripture

1. Terry Tee wrote: Hyperlink does not work for me.  No extra material opens up. March 27, 7:25 pm | [comment link]

2. Richard A. Menees wrote: Same here.  Elves, please give us a hand. [Apologies Terry and Richard - link now fixed - Elf] March 27, 7:48 pm | [comment link]

3. Saltmarsh Gal wrote: Do they not understand that they actually endanger and/or cost people’s lives by promoting this agenda?  By this I mean, not only church folks who then appear hopeless corrupt deserving of death to radical Islam, but also those gays and lesbians in hiding in those countries who may be persuaded that they should go public.  There “coming out” means jail or death.  Are the “Chicago Consultaiton” folks just so driven by their agenda that they literally cannot see what destruction they cause? March 28, 10:00 am | [comment link]

4. Cennydd13 wrote: I think we can all see where this is going, and the results are predictable.  As you say, they can’t see the destruction they cause.  The sad thing is that they are so bound up in their agenda that they ignore everything that the medical profession tells them, and they suffer for it. March 28, 1:48 pm | [comment link]

5. dwstroudmd+ wrote: This is their Gozpell. March 29, 12:26 am | [comment link]

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