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"But from the beginning of creation, God 'made them male and female.' 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'; so then they are no longer two, but one flesh."
Mark 10:7-8 NKJV
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Message from Bishop Anderson
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SCOTUS: In Contempt of GodDear Friends of the Anglican realignment, Fifteen or more years ago, I was still busy in pastoral ministry as the rector of a large Episcopal church in California and taking some continuing post graduate level coursework as well. As a part of one course, a few of us arranged an interview with the pastor of the Methodist church that then-President and Mrs. Clinton were attending. The Clintons and that particular Methodist church and pastor were all on the other side of the aisle from me on many social issues, so I was very interested in how this interview would go. The conversation eventually moved to immigration and a Christian response to it, and I had an opportunity to ask a question. Given that I was living on the Pacific Rim where a great many Asian and Middle Eastern immigrants were settling and bringing their cultural values with them, particularly with regard to women, I asked how a Christian should respond to this. Should their values be given a place in society and law just as our values have been? For a liberal, his response surprised me. He said that all people were created equal in the eyes of God, but all values were not equal. Some of their values were not equal to ours! Although I agreed with him, I could see a potential crack in his progressive world view. All values are not created equal, and in fact some are dehumanizing and abhorrent. Yet even though there is well-founded revulsion toward some imported cultural values, the spiritual and Judeo-Christian underpinnings of our law and culture are rapidly falling away, leaving law and culture open to dramatic change. One such area is marriage, what it is and who may enter into it. Although the Bible recounts the history of prophets, kings, and nations, and although we are given the narrative of their deeds and often their words, everything mentioned in the Bible is not intended to be a positive example for us. Consider the story of King David's murder of Uriah the Hittite because David had already committed adultery with Bathsheba, Uriah's wife, and she was carrying King David's child. In King David's mind, Uriah being dead simplified everything. This is not intended as a model, and scripture does not say "go and do likewise." Instead, it tells of the prophet Nathan recounting to the king a very sad story, and when the king was properly outraged, announcing to the king, "You are the man!"... Read the rest of Bishop Anderson's article here.
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Message from Canon Ashey
|  How should Christians respond to the decisions of the US Supreme Court-and to an increasingly hostile and marginalizing culture?
Dear Friends in Christ,
I won't repeat the excellent analyses done by others. I will simply say that the decision in US v Windsor striking down certain sections of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is a significant step by the Court in redefining marriage. As Christians, we know that the institution of marriage was ordained by God between one man and one woman for life, and is part of God's order of creation (See Genesis 2:24). God's institution of marriage existed prior to the institution of any governmental authority. Therefore the state cannot redefine what God has ordained. As Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council observed, "What God imprinted on the human heart, no judge or court can change. The Court can declare same-sex "marriage" a legal right in the eyes of government, but judges cannot make it morally right in the hearts of the people."
The problem is that this opinion represents a worldview among the ruling elites in our democracy that is increasingly hostile to Judeo-Christian faith and morality. Consider the language used by Justice Anthony Kennedy (writing for the majority in Windsor) to describe the intent of DOMA and those who defend the traditional definition of marriage:
"[DOMA is] a law designed to injure the same class the State [of New York] seeks to protect" (570 US 19)..." "[its intent is]..a bare...desire to harm a politically unpopular group.." (ibid. p. 20) "[its legislative history reveals]..strong evidence of a law having the purpose and effect of disapproval of that class. The avowed purpose and practical effect of the law here in question [DOMA] are to impose a disadvantage, a separate status, and so a stigma upon all who enter into same sex marriages," (ibid. p. 21) and "interference with the equal dignity of same sex marriages." (ibid.)
How do the five justices of the US Supreme Court characterize those who defend the traditional and biblical definition of marriage between a man and a woman for life? How does this ruling elite describe those who defend what God has ordained? They describe them - Christians - as people who interfere, injure, harm, and stigmatize others.
The hostility of the majority in stigmatizing Christians and others who uphold traditional values was not lost on Justice Antonin Scalia, who fired back in his dissent: "It is one thing for a society to elect change; it is another for a court of law to impose change by adjudging those who oppose it [as] enemies of the human race."...
The rest of the article may be found here.
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Anglican Perspective: Let your light shine
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How should Christians respond to this week's US Supreme Court rulings affecting marriage? Canon Ashey of the American Anglican Council suggests, for starters, that Christians let the light of their own marriages shine. View this week's Anglican Perspective here. Back to top
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The Defiance of Marriage Act
| Source: Family Research Council 
June 26, 2013
Days from now, our country will be celebrating an America that its founders would barely recognize. Freedom, Alexis de Tocqueville once said, requires virtue. Today, the U.S. Supreme Court made it clear that the pillars of both are under attack. By a single vote, five unelected justices determined that they know better than God and struck at the heart of marriage in America.
It was a powerful rebuke of a law FRC [Family Research Council] helped develop, the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) -- but not the final blow. To the disappointment of many, this was not the sweeping nationwide redefinition of marriage that homosexual activists were hoping for. Instead, the Court's majority decided that the federal law is unconstitutional in states where same-sex "marriage" is legal. There, couples will have full access to the 1,100 federal benefits, rights, and protections that naturally married spouses enjoy. While it wasn't a complete dismantling of marriage, the Court's ruling paves the way for a wave of attacks on state constitutional amendments all across America, where same-sex couples will fight for the same "rights" the justices are granting elsewhere....
The rest of the article may be found here.
Editor's Note: The dissents of Justices Scalia and Alioto in the DOMA case are worth your time to read. They start on Page 35 of the Supreme Court's ruling.
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Statement on Supreme Court Rulings from Archbishop Robert Duncan, ACNA
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Archbishop Duncan
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An extremely divided court reflects an extremely divided nation. Equal rights under the law is a bedrock commitment of the United States of America and can often be accomplished by creative legislation. Nevertheless, the definition of marriage long pre-dates the United States and is a given of the created order. The motto of the United States is "One Nation under God." The Christian Church has followed a Lord who meets people where they are, and who loves them regardless of their challenges. The Church has countered the culture throughout most of its history. We find ourselves, both sadly and increasingly, in this position in a nation once seen as a "light upon a hill," and a "hope of all the earth."
Archbishop Robert Duncan
Anglican Church in North America
26th June, A.D. 2013
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Chief Rabbi: atheism has failed. Only religion can defeat the new barbarians
| Source: Spectator (H/T Sarah Hey, Stand Firm)
June 15, 2013
By Jonathan Sacks
...The history of Europe since the 18th century has been the story of successive attempts to find alternatives to God as an object of worship, among them the nation state, race and the Communist Manifesto. After this cost humanity two world wars, a Cold War and a hundred million lives, we have turned to more pacific forms of idolatry, among them the market, the liberal democratic state and the consumer society, all of which are ways of saying that there is no morality beyond personal choice so long as you do no harm to others.
Even so, the costs are beginning to mount up. Levels of trust have plummeted throughout the West as one group after another - bankers, CEOs, media personalities, parliamentarians, the press - has been hit by scandal. Marriage has all but collapsed as an institution, with 40 per cent of children born outside it and 50 per cent of marriages ending in divorce. Rates of depressive illness and stress-related syndromes have rocketed especially among the young. A recent survey showed that the average 18- to 35-year-old has 237 Facebook friends. When asked how many they could rely on in a crisis, the average answer was two. A quarter said one. An eighth said none.
None of this should surprise us. This is what a society built on materialism, individualism and moral relativism looks like....
The rest of the article may be found here.
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Court says Hobby Lobby can challenge health care law
| Source: OneNewsNow (AP) 
June 27, 2013
Denver - In a health care decision giving hope to opponents of the federal birth-control coverage mandate, a federal appeals court ruled Thursday that Hobby Lobby stores won't have to start paying millions of dollars in fines next week for not complying with the requirement.
The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver decided the Oklahoma City-based arts and crafts chain can proceed with its case and won't be subject to fines in the meantime. ( See earlier story)
The reprieve gives Hobby Lobby Stores Inc. more time to argue in a lower court that for-profit businesses - not just currently exempted religious groups - should be allowed to seek an exception if the law violates their religious beliefs. The company had sued to overturn the mandate on grounds that it violates the faith of founder and CEO David Green and his family.
The appeals court remanded the case for more argument, but the judges indicated Hobby Lobby had a reasonable chance of success....
The rest of the article may be found here.
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Texas won't bow to 'mob tactics': Gov. Perry calls special session to pass sweeping pro-life bill
| Source: LifeSiteNews 
June 27, 2013
By Patrick B. Craine
Austin, Texas - A day after pro-abortion protesters barred Texas lawmakers from passing a bill that threatens to shut down most of the state's abortion facilities, Gov. Rick Perry has declared the state will not bow to "mob tactics."
The strongly pro-life governor announced Wednesday that he was calling a special session to allow passage of the pro-life measure, which would impose tighter safety regulations on abortion facilities and ban all abortions after 20 weeks, without exceptions. The special session will begin July 1st at 2:00 p.m....
The bill, called SB 5, had secured the necessary votes on Tuesday but the voting missed the session's midnight deadline by mere minutes. Pro-abortion protesters, egged on by Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards, drowned out the activity on the legislature floor. State troopers were called in and at least one protester was arrested....
In his address today at the NRLC convention, the governor lamented the 80,000 abortions committed annually in Texas, and declared that "the ideal world is a world without abortion."
"The events of the last few days only underscore that we face continued challenges," he added. "Over the past few days, the world has seen images of the Texas capitol filled with pro-abortion activists screaming and cheering and drowning out the elected officials," he continued. "Going forward, we have to match their intensity, but do it with grace and civility and the dignity that our cause deserves."...
The rest of the article may be found here.
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England: Update on marriage bill in House of Lords
| Source: Anglican Mainstream 
June 27, 2013
By Colin Hart, Coalition for Marriage
Dear marriage supporter,
I thought you would appreciate an update on what has been happening with the same-sex marriage Bill in the House of Lords. There has been lots going on.
The Bill has now completed its Committee Stage. As is usual, there have been no votes during Committee Stage. The Bill now moves to Report Stage, scheduled to take place on 8 and 10 July, when we expect there will be votes on key amendments.
During Committee Stage, many Peers have been pressing for a long list of protections for people who believe in traditional marriage, including:
- Protecting people at work from being disciplined just because they voice support for traditional marriage.
- Stopping local authorities using the Public Sector Equality Duty to ban a church from hiring public facilities just because the church disagrees with same-sex marriage.
- Protecting foster carers from being blacklisted by social workers just because they believe marriage is the union of a man and woman.
- Giving couples the option of marrying according to the real definition of marriage, rather than being forced to marry according to the new genderless definition.
- Protecting the right of teachers to express support for traditional marriage without risking their careers.
- Making clear that freedom of speech about marriage should not be restricted by equality laws.
There have been some passionate and excellent speeches from Peers who support these protections, including from a number of the country's top legal experts. A former Lord Chancellor and two former senior judges lent their voices to the call for civil liberty safeguards.
The Government has promised to change the criminal law so that criticism of same-sex marriage won't be, of itself, a hate-crime. We welcome that reassurance, but our primary concern lies with civil, not criminal, law....
The rest of the article may be found here.
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Egypt: A Letter from The Most Rev. Dr. Mouneer Hanna Anis
| Source: Diocese of South Carolina
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President Bishop Anis
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June 27, 2013
Egypt is on the edge of...?
My dear brothers and sisters,
Greetings in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ!
The situation in Egypt is very serious. I do not know where this situation will take us. I feel that Egypt is at the verge of violent demonstrations, another revolution, or civil war. We do not know what is going to happen, but we know that we are at the edge of something drastic.
One year ago Dr. Mohammed Mursi became the President of Egypt, following 11 months of turbulence in the socio-economic and political situation in Egypt. Many had hoped that Egypt would move forward for the better however things became worse and are now very difficult. Egyptians became divided between Islamists and non-Islamists. A constitution that was written and approved in haste was one of the main reasons for these divisions. Other reasons were the exclusion of moderates and non-Islamists from participation in the political life, and the appointment of Islamists as ministers in the Cabinet and other prominent posts.
These divisions led to instability, a lack of security, and many demonstrations which in turn badly affected the economy and tourism....
One week ago the Islamists made big demonstrations in support of the President. They warned the supporters of "tamarrod" against demonstrating on the 30th of June. "Anyone who will sprinkle water at the President will be sprinkled with blood," said one of the supporters of the President. This means that there will be bloodshed if people try to force the President to step down....
What is going to happen on the 30th of June? We do not know! All what we know is that when emotions run high, anything can happen. However, we trust that God is in control and we are in His hands. Two days ago during his visit to Egypt, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, encouraged us by using St. Paul's words, while in the middle of a storm, "But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost" (Acts 27:22a).
I am writing this to request your prayers for Egypt and for the people of Egypt.
The Most Rev. Dr. Mouneer Hanna Anis
Bishop of the Episcopal / Anglican Diocese of Egypt with North Africa and the Horn of Africa
President Bishop of the Episcopal / Anglican Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East
Read the entire letter here.
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