Gays - the cause of demise & split of the Anglican Church

Bishop Robinson said Friday that the church will eventually embrace homosexuals, but perhaps not in his lifetime. I believe that the acceptance of gay and lesbian people into the life of the church is something that is going to happen," Robinson said in an interview with British Broadcasting Corp. radio. "It may not happen in my lifetime, but that is all right. It will happen in God's own time. "The issue has to be faced because gay and lesbian people have to be faced."

In response, on 11 Nov 2005, at a gathering at Pittsburgh orgnalized by the Anglican Communion Network, a conservative group of seven Anglican archbishops urged their conservative Anglican american counterparts to split from the rest of the US Episcopal Church. Achribishop of SEA, Datuk Yong Ping Chung promised support "as long as [they] remained faithful, biblical, evangelical, and orthodox". Remaining would be difficult they claimed as the American church is teaching a "new gospel" that runs counter to historic Christianity. Bishop Robinson's assessment that gay people will one day be accepted but perhaps not in his lifetime reflects the wide gap of differences.

One day in heaven, when Archbishops Datuk Yong and Peter Akinola stood before the judgement seat of God, the very same question that Jesus asked Saul will reveberate through heaven. (Acts 9:4 NKJV) "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?". The Jewish zealots much like our modern day fundamentalist Anglicans claim domain on true scriptural interpretations, yet when Jesus came, they missed the Messiah prophesied in their Jewish scriptures. The killed the very Messiah that came to "save" them. As revival broke out after the move of the Holy Spirit, the zealots again did their utmost to stop the move of God justifying their actions as biblical not realizing their error in understanding the heart of God and the message of the Gospel

There will be a great revival moving across the world, it may be the last before Jesus returns - a revival amongst gays and jews, the outcasts of society. Hitler tried to destroy these people groups in the name of God and racial purity, religious authorities today called them "less than dogs". But Jesus is returning for His people, and truly He was with the outcasts of society when He was on earth, not the expensive and rich palaces of Rome and London, but there is a place so humble at the horse stable that a baby boy Jesus was born at the fringe of society for which He is now coming back in glory for the fringes of society which have not accepted Him because of the prejudice and discrimination of the majority spearheaded by His very own Church.

Are you for God or against God? As the Chrsitian Right groups and the conservative Anglican Churches in Africa and Asia makes it their primary mandate to come against Gays, could we perhaps be persecuting Jesus. In Acts 9:5, Saul asked, "Who are You, Lord?" Then the Lord said, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.". Since the 80s, the move of Gays rights have come like a continuous wave. "Christians" have tried to stop this wave but as much as we tried we could not move this "rock". Perhaps, could we be coming against God? against Jesus? The High Priest in Jerusalem used desperate measures to come against the Christian Sect. They finally sent Saul who through very harsh means was able to dislogdge the sect from Jerusalem. Saul was now on his way to Damascus, Syria to capture the regengade sect. Likewise, we have modern day Sauls who have tried to use every means to anihilate the Gay movement. We used smear and half truths. When Gays seek the right to marry, we exert that Gays are destroying the traditional marriage which is an absurd argument since divorce is the real cause and gays are actually embracing and supporting marriage. When Gays seek to become Christians, we lock the Church doors and demand that they be "straight" as not to make the church unclean by their Gay lifestlyes. We have put Law at the entry of the Church instead of grace not realising that we are crucifying Jesus for at the cross, the veil of the temple was torn. The demands of the law was broken. Jesus never condemned being Gay but the Church do and made themselves the righteous pharisees that Jesus so condemned. Highlighting Gays as the primary stain of sin shows our hyprocricy and an absurd lack of true gospel focus.

Will acceptance of Gays happen in the Christian Church? Yes, it will happen. Gay and lesbian people have to be faced as highlighted by Bishop G. Robinson. But more fundamentally, it is a move of God that cannot be stopped. The Christian Right and the Anglican Church can do much harm and aligned themselves with other religions and community opinion to stop this, but at the end though there may be victories, it will be in the long run a futile battle. When victory seems assured, when the Christian Right and the Anglican Churches in Afica and Asia seem to have won their way and Gay rights are no more or severely limited in such countries such as Africa and Asia, that is when the light of God will come blinding the church and stopping the hand of the "Christian" church against Gays or raising up a nerw movement to oppose and even to replace it. Saul became Paul, so too would the Church be radically changed because Jesus is seeking a pure and Holy Church to return to. At the end because the Anglican Church and the Christian Right refused to see the truth of the bible, they will be totally blinded. Ironically and in a most humbling experience, it will be the Gays who will opened their eyes to the heart of God, to His heart of Grace and Mercy.

The meeting between the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Bishop Gene Robinson marks the spiritual turning point for the Anglican church. As he addressed the "Changing Attitudes" conference at St Martin, Trafalgar Square, it is in essence a spiritual "VE" day for gays just as Britain celebrate Victory Europe day in 1945 upon victory in World War II. The Light of revelation is coming causing change and revival as never before. At the end, the Christian Church and body will be a place, a wonderful place where one can find grace and mercy, where one can find Jesus and not be condemned for being Gay.

I know a place

I know a place, a wonderful place
Where accused and condemned
Find mercy and grace
Where the wrongs we have done
And the wrongs done to us
Were nailed there with Him
There on the cross

At the cross (at the cross)
He died for our sin
At the cross (at the cross)
He gave us life again
I know a place, a wonderful place
Where accused and condemned
Find mercy and grace
Where the wrongs we have done
And the wrongs done to us
Were nailed there with You
There on the cross

At the cross (at the cross)
You died for our sin
At the cross (at the cross)
You gave us life again