Gosh, I am not so sure I'd like to be in the same category with this bigot either.

I'm sorry folks, but this ain't the same religion I practice. If it ain't the same religion, there's no communion. Period. His cathedral is as much my church as an Assembly of God church down the street, which, my dears, ain't much a'tall.

Apparently it's time for us to "border cross" and witness for the dignity of every person, if anyone is brave enough to put their life at risk. Martyrdom likely awaits for those who dare.

"The step taken by Canterbury in this regard therefore is ill-advised and does not make any contribution towards the healing of the ailment in the Anglican extended family."

I wasn't aware ABC or Kearon had put CoE in same category of punishment as The Episcopal Church.

A new voice sings the same angry, hateful song.

As an Episcopalian for 40+ years, and a woman loving woman who had the privilege of a Cathedral blessing of my relationship in 1999, two things strike me. What's the hurt behind his rage? How do we provide safety for those who are growing up in an atmosphere that condemns their very being?

"On boundary crossing, over to you, Kenneth Kearon."

Indeed.

And: On being a "branch" of TEC versus being a "branch" of the Church of Nigeria, over to you (again), Supreme Court of Virginia.

This sad rant demonstrates exactly why we should not treat and understand the bible as if it was a text sent directly, literally and inerrantly from God, to be applied to all societies and all cultures in all periods of history, with the threat of damnation for any who diverge from its absolutism.

To equate gay love with paedophilia is to compare fidelity and protection with the selfishness and ruthlessness of a predator.

In the face of frankly primitive fear and loathing - a loathing that extends beyond minorities to the whole Western church he sees as 'invading' his fundamentalism - it is extraordinarily hard for ABC to elect to come down in defence of positions like this, while threatening to diminish ties with the intelligent, the nuanced, the ethical leaders of the Episcopal Church.

This careering rant cannot be allowed to hold centre stage as a kind of 'status quo', and in many ways the responsible parties are those who have dragged their heels for so long in the Anglican Communion, continuing to ostracise gay sex, and gay partnerships, in discriminatory positions over too many decades.

A 'default' position on homosexuality has been asserted, when in fact there is no default, no consensus, even in RW's Church of England. Society in England, basically, is overtaking... has overtaken... the Church. To suggest, as it has been suggested, that the problem is a US one is to project the reality of emerging justice in the English Church onto a distant church, as if the same views are not held in every parish up and down the land in England, with opinion crying out for more tolerance and affirmation of people whose orientation is now socially respected by most people - and sanely, rightly so.

The language in this maiden press conference from Nigeria is alien and non-negotiable. And it's based on fundamentalism and the perpetuation of prejudice, fear and hatred.

I thank God deeply for the courage and the prophetic example of the Episcopal Church. It is the future for the Church of England. We cannot ever revert to this Nigerian model. It really is way past time for RW to repudiate the tone of this Nigerian prelate, and turn the focus of critique on his aggression and othering of minorities.

RW would be honest if he challenged these kinds of fundamentalist commentaries, which are so far removed from his own theology that they seem to express a reactionary idealising of an imagined past, when actually this fundamentalism is a very modern phenomenon, easily sold to the gullible, poorly educated or those who are glad of religious mandate for their own social prejudice and hatred.

The language used in this press conference is out of order, and derogatory, and at war with so many values we fight hard to promote and protect.

And that word 'protect' is probably pivotal: we have a duty of protection, and language like that used by Archbishop Okoh is not protective at all, but incites hatred and loathing of perfectly ordinary people - it really is an incitement to loathing that contributes to a climate of fear and danger for minorities.

And as such, it ought to be repudiated by ABC. Silence is an abdication, when people are being beaten, shamed, and even executed.

There is no courageous witness coming from some leaders.

That is why it is deeply ironical that the US church gets marginalised - for witnessing to solidarity, respect and inclusion.

The frustrating thing about this is that if you swap the references to Homosexuality and the references to Border crossing in this statement, it could have been written by any of us. The archbishop almost voices our frustration about what his church is doing here.

This really shows a lack of dialogue that has existed around the communion for too long, and has led to this lack of understanding of the other. Granted, I really don't understand the border crossing.

I regret to say the language of my earlier post was intemperate and too polarised. Instead of objectifying the archbishops I should have prayed for them. And although I approach biblical text with some different assumptions, I want to acknowledge the sincerity of faith with which Archbishop Okoh expressed his concerns. So I apologise.

I believe in the sanctity of homosexual love, and its physical expression, and I affirm and celebrate the love between two women or two men. At the same time, other Christians can and do hold different views, and can do so with an integrity of faith. And we are one in Christ.

May we find our love and unity in Jesus Christ, and may we pray for one another, for grace and mercy, with a contrite heart. And I pray I would find more grace and address my own weaknesses, and set a watch over my words.

@ Matthew...
Hmm... Really?
Let's try:

...We invite him and all denominational leaders to protect Christian interests and our cherished way of life, including speaking out against the invading army of border crossers under any guise. In this matter silence can be detrimental to public well being. The issue at stake of border crossing is not an Anglican prerogative and it is by no means limited to the Anglican circle as it is clearly shown all over the world. Border crossing should be roundly condemned by all who accept the authority of Scripture over human life...
OR
The Church in the Global South had vowed to use their money to spread the border-crossing lifestyle in American societies and Churches; after all America is poor. They are pursuing this agenda vigorously and what is more, they now have the support of the ACC. We therefore call on parents to ensure that their children obtain their first degree in America before travelling abroad. Parents and guardians should closely watch and monitor the relationship which their children or wards keep so that border-crossing behavior could be timely corrected. The sin of border crossing, it must be reemphasised, destroyed the communities of Sodom and Gomorrah...

I think that they have one thing right, their "sin" of border crossing is no more than a jurisdictional spat. The sin of persecution of LGBT people is way out of that league in the category of gravely sinful. I just don't accept the "parity" of this. I don't see this statement coming out of TEC. HEY, watch your kids for deviant border crossing behaviors and attack them quickly for it to root out this heinous evil!

@Susannah. Don't be so hard on yourself. Righteous anger can serve a useful purpose when injustice masquerades as virtue. Even Jesus got angry now and again.

Susannah, my high school history teacher, a distant relative of Trotsky it turns out, used to say, “Hitler was sincere.” Sincere people are often wrong.

What the archbishop is reported to have said is simply appalling. Not only do I not want to be in the same communion as he, but I don’t even want to be on the same planet. The Anglican Communion is broken, and no covenant is going to fix it. Unity at the cost of moral capitulation is an abomination.

Just to be clear -- this isn't what he is reported to have said, this is what he did say. It's a press release.