The Diocese of Toronto’s St. John’s holds a monthly Queer Eucharist where those still smarting from “the church’s historic condemnation of homosexuality” can reassure themselves that what St. Paul and 2000 years of church history said about homosexual acts was wrong all along.
Rev. Samantha Caravan points out that a lot of “people have left the church” over this. Now, because of the Queer Eucharist, it seems they have returned; all 12 of them.
From here:
On a January evening in Toronto, a dozen or so congregants filter in from the cold into the surprising mauve, green and yellow interior of a stately old church in a leafy west-end neighbourhood.
They stand to sing Marty Haugen’s “Here in this Place New Light is Streaming,” and listen as the Rev. Samantha Caravan, clad in rainbow vestments, asks for inspiration “to speak a new word, to shout another praise.” Caravan reads a passage from St. Peter’s letter, in which he addresses the persecuted early church: “Once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”
A sermon is preached on the need for a faith of inclusion, after which the congregation affirms that it will not “patronize, exclude or ignore the gifts of any person.”
The group stands in a circle around the altar and takes the bread and wine. Together, they offer themselves to be leaders of liberation and proclaimers of divine love. To the much-beloved Thaxted tune, they sing, “Let streams of living justice flow down upon the earth,” before gathering for refreshments and chat.
It’s queer Eucharist night at St. John’s West Toronto.
It was last fall, says incumbent priest the Rev. Samantha Caravan, when she first suggested having a special Eucharist for LGBTQ people at St. John’s. The church’s historic condemnation of homosexuality, Caravan says, has caused a lot of hurt to non-heterosexuals; a lot of these people have left the church as a result. The idea behind the queer Eucharist, she says, was to welcome them back and to offer them “a safe place to explore what the church and faith might mean to them.”
Just further proof that the ACoC is NOT Christian but will worship anything that society seems ready to endorse. Being involved in a same sex relationship is definitely sinful and there is no way such activity can be blessed. It is no different that any other sinful act and the church or society should NOT be endorsing same. Being called to repentance might well “hurt” but it is necessary for our redemption. Any so-called clergy person that is ready to endorse sin should immediately remove his collar and find another job.
Yes, a lot of people have left the church over this. And the further down this broad road of “inclusivity” the Reverend Samantha’s church travels (as if there is much further to go), the more people will leave.
More Biblical proof that ‘These Are The Days of Elijah’ and his latter days ‘Josiah’
( + Zechariah chs. 12-14) -our soon Returning LORD Jesus Christ:
“And The King commanded…to bring forth out of The Temple of The LORD all the vessels that were made for Baal…and he burned them without Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron, and carried the ashes of them unto Beth-el.
And he put down the idolatrous Priests…”
+ II Kings chs. 22 + 23 (22:10 ‘read’/kara (with an aleph); v. 11 ‘rent’/ kara (with an ayin)
[sarcasm]Nice to know the exercise wasn’t a complete waste of time…[/sarcasm]
I was gratified to hear Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill strongly reaffirm the traditional, Biblical position on this matter in Cuba last week.