Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu has strongly criticized the Anglican Communion for its stance on homosexuals.
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(Photo: AP Images / Nati Harnik, File)Archbishop Desmond Tutu, speaks to reporters before delivering the keynote speech at a luncheon held by charity organization Girls Inc., in Omaha, Neb., Monday, Oct. 22, 2007 .
In an interview with BBC Radio 4, the 76-year-old archbishop accused the worldwide church body of being “obsessed” with the issue of gay priests, while ignoring pressing global needs such as poverty and HIV.
"Our world is facing problems – poverty, HIV and AIDS – a devastating pandemic, and conflict," said Tutu.
"God must be weeping looking at some of the atrocities that we commit against one another,” he added.
"In the face of all of that, our Church, especially the Anglican Church, at this time is almost obsessed with questions of human sexuality."
Tutu went on to criticize the spiritual leader of the 70-million member Anglican Communion, Archbishop of Canterbury Dr. Rowan Williams, for overlooking God’s “welcoming” nature.
"Why doesn't he demonstrate a particular attribute of God's which is that God is a welcoming God?” he posed to the BBC.
The Anglican Communion has been in turmoil over homosexuality since The Episcopal Church in the United States elected the openly gay Gene Robinson to serve as the bishop of New Hampshire in 2003.
According to the BBC, Tutu said he had felt “saddened” and “ashamed” of his church body at the time of Robinson’s consecration and that the Anglican Communion had responded in an “extraordinarily homophobic” manner.
When asked during the interview if he still felt ashamed, he replied: “If we are going to not welcome or invite people because of sexual orientation, yes.”
"If God, as they say, is homophobic, I wouldn't worship that God," he added.
In North America, particularly, conservative Anglicans are taking measures to separate themselves from more liberal churches and to find new approaches that would allow them to live according to Scripture.
Last month, an orthodox group in Ottawa, Canada, proposed the formation of a new branch of the Anglican Church of Canada that is more “biblically faithful” than the current national church body after the Ottawa and Montreal dioceses approved resolutions in October urging their respective bishops to allow clergy to bless same-sex unions.
The outspoken Nigerian Archbishop Peter Akinola and prominent traditionalist Gregory Venables in Argentina meanwhile have said they will continue to offer a home for parishes and dioceses who want to leave the liberal-leaning U.S. Episcopal Church.
Comments
Yes I am a Jew: How wrong you are that in Judaism there is only Sheol. There is also Gehena. Besides, your remarks about the eye witness acounts being written hundreds of years after Jesus are completely and ignorantly incorrect. The eye witness accounts were all written between 30 and 50 years after Jesus's crucifixion, death and resurrection. I'm sure with you being the theological scholar on Jewish Rabbinical history and all, that you are familiar wth Oral tradition, Correct? The eye witness acounts were written by the same people who walked with Jesus, believed in Him as Messiah, they saw the miracles, believed HIs claims, and literally all f the Disciples wit the exception of John was martyred. John was thrown into a pot of boiling oil, and he survived.
To correct you on your mal-assumptions and unfactual statements, the so-called gnostic gospels were the ones written over 200 years after Jesus, and they have been proven to be historically and factually inaccurate (of course all the atheists, agnostics, skeptics, and te enemies of Jesus will try to disprove the cannonical Scriptures by bringing up gnosticism as a viable alternative), so the next time you comment on Christianity, or Judaism, please get your facts straight.
If you want more proof of the foolish ignorance out there about our faith, please go out and read the book by Leigh Stroebel called "the Case for Christ" Better yet, get yourself the visual DVD, and commentary on it at Blockbuster Video. Leigh used to be a Legal Jouralist for the Chicago Tribune, and was an atheist who set out on a mission to disprove the Gospel of Christ. In his quest to disprove that Jesus is Messiah, He actually became born again. Who knows, maybe after rteading the account, you to will become a born again Christian, or Messianic Jew? Maybe God will move on your heart towards repentance, and this loving "schmuck" over here will be very greatful to God for shedding some light into your biblical understanding.
I feel sad that you would prefer hell over heaven. But that's the choice you've made. It's a permanent one, but you have made it yourself. I wish I could say that after you've experienced hell, that you could change your mind....but you can't. I will continue to pray for your salvation.
"yes_I_am_a_jew" is a jew in name only...not in heart. there is no belief in the God of Abraham in him. I feel he is just another athiest trying to antagonize us.
The eye witness accounts were recorded by people who actually witnessed it. And, as in the case of the gospel of Luke, he spoke to people within a few short years after the fact. Jesus is the Messiah. And all the believing that He isn't, doesn't change the truth.
All I can say is "Oy, surrounded by shmucks." Just because a book is really old doesn't make it true. Nor does believing with all your heart that it's true make it so. The "eye witness accounts" were written hundreds of years after Jesus purportedly walked the earth. Any scripture insinuating that the story of Jesus was a parable was purged from the canon. And the new testament, like the old testament, is a collection of a number of different scriptures pieced together to embody the dictates of the religion. Both are works crafted by MAN to guide the development and dynamics of the religion, including scriptures that further the goals of religious leaders and excluding those that seem contrary to those goals. This fact does not deprive these texts of their ability to teach morals and how to live well but let's call a spade a spade.
Truth be told, if heaven is filled with people like all of you it's far better to go to hell. An eternity with people who cannot employ reason or have a thought that originates with something other than the bible says so or my priest/pastor says would be worse torture than Hell could ever be. In any case, in Judaism there is no heaven or hell, merely Sheol, which is akin to Purgatory.
You cannot stay neutral on accepting or rejecting Christ. You either accept Him, or reject Him. Accept His whole Word and everything we are commanded, or reject His whole Word and everything He has commanded us to do and be. If you don’t choose Him and choose to stay neutral, you will reject Him by default and you will have nothing to atone for your sins when you stand before God; You will have sent yourself to hell by your own actions for rejecting God’s only Son – His provision to save sinful man.
History, eye witness accounts, the authenticity of the Scriptures, as well as those who followed Him all point to Bible Prophecy being fulfilled; not to mention the countless lives HE changed prior to His death and Resurrection and long after His death and Resurection - eve to this day, Jesus Crist is in the business of saving lives from eternal seperation from God the Father. Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Apart from Him, there is no other way to God. The world says "all roads lead to God", but this is contrary to God and His Word. Therefore, I choose to follow God, and not man.
It always amazes me how many in this “New Age” world will ignorantly stoop Jesus down to the level of just a great prophet, a good man who walked the earth. In their view, Jesus is like Buddha, Confuscious, Ghandi, etc. However, both Old and New Testament alike will factually prove that He is not just a prophet, and good man, etc.
For the agnostic, He is either a figment of the imagination, a lunatic or a liar making these claims. He can be either a liar, or He is who He says He is - Yeshuah the Messiah. He can't be both. I choose to believe that He is not a liar, and that He is God in the Flesh based on the facts in Old Testament and New Testament Scriptures, as well as history; not to mention my own personal born again experience thru Him. Jesus Christ is GOD. HE WAS, HE IS and HE IS TO COME again for His Bride (the Church), as well as to defeat His enemies. Do you know the Glorious Risen LORD JESUS CHRIST????????? If you don't: then, choose you this day whom you will serve, because for me and my house we will serve the LORD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Scriptures tell us He is the Messiah; the promised one of God to Israel and the world; to both Jew and Gentile. He is God in the Flesh who came to bear the sins of the world. He loved us so much, that He willingly gave His life for us, and was resurrected from the grave on the third day, so we would have a choice to have a relationship with God here on earth and so we could spend eternity with Him by accepting God's gift. Or we can by personal choice, thereby choose a life here on earth separated from God, and eventually be eternally separated from God based on ones rejection of Him and everything He has wanted for us. Please note: one will be choosing Hell as their eternal place of refuge when one chooses to reject Him (Jesus the Christ).
jew..
Thank yo for your comments. My spiritual warfare is with ALL evil spirits everywhere. It has nothing to do with people. Therefore to say that my warfare with another evil spirit outside my family is intrusive is incorrect, because it has nothing to do with other people. So I'm trying to figure out how that is intrusive. But I will say this...I wish our government held to the Christian beliefs more. This country wouldn't be in the mess it is now, if they did.
continued:
7) Zechariah 8:3
“Thus says the LORD: ‘ I will return to Zion, And dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Jerusalem shall be called the City of Truth, The Mountain of the LORD of hosts, The Holy Mountain.’
Zechariah 8:2-4 (in Context) Zechariah 8 (Whole Chapter)
8) Zechariah 8:8
I will bring them back,And they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. They shall be My people And I will be their God, In truth and righteousness.’
Zechariah 8:7-9 (in Context) Zechariah 8 (Whole Chapter)
9) Luke 20:21
Then they asked Him, saying, “Teacher, we know that You say and teach rightly, and You do not show personal favoritism, but teach the way of God in truth:
Luke 20:20-22 (in Context) Luke 20 (Whole Chapter)
10) John 1:14
[ The Word Becomes Flesh ] And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:13-15 (in Context) John 1 (Whole Chapter)
11) John 1:17
For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
John 1:16-18 (in Context) John 1 (Whole Chapter)
12) John 8:31
[ The Truth Shall Make You Free ] Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.
John 8:30-32 (in Context) John 8 (Whole Chapter)
13) John 8:32
And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
John 8:31-33 (in Context) John 8 (Whole Chapter)
To Yes I am A Jew: Greetigs, and may Yeshuah the Messiah make himself known to you. I have taken the time to detail some of the Sriptures that deal with "narrow mindedness" amongst the Christian Community. Since the Old Covenant (The Torah, and the Prophets) fortold of the Coming Messiah, I just thought this would help enlighten you a little on the TRUTH. I’ve also included Scripture from the Gospels in the New Testament so you can hear them from Messiah Yeshuah Himself, and His Disciples. <May the Peace of Yeshua be with you and your family, and may He open your eyes to the TRUTH.
1) Matthew 7:13 (New King James Version)
New King James Version (NKJV)
Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
The Narrow Way
13 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.
2) Matthew 7:14 (New King James Version)
New King James Version (NKJV)
Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
14 Because[a] narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.
Footnotes:
Matthew 7:14 NU-Text and M-Text read How . . . !
3) Luke 13:24 (New King James Version)
New King James Version (NKJV)
Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
24 “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able.
4) John 14:6 (New King James Version)
New King James Version (NKJV)
Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
5) Psalm 69:13
But as for me, my prayer is to You,O LORD, in the acceptable time; O God, in the multitude of Your mercy, Hear me in the truth of Your salvation.
Psalm 69:12-14 (in Context) Psalm 69 (Whole Chapter)
6) Psalm 86:11
Teach me Your way, O LORD;I will walk in Your truth; Unite my heart to fear Your name.
Psalm 86:10-12 (in Context) Psalm 86 (Whole Chapter)
Actually if you want to categorize me I would say that I'm an ethnic Jew. I don't keep kosher, nor do I go to temple other than for the high holidays. I don't worry about fables and understand religious teachings as parables to teach how to live properly and interract. Was there a Moses who wandered in the desert for 40 years? No, that like the parable of Jesus in the wilderness for 40 days and nights, is about the process of spiritual initiation and evolution. We all start off as bound as slaves to our lower, base nature. Then we begin the path of knowledge to understand the world and our own spirituality. On the way we are tested, be it by desert heat and lack of food or demonic torment in the case of Jesus, and through such tests we gain faith and understanding of how things really do and should work. Reaching the holy land at the end of the journey is enlightenment, being in touch with your higher self. And might I add that Moses died on the way through the desert and was relieved in his position by Joshua, which translates to Jesus (a prefiguration for the jewish adaptation of the mystery cults).
I've studied comparative religion for many years from Judaism, to Christianity, to Islam, to Daoism, to Yoruba, to the Mystery Cults. In the end it's amazing how all the religions revolve around the same themes. You can beat your chest and cry demonic prefiguration all you want regarding the similarities between Jesus and the dying and resurrecting godmen of the Mysteries, like Osiris or Adonis or Dionysis, but such similarities do exist on a grand scale. Take in context that the many of the apocryphal texts excised by the Church leaders at the various early councils were for the purpose of giving the story of Jesus more historicity.
Just to touch on other comments while I'm at it...
Prophet, you said that you're in a jihad against evil spiritual powers in high places? First of all, that's very commendable if it's within your own self or family; however, once you attempt to extend that to those who are outside yor views it doesn't make you pious. It makes you tyranical and intrusive. Bear the cross in love, but if you truly love people you will show them respect for their individuality. I'm not talking about respecting a serial killer for his "life choices" or a rapist for his; however, I am talking about the "non-believers" you feel you have to convert or the gays or any other law abiding person who just doesn't fit in your narrow world view. If people such as you ran the government we'd have our own Saudi Arabia in the western hemisphire.
Also to Yes_I_am_a Jew,.....you want to get into "hair spliting" ? if I remember correctly it was the Jewish Community that oringally turned Christ over for excecution,...So,...I can see a wide difference between an "Observant Jew" and an actual " Ultra Orthadox Jew",...where do you stand,..Friend,......I`m curious......
Jc4me.....thanks your a HUGE INSPIRATION for me I would pay money for your advise,.....with this I dnt have to (Yet)....BIG THANKS.......
The Book of Jude:
1 Jude, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James,
To those who are called, sanctified[a] by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ:
2 Mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.
Footnotes:
Jude 1:1 NU-Text reads beloved.
Jude 1:4 NU-Text omits God.
Jude 1:12 NU-Text and M-Text read along.
Jude 1:22 NU-Text reads who are doubting (or making distinctions).
Jude 1:23 NU-Text adds and on some have mercy with fear and omits with fear in first clause.
Jude 1:24 M-Text reads them.
Jude 1:25 NU-Text reads To the only God our Savior.
Jude 1:25 NU-Text omits Who . . . is wise and adds Through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Jude 1:25 NU-Text adds Before all time
Book of Jude Continued:
20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
22 And on some have compassion, making a distinction;[d] 23 but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire,[e] hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.
Glory to God
24 Now to Him who is able to keep you[f] from stumbling,
And to present you faultless
Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,
25 To God our Savior,[g]
Who alone is wise,[h]
Be glory and majesty,
Dominion and power,[i]
Both now and forever.
Amen.
Continued: Book of Jude
8 Likewise also these dreamers defile the flesh, reject authority, and speak evil of dignitaries. 9 Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” 10 But these speak evil of whatever they do not know; and whatever they know naturally, like brute beasts, in these things they corrupt themselves. 11 Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit, and perished in the rebellion of Korah.
Apostates Depraved and Doomed
12 These are spots in your love feasts, while they feast with you without fear, serving only themselves. They are clouds without water, carried about[c] by the winds; late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, pulled up by the roots; 13 raging waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame; wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.
14 Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, 15 to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.”
Apostates Predicted
16 These are grumblers, complainers, walking according to their own lusts; and they mouth great swelling words, flattering people to gain advantage. 17 But you, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ: 18 how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts. 19 These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit.