Episcopal Leader Marks Conservative Deadline In San Francisco

Sunday was the deadline imposed by conservative factions in the worldwide Anglican Church for an unequivocal pledge not to consecrate another gay bishop or approve an official prayer service for same-sex couples, and the date was marked by an appearance of presiding bishop of the American church in San Francisco, the city many regard as the gay capital of the world.

Before conducting services at Grace Cathedral the Most Rev. Katherine Jefferts Schori took part in a forum that included a large number of LGBT Episcopalians.

"[We are] not going backward, but willing to pause," Jefferts Schori declared, echoing the final statement of last month's House of Bishops meeting where the conservative demands were addressed.

"All people - including gay and lesbian Christians and non-Christians - are deserving of the fullest regard of the church," Jefferts Schori told the standing room only audience.

Anglican Turmoil Intensifies, Episcopal Pact Rejected By Conservative Leader

Nigerian Archbishop Peter Akinola has rejected the U.S. Episcopal Church's latest efforts to calm tensions over the consecration of gay bishops - an issue threatening to split the global Anglican-Episcopalian family.

Akinola, a vocal and influential leader of the faction seeking an outright ban on gay bishops, said a resolution this week by the U.S. Episcopalians that failed to explicitly bar gay bishops from the pulpit meant his followers' "pleas have once again been ignored." "Instead of the change of heart (repentance) that we sought what we have been offered is merely a temporary adjustment," Akinola said in a statement posted on his church's Web site.

Akinola said church leaders would have to meet to coordinate their response. He made no mention of a formal separation.

Anglican leaders had set a Sunday deadline for the Episcopal Church, which is the Anglican body in the U.S., to pledge unequivocally not to consecrate another gay bishop or approve an official prayer service for same-sex couples. On Tuesday, U.S. bishops affirmed a resolution passed last year by the Episcopal General Convention that urged bishops to "exercise restraint" by not consenting to a candidate for bishop "whose manner of life presents a challenge" to Anglicans and the church.

[Really, a surprise to anyone?]

Tidbits on Karl Rove

I think most people know that Karl Rove’s father (adoptive) was gay. I didn’t know that Louis Rove loved the Gauntlet in Los Angeles and was one of their best customers. It seems Louis 37 piercings, about 30 of them in his penis.

[Who knew! Oh, the Gauntlet is where I got my first tattoo.]

I also think it is a bit interesting that Karl Rove, the architect of Bush and the religious right is an atheist. He doesn't believe in God, but can use it as a wedge any 'ol day.

Religious, Civil Rights, Child Advocacy Groups File Briefs Supporting Gay Marriage

Thirty friend-of-the-court briefs were submitted to the California Supreme Court on Wednesday on behalf of more than 90 organizations supporting same-sex couples challenging the state's ban on gay marriage. The briefs represent groups as diverse as the California Council of Churches, the California District of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the NAACP and the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund.

The Supreme Court will hear legal arguments in the lawsuit late this year or early in 2008.
"We are not treating all Californians equally if some can marry and others cannot," said Alice Huffman, President of the California Conference of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. "The law should protect all people equally, and all Californians should have the choice to marry," she said.

The California NAACP brief asks the Supreme Court to apply the Court's 1948 decision striking down laws banning interracial marriage to this current case.

Longtime civil rights advocate Jon B. Eisenberg authored the NAACP's brief. The NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund also filed an amicus brief supporting same-sex couples, as did the Howard University School of Law Civil Rights Clinic, in a brief comparing the arguments used in the past to defend laws barring interracial marriage with current arguments used to oppose marriage by same-sex couples.

In another brief, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund, the National Black Justice Coalition, and numerous other civil rights organizations argued that California courts should subject laws that discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation to the strictest level of constitutional review.

The Southern Poverty Law Center and the Equal Justice Society also submitted briefs urging the Court to strike down discriminatory marriage laws.

More than 60 Asian Pacific Islander groups, including the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, joined an additional brief describing the long history of discrimination against API communities with regard to marriage in California.

Briefs supporting the freedom to marry for same-sex couples were also filed by the cities of Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, Long Beach, Oakland, as well as 14 other cities and counties.

The Rev. Neil Thomas, Chair of California Faith for Equality, said the church groups' brief "bears witness to our highest religious values, honoring love, equality and commitment in human relations." "We are telling the California Supreme Court that many religious leaders and congregations in California and across the country support equality of all persons."

Lambda Legal, the National Center for Lesbian Rights and the American Civil Liberties Union represent 15 same-sex couples and California LGBT rights group Equality California in fighting the state ban on gay marriage. The city of San Francisco also is a party in the case.

The attorneys argue that California state law barring same-sex couples from marriage discriminates based on sexual orientation and sex and violates the fundamental right to marry. The arguments cite the California Constitution's guarantees of privacy, intimate association, and due process.

In addition to the court case, the California legislature has passed a bill that would allow same-sex couples to marry. The legislation is now sitting on the desk of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger who has said he will veto it.

Religious, Civil Rights, Child Advocacy Groups File Briefs Supporting Gay Marriage

Thirty friend-of-the-court briefs were submitted to the California Supreme Court on Wednesday on behalf of more than 90 organizations supporting same-sex couples challenging the state's ban on gay marriage. The briefs represent groups as diverse as the California Council of Churches, the California District of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the NAACP and the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund.

The Supreme Court will hear legal arguments in the lawsuit late this year or early in 2008.
"We are not treating all Californians equally if some can marry and others cannot," said Alice Huffman, President of the California Conference of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. "The law should protect all people equally, and all Californians should have the choice to marry," she said.

The California NAACP brief asks the Supreme Court to apply the Court's 1948 decision striking down laws banning interracial marriage to this current case.

Longtime civil rights advocate Jon B. Eisenberg authored the NAACP's brief. The NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund also filed an amicus brief supporting same-sex couples, as did the Howard University School of Law Civil Rights Clinic, in a brief comparing the arguments used in the past to defend laws barring interracial marriage with current arguments used to oppose marriage by same-sex couples.

In another brief, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund, the National Black Justice Coalition, and numerous other civil rights organizations argued that California courts should subject laws that discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation to the strictest level of constitutional review.

The Southern Poverty Law Center and the Equal Justice Society also submitted briefs urging the Court to strike down discriminatory marriage laws.

More than 60 Asian Pacific Islander groups, including the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, joined an additional brief describing the long history of discrimination against API communities with regard to marriage in California.

Briefs supporting the freedom to marry for same-sex couples were also filed by the cities of Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, Long Beach, Oakland, as well as 14 other cities and counties.

The Rev. Neil Thomas, Chair of California Faith for Equality, said the church groups' brief "bears witness to our highest religious values, honoring love, equality and commitment in human relations." "We are telling the California Supreme Court that many religious leaders and congregations in California and across the country support equality of all persons."

Lambda Legal, the National Center for Lesbian Rights and the American Civil Liberties Union represent 15 same-sex couples and California LGBT rights group Equality California in fighting the state ban on gay marriage. The city of San Francisco also is a party in the case.

The attorneys argue that California state law barring same-sex couples from marriage discriminates based on sexual orientation and sex and violates the fundamental right to marry. The arguments cite the California Constitution's guarantees of privacy, intimate association, and due process.

In addition to the court case, the California legislature has passed a bill that would allow same-sex couples to marry. The legislation is now sitting on the desk of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger who has said he will veto it.

Bishop Bruno

"They are fully enfranchised members of our body."

J. JON BRUNO, Bishop of Los Angeles, on gay and lesbian members of the Episcopalian Church after several church leaders pledged Tuesday to maintain a moratorium on approving more gay bishops

Episcopal Leaders Try To Avoid Schism

Even the fiercest critics of the Episcopal Church's liberal drift say it's too soon to know whether the bishops' latest pledge to "exercise restraint" in approving another gay bishop will go far enough to help prevent an Anglican schism.

"It will take months and years to really see," said Bishop Martyn Minns, who leads a conservative network of breakaway Episcopal parishes.

Overseas, people on both sides of the debate registered their unhappiness Wednesday. Some supporters of gay clergy accused Episcopal leaders of caving in to conservatives led by African archbishops, while traditionalists criticized what they saw as a cleverly worded declaration of defiance.

The 77-million-member fellowship has been splintering since 2003, when Episcopalians consecrated the first openly gay bishop, V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire. The Episcopal Church is the Anglican body in the U.S.

Episcopal bishops released their pledge to "exercise restraint" Tuesday in the final moments of a six-day meeting _ and as the decades-long debate over interpreting the Bible threatens to shatter the world Anglican Communion.

Anglican leaders had set a Sunday deadline for the Americans to pledge unequivocally not to consecrate another gay bishop or approve an official prayer service for same-sex couples.
On Wednesday, the Rev. Colin Coward, director of Changing Attitude England, said he believed the bishops had met the Anglican request.

"If conservatives continue to press for the exclusion of the Episcopal Church, transgress provincial boundaries and decide not to attend the Lambeth Conference in 2008, they will take responsibility for provoking a tear in the Anglican Communion and will have withdrawn from the our fellowship," Coward said.

Martyn Minns, a former Episcopal priest who was consecrated as a bishop in the Church of Nigeria to serve Episcopalians alienated from their own bishops, said on Tuesday that the American bishops' statement was "the totally wrong response."

Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, the Anglican spiritual leader, took the unusual step of attending the meeting for the first two days, pushing bishops to make concessions for the sake of unity. Anglican lay and clergy representatives from overseas also participated, chastising Episcopal leaders for the turmoil they've caused.

Episcopal bishops responded by affirming a resolution passed last year by the Episcopal General Convention that urged bishops to "exercise restraint" by not consenting to a candidate for bishop "whose manner of life presents a challenge" to Anglicans and the church. The promise falls short of an outright ban.

Episcopal leaders also promised they wouldn't approve official prayers to bless same-gender couples and insisted that most Episcopal bishops do not authorize the ceremonies. However, it is widely acknowledged that many individual priests offer blessings informally in their own parishes and will continue to do so despite Tuesday's pledge.

Williams and other Anglican leaders will evaluate the bishops' statement in the coming weeks. But before he left New Orleans, the archbishop of Canterbury played down the significance of the Anglican demands, saying "there is no ultimatum involved."

Canon Jim Naughton, a spokesman for the Diocese of Washington, said the statement "reassures our partners in the Anglican Communion that we have taken their concerns seriously." However, Minns said the bishops' statement was "the totally wrong response," and said many Episcopalians are already "voting with their feet."

Four of the 110 Episcopal dioceses - Fort Worth, Texas; Pittsburgh; Quincy, Ill.; and San Joaquin, Calif. - are taking steps to split off from the national church and align with an overseas Anglican church. And about 60 of the more than 7,000 Episcopal parishes have left or have lost a significant number of clergy and members, according to the national church.

Anglican leaders from Nigeria, Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda and elsewhere have violated Anglican tradition that they minister only within their own provinces and have consecrated bishops to oversee breakaway Episcopal congregations in the United States. In their statement Tuesday, bishops said they "deplore" the incursions and "call for them to end."

Conservative Bishop John Howe of the Diocese of Central Florida said the statement wouldn't satisfy all Anglican leaders, but predicted "most will find it acceptable." Howe is staying in the Episcopal Church, even though his diocese, based in Orlando, has rejected Episcopal Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori as a leader because she is liberal.

The next crucial event for the communion will be the Lambeth Conference, in July in England. The once-a-decade meeting brings together all the bishops in the Anglican world. Whether Williams can persuade bishops to attend will be a measure of the strength of the communion.

Williams did not invite Robinson or Minns. But some Anglican prelates don't even want to be at the same table as Episcopalians who consecrated Robinson. Still, Robinson has been in private talks with Williams to find a way he can attend, possibly as an observer.

[One of the most neutral and complete summaries I was able to find.]

House of Bishops response 'to questions and concerns raised by our Anglican Communion partners'

House of Bishops of The Episcopal Church
New Orleans, Louisiana
September 25, 2007
A Response to Questions and Concerns Raised by our Anglican Communion Partners:

In accordance with Our Lord's high priestly prayer that we be one, and in the spirit of Resolution A159 of the 75th General Convention, and in obedience to his Great Commission to go into the world and make disciples, and in gratitude for the gift of the Anglican Communion as a sign of the Holy Spirit's ongoing work of reconciliation throughout the world, we offer the following to The Episcopal Church, the Primates, the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC), and the larger Communion, with the hope of "mending the tear in the fabric" of our common life in Christ.

"I do it all for the sake of the Gospel so that I might share in its blessings."1 Corinthians 9:23.

Introduction

The House of Bishops expresses sincere and heartfelt thanks to the Archbishop of Canterbury and members of the Joint Standing Committee of the Anglican Consultative Council and the Primates for accepting our invitation to join us in New Orleans. By their presence they have both honored us and assisted us in our discernment. Their presence was a living reminder of the unity that is Christ's promised gift in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Much of our meeting time was spent in continuing discernment of our relationships within the Anglican Communion. We engaged in careful listening and straightforward dialogue with our guests. We expressed our passionate desire to remain in communion. It is our conviction that The Episcopal Church needs the Anglican Communion, and we heard from our guests that the Anglican Communion needs The Episcopal Church.

The House of Bishops offers the following responses to our Anglican Communion partners. We believe they provide clarity and point toward next steps in an ongoing process of dialogue. Within The Episcopal Church the common discernment of God's call is a lively partnership among laypersons, bishops, priests, and deacons, and therefore necessarily includes the Presiding Bishop, the Executive Council, and the General Convention.

Summary

• We reconfirm that resolution B033 of General Convention 2006 (The Election Of Bishops) calls upon bishops with jurisdiction and Standing Committees "to exercise restraint by not consenting to the consecration of any candidate to the episcopate whose manner of life presents a challenge to the wider church and will lead to further strains on communion."
• We pledge as a body not to authorize public rites for the blessing of same-sex unions.
• We commend our Presiding Bishop's plan for episcopal visitors.
• We deplore incursions into our jurisdictions by uninvited bishops and call for them to end.
• We support the Presiding Bishop in seeking communion-wide consultation in a manner that is in accord with our Constitution and Canons.
• We call for increasing implementation of the listening process across the Communion and for a report on its progress to Lambeth 2008.
• We support the Archbishop of Canterbury in his expressed desire to explore ways for the Bishop of New Hampshire to participate in the Lambeth Conference.
• We call for unequivocal and active commitment to the civil rights, safety, and dignity of gay and lesbian persons.
  

Discussion

Resolution B033 of the 2006 General Convention

The House of Bishops concurs with Resolution EC011 of the Executive Council. This Resolution commends the Report of the Communion Sub-Group of the Joint Standing Committee of the Anglican Consultative Council and the Primates of the Anglican Communion as an accurate evaluation of Resolution B033 of the 2006 General Convention, calling upon bishops with jurisdiction and Standing Committees "to exercise restraint by not consenting to the consecration of any candidate to the episcopate whose manner of life presents a challenge to the wider church and will lead to further strains on communion." The House acknowledges that non-celibate gay and lesbian persons are included among those to whom B033 pertains.

Blessing of Same-Sex Unions
We, the members of the House of Bishops, pledge not to authorize for use in our dioceses any public rites of blessing of same-sex unions until a broader consensus emerges in the Communion, or until General Convention takes further action. In the near future we hope to be able to draw upon the benefits of the Communion-wide listening process. In the meantime, it is important to note that no rite of blessing for persons living in same-sex unions has been adopted or approved by our General Convention. In addition to not having authorized liturgies the majority of bishops do not make allowance for the blessing of same-sex unions. We do note that in May 2003 the Primates said we have a pastoral duty "to respond with love and understanding to people of all sexual orientations." They further stated, "…[I]t is necessary to maintain a breadth of private response to situations of individual pastoral care."

Episcopal Visitors
We affirm the Presiding Bishop's plan to appoint episcopal visitors for dioceses that request alternative oversight. Such oversight would be provided by bishops who are a part of and subject to the communal life of this province. We believe this plan is consistent with and analogous to Delegated Episcopal Pastoral Oversight (DEPO) as affirmed by the Windsor Report (paragraph 152). We thank those bishops who have generously offered themselves for this ministry. We hope that dioceses will make use of this plan and that the Presiding Bishop will continue conversation with those dioceses that may feel the need for such ministries. We appreciate and need to hear all voices in The Episcopal Church.

Incursions by Uninvited Bishops
We call for an immediate end to diocesan incursions by uninvited bishops in accordance with the Windsor Report and consistent with the statements of past Lambeth Conferences and the Ecumenical Councils of the Church. Such incursions imperil common prayer and long-established ecclesial principles of our Communion. These principles include respect for local jurisdiction and recognition of the geographical boundaries of dioceses and provinces. As we continue to commit ourselves to honor both the spirit and the content of the Windsor Report, we call upon those provinces and bishops engaging in such incursions likewise to honor the Windsor Report by ending them. We offer assurance that delegated episcopal pastoral care is being provided for those who seek it.

Communion-wide Consultation
In their communiqué of February 2007, the Primates proposed a "pastoral scheme." At our meeting in March 2007, we expressed our deep concern that this scheme would compromise the authority of our own primate and place the autonomy of The Episcopal Church at risk. The Executive Council reiterated our concerns and declined to participate. Nevertheless, we recognize a useful role for communion-wide consultation with respect to the pastoral needs of those seeking alternative oversight, as well as the pastoral needs of gay and lesbian persons in this and other provinces. We encourage our Presiding Bishop to continue to explore such consultation in a manner that is in accord with our Constitution and Canons.

The Listening Process
The 1998 Lambeth Conference called all the provinces of the Anglican Communion to engage in a "listening process" designed to bring gay and lesbian Anglicans fully into the Church's conversation about human sexuality. We look forward to receiving initial reports about this process at the 2008 Lambeth Conference and to participating with others in this crucial enterprise. We are aware that in some cultural contexts conversation concerning homosexuality is difficult. We see an important role for the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) in this listening process, since it represents both the lay and ordained members of our constituent churches, and so is well-placed to engage every part of the body in this conversation. We encourage the ACC to identify the variety of resources needed to accomplish these conversations.

The Lambeth Conference
Invitations to the Lambeth Conference are extended by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Those among us who have received an invitation to attend the 2008 Lambeth Conference look forward to that gathering with hope and expectation. Many of us are engaged in mission partnerships with bishops and dioceses around the world and cherish these relationships. Lambeth offers a wonderful opportunity to build on such partnerships.

We are mindful that the Bishop of New Hampshire has not yet received an invitation to the conference. We also note that the Archbishop of Canterbury has expressed a desire to explore a way for him to participate. We share the Archbishop's desire and encourage our Presiding Bishop to offer our assistance as bishops in this endeavor. It is our fervent hope that a way can be found for his full participation.

Justice and Dignity for Gay and Lesbian Persons
It is of fundamental importance that, as we continue to seek consensus in matters of human sexuality, we also be clear and outspoken in our shared commitment to establish and protect the civil rights of gay and lesbian persons, and to name and oppose at every turn any action or policy that does violence to them, encourages violence toward them, or violates their dignity as children of God. We call all our partners in the Anglican Communion to recommit to this effort. As we stated at the conclusion of our meeting in March 2007: "We proclaim the Gospel of what God has done and is doing in Christ, of the dignity of every human being, and of justice, compassion and peace. We proclaim the Gospel that in Christ there is no Jew or Greek, no male or female, no slave or free. We proclaim the Gospel that in Christ all God's children, including women, are full and equal participants in the life of Christ's Church. We proclaim the Gospel that in Christ all God's children, including gay and lesbian persons, are full and equal participants in the life of Christ's Church. We proclaim the Gospel that stands against any violence, including violence done to women and children as well as those who are persecuted because of their differences, often in the name of God."

House of Bishops response 'to questions and concerns raised by our Anglican Communion partners'

House of Bishops of The Episcopal Church New Orleans, Louisiana

September 25, 2007
A Response to Questions and Concerns Raised by our Anglican Communion Partners:

In accordance with Our Lord's high priestly prayer that we be one, and in the spirit of Resolution A159 of the 75th General Convention, and in obedience to his Great Commission to go into the world and make disciples, and in gratitude for the gift of the Anglican Communion as a sign of the Holy Spirit's ongoing work of reconciliation throughout the world, we offer the following to The Episcopal Church, the Primates, the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC), and the larger Communion, with the hope of "mending the tear in the fabric" of our common life in Christ.

"I do it all for the sake of the Gospel so that I might share in its blessings." 1 Corinthians 9:23.

IntroductionThe House of Bishops expresses sincere and heartfelt thanks to the Archbishop of Canterbury and members of the Joint Standing Committee of the Anglican Consultative Council and the Primates for accepting our invitation to join us in New Orleans. By their presence they have both honored us and assisted us in our discernment. Their presence was a living reminder of the unity that is Christ's promised gift in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Much of our meeting time was spent in continuing discernment of our relationships within the Anglican Communion. We engaged in careful listening and straightforward dialogue with our guests. We expressed our passionate desire to remain in communion. It is our conviction that The Episcopal Church needs the Anglican Communion, and we heard from our guests that the Anglican Communion needs The Episcopal Church.

The House of Bishops offers the following responses to our Anglican Communion partners. We believe they provide clarity and point toward next steps in an ongoing process of dialogue. Within The Episcopal Church the common discernment of God's call is a lively partnership among laypersons, bishops, priests, and deacons, and therefore necessarily includes the Presiding Bishop, the Executive Council, and the General Convention.


Summary

• We reconfirm that resolution B033 of General Convention 2006 (The Election Of Bishops) calls upon bishops with jurisdiction and Standing Committees "to exercise restraint by not consenting to the consecration of any candidate to the episcopate whose manner of life presents a challenge to the wider church and will lead to further strains on communion."


• We pledge as a body not to authorize public rites for the blessing of same-sex unions.


• We commend our Presiding Bishop's plan for episcopal visitors.


• We deplore incursions into our jurisdictions by uninvited bishops and call for them to end.


• We support the Presiding Bishop in seeking communion-wide consultation in a manner that is in accord with our Constitution and Canons.


• We call for increasing implementation of the listening process across the Communion and for a report on its progress to Lambeth 2008.


• We support the Archbishop of Canterbury in his expressed desire to explore ways for the Bishop of New Hampshire to participate in the Lambeth Conference.


• We call for unequivocal and active commitment to the civil rights, safety, and dignity of gay and lesbian persons.
  
  DiscussionResolution B033 of the 2006 General ConventionThe House of Bishops concurs with Resolution EC011 of the Executive Council. This Resolution commends the Report of the Communion Sub-Group of the Joint Standing Committee of the Anglican Consultative Council and the Primates of the Anglican Communion as an accurate evaluation of Resolution B033 of the 2006 General Convention, calling upon bishops with jurisdiction and Standing Committees "to exercise restraint by not consenting to the consecration of any candidate to the episcopate whose manner of life presents a challenge to the wider church and will lead to further strains on communion." The House acknowledges that non-celibate gay and lesbian persons are included among those to whom B033 pertains.
  
  Blessing of Same-Sex Unions1We, the members of the House of Bishops, pledge not to authorize for use in our dioceses any public rites of blessing of same-sex unions until a broader consensus emerges in the Communion, or until General Convention takes further action. In the near future we hope to be able to draw upon the benefits of the Communion-wide listening process. In the meantime, it is important to note that no rite of blessing for persons living in same-sex unions has been adopted or approved by our General Convention. In addition to not having authorized liturgies the majority of bishops do not make allowance for the blessing of same-sex unions. We do note that in May 2003 the Primates said we have a pastoral duty "to respond with love and understanding to people of all sexual orientations." They further stated, "…[I]t is necessary to maintain a breadth of private response to situations of individual pastoral care."
  
  Episcopal VisitorsWe affirm the Presiding Bishop's plan to appoint episcopal visitors for dioceses that request alternative oversight. Such oversight would be provided by bishops who are a part of and subject to the communal life of this province. We believe this plan is consistent with and analogous to Delegated Episcopal Pastoral Oversight (DEPO) as affirmed by the Windsor Report (paragraph 152). We thank those bishops who have generously offered themselves for this ministry. We hope that dioceses will make use of this plan and that the Presiding Bishop will continue conversation with those dioceses that may feel the need for such ministries. We appreciate and need to hear all voices in The Episcopal Church.
  
  Incursions by Uninvited BishopsWe call for an immediate end to diocesan incursions by uninvited bishops in accordance with the Windsor Report and consistent with the statements of past Lambeth Conferences and the Ecumenical Councils of the Church. Such incursions imperil common prayer and long-established ecclesial principles of our Communion. These principles include respect for local jurisdiction and recognition of the geographical boundaries of dioceses and provinces. As we continue to commit ourselves to honor both the spirit and the content of the Windsor Report, we call upon those provinces and bishops engaging in such incursions likewise to honor the Windsor Report by ending them. We offer assurance that delegated episcopal pastoral care is being provided for those who seek it.
  
  Communion-wide ConsultationIn their communiqué of February 2007, the Primates proposed a "pastoral scheme." At our meeting in March 2007, we expressed our deep concern that this scheme would compromise the authority of our own primate and place the autonomy of The Episcopal Church at risk. The Executive Council reiterated our concerns and declined to participate. Nevertheless, we recognize a useful role for communion-wide consultation with respect to the pastoral needs of those seeking alternative oversight, as well as the pastoral needs of gay and lesbian persons in this and other provinces. We encourage our Presiding Bishop to continue to explore such consultation in a manner that is in accord with our Constitution and Canons.
  
  The Listening ProcessThe 1998 Lambeth Conference called all the provinces of the Anglican Communion to engage in a "listening process" designed to bring gay and lesbian Anglicans fully into the Church's conversation about human sexuality. We look forward to receiving initial reports about this process at the 2008 Lambeth Conference and to participating with others in this crucial enterprise. We are aware that in some cultural contexts conversation concerning homosexuality is difficult. We see an important role for the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) in this listening process, since it represents both the lay and ordained members of our constituent churches, and so is well-placed to engage every part of the body in this conversation. We encourage the ACC to identify the variety of resources needed to accomplish these conversations.
  
  The Lambeth Conference Invitations to the Lambeth Conference are extended by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Those among us who have received an invitation to attend the 2008 Lambeth Conference look forward to that gathering with hope and expectation. Many of us are engaged in mission partnerships with bishops and dioceses around the world and cherish these relationships. Lambeth offers a wonderful opportunity to build on such partnerships.
  
  We are mindful that the Bishop of New Hampshire has not yet received an invitation to the conference. We also note that the Archbishop of Canterbury has expressed a desire to explore a way for him to participate. We share the Archbishop's desire and encourage our Presiding Bishop to offer our assistance as bishops in this endeavor. It is our fervent hope that a way can be found for his full participation.
  
  Justice and Dignity for Gay and Lesbian PersonsIt is of fundamental importance that, as we continue to seek consensus in matters of human sexuality, we also be clear and outspoken in our shared commitment to establish and protect the civil rights of gay and lesbian persons, and to name and oppose at every turn any action or policy that does violence to them, encourages violence toward them, or violates their dignity as children of God. We call all our partners in the Anglican Communion to recommit to this effort. As we stated at the conclusion of our meeting in March 2007: "We proclaim the Gospel of what God has done and is doing in Christ, of the dignity of every human being, and of justice, compassion and peace. We proclaim the Gospel that in Christ there is no Jew or Greek, no male or female, no slave or free. We proclaim the Gospel that in Christ all God's children, including women, are full and equal participants in the life of Christ's Church. We proclaim the Gospel that in Christ all God's children, including gay and lesbian persons, are full and equal participants in the life of Christ's Church. We proclaim the Gospel that stands against any violence, including violence done to women and children as well as those who are persecuted because of their differences, often in the name of God."
  

Bishops Move to Ease Concern on Homosexuality

Bishops in the Episcopal Church have crafted a document they hope will ease conservatives' concerns in the United States and abroad. In Africa and South America, which have the most active members in the worldwide Anglican Communion, bishops wanted a statement from the Americans about the direction of the church — and specifically on its views on homosexuality.

Bishops of the Episcopal Church are in New Orleans this week, tackling a job that may need a little divine intervention. They are trying to remain progressive on issues about homosexuality and still avert a schism.

The clear majority of Episcopal bishops support consecrating openly gay bishops and many others already perform same-sex blessings. And yet, they met for hours in a downtown hotel, quibbling over the wording of a statement that might please conservatives.

At the end of the day, the bishops emerged with nothing decided. But Bishop J. Neil Alexander, of Atlanta, was optimistic that they would soon produce a winning document. "My own feeling is the statement will be shaped in such a way that it will be well received by the leaders of the Anglican communion and also be well received by the majority of the members of the Episcopal Church," Alexander said.

That remains to be seen. According to several sources, the bishops have agreed on content that is unlikely to appease conservatives. They will reportedly reiterate that they will show restraint in consecrating openly gay bishops, but they will not rule it out altogether. They may say they will not officially perform same-sex blessings that are not authorized — yet, nearly a dozen dioceses openly permit them. And they will back a proposal that would let the presiding bishop appoint a few bishops to be ambassadors to the unhappy conservative congregations. But that falls short of the independent oversight conservatives had wanted.

Robert Duncan, the bishop of Pittsburgh, was one of several conservatives who left the meeting early. He said this attempt would not avert a schism. Duncan said the chasm has become so wide — not just on issues of homosexuality, but the interpretation of the Bible and the direction of the church — that the two sides have little in common. "Those two understandings are so radically different that they're like two different gospels and two different churches," he said.
At least four dioceses are considering leaving the American church and aligning with African or Latin American bishops. Those include Duncan's in Pittsburgh, as well as, Fort Worth, Texas; Quincy, Ill., and San Joaquin, Calif. While more than 50 churches have left, no diocese has taken that step.

Will the church would ever accede to conservatives' demands and rethink its stance on gays in the church? Bishop Jon Bruno, of Los Angeles, said the answer is no. "Are we going to withdraw our support of gay and lesbian members of our church? No, we're not. They're fully enfranchised. Are we going to do anything that exacerbates the situation? No, we're waiting to see how our response will be received," Bruno said.

They are scheduled to vote on their response Tuesday, and the future of the Episcopal Church is dependent upon the outcome.

We need to act.

“We have to overcome the paralysis that has prevented us from acting.”

AL GORE, telling U.N. delegates Monday that the planet would be better off if people cared more about global warming and less about O.J. Simpson

U.N. summit urges action on climate change

With tales of rising seas and talk of human solidarity, world leaders at the first United Nations climate summit sought Monday to put new urgency into global talks to reduce global-warming emissions.

What’s needed is “action, action, action,” California’s environmentalist governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, told the assembled presidents and premiers.

The Bush administration showed no sign, however, that it would reverse its stand against mandatory emission cuts endorsed by 175 other nations. Some expressed fears the White House, with its own forum later this week, would launch talks rivaling the U.N. climate treaty negotiations.

President Bush didn’t take part in the day’s sessions, which drew more than 80 national leaders, but attended a small dinner Monday evening, a gathering of key climate players.

[When is he out of office? Ughhh!]

Anglicans Await Response from Episcopal Bishops

The leaders of the US Episcopal church will today vote on a make or break compromise aimed at preventing a global split in the Anglican communion over homosexuality.

The agreement aims to accommodate conservative Anglicans - predominantly from Africa - who have called on liberal clergy to stop blessing gay couples and ban the appointment of openly gay bishops. Liberal clergy are expected to continue offering pastoral support to gay couples. However, senior bishops were also facing ruptures between traditionalists and liberals within the Episcopal church, the Anglican body in the US.

Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, told a meeting in New Orleans last week that Episcopalians should stay within the church and not seek to align themselves with more fundamentalist provinces in Africa.

Dr Williams was strongly critical of African attempts to recruit dissident parishes in the US. However, American conservative bishops complained that he had refused to see them or return their calls.

They are likely to seek oversight from an African province, and their leader, Bishop Bob Duncan of Pittsburgh, predicted that around five of the US church's 112 dioceses would seek to affiliate outside the US.

The compromise being worked on would also allow dioceses out of sympathy with the church's leadership to seek their own Episcopal oversight and enable the setting up of a pastoral council with foreign representatives.

***

With the Anglican world anxiously waiting, Episcopal leaders meeting in New Orleans weighed their response to demands that they bar any more gays from becoming bishops. A bishops' committee took a break late Monday after working on a statement that could determine whether the global Anglican fellowship splits apart.

Anglican leaders set a Sept. 30 deadline for the Americans to pledge unequivocally not to consecrate another gay bishop or approve an official prayer service for same-gender couples. A vote by the full House of Bishops was set for Tuesday, the final day of the Episcopal meeting.

''We are working very closely with one another whether we are on the conservative end of the church, the liberal or the moderate middle,'' said liberal Los Angeles Bishop Jon Bruno. ''We're looking to make as full, clear and complete a response as we can.''

Bishop Ed Little, a theological conservative from of northern Indiana who wants to stay in the Episcopal Church, said that lay and clergy leaders from the Anglican Communion who have been attending the six-day meeting are pushing bishops to make concessions. ''They've all said in essence, for the good of the church, for the good of the communion, you have to take a step back,'' Little said.

Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, the Anglican spiritual leader, took the unusual step of attending the meeting here on its first two days, warning Episcopal leaders behind closed doors that they must make changes to keep the communion together.

Last year, the top Episcopal policy making body, the General Convention, asked bishops to ''exercise restraint'' by not approving candidates for bishop ''whose manner of life presents a challenge'' to the church. However, the measure isn't binding, and a lesbian with a female partner is among the finalists in an upcoming election for Chicago bishop.

The Episcopal prayer book has no liturgy for blessing same-gender couples, but about a dozen of the 110 U.S. dioceses allow priests to perform the ceremonies.

American Family Association is against ENDA (surprise)

ENDA (H.R. 2015) could enshrine "sexual orientation" in federal law
Call Your U.S. Representative today to oppose ENDA

The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) H.R. 2015 is likely to be voted on this week in the U.S. House. ENDA is aimed at providing heightened protections for a particular sexual behavior- homosexuality. It would grant special consideration on the basis of "sexual orientation" or "gender identity" that would not be extended to other employees in the workplace. That could spell trouble for Christian business owners, churches and faith-based groups. Proponents of the bill quickly point to "religious exemptions" in the bill, but most agree that it is a sham.

Here is more information about ENDA H.R. 2015 from our friends at the Family Research Council:

• ENDA affords special protection to a group that is not disadvantaged.
• The issue is not job discrimination: It is whether private businesses will be forced by law to accommodate homosexual activists' attempts to legitimize homosexual behavior.
• The first "religious exemption" clause is very narrow and offers no clear protection to church-related businesses: Religious schools or charitable organizations, religious bookstores, or any business affiliated with a church or denomination fall outside this narrow definition, and could presumably be required to hire homosexual applicants.
• The second "religious exemption" clause fails to offer protection for all hiring by church-related organizations or businesses. The position of a teacher of religion at a church-related school would be exempt, but, e.g., that of a biology teacher would not. Thus, most of the teachers and staff at a religious school would be covered by ENDA, which means that the church would be forced to hire homosexual applicants for such positions-despite the fact that their lifestyle would be in direct opposition to the religious beliefs of the organization or company.
• It is unlikely that the "religious exemption" included in the bill would survive court challenge: Institutions that could be targeted include religious summer camps, the Boy Scouts, Christian bookstores, religious publishing houses, religious television and radio stations, and any business with fifteen or more employees.
• ENDA violates employers' and employees' Constitutional freedoms of religion, speech and association. The proposed legislation would prohibit employers from taking their most deeply held beliefs into account when making hiring, management, and promotion decisions. This would pose an unprecedented intrusion by the federal government into people's lives.
• ENDA would approvingly bring private behavior considered immoral by many into the public square. By declaring that all sexual preferences are equally valid, ENDA would change national policy supporting marriage and family.

Take Action
Clearly, this is an enormous threat to the freedom of religion and also places unfair burdens on businesses, which should be allowed to make employment decisions based on their religious convictions and business needs.
Urgent! Click here to contact your U.S. Representative. Ask him or her to oppose the Employment Non-Discrimination Act of 2007 (ENDA) H.R. 2015.

Thanks for caring enough to get involved. If you find our efforts worthy, would you consider making a donation to help us continue?
Sincerely,
Donald E. Wildmon, Founder & Chairman American Family Association
P.S. Please forward this e-mail message to your family and friends!

[lies, lies, lies]

As the Anglican World Turns

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, came out [kind of] in support of gays and lesbiansdays before a crucial vote by American bishops at a gathering in New Orleans. "On Tuesday, the American bishops, the majority of whom are liberals, are expected to vote to support a greater role for gays and lesbians in the Church, both with regard to the creation of new bishops and the blessing of same-sex relationships. Unless they can be persuaded otherwise, it seems certain the move will irrevocably split the Church, ending the Anglican Communion and creating an alternative alliance between Africa and conservatives in the US."

Flying in the face of conservative African church leaders, Williams said: "I do not assume that homosexual inclination is a disease...violence against gay and lesbian people is inexcusable. Gay and lesbian people have a place in the Church as do all the baptised."

The Telegraph added: "Dr Williams also said that the American Church faces 'no ultimatum' to end its stance on gays, which includes the ordination of the openly homosexual Bishop of New Hampshire three years ago. His words will force the African church leaders to decide whether to leave the Anglican Church or accept that the American Church cannot be forced to stop appointing gay bishops."

At this point, a compromise between the warring factions looks unlikely. Though the damage may already be done: "If Anglicanism continues on the path of slow but steady splintering, it will effectively do as much harm as a formal schism. Anglicans in Africa, who derive much of their stature from their global ties, will become just another church. The 2.2 million-member Episcopal Church, which has played such a central role in U.S. history, will also be marginalized. 'If that happens, people will say, 'This wasn't much of a church anyway,'' said Ephraim Radner, an evangelical Anglican and a theology professor at Wycliffe College in Toronto. 'The results will be the disappearance and dissolution of Anglicans as a whole in North America.'"

[Rowan's Anglican website still states that gay people are incompatable with scripture. So he really isn't that supportive.]

Meeting Held on Potential Anglican-Episcopal Split Over Gay Issues

In closed-door talks with the archbishop of Canterbury, Episcopal leaders are confronting demands that they roll back their support for gay priests or lose their place in the world Anglican fellowship.

Archbishop Rowan Williams, the Anglican spiritual leader, suggested Thursday that Episcopalians show greater concern about the impact of their decisions on the wider Anglican Communion, according to Canon Jim Naughton, spokesman for the Diocese of Washington. He asked Episcopal bishops ''how far they were willing to go,'' Naughton said, to preserve the communion, a 77-million-member group of churches with roots in the Church of England.

''He made it clear that he believed the Episcopal Church had acted preemptively in consecrating Bishop Robinson,'' Naughton said.

Williams doesn't have the direct authority to force concessions from the 2.2 million-member Episcopal Church, so he has been struggling to keep the communion from breaking apart. Episcopal bishops implored him to attend their meeting here so they could explain their views in person.

Canon James Rosenthal, a spokesman for Williams, said that in the first few hours of the meeting alone, about 25 of the more than 100 participating bishops had a chance to discuss their concerns directly with the archbishop.

Williams, 57, was enthroned as archbishop of Canterbury in 2003 with a record of some support for gay priests. But as leader of the entire communion, he has operated with the understanding that most Anglicans believe the Bible bars gay relationships.

He recently told Time magazine he found it ''bizarre and puzzling'' that Episcopalians consecrated a bishop who is ''living in a relationship not theologically officially approved by the church.''

Anglican Head Says 'Compromise' on Gay Issue Is Key

The archbishop of Canterbury indicated Friday that the Episcopal Church isn't on the brink of losing its place in the world Anglican fellowship, despite the uproar over Episcopal support for gay clergy.

Anglican leaders, called primates, had set a September 30 deadline for the Americans to pledge unequivocally not to consecrate another gay bishop or approve an official prayer service for gay couples. Episcopal bishops have dedicated their meeting here to crafting a response.

But after two days of private talks with Episcopal leaders, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, the Anglican spiritual leader, said ''there is no ultimatum involved.'' The goal, he said, is ''compromise.''

''It's been presented sadly as a set of demands,'' Williams said in a news conference before he left. ''I don't think that what was in the primates' minds. In fact, I'm sure it isn't.''

Over the past four years, Anglican leaders have held emergency summits and private negotiations, trying to prevent differences over gay issues from shattering the Anglican Communion. ''This has consequences for the full participation of the church in the life of the communion,'' the primates said, in the document they approved in Africa.

Williams acknowledged that ''some primates would give a more robust interpretation of the demands, some less.'' But the archbishop said the Sept. 30 date was chosen simply to coincide with the meeting this month of the Episcopal House of Bishops.

Williams will work with Anglican leaders and with members of the Anglican Consultative Council, an international lay-clergy panel, in evaluating whatever statement Episcopal bishops make before they end their gathering Tuesday.

Pittsburgh bishop Robert Duncan, head of a network of conservative Episcopal dioceses that are considering splitting from the Episcopal Church, said that Williams is ''de-emphasizing the ultimatum piece to try to get the best results'' from American leaders.

''A great number of the primates see that deadline very much as a real deadline,'' Duncan said, ''just as many of us had.''

Nigerian archbishop, foe of Episcopal gay clergy, preaches obedience

Nigerian Archbishop Peter Akinola, a strong critic of Episcopal support for gay clergy, said unity in the Anglican Church can come only when people are obedient to the word of the Gospel.

Akinola's remarks in a sermon in Wheaton, Ill., Sunday coincided with debate among Episcopal bishops meeting in New Orleans over how to answer a request by senior Anglican bishops. The bishops have asked that the U.S. church not approve an official prayer service for gay couples and stop consecrating gay bishops.

Akinola did not mention the New Orleans meeting or differences in the Anglican Communion over homosexuality, but said he believes divisions in the church spring from people straying from the Gospel as it's written. ''Unity, yes, but before that, transformation that can only come from the power of the word of God,'' Akinola said, addressing about 2,000 people at a gathering of churches called the Midwest Anglican Awakening.

Last week, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, the Anglican spiritual leader, said the goal is to find a compromise with the U.S. church, which holds a more liberal view of Scripture than most Anglicans overseas. Chief Jimmy Delano, an organizer of Sunday's event on the campus of Wheaton College, said he did not know whether Akinola had met with Williams.

Protester Gini Lester, a lesbian and church member, said Akinola is trying to draw churches away from the U.S. Episcopal Church, which is moving toward greater tolerance and openness toward issues important to gays. ''I don't think he needs to be preaching hate,'' Lester said.

The Rev. Liz Steadman, Episcopal chaplain at Northwestern University, also among the protesters, said the chapel where Akinola preached is named for her grandfather, Victor Raymond Edman, a former president of Wheaton College. ''It just made it even more personal to us,'' said Steadman, a lesbian in a committed relationship. ''We stand here firm in our conviction that the Gospel stands for justice and for love.''

No Gays in Iran

“In Iran we don’t have homosexuals like in your country. In Iran we do not have this phenomenon. I don’t know who’s told you that we have this.”

- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, speaking at Columbia University in NYC on Monday

Corruption in Iraq?

“The problems were so severe that I fear they could represent a culture of corruption.”

Rep. IKE SKELTON, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, after military officials announced Thursday that $88 billion in contracts and programs were being audited for "financial irregularities"

All Saints IRS investigation over

The leader of a liberal church that came under scrutiny by the Internal Revenue Service said it no longer faces the imminent loss of its tax-exempt status because of an anti-war sermon delivered days before the 2004 presidential election.

The Rev. J. Edwin Bacon Jr. told the congregants at All Saints Episcopal Church on Sunday that the IRS has closed a lengthy investigation into a speech by the church's former rector, Rev. George F. Regas.

In the sermon, Regas did not urge parishioners to support President Bush or Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., but was critical of the Iraq war and Bush's tax cuts.

Federal tax codes prohibit churches and other tax-exempt institutions from endorsing or opposing political candidates.

Pasadena church wants apology from IRS

The Internal Revenue Service has told a prominent Pasadena church that it has ended its lengthy investigation into a 2004 antiwar sermon, church leaders said Sunday.
But the agency wrote in its letter to All Saints Episcopal Church that officials still considered the sermon to have been illegal, prompting the church to seek clarification, a corrected record and an apology from the IRS, the church's rector told standing-room-only crowds of parishioners at Sunday's services.

The church also has asked the Treasury Department, which oversees the IRS, to investigate allegations that officials from the Justice Department had become involved in the matter, raising concerns that the investigation was politically motivated.

"To be sure, we are pleased that the IRS exam is over," the Rev. J. Edwin Bacon Jr. said in his 9 a.m. sermon, which was interrupted several times by applause. "However, the main issue of protecting the freedom of this church and other religious communities to worship according to the dictates of their conscience and core values is far from accomplished."

Rudy Giuliani: The Party Bender

About a year before the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Rudy Giuliani donned a wig and a dress so he could squeal with girlish delight when real estate mogul Donald Trump nuzzled his fake breasts. It was a harmless comedy sketch for the charity dinner of the Inner Circle of City Hall, a press club for New York City reporters. But the mayor's antics spoke directly to his notable comfort with all things gender-bending and socially liberal. A few months later, after his estranged second wife, Donna Hanover, kicked him out of the mayor's residence, he moved in with two close friends, a wealthy gay couple. According to one of the men, Howard Koeppel, Giuliani even agreed to marry the men "if they ever legalize gay marriage."

As mayor, Giuliani marched in gay pride parades, and after he left office he continued to keep up relations with the community, even penning a 2002 letter to one gay group to commemorate the "triumph" of the 1969 Stonewall riots, when the New York gay community fought back against a police raid of a Greenwich Village gay bar.

Since becoming a presidential candidate, however, Giuliani has tried to distance himself from his socially liberal past. On the stump, he now emphasizes his opposition to same-sex marriage, though he also opposes a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage, putting him in the same camp as most of the Democratic presidential candidates. In April, his campaign came out against New Hampshire's civil union law, even though Giuliani says he continues to support domestic partnerships that give gay and lesbian couples legal rights similar to those of marriage. Giuliani has dodged the issue of gays in the military, by saying "now isn't the time" to revisit the policy, given the war in Iraq. He pushed for a hate-crimes law in New York to punish crimes motivated by homophobia, but he has dodged questions about his support for the federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act, or ENDA. As for the Supreme Court, Giuliani says he plans to appoint judges to the Supreme Court in the mold of Antonin Scalia, who wrote a famous dissent arguing that the government should have the right to prosecute sodomy between consenting adults.

The specific issues aside, Giuliani's candidacy is seen by religious conservatives as a direct threat. Were Giuliani to win the nomination, many conservative Christian leaders, including Focus on the Family president James Dobson, have promised to withhold their support, suggesting the potential defection of many of the "values voters" so crucial to GOP victories.

John McCain: The Almost Agnostic

Back in March, John McCain sat in the Straight Talk Express, fielding questions from reporters about his views on gay and lesbian issues. As the coach coursed through Iowa, the Arizona senator mostly dodged and weaved.

Had he ever dressed in drag during college? "No. At the Naval Academy, it was frowned on." Did he have an opinion on Vice President Cheney's lesbian daughter, Mary, having a child? "No opinion." What did he think about recent comments by Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, that homosexual acts were "immoral"? "He said he regretted those statements ... so I don't want to say I wished I had said them." What would he do if one of his own daughters said she was gay? "That's one that really is a family matter."

Though the exchange was not satisfying for the press, it aptly summarized McCain's approach to gay and lesbian issues. With rare exception, he has avoided engaging in the politics of sexuality through much of his political career, evidently because he doesn't really see much role for government in these matters. As he put it, "I've never talked about people's private lives or their personal conduct."

During his 2000 run for the White House, he fused this sentiment with sharp attacks on the right-wing evangelical elements of his own party, whom he dubbed "agents of intolerance" for stoking the culture war. "Political intolerance by any political party is neither a Judeo-Christian nor an American value," he said at the time in Virginia Beach, a military community that is also home to evangelist and erstwhile Republican presidential candidate Pat Robertson. "We are the party of Ronald Reagan, not Pat Robertson."

As he prepared for the 2008 campaign, McCain attempted to rebuild some of the bridges he had burned to the party's religious base, though he has had little tangible success. At Pastor Jerry Falwell's invitation, he spoke at Liberty University, where homosexual relations can begrounds for expulstion. In 2006, he supported an amendment to the Arizona Constitution to ban gay marriage, which failed at the ballot box.

In the Senate, McCain has been an ardent opponent of a federal constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage, arguing his case on federalist grounds. "The constitutional amendment we're debating today strikes me as antithetical in every way to the core philosophy of Republicans," he declared in 2004. "It usurps from the states a fundamental authority." McCain has declined to take sides in the debate over civil unions in New Hampshire, though in the past, he has voted against the inclusion of sexual orientation in hate-crime laws. He also supports the current "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy in the military and opposes ENDA, because he thinks it could "open a floodgate of litigation." That said, there is little doubt that a McCain presidency would avoid any crusades against gay and lesbian rights. For this reason, among others, Focus on the Family's Dobson has also promised not to vote Republican if McCain wins the party's nomination.

Ron Paul: The Libertarian

Rep. Ron Paul of Texas sees the issue of homosexuality, as he sees most things, through the lens of his strict interpretation of the Constitution. He believes that government's role is to stay out of the lives of citizens. It follows, therefore, that he is against a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. In fact, he is not even sure that government needs to be involved in marriage in the first place. "Marriage only came about, and getting licenses only came about -- in recent history for health reasons," said Paul, who is a medical doctor, in a "Values Voter Debate" on Sept. 17. "True Christians, I believe, believe that marriage is a church function, not a state function. It's not a state function. I don't think you need a license to get married. We should define it."

This door swings both ways. He is also against federal laws that could protect gays and lesbians from discrimination, including hate-crime laws and ENDA. He says the current Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy is "a decent policy." If Paul becomes president, it is a safe bet that he will not do much to help or hinder the cause of gay and lesbian rights. "All individuals have the right to their life if they do no harm," he said at the debate, before a deeply religious crowd. "You don't try to do a whole lot about it."

Fred Thompson: The Third Way

During his announcement tour in early September, Fred Thompson told reporters that he had found a third way through the thicket of the gay marriage debate. He would not support amending the Constitution to ban gay marriage. But he did support amending the Constitution to prevent state or federal judges from legalizing marriage without the consent of state legislatures. He also wanted to amend the Constitution to make it clear that a same-sex marriage in one state did not have to be honored by any other states. "There have been no state legislatures that have affirmatively allowed gay marriages in the United States," he said on Sept. 7, as his campaign bus barreled through northern Iowa. "It's a judge-made problem."

His timing was unfortunate, because on the same day Thompson spoke those words, the California Legislature approved a bill to give gays and lesbians the right to marry, though the bill is likely to be vetoed by the governor. But Thompson's intent was clear. He was staking out a position to the right of Giuliani and McCain, without abandoning his belief that states should have autonomy to do what they want in a federal system. "A marriage is between a man and a woman, and that has been accepted through the millennia as the basis of civilization," he said. "But I am also a federalist."

At an event in Sioux City, he was asked by a voter to explain what he would do about sexual "deviancy." Again, he said government should take a mostly hands-off approach. "Society's position and the government position, and what the government ought to do to exercise the power of the federal government, is not necessarily the same thing," he said. On other gay-rights issues, he generally toes the larger Republican Party line. He opposes hate-crime laws to protect gays, opposes ENDA, and supports the military's policy as it stands today.

In his short time as a candidate, Thompson has seemed to downplay most social issues. He is hesitant to speak about his own religion. Though he grew up in the Church of Christ, he does not regularly attend church in his present-day hometown of McLean, Va. Predictably, these positions are not good enough for the Focus on the Family's Dobson. "Isn't Thompson the candidate who is opposed to a Constitutional amendment to protect marriage, believes there should be 50 different definitions of marriage in the U.S.?" Dobson wrote in a recent e-mail to supporters. "Not for me!"

Mitt Romney: The Switch-Hitter

This is a tough guy to figure out. More than any other top-tier Republican, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romenyhas been running aggressively as the best candidate to protect the "traditional family" from the onslaught of gay and lesbian marriage. Back in 2005, Romney traveled to South Carolina to make his case. "Today same-sex couples are marrying under the law in Massachusetts," he warned a Republican crowd. "Some are actually having children born to them. We've been asked to change their birth certificates to remove the phrase 'Mother and Father,' and replace it with 'Parent A and Parent B.' It's not right on paper. It's not right in fact. Every child has a right to a mother and a father."

Strong words indeed. But Romney's own paper record tells a different story. Back when he ran for the U.S. Senate in 1994, he told the voters of Massachusetts that he would be a better leader for the gay community than his rival, incumbent Democrat Ted Kennedy. "I am more convinced than ever before that as we seek to establish full equality for America's gay and lesbian citizens, I will provide more effective leadership than my opponent," he wrote in a letter just before the election. In a debate with Kennedy, he said anyone should be able to participate in the Boy Scouts "regardless of sexual orientation." Back then, he supported adding sexual orientation to employment nondiscrimination laws. He called Don't Ask, Don't Tell the "first of a number of steps that will ultimately lead to gays and lesbians being able to serve openly and honestly in our nation's military." As recently as 2002, his campaign distributed a pink flier to celebrate Pride Weekend. "All citizens deserve equal rights regardless of their sexual preference," the flier read.

In more recent years, he has become one of the nation's most public supporters of amending the Constitution to ban gay marriage, even testifying before Congress on the issue. He has come out against ENDA and announced that he supports the current military policy as it stands.

In other areas, he has not completely reversed himself. In recent interviews, he has defended his appointment of gay judges as governor and maintained that he supports contractual domestic partnership benefits for gay couples. "There are other ways we raise kids, and that's fine -- single moms, grandparents raising kids, gay couples raising kids," he said at a high school in Concord, N.H., in June. "That's the American way to have people have their freedom of choice."

The Romney record on these issues is such a muddle that his performance in the White House is difficult to predict. On the one hand, he is clearly willing to exploit the culture war for political ends and make common cause with those parts of the Republican Party most opposed to homosexual rights. He has also reversed his positions on several major issues, like gays in the military and employment discrimination, when there was a political advantage to be gained. On the other hand, his history on the issues suggests that the ties to his new friends do not run deep. "If people are looking for people who are anti-gay, they aren't going to find that with me," he said at one stop in Iowa this year. "But I am going to fight to protect traditional marriage."

Mike Huckabee: The Kinder, Gentler Evangelical

As he travels around the country, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee likes to offer this two-line joke. "I'm a conservative," he says. "I'm just not angry about it." The phrase aptly describes his approach to gay and lesbian issues. In substance, the ordained Baptist minister matches up with most on the religious right in opposing reforms that would permit gay marriage. He says he will lead a effort to pass a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, opposes hate-crimes bills and ENDA, and supports continuing the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy. As governor, he led a state effort to pass a constitutional amendment defining marriage as a heterosexual union.

But on the trail, he tries to avoid coming off like a proselytizing preacher, downplaying his faith-based disapproval of homosexuality. "I want us to be very careful that we don't come across as having some animosity or hatred toward people, even [those] whose lifestyles are inexplicable to us," he said at the Values Voter Debate. In stump speeches, he often makes only passing reference to "traditional family" issues. He has told reporters that he is open to state-sponsored civil unions that would bestow the legal rights of marriage on gay and lesbian couples.

At the same time, his language for describing homosexuality can sometimes hit a wrong note. During a New Hampshire debate in June, he referred to homosexuality as an "attitude." He also supported a state ban on gay couples becoming foster parents in Arkansas. "That whole issue is more about the gay couple than it is the child. And I think that is the mistake," he said in a January interview. "I feel that we have got to do what is best for the child. I am not sure that putting them in an atmosphere that is still pretty controversial, or still anything but the mainstream, is the ideal situation for the child."

Tom Tancredo: The One-Issue Candidate

The campaign of Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo is so devoted to a single issue -- ending illegal immigration -- that he hardly speaks about anything else. That said, he takes a hard-line view of most policy matters concerning homosexuality. "We have to remember that we are always just one kooky judge away from actually having homosexual marriage forced on all the rest of us," he warned at the Values Voter Debate on Sept. 17.

He supports a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage, opposes ENDA and hate-crimes laws for sexual orientation, and once voted to prevent the District of Columbia from offering domestic partnership benefits to homosexual employees. But he rarely brings up the issue while campaigning. When asked recently how he would deal with the "homosexual agenda," he responded with a quasi-libertarian argument. "The president of the United States simply can't make a rule, sign an executive order, changing the morality of the country," he said at the debate. "It can't happen that way. You do so by leadership."

Duncan Hunter: The Straight Man

On the campaign trail, California Rep. Duncan Hunter boasts of having led the opposition to gays serving openly in the military. "I think it's only because we have been able to resist that particular attempt that we have the very best military in the world today," Hunter told the Values Voter Debate.

Hunter is among those few Republican candidates who advance the concept that homosexuality itself is immoral. To explain his opposition to ENDA, he says the Boy Scouts have a right to ban gay scout leaders. He is against hate-crime laws for sexual orientation and in favor of a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. "Every American family should have the right to say it's a matter of moral principle that we do not accept homosexual activity," he said at the debate.

Sam Brownback: Defender of the "Family"

Soft-spoken and sincere, Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback has fashioned himself as the Senate's most outspoken opponent of same-sex marriage. He has spent hours on the floor of the Senate with charts showing the declining rate of heterosexual marriage in Scandinavian countries, where gay unions have been sanctioned for years, arguing that any redefinition of marriage in the United States could have devastating consequences on heterosexual monogamy.

A Catholic convert, Brownback has made marriage and abortion the two central issues of his campaign. At the Values Voter Debate, he criticized President George W. Bush for failing to spend more political capital on passing a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex couples from marrying. "I wish President Bush would have led on it," Brownback said.

When Gen. Peter Pace called homosexuality "immoral," Brownback was one of the few Republicans to offer his public support. "It was part of his faith, and he believed that this was the right thing to stand up for," Brownback said. "And I stood up for General Pace, because we should stand up for other people when they will stand up for these basics." He is against ENDA and hate-crime legislation and supports the current military policy on homosexuality.

In the wake of the Pace controversy, a reporter asked him to describe his feelings about homosexuality. "I do not believe being a homosexual is immoral, but I do believe homosexual acts are," he told the Associated Press. "The church has clear teachings on this."

Alan Keyes: The Lord's Messenger

A perennial political candidate and former State Department employee, Keyes announced his candidacy in mid-September. It has all the markings of a moral crusade, with gays and lesbians in the crosshairs. "Abandon God with respect to the family, and we have no claims to rights," he announced at the Values Voter Debate, during a discussion of same-sex marriage. He has called homosexuality the practice of "hedonistic self-gratification," and described Vice President Dick Cheney's lesbian daughter Mary as a "selfish hedonist." After his own daughter, Maya Marcel-Keyes, announced she was a lesbian, she said he stopped funding her college education.

Keyes' last turn in the spotlight came with his 2004 campaign for the U.S. Senate against Barack Obama. After losing in a landslide, Keyes refused to congratulate Obama, saying the Democrat stood for "a culture evil enough to destroy the very soul and heart of my country."

Dick

"I learned early on that if you don't want your memos to get you in trouble some day, just don't write any."

Vice President Dick Cheney, who added that his "files are pretty thin"

California Gays Hold Statewide Marriage Protest

From Bakersfield to Ukiah thousands of California gays and lesbians staged demonstrations Tuesday night calling on Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to rethink his threatened veto of same-sex marriage legislation. The biggest protests were in Los Angeles and San Francisco where many same-sex couples brought their children to urge the governor to show understanding for the problems gay families encounter without marriage equality.

On Monday Schwarzenegger announced he would veto the bill passed by the legislature earlier this month. The Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act is almost identical to legislation passed in 2005 and vetoed by Schwarzenegger.

It would amend the Family Code to define marriage as a civil contract between two persons instead of a civil contract between a man and a woman. The measure also reaffirms that no religious institution would ever be required to solemnize marriages contrary to its fundamental beliefs.

California law already permits same-sex couples to register with the state as domestic partners, affording them hundreds of state protections. However, same-sex couples in California and their families still are not eligible for more than a thousand federal protections offered to married couples, including family and medical leave, social security benefits, long-term care insurance and the ability to sponsor a partner for immigration benefits.

The city of San Francisco and 15 gay and lesbian couples are in California's Supreme Court seeking the overturn of the law. A number of cities in the state already have filed amicus, or "friend-of-the-court" briefs supporting the challenge - among them Los Angeles, San Jose, Long Beach and Oakland.

The California Supreme court is expected to hear oral arguments in the case late this year or early in 2008.

Maryland

"Eventually, Maryland will have civil marriage equality for same-sex couples."

DAN FURMANSKY, executive director of Equality Maryland, expressing hope after the state's highest court ruled Tuesday that banning gay marriage doesn't discriminate against gay couples