U.S. Episcopal Church Bows to Gay Pressure, Deletes ‘Husband and Wife’ From Marriage Liturgy

My Mother was Church of England. When she came to the States, she didn't realise that the Episcopal Church was the 'American Branch of the CofE', so I was 'baptised' in the Presbyterian Church. I put baptised in inverted commas because what was done was to dip a rosebud in water and tap my head three times. I had that corrected as soon as I became aware of what Christian Baptism is.

After my Dad died, and Mum remarried, I became a Methodist, willy-nilly. There were only two churches in our town, the First Methodist Church, founded by my new Dad's family, and St Malachy's Catholic Church. It was at First Methodist that I was Baptised in valid form.

When I was 12 or 13, I found my Grandmother Oxley's (my Mum's Mum) 1662 Book of Common Prayer. It was a beautiful little book, bound in suede leather, with laces to tie it closed, and a snap closure pocket for your shilling for the collection. It had 'Hymns Ancient&Modern' bound at the back, 'Hymns A&M' was a 'High Church' hymnal that had grown out of the Oxford Movement, which had produced Bld. John Henry Newman and Frederick William Faber, the author of 'Faith of Our Fathers'.

I fell in love with the language and the hymns. This led me to being confirmed as an Anglican when I was 16. I belonged to a very 'Anglo-Catholic' Parish, which celebrated the Eucharist from the 1928 BCP, but added elements of the Tridentine Mass translated into English. I later became a member of a Parish that used the 'Anglican Missal', basically the Tridentine Mass in English, with elements from the BCP retained.

Then, in the late 1960's, the Episcopal Church began to change. The Church of England, in years past, had been known as the 'Tory Party at Prayer', and the American Church adapted that to the 'Republican Party at Prayer'. In the 60's tho', liberalism began to take over. The National Church began contributing to marxist groups like the Black Panthers.

There was so great an outcry that they instituted the 'Presiding Bishop's Special Collection' for such anti-Christian contributions. Thus, anyone who objected could simply not give to the 'Special Collection'.

Then, at about the same time, the Episcopal Church approved the 'ordination' of women as deacons. Whilst we were assured that women's 'ordination' to the priesthood would never be approved, I realised the dam had burst. The diaconate is the first order of the priesthood, along with priests and bishops. Once women could be deacons, there remained no logical or theological reason they couldn't be 'ordained' to the two higher orders.

As I was contemplating leaving, a friend tried to convince me to stay, arguing that women would never be priests. I told him that I had prayed and fought for the traditional Anglican Faith for too long, and that it was lost. I became Orthodox in 1973. In 1976, shortly after the Episcopalians had officially approved of female 'priests', I ran into Bill. He, his family, his parish, and their pastor had all become Orthodox as well. He just shook his head and said, 'I know. You told me!'

Over the ensuing years, the Episcopal Church continued its march to the left, becoming the 'Democratic Party at Prayer', and in the process losing about 40% of its membership. After the female 'priests' we were assured would never happen came female 'bishops'. Then the 'blessing of same sex couples' and , now after the abomination of same sex 'marriage' has been 'legalised' by the fiat of nine unelected dictators, this. 

I miss the beauty of Anglicanism, the liturgy, the music, the ethos, but I thank God that I was driven out of the Anglican Church, and at the end of my journey, found the One, Holy, Roman, Catholic, and Apostolic Church founded by Christ and the only True Faith!

From LifeSiteNews

May 2, 2018 (LifeSiteNews) – The Church of England is torn over plans by the The Episcopal Church (TEC) in the United States to efface the terms “husband” and “wife” – as well as references to “procreation” – from its marriage liturgy.  

The change is meant to make the church’s marriage ceremonies more “gay-friendly.” Gay and lesbian Episcopalians have complained that the language of the current liturgy is offensive and exclusionary.  

The move prompted a critical response from Church of England Secretary General William Nye last October, strongly urging the TEC to reconsider. The letter threatened to cut ties with the U.S. church if it adopts the planned gender-neutral, replacing the current wording in its Book of Common Prayer.

“The new service removes the phrase ‘the union of husband and wife’ and replaces it with ‘the union of two people,’” according to a report in the U.K. Telegraph. It also “replaces the section which talks about part of God's intention for marriage being ‘for the procreation of children’ with the phrase ‘for the gift of children’ to make it more relevant for same-sex couples who may wish to adopt.”

Since then, the Bishop of Buckingham, Alan Wilson, along with 30 of the 483 members of the Anglican Church’s ruling synod, have stepped forward to support the TEC revised marriage liturgy, opposing the Church of England’s (CofE) leadership.

An Anglican LGBT advocacy group, One Body One Faith, has also penned an open letter blasting Nye for upholding the immutable nature of marriage as solely between a man and a woman.  

The letter states that the TEC in the U.S., which plans to make the marriage liturgy gender neutral, is “courageous, just, and Christ-like” and the CofE’s insistence on maintaining the definition of marriage has produced “anger, frustration and disappointment.”

The letter further suggests that the CofE’s upholding of Church doctrine represents a “refusal to listen” and is “the single biggest missional disaster of our generation.”  

“It should not need saying, but it bears repeating,” the letter continued. “No one is attracted to a group of Christians who profess the love of Christ but seem incapable of recognizing it in the loving, committed relationships of two people. These matters are not disconnected.”

“Dating as far back as 1976, the Episcopal Church has engulfed itself in controversy surrounding its goal of becoming a radically inclusive church, regardless of Biblical doctrine,” ChristianJournal.net reported, as it has made acceptance and incorporation of homosexuality and transgenderism a priority.  

Currently, TEC in the U.S. permits LGBT clergy members and for gay couples to wed in the church.  

Read the full One Body One Faith letter here.