Last week, the California Supreme Court ruled that a Newport Beach Episcopal congregation which broke away from the church over the issue of the ordination of gay priest had no right to the physical property of the church, which they found belonged to the diocese.
Enter Rick Warren, who offered not just his support and encouragement over the church’s schism, but also invited the Newport Beach congregation to use the Saddleback Church as a meeting space.
Warren writes to Christianity Today:
“.. [The Episcopal Church has] already considered me an adversary after partnering on projects with Kolini, Orumbi, and Nzimbi, and writing the TIME bio on Akinola.
But since last summer… I’ve been on Gene Robinson and other’s attack list for my position on gay marriage. ….[Our] brothers and sisters here at St. James in Newport Beach lost their California State Supreme Court case to keep their property.
We stand in solidarity with them, and with all orthodox, evangelical Anglicans. I offer the campus of Saddleback Church to any Anglican congregation who need a place to meet, or if you want to plant a new congregation in south Orange County.”
As constant Queerty readers know, your editor is a member of the Episcopal Church, so is a little biased, but no matter who you are, the fact that Warren is meddling in the affairs of other churches should be incredibly troubling, no matter what the issue is. It’s hard to see how anyone could see Rev. Warren as an inclusive figure when he spends his time and energy trying to exacerbate tensions within other people’s churches.
Box Turtle Bulletin writes:
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
“It is now time for the Episcopal Church to make a formal protest to the President Elect. Rick Warren cannot invoke blessing on a nation if he is seeking to divide a denomination of which he is not even a part.”
And we agree. Warren is free to hold whatever bigoted personal views he wants– and to preach them to whomever wants to listen, but the Saddleback Church leader isn’t content with defending his own view of marriage– he’s working to tear apart a church whose definition of marriage isn’t as close-minded as his own.
A.S.
Yet another reason that all organized religions should be disolved. Just my opinion though.
The Gay Numbers
Cool- I personally think he’s making a big mistake here.
emb
I totally agree, A.S. And also another reason for Obama to change his mind about who he asked to recite a little address to an invisible friend in the sky as well. Not only is Rick officially on record as opposing the civil rights of a small but significant bloc of Barack’s supporters, he’s taken up the medieval side in the Episcopal church’s little schism. Way to champion change, Barack. Thanks.
michael
Give it time boys and girls, this fat bastard will end up just like Anita Bryant. You cannot preach hate, you cannot obsessively seek out to control and destroy the lives of others without destroying yourself because when we seek to destroy others we are actually seeking to destroy the part of ourselves we see in them. He might do some damage, he might inflict some wounds, but he will go down eventually in pathetic disgrace. Its just a matter of time.
kevin
Nice “prison pussy”, Warren. Goatees are so 90s.
I wonder what Warren’s “plenty of gay friends” are saying to him about sheltering homo-hating Episcopalians? Oh wait! He made that shit up…nevermind.
Robert, NYC
@emb:
We may be a small voting block but without our vote, the Dems would have a hard time getting elected. Its time they stopped taking our important votes for granted and time we started to take them to task once and for all. Either deliver or lose us. They need to be put on notice, Obama included, and NOW!
Bob
You go Barack!!! Now your all inclusive preacher has made a new set of enemies. It’s not only us queer folk’s feathers he’s ruffled; now he’s going to make bad blood with the Episcopalians. My gay, Episcopalian husband will be so happy!!!
stevenelliot
Warren is merely filling his treasure chest with more donations. Clearly the board of saddleback church sat down and made a monetary decision to go after this group of self-exiled Anglicans. I can hear it now= “Lets get those Episcopalians to join our church! They can rent space. They will donate funds. They’re going to hell, but God said it was OK to take their money”
All this because of us queers.
Jesus threw the money changers out of the temple for a reason, but that was a long time ago. The religious right makes too much cash on our misery, degradation, and suppression to ever give up on us. Unfortunately and ironically, we have a symbiotic relationship with the religious/political zealots of this planet.
The only way to win our war, that we have fought since man came out of the mud in Africa, is to make us unprofitable to them. Gays need to become an economic liability.
That’s the conundrum……how do we do it????
The Rev. William J. Schneider
Perhaps now President-elect Obama will understand why there has been so much objection to his having Rick Warren appear at the Inauguration. Anyone who peddles divisiveness and hatefulness does not deserve to be on the platform with the President-elect on Inauguration Day.
Merlin
When religionists like Mr RW, work against each other legally like this, dissembling each others sanctuaries even, what hope is there for any of us to engage with any religious homophobic bigot in a coherent conversation about real issues?
Thomas
Speaking as an Episcopalian, Rick Warren’s version of Christianity represents everything our denomination tends to look down our noses at. By all means let the recently evicted bigots at St. James spend time at his trashy mega-church. Otherwise, good luck building a new church. I’m sure land prices in Newport Beach are affordable *snicker*
Charles J. Mueller
@michael:
I am in total agreement with you, Michael. What you put out to the Universe comes right back at you.
What’s the old expression? Give a man enough rope and he’ll hang himself.
He’s already stuck his neck in the noose. It’s just a matter of time before someone kicks the stool out from under his feet.
bb
Jesus, fuck him. I’m doing my best to be cool-headed about his little invocation piece of shit over here (my philosophy: why do I care if the liar is also ignorant? at least if he doesn’t have a cabinet post) and he goes and fucking does this shit. Doesn’t he have any political savvy? Fucking-a. Esp. after the GMCW and the gay Episcopal bishop, I really think/hope Obama’s not out to screw us, but why do his (very weird) choices have no equivalent political savvy. Fuck.
kevin57
If this sad excuse for a representative of Jesus were going after ANY other group besides gays, he would have been thrown under the political bus a long time ago.
That said, wouldn’t Obama’s handlers have told the Rev. Idiot to keep his big fat mouth shut at least until after the inauguration. Geesh!
BrianPrince
To be quite honest, I don’t see how Warren and the splitting congregations aren’t two peas in a pod.
Warren vehemently opposes gay-equality.
The separation is in result to the approval of gay bishops… the church congregations are, in effect, voicing their dissatisfaction with the Episcopal Church for supporting gays.
How is Warren opposing gays, and these congregations opposing gays, NOT the same thing?
R.W.
@Robert, NYC: I absolutely and wholeheartedly agree.
R.W.
@stevenelliot: We do it by not contributing to these churches, by not being employed by these churches, and by boycotting businesses run and owned by people who support these churches.
TD Hines
Joseph Lowery’s benediction at the inauguration is much more profound that Warren’s invocation. Can we please give Rev. Lowery some credit?!
Bob Conti
As a cradle Episcopalian now a parishoner at gay-inclusive St. Luke’s in Long Beach, I can only say that the St. James parishoners in Newport Beach, who would probably be the only ones looking for a new home in the OC, would be well-served at Warren’s mega church/Disneyland. St. James started as a mission for Santa Ana’s Messiah, also gay-friendly, and followed its liturgy even after it became a full-blown parish. Then, a bunch of evangelicals swooped in, and a lot of the old guard left because what they saw their parish becoming was repugnant. Personally, I say let them lease St. James from the L.A. Diocese. Having to write a check each month to Bishop Bruno (who has always supported gay rights including gay marriage) would probably make them all throw up a little in their mouths. We had a breakaway parish in Long Beach. A few of us were thinking of attending servies there with tape measurers and tell them we’re thinking of adding some curtains when we take over. I know, not very Christian, but stil…
Jack D
As the editor might wish to reflect on, the absence of a church home to the congregation of St. James of Newport Beach would render that congregation homeless. Sheltering the homeless is a traditional corporal act of mercy. I view Rev. Warren as particularly Christian in this action rather than “meddling in the affairs of other churches.” This “meddling” statement appears to be wildly histrionic.
Jeff
Call me a catty bitch, but if God really loved Rick Warren, why did he make him look like that. Jeez.
R.W.
St. James is not a homeless congregation. These folks are running away from home, and away from the discipline of the episcopate they at one time vowed to support. I hope they find peace, because I realize they wouldn’t be doing this if they were not troubled by what they perceive as their Church abandoning Truth. This is an old story in church history. It causes pain on all sides. But it is also a sign of growth into something new and better. I just wish some of these right-wing church people would not put so much energy into being anti-gay. In this day and age, it doesn’t seem to make any sense to me. If they want to cite tradition as their argument, why not go back to speaking only Greek and Hebrew, and following the commandments and life-style that was in vogue 2,000 years ago? Exactly, even these Orange County conservatives would not be able to justify their present-day lifestyles against such a measure. I hope one day they will be able to recognize their homosexual brothers and sisters as members of the human family.
Jack D
Yes, fleeing an abusive environment renders the congregation of St. James homeless. “The crisis in the Church of England,” wrote Clive James in The Dreaming Swimmer, “is that too many of its bishops, and some would say of its archbishops, don’t quite realize that they are atheists, but have begun to suspect it.”
R.W.
I certainly do not agree with the assessment made by Clive James. Let these people find peace where they can. Truth be told, bishops and archbishops have led people away from Jesus of Nazareth from the beginning of the establishment of the Church as an arm of the Roman government. Like I said before, this pain in the Church is nothing new.