Robinson described his talk as part "pep rally," exhorting
his audience to increase their efforts toward homosexual inclusion in the
Episcopal Church. Robinson clearly countered the international Anglican Communion's
Windsor Report, which calls the Episcopal Church to repent of its hasty homosexual
advances three years ago, declaring, "No matter how much is being asked of
us by this convention, God asks of us even more."
"The Spirit of God is that part of God which refuses to be contained...God
won't just stay put, and God won't let you and me stay put, content to believe
the things we've always believed," said Robinson. "Remember how we used to
think of ourselves, that we believed the church when we were told we were
abominations."
"And then," said Robinson-his audience rapt in the Gothic
church, a shiny-baldheaded priest with earring seated beside a skinny goateed
man, an elderly hippie couple here, a rather austere looking man in clerical
collar there, a row of women with colorful clothing and activist buttons,
all heeding the call-"the Spirit of God went through us like wind...and
we were saved, quite literally born again."
Bishop Robinson was presented with the Louie Crew Award by Rev. Russell on
behalf of Integrity for his notable accomplishment as the first gay bishop.
Virtue Online spoke with Dr. Crew after the Homosexual Eucharist on Friday
evening. Louie Crew founded Integrity in 1974 as a caucus for "full inclusion
of LGBT persons in the Episcopal Church and our equal access to its rites."
Asked how the movement he founded had become so successful, Crew replied,
"I only listen to the Holy Spirit. It's much bigger than I am, and I knew
that right at the beginning." (The Holy Spirit
would never tell anyone something contrary to what the Bible says nor would
he want homosexuals within the church to remain in their homosexual lifestyle.)
Crew suggested that inclusion is not the issue in the Episcopal Church today,
and that the new frontier of the gay ministry is to expand its own
movement within the church. "It's never been a movement to get into
the church. It's already done that. It's a movement to bring others
to it."
In essence, homosexuals are now using their place in the Episcopal Church
as a witness in order to convert others to homosexuality. Including bisexuals
means they are next.
It is a new day in the Episcopal Church, according to Crew.
The homosexual movement, he said, is "going to work this out by wiring the
circuits." Citing an example from the Gospel, Crew paraphrased the words of
Christ as they relate to the homosexual cause: "I'm talking about being given
a new spirit."
And indeed a very different spirit was on show at Trinity Episcopal Church
on Friday than the one recognizable to the founders of that church nearly
190 years ago.
Jude 1:17-19 says, "But beloved, remember ye
the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ;
How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should
walk after their own ungodly lusts. These be they who separate themselves,
sensual, having not the Holy Spirit."
1 Corinthians 6:9-11 also says, "Know ye not
that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived:
neither fornicators, nor idolators, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers
of mankind. nor thieves nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners,
shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you:
but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the
name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God."
(So if a homosexual is saved and born
again, the Holy Spirit would convict him or her of the sin of homosexuality
and would not want the saved person to convert others to the practice of homosexuality.)