PENNSYLVANIA: PASTORS SEEK LIABILITY INSURANCE AGAINST HATE SPEECH PROSECUTION

June 30, 2004 — WorldNetDaily reported today that Pennsylvania pastors are thinking about getting liability insurance to protect themselves against prosecution for preaching against homosexuality from the pulpit. They are reacting to Pennsylvania's recent addition of "sexual orientation" to the state's hate crime laws.

The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty has just sent a letter to 9,000 churches to assure them that the law, as currently written, will not criminalize preaching against homosexuality. The Becket Fund also vowed to defend any pastor for free if his religious freedom of speech is threatened.

Pastors fear that the definition of "harassment" in the newly-passed law, will eventually be expanded to include speaking critically of homosexuality from the pulpit.

According to Becket Fund President Kevin J. Hasson, "Although legislators expressly disavowed the motive at the time, one might be forgiven the impression that one purpose of this legislation was to generate a fear of prosecution among those who would preach and teach in favor of the traditional prohibition on homosexual behavior — a teaching so common to so many faiths."

The Slippery Slope

Laws adding "sexual orientation" to hate crime laws or laws preventing so-called "discrimination" against homosexuals, have been used in other nations to persecute individuals for speaking out against homosexuality or criticizing other religions.

In Canada, for example, a recently-passed hate crimes law (C-250) criminalizes speech if it incites hatred against any identifiable group. This law added "sexual orientation" to its hate crime law and left this term undefined.

The New York Post reported on March 2, 2004, that the hate crimes unit of the NYPD had been sent to view Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ," to see if it violated any state regulations against inciting hatred against Jewish persons.

In Australia, a Pakistani pastor who criticized Islam, is being persecuted for violating Victoria's hate crime law against "vilifying" other religions.

In California, under former Governor Gray Davis's administration, liberal school officials were pushing for the institution of thought crime patrols on junior high and high school campuses. These students or faculty members were to report any examples of "hate motivated incidents" that might be used against homosexuals. The individuals were to be punished for exercising freedom of speech on campus.

In England, an Anglican Bishop was under investigation for publicly suggesting that homosexuals needed to seek reparative therapy to overcome their same-sex attractions. The Bishop was to be charged under a hate crime statute.

These are only a few of many examples that would be cited of hate crime laws being used to stifle freedom of speech and religion around the world.

The recently-passed Kennedy/Smith hate crimes bill in the U.S. Senate is a building block that will be used by homosexual activists to expand the definition of what constitutes a hate crime. It will eventually be used to ban speech that is considered critical of homosexuals, bisexuals, cross-dressers, etc.

Read and distribute TVC's report, "Hate Crime Legislation: Unequal Protection Under The Law." Distribute the Senate Republican Policy Committee reports on the dangers of hate crime laws. The Kennedy/Hate crimes bill has not yet been signed into law. It must be reconciled in a House version of the defense authorization bill after the July 4th recess.

There is still time to defeat this legislation by having it stripped from the joint House/Senate version. Please contact your Representative immediately and ask that he or she vote to strip out the Kennedy/Smith hate crime bill (Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Act).

ACN MODERATOR APPLAUDS SUBMISSION OF INTER ANGLICAN AND ROMAN CATHOLIC COMMISSION ON UNITY AND MISSION

July 6, 2004

The Rt. Rev. Robert Duncan, Moderator of the Anglican Communion Network (ACN), today commended a document submitted to the Archbishop of Canterbury and Lambeth Commission by a sub-commission of the International Anglican-Roman Catholic Commission on Unity and Mission (IARCCUM).

The ad hoc sub-commission was initiated by Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams to address the current crisis in the Anglican Communion and its affect on the ecumenical community. At the center of its report is a repeated call for the national churches of the Anglican Communion to turn away from the "shibboleth of autonomy" and theological "local options" and toward relationships built on real unity and interdependence.

"The subcommittee's work is admirable and offers a thorough analysis of the grave ecumenical and inter-Anglican problems caused by ECUSA's decisions at General Convention 2003 as well as the consecration of V. Gene Robinson," said Bishop Duncan. "This document is particularly significant given the continuing unilateral actions of ECUSA leaders, such as the Bishop of North Carolina's recent decision to allow same sex blessings in his diocese," he added.

The sub-commission was appointed by Archbishop Williams and Cardinal Kasper of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. The group considered and addressed the concept of real "communion" in light of the consecration of V. Gene Robinson.

The document strongly asserts that "what one communion does has consequences for the other." It goes on to note that it is not autonomy, but "unity and interdependence" that are the essential building blocks of real communion. Both have been deeply undermined by Robinson's consecration. "How can a bishop whose ordination made him a cause of controversy (leading others to break communion with him and with those who consecrated him) represent the local community in the councils of the church? How can he mediate the unity of the universal Church to his diocese when he is at odds with large segments of the universal church?"

While ECUSA leadership claims the right of provincial autonomy, the sub-commission points to church history to refute such arguments. "Recalling the crises, councils and canons of the 4th century helps us to reflect on our current situation: in particular, on the role of the local bishop, and his relationship to the metropolitan and the universal Church, in safeguarding the unity of the Church. The practice of the 4th century, which shows that, in challenging situations, consultation and conciliarity alone are not always sufficient to sustain and protect ecclesial communion, may also suggest models for the Anglican Communion as it seeks to find a way forward."

In addition, the paper highlights the fact that actions such as ECUSA's and New Westminster's are destructive to the Church and were therefore ill-advised. "When fundamental changes arise which may impair the communion of the Church, then concern for others, mutual forbearance, deferring to others, putting the interest of others above one's own are marks of the way of communion. We ask whether these attitudes were shown towards all sections of the Anglican Communion and towards the holders of all shades of opinion in the Communion in the recent decisions of New Hampshire and New Westminster."

In their conclusion, the sub-commission illustrates the severe problems created by independent, unilateral actions in the name of autonomy that undermine the theological and moral teaching of Christianity. "If Anglican Dioceses or provinces were to embrace the notion of 'local option' for important decisions about the teaching of the Church in matters of faith and morals, and if bonds of communion were weakened in the direction of a federation of autonomous provinces rather than a relationship of mutual responsibility and interdependence, then our consensus on the ecclesiology of communion would be seriously undermined, and perhaps irreparably damaged."

Ecumenical fallout was swift following General Convention 2003 and the subsequent consecration of V. Gene Robinson. In the wake of strong criticism and controversy surrounding his support of Robinson, Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold resigned his position as Anglican co-chair of the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC) in November 2003, citing his concern about "not jeopardizing the present and future life and work of the Commission." In addition, the Russian Orthodox Church severed ties with ECUSA and 21 Primates of the worldwide Anglican Communion have declared either impaired or broken communion with the Episcopal Church. In December 2003, IARCCUM dialogue was suspended as a result of the consecration.

"The Presiding Bishop and Episcopal News Service continue to present an inaccurate picture of the Episcopal Church as strong, healthy and ecumenically connected. That just isn't true. Not only do the fractures in our church grow larger, but we are also seeing ecumenical relationships, formed over years of painstaking work together, thrown into crisis," Bishop Duncan said. "We cannot and must not practice our faith in a vacuum without regard for the negative impact on the broader church. I would very much like to see a theological response from Bishop Griswold whose statements about the nature of communion in recent months are challenged so directly by this paper."

To read the document in its entirety: http://www.anglicancommunion.org/ecumenical/documents/200406iarccum.pdf