Church of England to have first bishop couple - Yahoo News

 

London (AFP) - The Church of England will have its first husband and wife bishops after nominating Alison White to be the next bishop of Hull on Wednesday.

"This is an adventure I had never imagined setting out on," White said in a statement.

"You may have noticed that I am married to a bishop. This may seem excessive! You would think that one in a family is more than enough.

"Believe me, this has crossed our minds."

Her husband, Frank White, is a deputy bishop in Newcastle in northern England although in effect he has the same status as a bishop.

The Archbishop of York John Sentamu, who made the announcement, said it was "a joyous day".

"Alison is a person of real godliness and wisdom -- it is fantastic that she has accepted God's call," he said.

The Church of England consecrated its first female bishop, Libby Lane, in January.

The general synod of the Church of England last year gave final approval to a historic reform allowing female bishops.

Women have been able to be ordained as priests in England since 1992 and now make up a third of the clergy.

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Church of England to have first bishop couple - Yahoo News

Largest Presbyterian Denomination Gives Final Approval for Same-Sex Marriage - NYTimes.com

 

After three decades of debate over its stance on homosexuality, members of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) voted on Tuesday to change the definition of marriage in the church’s constitution to include same-sex marriage.

The final approval by a majority of the church’s 171 regional bodies, known as presbyteries, enshrines a change recommended last year by the church’s General Assembly. The vote amends the church’s constitution to broaden marriage from being between “a man and a woman” to “two people, traditionally a man and a woman.”

The Presbytery of the Palisades, meeting in Fair Lawn, N.J., put the ratification count over the top on Tuesday on a voice vote. With many presbyteries still left to vote, the tally late Tuesday stood at 87 presbyteries in favor, 41 against and one tied.

“Finally, the church in its constitutional documents fully recognizes that the love of gays and lesbian couples is worth celebrating in the faith community,” said the Rev. Brian D. Ellison, executive director of the Covenant Network of Presbyterians, which advocates gay inclusion in the church. “There is still disagreement, and I don’t mean to minimize that, but I think we are learning that we can disagree and still be church together.”

The church, with about 1.8 million members, is the largest of the nation’s Presbyterian denominations, but it has been losing congregations and individual members as it has moved to the left theologically over the past several years. There was a wave of departures in and after 2011, when the presbyteries ratified a decision to ordain gays and lesbians as pastors, elders and deacons, and that may have cleared the way for Tuesday’s vote….

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Mormon leaders call for measures protecting gay rights - Yahoo News

 

The campaign is the latest example of a shift in tone on gay rights by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which counts 15 million members worldwide. They have moved away from harsh rhetoric and are preaching compassion and acceptance of gays and lesbians now that gay marriage is legal in Washington D.C. and 36 states including Utah.

"Accommodating the rights of all people — including their religious rights — requires wisdom and judgment, compassion and fairness," said Holland, who appeared at a rare news conference with two other apostles from the church's governing Quorum of the Twelve.

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In this Sept. 11, 2014, file photo, the angel Moroni statue sits atop the Salt Lake Temple in Temple …

"Politically, it certainly requires dedication to the highest level of statesmanship. Nothing is achieved if either side resorts to bullying, political point scoring or accusations of bigotry."

The Mormon church will back laws that protect "vital religious freedoms for individuals, families, churches and other faith groups while also protecting the rights of our LGBT citizens in such areas as housing, employment and public accommodation in hotels, restaurants and transportation," said Dallin H. Oaks, another apostle.

Mormon leaders still want to hire and fire workers based on their religious beliefs as well as behavior standards known as honor codes, which require gays and lesbians to remain celibate or marry someone of the opposite sex. The church also wants legal protections for religious objectors who work in government and health care, such as a physician who refuses to perform an abortion, or provide artificial insemination for a lesbian couple

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