Press Releases
Albany Confessing Clergy
PRESS
RELEASE
from The Albany Confessing Clergy
ALBANY, NY – March 6, 2009 – The Albany Confessing
Clergy, a group of Christian ministers, issues the following statement
on the occasion of the public demonstration in Albany by the
anti-homosexual propagandist Fred Phelps of
Topeka, Kansas, who styles himself and his followers as a "Baptist
Church."
We are dismayed that the Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kansas,
has chosen to enter the Capital District with its hate-mongering
demonstrations, targeting especially those who identify themselves as
lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered.
As Christians, we stand in solidarity with those whom this
organization would have us hate.
As we say in our “Albany Confession of 2008:”
“We resolve to affirm all members of the human community and
acknowledge sexual orientation and gender identity as gifts from God.”
We find many of the convictions of the Westboro Baptist Church to
be at odds with ours. We
lament that they use Scripture in a manner to promote hatred and thinly
veiled violence, perverting the Word of God in the Bible to the point of
blasphemy. Our affirmation
is that “we are called by God to speak out about critical matters of
humanity, justice, and spiritual integrity in a conflicted and confused
day.” Therefore, “we resolve
to follow the One who embraces all nations and peoples in love, and to
obey the teachings of Jesus Christ in regard to universal civil and
human rights.”
No doubt Mr. Phelps and his followers in the Westboro Baptist Church consider their message convincing, but we find it calculated to confuse their listeners in hopes of luring them into their web of hostility and enmity. We find this tactic despicable
We wish to make it clear that in conscience we cannot allow this
demonstration of hatred pass without our strongest rejection.
At the same time, while we stand with our gay, lesbian, bisexual
and transgendered sisters and brothers under God’s eternal love, we also
announce God’s love even for Mr. Phelps and his followers.
For “we resolve to love all of our neighbors in need and practice
love of enemies.”
XXX
The full text of “The
Albany Confession of 2008” is attached, and more information is
available at
www.albanyconfessingclergy.org.