"We, A.B. and C.D., desiring to receive the blessing of Holy Matrimony in the Church, do solemnly declare that we hold marriage to be a lifelong union of (husband and wife deleted) two persons as it is set forth in the Book of Common Prayer.

"We believe that the union of (husband and wife deleted) two persons, in heart, body, and mind, is intended by God for their mutual joy; for the help and comfort given one another in prosperity and adversity; and, when it is God's will, for the procreation of children and their nurture in the knowledge and love of the Lord.

Said Crew: "The resolution calls for only the simplest of changes to the current canons." The resolution was endorsed by The Rev. Tobias Haller (C3 in Diocese of New York) and The Rev. Canon Michael Barlowe (C2 in the Diocese of California).

The truth is; this is worse than a same sex rite. It is changing the marriage ceremony to include marriage between homosexuals.

The authorization of the use of the marriage rite in Book of Common Prayer for Same-Sex Couples comes as the climax of a 40-year push by the gay activist to have homosexuality (gay and lesbian) behavior brokered into the Episcopal Church USA.

The final rendering of the resolution would now read: "Resolved, the House of _______ concurring, That this 75th General Convention authorizes use of the rites for Celebration and Blessing of a Marriage and The Blessing of a Civil Marriage in the Book of Common Prayer for same-sex couples in those civil jurisdictions that permit same-sex marriage, and further authorizes modification of gender references in the rites to accommodate such marriages."

"This does not constitute a revision of the Prayer Book but would instead be simply an adaptation. It would be similar to the allowance of the use of feminine terms in the rite for the Ordering of Deacons in the 1928 Book of Common Prayer. Women were ordained to the diaconate beginning in 1968 despite the language of the 1928 text which was exclusively male (both in the rite itself and in the rubrics and preface), which language was not modified until the authorization of the current Book of Common Prayer in 1979," observed Crew.

The passage of this resolution, should it occur, will be as much a lightning rod for anger from orthodox Anglicans around the world, and invite open schism, as the election of an openly gay bishop in the Diocese of California would have been. That possibility has now been deflected, at least for the moment.

Over the course of 40 years, Crew has brilliantly engineered pansexuality into the church, preaching his doctrine of inclusion in one diocese after another, unafraid to travel the world in search of pansexual converts. He has been tireless in his efforts, more so than most pro-gay bishops like the abrasive Jack Spong and the fey Frank Griswold, both of whom have helped him along.

He has been dogged, but not nearly as in-your-face as the gay bishop Otis Charles or the feisty pro-gay Walter Righter, the former Bishop of Iowa. His profile has also been much lower than the gay New Hampshire Bishop V. Gene Robinson. But his presence is everywhere.

He is nearly always present at both liberal/revisionist and orthodox Episcopal events. He treats people graciously and is treated graciously in return. His basic message is that to oppose sodomy and same-sex rites is to be under the law, even legalistic, while to promote them is to be understanding of God's all embracive love without borders and boundaries. He has been publicly vilified by Nigerian Primate Peter Akinola and publicly lauded by ECUSA's Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold.

He openly backed resolution D039 which legitimized fornication in the Episcopal Church but bitterly opposed the passage of Lambeth Resolution 1.10 prohibiting sex outside of heterosexual marriage, upholding the Scriptural teaching of faithfulness in marriage between a man and a woman and abstinence for those who are not called to marriage. He has resolutely focused on the resolution's call for a commitment to "listen to the experience of homosexual persons" while ignoring the prohibition on homoerotic behavior.

He has backed 'local option' as a means to getting around the canons where it has suited his purposes and those of the organization Integrity, an umbrella movement for pansexualists of all stripes which he founded and for which he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity from Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, Mass.

The passage of rites for same-sex persons will be the capstone of his career. It will be the explosive end of his life-long search for homosexual acceptance.

Tragically it could also mean the end of the Episcopal Church as we know it. Tens of thousands of Episcopalians are already leaving the Episcopal Church (more will follow after GC2006) over the church's drift away from Scripture as authoritative and heterosexual behavior as normative. Dozens of churches have left the Episcopal Church with more leaving each week. Lawsuits liven the action almost weekly. One bishop faces expulsion with more living on borrowed time. Early retirements are taking place across the denomination and pain is everywhere.

A lay organization called LEAC - Lay Episcopalians for the Anglican Communion wants Bishop Robinson and all those bishops who consecrated him brought to trial for abandoning the faith, while more than 800 orthodox priests from 83 dioceses have signed a petition reminding the House of Bishops of their ordination vows to be loyal to the doctrine, discipline, and worship of Christ "as this Church has received them."

They have asked the bishops to refrain from approving any further consecrations of same sex partnered bishops and stop all actions that allow or promote the blessing of same sex unions of any kind. They have asked them to fully endorse the Windsor Report as their roadmap for maintaining full communion with the worldwide Anglican Church and to turn the attention of the church to the mission of reaching the lost for the sake of the Gospel. Crew wants no part of this or at least not as they interpret it.

The polarization of the church is also the legacy of Dr. Crew. Despite his signature "Joy Anyway!" the Episcopal Church is a joyless, divided institution, with bitterness and anger everywhere, most notably from revisionist bishops who see their power diminishing, their finances flagging, and as a result, find themselves applying strong ecclesiastical thumb screws on fleeing priests with inhibitions, depositions and more lawsuits. The ECUSA has begun a long descent into Dante's Inferno.

There is little doubt that Dr. Crew's name will be recorded forever in the annals of Episcopal Church history when it is finally written, the real test will be whether his name is recorded in the Lamb's Book of Life. On that question we can only await the judgment of God.

END