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A CECNEWS Release
INTERNATIONAL OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS -- THE CHARISMATIC EPISCOPAL CHURCH
FOR RELEASE TO PRINT AND ELECTRONIC MEDIA:
Marriage is Between a Man and a Woman ONLY
Charismatic Episcopal Church Affirms Sacrament of Marriage as
Defined by Holy Scripture not Current Social Dogma
Potomac Falls, VA -- In the current debate over the nature of marriage and
homosexuality, The International Communion of the Charismatic Episcopal
Church joins with Christians from all over the world in affirming the
sanctity of Matrimony defined as an exclusive bond between a man and a
woman, mirroring, as it does, the relationship between Christ and his
Church. The ICCEC further applauds the recent declarations from Pope John
Paul II, the President of the United States, and other Christian leaders who
have voiced their reaffirmation of marriage as a critical foundation of
Christian faith and life and of all civilized societies.
"The Church has clearly taught through Holy Scripture, the writings of the
Church Fathers, and in consensus throughout its history, that marriage is a
union between man and woman. The idea of homosexual marriage is not
consistent with the teachings of the church then or now," said Archbishop
Randolph Sly, the ICCEC's spokesman. "The truth about marriage is not only
upheld by Christian teaching but also by natural law, by our embodiment as
men and women made in the image of God and by the very nature of this union
as established by God at the beginning of creation."
"The current drive by popular culture to affirm homosexual acts as natural
and equal to those between a man and a woman is contrary to everything the
church has taught for more than 2,000 years. It is critical that church
leaders and faithful Christians confront this climate of promiscuity and
stand for truth."
The International Communion of The Charismatic Episcopal Church
( www.iccec.org) is a relatively young jurisdiction, having been established in 1992. Not a schism or break-off of The Episcopal Church USA (ECUSA) or
any other denomination, the origins of the ICCEC began with evangelical and
charismatic church leaders who had a desire to recover the fullness of the
ancient Church. This recovery has been termed the "convergence of streams"
by the ICCEC and others, and basically describes a church where the
sacramental, evangelical, and charismatic streams come together in a
singular expression of the Church. As a result, the worship of the ICCEC is
similar in many ways to that of the Episcopal and other liturgical churches
with the added strength that the historic interpretation of Scripture is
upheld and celebrated. The Charismatic Episcopal Church has, over the past
eleven years, grown to more than 1,100 parishes and 750,000 members around
the world.
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