Ralph Routon of the Colorado Springs Independent offers this commentary on the case of the Rev. Don Armstrong and Grace Church. An excerpt:
“And people wonder why churches aren’t as large or influential as they once were. Especially when a congregation as established and deep-rooted as Grace’s can split in such a deplorable manner — with the “breakaway” group seizing control of the church complex and embracing a Nigerian archbishop who believes homosexuals and their supporters should be imprisoned.
Let’s be more specific. Archbishop Peter Akinola supports the idea of Nigeria’s government making same-sex relationships criminal. He also favors Nigeria outlawing positive publicity for homosexuals “through the electronic or print media, physically, directly, indirectly or otherwise,” meaning up to five years in prison for the Independent staff or any media giving favorable coverage to, say, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance or Southern Colorado AIDS Project.
That’s beyond religious bigotry. It’s fanaticism. And it’s scary for one of Colorado Springs’ most historic churches to be so fractured — with so many embracing another group of Anglicans with such outrageous stances.”