Posted on 02/16/2005 5:40:24 PM PST by Coleus
I wonder how many politicians will show up at church this weekend with a news camera crew in tow to force a showdown?
The Church will get the bad press on this, but thank God they are at last speaking out. I now pray that they stand firm and take a few American Bishops to task.
Do you know what he said about female altar servers?
27 years shepherding this diocese and he still has another 8 years to go.
Last month a visiting priest from a monastery give an unequivocally clear sermon on American culture. I could tell from the reaction of the women in front of me, that if our pastor had given that sermon, they would be searching for another parish. They were simply not ready to hear what he had to say.
Personally, it would be fine with me if they did leave. But, that's not my area of expertise.
Jesus was never interested in being popular. He is not only Love, but Truth, and He came to tell us the Truth and then let us decide what we are going to do with it. The rich young ruler (Luke 18:18-23) comes to mind -- the one who asked what he should do to inherit eternal life -- and Jesus said to give up all his wealth and follow Him, and the young man turned away, sorrowing, for he had many possessions. Jesus didn't run after him. He let him go. I am sure He prayed for him, that at some point the man would reconsider and choose eternal life. Yet, He let him go.
When a church is more concerned with keeping up its numbers instead of following Jesus' example, you get what we have in large degrees today: compromised, sin-ignoring, weak institutions that coddle the crooked instead of giving them opportunities to choose between clearly right and clearly wrong lifestyles, while also loving the sinners (all of us) as we try and try again to obey God. God lets us choose to live reprobate lives but He doesn't ever stop caring about and working to lead us back to Him.
Barnacle, I agree with your final statement, "I am confident that bit by bit, over time, we will be guided back to the truth." It is a messy business getting back there, with the breakdowns in our societal walls.
Of course it is, to them religion is the Motel 6... "Go ahead, sin all you want, we'll leave the light on for you." and when they are forced to realize it doesn't work that way, they blame the church and not themselves.
We're basically of one mind on this subject.
Archbishop-Coadjutor Daniel DiNardo not only knows his Latin, but more importantly he knows his Greek -- reads from his Greek New Testament translating it at sight -- ahhhh! ---- a real bishop was in Iowa but now in Texas.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.