Episcopalians rip plan for diocese

Washington Times ^ | 6/04/04 | Julia Duin

[kattracks]

About two dozen Episcopalians, most of them representing two of the largest parishes in the Diocese of Virginia, served notice Wednesday that a proposal to force congregations to finance the cash-strapped diocese could result in a massive walkout.

The majority of the 93 Episcopalians who attended a meeting at Truro Episcopal Church in Fairfax rejected the 22-page plan, some calling it "disastrous" and "appalling."

[lizma]

an economic boycott

Get em where it hurts. Not all our terrorists are in the ME.

[Mad Dawg]

Actually I kind of agree with the priestette who suggested that parishes that don't want to be associated with the polity and structure of the Episcopal Church need to (re)examine their denominational affiliation. It seems to me that rejecting the actions of the Episcopal polity and the sacramental ministers regularly appointed and ordained therein and thereby implies rejection of the Episcopal Church as a valid church.

So the parishes that want to call themselves Episcopal without working with their actual bishop are trying to have a kind of FLAVOR or STYLE of being Episcopal without any of the awkward reality.

For me the argument is something like this: IHS said the gates of Hell would not prevail against His Church. The gates of Hell appear to be prevailing agains the Episcopal Church. Therefore the Episcopal Church appears not to be Jesus' Church.

Q.E.D?

[Neville72]

This type of occurrance is the inevitable result of a denomination that loses its way and strays from Scripture so as to be politically correct and not "hurt" anyone's feelings, no matter how perverse their behavior.

In Leviticus 18:22 God instructs Moses, "You(man)shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination.

How much clearer can it be?

The equally hypocritical aspect of this is that had Gene Robinson left his wife and family and "taken up" with a woman, he not only wouldn't have been ordained a Bishop, he'd have been removed as the rector of his parish.

I'm sad for the church I grew up in, served as an acolyte in and was married in but a church or a denomination ceases to have any value in the Christian faith when its leaders choose to serve and obey man rather than God.

[SunnySide]

"but a church or a denomination ceases to have any value in the Christian faith when its leaders choose to serve and obey man rather than God."

Amen! Amen! Amen! Very well put.

[r9etb]

Thanks for this post. What's happening in Virginia is actually happening all across the ECUSA. As another example, the Diocese of Colorado is something like $500,000 (25%) short so far, and it's expected to get worse. It's also happening in most parishes -- peoples' uncertainties about the future of the ECUSA have them reassessing whether their contributions are meaningful.

The real issue, of course, is that the leadership of the ECUSA has departed from the faith once delivered, and we have let them do it. I don't know if it's possible to reclaim the ECUSA, but that's what's needed if we're going to turn around these monetary issues.

[r9etb]

ping....

[Gopher Broke]

The Episcopal Church USA is in steep decline because of their endorsement of sin, via the homosexual agenda.

I am SO HAPPY my Episcopal Church LEFT ECUSA and joined the Anglican Mission in America, a group dedicated to calling the ECUSA back to it's Biblical roots and belief in Scripture.

http://www.theamia.org/

[r9etb]

I'm not much of an AMiA fan, actually. IMO they've hurt a lot more people than they've helped.

[sionnsar]

I am SO HAPPY my Episcopal Church LEFT ECUSA and joined the Anglican Mission in America,

Interested in listing it at http://trad-anglican.faithweb.com/ ?

[ahadams2]

I understand where you're coming from on this issue, but in order to understand why the conservative Episcopalians are doing what they're doing, you need to think of this in light of the worldwide Anglican Communion. Although the heretics wish it were otherwise (they want to ignore the rest of the Anglican Communion, since most parts of it have been calling on the episcopalians to repent)the reality is that what the conservatives are doing is preserving *real* Anglicanism within the structures of the episcopal church. There is an on-going process which will eventually lead to *only* the conservative Episcopalians being recognized by the Anglican Communion. At that point the heretics will be out in the cold...in the meantime, the conservatives are bearing witness in spite of all the heretics can throw at them.

[ahadams2]

Ping.

[ken5050]

now you've gone and really done it.......(G)

[AFPhys]

Precisely posted truth here.
.

[ken5050]

The next step is for one of the parishes to walk out...and elave the diocese with an empty church and parish hall..have their minister lead them across the street, hold services in a field, a parking lot, in a tent...God is NOT in the bricks and mortar..

[sionnsar]

I'm not much of an AMiA fan, actually. IMO they've hurt a lot more people than they've helped.

Um. Can you explain, please?

[hellinahandcart]

which lists mandatory assessments, flat percentages, per capita giving and a fee-per-service approach as options.

Pew rents! How come they didn't think of reinstating pew rents? LOL!

[ahadams2]

gee, does that mean you'd get your name on a little brass plaque too? :-)

[you realize only Anglicans are probably going to understand any of this, don't you?]

[r9etb]

Um. Can you explain, please?

Ephraim Radner discusses many of the reasons in his Parable of the AMiA.

Bottom line for me is, the departure of orthodox parishes and priests to the AMiA has tilted key ECUSA dioceses to the liberal side. This has caused great damage to the church, and many faithful Episcopalians have ended up leaving, and all too often they just stop going to church altogether.

A friend of mine, and a group of key parishioners, recently left a local, orthodox, parish (not mine) for the AMiA. They basically gutted their parish and left the orthodox priest and congregation gasping for air. That parish will lose a lot of people as a result, and will most likely go liberal.

[hellinahandcart]

So the parishes that want to call themselves Episcopal without working with their actual bishop are trying to have a kind of FLAVOR or STYLE of being Episcopal without any of the awkward reality.

If their actual bishop is a heretic, they shouldn't have to work with him. The bishop is the problem, not the orthodox parishes.

And it's the liberal congregations that are hanging onto the flavor & style of the Episcopal church, without any of the awkward realities (such as there actually being such a thing as sin, and that Marxist sermons are no substitute for scripture).

Why should the faithful parishes be the ones to declare defeat, give up their property, and go elsewhere? Why shouldn't the hijackers be the ones forced out?

But as for me, unfortunately, I am leaving the church for now. I can't decide, even after a year, whether my church is trying to ride out the storm or straddle the fence, but I fear the worst. I am leaving the state anyway, and it's probably just as well because I don't know what this church will look like in another year.

And when I have the fortitude to go church-shopping again, I will avoid LIKE THE PLAGUE anyplace displaying the word "inclusive" in their mission statement.