Wandering shepherds: Anglicans have had non-Christian bishops for decades

WORLD ^ | 8/23/03 | Gene Edward Veith

[rhema]

BTTT

[rhema]

BTTT

[anniegetyourgun]

Once again, excellent work by Veith. Thanks for posting - haven't received my 8/23 edition yet!

[alloysteel]

One need not be a Christian to become a bishop.

Should be a pretty good politician, though.

[Guillermo]

If your church is even thinking about debating whether they should perform/acknowledge homosexual "marriage," it's already gone way off the deep-end.

[rhema]

Once again, excellent work by Veith. Thanks for posting - haven't received my 8/23 edition yet!

Nor have I. But I did get the preceding issue, in which this (FR-posted) Veith article stood out: Christian Christ-killers: What critics of Mel Gibson's The Passion don't realize.

[AnAmericanMother]

I remember reading a book back in the 60s by a Methodist named Charles Smith, titled How to Become a Bishop Without Being Religious. Chapters on "Selecting the Clerical Wife" and the appropriate clothes, car, etc. for a cleric on the make for bishop.

He had all this stuff pegged, then. He probably never expected that it would get this bad, this quickly, though.

[Semi Civil Servant]

John Shelby Spong recently retired as bishop of New Jersey. For his whole ecclesiastical career, he wrote and preached against every tenet of the Christian faith. Bishop Spong, author of Why Christianity Must Change or Die, did not believe in the virgin birth, the doctrine of the incarnation, the deity of Christ, the resurrection, or the existence of God.

Among other things, this would make Spong a thief ... taking money given to build up the church to instead destroy the chruch.

I don't understand why a Christian would place himself under the authority of an anti-Christ unconcious (or conscious) Satanist like this. The mainstream churches must have some snappy liturgies to entice members to stay on and financially support the destruction of their faith.

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

If your church is even thinking about debating whether they should perform/acknowledge homosexual "marriage," it's already gone way off the deep-end.

Agreed. The question should not be in debate because the questions that would lead to the question of homosexual marriage being debated should already have been answered in the negative.

[Fifth Business]

ping

[rhema]

I've read about half of this new book, The Making of the New Spirituality: The Eclipse of the Western Religious Tradition. Spong, as you might expect, is mentioned fairly frequently.

[aberaussie]

I think it would be be interesting to know how many mainline church leaders this article describes. I know many of our ELCA pastors are universalists, but do they deny the ressurection?

A friend of mine left the local Congregationalist church because the pastor did not believe or teach the diety of Christ.

[rhema]

I think it would be be interesting to know how many mainline church leaders this article describes.

The Bible back-pedalers are probably in the majority. Among mainline leaders, Veith's closing quote applies: . . .those Christians who hold to the Bible will be like Gary Cooper in High Noon, abandoned even by their friends and family members, outnumbered and outgunned, but refusing to back down.

[xp38]

Too true. He would need to update his book especially the part about the clerical wife.

[LadyDoc]

http://www.scrappleface.com/MT/archives/001110.html#001110

Scott Ott of Scarppleface predicts they will even become more inclusive ;-)

Episcopal Church Appoints First Openly-Muslim Bishop
(2003-08-04) -- Bishops in the Episcopal Church today approved the election of the first openly-Muslim bishop in the church's history.

The Islamic cleric, who rejects the deity of Jesus Christ, received an overwhelming majority of the vote.

A spokesman for the Episcopal Church said the move demonstrates, "Our church is open to all people, regardless of their beliefs, or whether they accept the teachings of the Bible."

The election of the Muslim bishop comes as the church stands ready to approve its first homosexual Bishop, V. Gene Robinson. Later today, the bishops plan to vote on the election of the church's first openly-atheist bishop.

[bluebunny]

And people try to say that homosexuality and pedophilia are not linked. Whatever! Sigh....what a shame.

[rhema]

Later today, the bishops plan to vote on the election of the church's first openly-atheist bishop.

Spong jettisoned so much of the Bible that he, practically speaking, was the first atheist Episcopal bishop. At the least, he was a god unto himself.

[etcetera]

"Heresy is even more harmful to a church than homosexuality."

Call it what it is, heresy. Will history record the Episcopalian Heresy of the 20th Century?