Posted on 09/21/2005 5:07:38 PM PDT by sionnsar
As the argument over human sexuality continues to boil over within the worldwide Anglican Communion, a respected figure in the Episcopal Church USA – which has been attacked for the affirmative position of some of its members towards lesbian and gay people in ministry – has forcefully rebutted his Church’s prime Nigerian critic.
Responding to comments by Archbishop Peter Akinola, the Bishop of Washington DC, the Rt Rev John B. Chane, writing in his September diocesan letter, declares: “One thing I can say about the American Church and her bishops is that we take very seriously the teachings of Jesus.” He also accuses the Nigerian Church of neglecting the most vulnerable.
Dr Akinola, primate of the Church of Nigeria, which says it has “redefined” its relationship with all other Anglican Churches, recently lambasted a cautious Church of England bishops’ response to the UK civil partnerships law. This allowed registration of same-sex clergy couples who give a vow of celibacy.
The Archbishop also wanted to see the US Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church of Canada “disciplined” by the Communion over homosexuality, though none of its instruments has the power to do this. He declared: “No Church can ignore the teaching of the Bible with impunity.”
It is this which has incensed Bishop Chane, who replies: “Who has been left with the ultimate authority to interpret the teaching of the Bible? Certainly such important work has not been left up to the Archbishop of Nigeria alone. And if the Church is to really focus on the issues of the Bible’s teaching and the core teachings of Jesus Christ, why does this Archbishop spend so much time on human sexuality issues while so many of his countrymen and women are oppressed by poverty, illiteracy and violence?”
Chane continues: “Where is the strong voice of the Nigerian Anglican Church in opposing the continued neglect of vulnerable women and children, or in advocating on behalf of the poorest of the poor? Jesus was very clear in his hard teachings that one could always tell the righteous from the damned by whether they lived into feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, welcoming the stranger and visiting those who were in prison.”
Referring to the situation in the USA, the Bishop said: “Our Church may be divided in painful ways about the issues of human sexuality and the consecration of Bishop Gene Robinson, but we are united in fighting poverty and hunger and are faithful in attempting to live into the mandates of Christ’s Gospel about radical hospitality extended to the least among us.”
“When our government does not respond to the needs of the least among us, our Church, its laity, clergy and bishops respond,” added Bishop Chane. We work very hard at offering the resources available within our dioceses, whether they be large or small, to assist in eliminating hunger, disease, genocide and violence against women and children.”
The Church of Nigeria is one of the largest in the Anglican Communion. It is predominantly evangelical and does not ordain women. A newly formed Convocation of Anglican Nigerians in America is now starting a network of chaplaincies across the USA to offer “refuge” to Episcopalians unhappy with the consecration of the openly gay Bishop Robinson of New Hampshire, and similar developments.
The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of Ekklesia
Traditional Anglican ping, continued in memory of its founder Arlin Adams. "...the Bishop said: Our Church may be divided in painful ways about the issues of human sexuality and the consecration of Bishop Gene Robinson, but we are united in fighting poverty and hunger..."
Read between the lines: "if you want us to share any of our wealth with your poor African churches, you'll bend the knee to our liberal orthodoxies..."
Actually, some of the "poor African churches" somewhat pre-emptively told ECUSA to keep its money.
Homosexual Agenda Ping.
Last call. Final ping'o'the night. Amazing that the American bishop whateverhisname is had the gall to say this to Archbishop Akinola:
"Jesus was very clear in his hard teachings that one could always tell the righteous from the damned by whether they lived into feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, welcoming the stranger and visiting those who were in prison."
So the American pro-sodomy bishop guy is telling the Nigerian bishop, who is courageously standing up for the teachings of the Bible, that he is on the side of the damned! Can you believe this? It's almost beyond belief.
BTW, Soup kitchens and social services can also feed the hungry, Welcome Wagons can welcome strangers, thrift stores and free boxes can clothe people - but not everyone can pass the message of God to others without twisting it.
"Give us this day our daily bread" doesn't just mean food you put in your stomach. The real food is the message of God. When it's twisted it doesn't nourish the soul any more, but poisons it. The ancient Vedas give this example - just as milk touched by the poison tongue of the serpent looks like nutritious sweet milk but is poisonous, similarly, spiritual teachings tainted by those who actually hate or disbelieve in God while pretending to teach the truth will poison the soul of those who hear it.
Freepmail me AND DirtyHarryY2K if you want on/off this pinglist.
Mark 6:11 in the NIV
Mark 6:11 in the NASB
Mark 6:11 in the KJV
How come only the KJ mentions Sodom and Gomorrah, I wonder? I wonder what how the verse goes in the Douay Bible. If that's spelled right.
Last week I was at a Bible study at a friends house and his wife was so happy about her new "New Century Bible". I thumbed through it and it is filled with gender-neutral language. It is certainly not a translation.
I really loathe that stuff.
I'm not sure. Didn't this Bible change when it was retranslated by some Bishop?
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark%206:11;&version=6;
Here it is in Spanish. The difference I believe is from the actual translated work. Reina and Valera (Catholic Monks) used the Textus Receptus. If the Douay is Catholic then it also used the received text...until they later changed to the Sinaiticus and the Vaiticanus.
The King James uses the Received Text (Textus Receptus) as well.
Over my head. I need another lifetime to study up. I have the KJ and the NIV and I am not so fond of the NIV. A friend recommended the Douay which I'd like to get. Which is your preferred version?
The received text is the text that was handed down from the Church at Antioch. I believe it for many reasons...the most important being that it started the reformation and it was the foundation on which Western Civilization thrived.
I have this thing I do to people when I see that they are reading something other than the King James. I say,"Did you know that your Bible says the Jesus is the Devil." They say, "What! Show me?" So then I turn to Isaiah 14:12 and Revelation 22:16
Glad I asked you about this. What is your opinion of the Douay Bible, say compared to the KJ?
Lucky to be bilingual. I got fluent in speaking Spanish many years ago, and it's a beautiful language. I've forgotten most of it now but if I was around Spanish speakers I'd pick it up. It makes sense and sounds good. Doesn't have all those silent letters like (shudder) French.
That's definitely part of it. You see the same phenomenon in the Catholic Church too - bitter malcontents who remain in the Church and muck everything up instead of just getting up and leaving since they no longer believe anything the Church teaches. Leaving a secure church job and starting your own church anew takes courage, and liberals these days sorely lack courage.
I also think there's another facet to it; liberals like this also have huge martyr-complexes. They stay in churches where many others are more conservative so they can feel "prophetic" and can "speak truth to power." It gives them attention and makes them feel special and courageous (when in reality they have very little real courage). If they were to break away from the Catholic Church or the Anglican Communion, or any other traditional church then they would no longer be martyrs. They'd have their own little liberal churches, no one would rag on them any more, no one would pay them much attention. What fun would that be?
Finally, I think that some of these folks deep down are just plain anti-Christs. They can't stand the Gospel message and can't stand anyone else believing in it. It's not enough for them to disbelieve in Christ, they have to stop everyone else from doing so as well. This is why some of them refuse to leave the Church and remain so they can muck things up from the inside. If they left the Church, the Church would remain and probably thrive. Can't have that. The Church has to be destroyed, and these folks have figured out that the easiest way to do this is to remain inside the Church and work from within to corrupt it.
There are, unfortunately, many wolves in sheeps' clothing in probably every religion in the world.
Some people who identify as religious are actually very saintly and love God and others; some are sincere and are really trying to attain that goal, some are shallow cultural followers, and some are downright wolves, just using their religious association for truly evil personal ends - power, money, position, sex, whatever. And some of the wolves know they are just phonies, and some actually imagine they are religious people.
Have you read "Goodbye Good Men"? I haven't and I mean to.
I think it the height of gall and arrogance that Chane assumes that ++Anikola's defense of Gospel truth on sexual morals means the good Bishop is neglecting poverty, disease and hunger in Nigeria. The Bishop no doubt is in a much better position than Chane to know the urgency of problems facing Nigeria. He knows that at the root of wide spread poverty and hunger is the failure of all of us to hear and obey the Gospel message. If not following the command of Christ to care for the less fortunate contributes to Nigeria's problems. ( and I think helping people to become self suffecient and indepent and working is better than handing out aid year after year) what does Chane think will happen to a people and a nation that willfully disobeys God's truth on sexual morals? Anikola has a better witness of what will happen and is raising his voice to prevent this. God bless him and all who fight for the whole Gospel not just the bits they find convenient to bash others with.
And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you; going forth from thence, shake off the dust from your feet for a testimony to them.The New American Bible:
Whatever place does not welcome you or listen to you, leave there and shake the dust off your feet in testimony against them.
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