Posted on 12/18/2005 2:36:17 PM PST by sionnsar
If you haven’t read Kendall Harmon’s piece, Kerfuffle in the Diocese of Kansas, please do so. Essentially, a deacon who left the Episcopal Church was ordained in the Church of Uganda, and then becomes a Dean of a convocation within the Anglican Communion Network. The issue? The dean sends a letter to all manner of Episcopal wardens in 20 some odd states. The Bishop of Kansas goes ballistic.
The letter merely offers to send the senior wardens a copy of the Hope and A Future DVD. You can see its content here.
What can we glean from all this? The main thing the liberals fear is that the laity might hear from conservatives, and maybe even listen. The HOBD listserv is howling about all of this, and I’ve received emails like “Your smart buddies are getting desperate.” I would hardly classify Dean Smart’s letter as “desperate.” Other friends of mine in the center say Smart’s letter is counter-productive to reconciliation. Since when is information EVER counterproductive to reconciliation? Reconciliation, last I checked, when based on misinformation is not parties being reconciled, it is one party duping the other. Is that what the Episcopal Church is after? After what I’ve seen, this is precisely so.
What is, of course, most disturbing is the claimed slight that Dean Smart didn’t copy the clergy of these senior wardens. Frankly, this is a big “so what.” I would say to Bishop Wolfe that the church does not exist to provide you and other men and women of the cloth power and position, but exists to do Christ’s redemptive work in the world. If a hierarchical administrative structure serves that purpose, well, fine then. When it doesn’t, which it isn’t in the case of ECUSA, then it is time to start from the bottom up. You jokers work for us laity, remember? You are to serve us as Christ does. I will only recognize your authority so long as it is in accord with Jesus Christ and the Bible. When it does not, I will not recognize it, and neither should anyone else.
I’m sure this attitude is very un-Anglican, but it has become the staple of the Episcopal Church, when it comes to women’s ordination (the Philidelphia ordinations that occured without church wide sanction) and same sex blessings prior to GC2003. When the structures of the church are so disrespected by liberals until they take them over, they cannot be respected by anyone. Frankly, it isn’t authority, it is mere fiat - rebellion by the minority becomes tyrrany by the minority when the minority gets enough votes.
It is time to wake up. Dean Smart knows this; thus he sent his letter. The laity waking up is exactly what the liberal elites fear the most, because they will lose their power, period.
Wake up, laity!
Traditional Anglican ping, continued in memory of its founder Arlin Adams. I've posted enough on these threads that you can probably guess that I consider that a good thing at this point. Reconciliation isn't possible until the Bishops repent.
"I will only recognize your authority so long as it is in accord with Jesus Christ and the Bible. When it does not, I will not recognize it, and neither should anyone else."
HeHeHe! Bravo!
"Even if the whole universe holds communion with the [heretical] patriarch, I will not communicate with him. For I know from the writings of the holy Apostle Paul, the Holy Spirit declares that even the angels would be anathema if they should begin to preach another Gospel, introducing some new teaching." +Maximos the Confessor
If you scroll up to the very top of the screen you'll have your answer.
Evil despises transparency!
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