Posted on 09/09/2006 4:21:12 PM PDT by sionnsar
The Rt. Rev. John B. Lipscomb, Bishop of Southwest Florida is calling for a 40-day fast from web blogs because of the damage inflicted by half-truths and outright lies that he says has taken a far greater toll on the mission of the Church than any erroneous teaching.
Writing in the September/October 2006 online issue of his diocesan newspaper, The Southern Cross, Lipscomb blasts those who "hide behind masks of anonymity" and says that their "half truths and outright lies" are damaging the church's mission.
"Those who are the harshest critics of the leadership of the Church might well ponder the first chapter of Paul's letter to the Romans in its entirety. Paul's concern to show the need that all have for new life in Jesus Christ brings an indictment of sin that includes each of us. Yes, Paul condemns the hot sins of the flesh as the outgrowth of idolatry, but he condemns no less the cold sins of the human spirit: gossip, slander, those who are heartless and ruthless. We all stand under judgment and in need of God's mercy and grace," writes Lipscomb.
One wonders who the good bishop has in mind. VOL is a fully accredited news service and is not a blog. All stories are fully identified with appropriate links provided. Furthermore it is often the only news service that reports what is happening. "Official" Episcopal news services are not truthful and often do not report what has really happened.
But what of blogs? Blogs are useful. They exposed the false statements in the Dan Rather story about Bush and the National Guard. In the Episcopal/Anglican Church, setting blogs like Titusonenine, Drell's Descants, or LISTSERVS like the conservative WhiteHorseTavern or the liberal/revisionist inspired HOB/D listserv, while not news writing sources, they do post stories and provide a base for commentary. Like VOL post-ers, nearly everyone who writes or comments are identifiable and can be responded too or their statements refuted. True anonymity is hard to come by these days, and most people are happy to identify themselves.
It should be pointed out that anonymous 'sources' however, are the staple of news stories, without which stories would never get written, and if these sources were ever identified, revisionist bishops would be all over such persons and have them drummed out of the church. It is in the same category as the priest/penitent relationship. VOL depends on sources, as do all legitimate journalists, and we try hard to make sure that such sources are true and not specious. We are subject to the same libel laws as print newspapers.
"Once a word has been spoken into cyberspace it takes on a life of its own," bemoans the bishop. On that point he is probably correct. But people are not fools and sooner or later word comes out that this is "legend" a code word for nonsense and it is soon forgotten.
So we would ask the bishop who exactly does he have in mind. The bishop is particularly incensed by an upcoming meeting of bishops, called by the Archbishop of Canterbury, to which he will serve as co-convener, setting off, in the words of the bishop "another round of speculation on the web blogs."
There is, of course, much speculation going on about this meeting bearing in mind the state of The Episcopal Church. Many believe that the TEC can no longer validly be called a Christian denomination bearing in mind that it cannot affirm certain basic doctrines of the Christian Faith (Bishop Keith Ackerman's resolution B001 upholding certain doctrines of the church was defeated at GC2003) and the brokering of lesbigay behavior into the church and much more. Furthermore some seven dioceses have now declared themselves out of communion with the TEC and want alternative primatial oversight. Presiding Bishop elect Katherine Schori and homoerotic bishop V. Gene Robinson have openly stated that the church's primary goal is the development of the church's Millennium Goals, which begs the question; is the TEC little more than a Unitarian social service agency that occasionally pays lip service to the creeds?
But the bishop doesn't let up. He continues: "Perhaps it is time for us to allow the unfolding of the future in God's time and not our own." Well, many believe they are seeing the future [of the Episcopal Church] unfold and it doesn't look that good. In fact it looks positively downward. How does Lipscomb explain seven dioceses wanting out from the TEC, or the existence of the Anglican Communion Network or the American Anglican Council, or even the Windsor bishops (of which he is one) or CANA or AMIA or the Ct Six or the 16 parishes in North Florida or the some 72,000 Episcopalians who have fled ECUSA since GC2006! Many Episcopalians are looking into the future and they don't like what they see...the gospel of inclusion [read sodomy] is not on their radar screen or those of their children.
Lipscomb: "I take refuge in prayer and God's Word written. This Word humbles me and forces me to my knees in confession and repentance. I find comfort in the words penned by Aquinas, "What the Truth has spoken that for truth I hold." God's truth is spoken in the creation, in the story of Israel, and above all in the Word made Flesh, Jesus of Nazareth. I am not ashamed to say Jesus is my Savior and Lord, nor am I ashamed of the Good News of God in Christ. It is the Word by which God heals lives broken by sin and sets us free from bondage to evil and death."
Solid words indeed, but they are going unheeded by the vast majority of the Episcopal Church's laity who are being held captive by a majority of liberal and revisionist bishops who do not believe these fine words. How many revisionist bishops could honestly stand up and say, "I am not ashamed to say Jesus is my Savior and Lord..." Does he think a Charles Bennison, an Orris Walker, a Tom Shaw or V. Gene Robinson could say these words with straight faces and make anybody believe them! Who are we kidding!
Lipscomb himself is a moderate to liberal bishop. We have met and talked. He believes in the gospel and preaches it, but he has rolled over on sexuality issues and that has become his archilles heel. He wants us to believe he is orthodox, but if you countenance homosexual sin how can you be thoroughly orthodox in faith and morals?
Lipscomb: "The sin of our first parents was their choice for autonomy over interdependence. In our current crisis, we do well to remember that autonomy means a law unto ourselves. When we choose this path, it is no wonder we lose our way."
He is right, and nobody has proclaimed its "autonomy" more severely and loudly than groups like Integrity, Via Media and Gene Robinson, and they have chosen a "path" and have lost their way and they are prepared to take the church down with them, and they will stop at nothing to include their behavior, even pouring scorn on Dr. Williams' recent U-turn on homosexual behavior!
To say that our choices are determined by biology or the stars is the denial of our God-given freedom, and the beginning of idolatry, writes Lipscomb. That's choice. The church's pansexualists are arguing precisely for a gene link to homosexuality to justify their behavior. Why don't they preach the gospel of "no", or celibacy, or cross bearing. Homosexuality has become (im)pure idolatry in the Episcopal Church and it is disingenuous of the bishop to say otherwise.
"It is past time," writes the bishop, "to stop the unending cycle of aggression and retaliation in the charges and counter-charges against one another within the Church. We have become a scandal to the Gospel. The path of forgiveness, reconciliation and peace comes at a price. It cost Jesus the agony of the cross and separation from God that must have seemed an eternity. It will cost us our pride as we confess our sins against God and against one another, rather than naming the sins of our sisters and brothers. Peace with God forces us out of the shadows and from behind the masks. True unity in the Body of Christ is not creedal, but confessional. It begins at the foot of the Cross."
Absolutely bishop. And who started this "aggression and retaliation" if it is not liberal and revisionist bishops who no longer believe in substitutionary atonement and who preach "another gospel" (Gal. 1:8) that the Apostle Paul utterly condemns. If by "retaliation" he means the Network or AAC, well it is they who want to maintain the 'faith once for all delivered to the saints' and it is the revisionist bishops who have abandoned it. Don't blame the orthodox who want to stay orthodox, blame those who have "another gospel" and have departed from it. The hundreds of orthodox parishes and tens of thousands of fleeing Episcopalians are doing so because they see their souls endangered by staying in a church that no longer believes in a transformative gospel!
"We desperately need a Sabbath rest from these endless rounds of conjecture and hearsay. We need a season of prayer, self-examination and confession. Even though we are only part way through Pentecost, perhaps we need to declare an emergency Lent. The leaders of the Church need your prayers for strength and clarity of mind," says Lipscomb.
Fine words bishop and perhaps it should start with our pluriform presiding bishop repenting of his lies and deceptions, his turning a blind eye to the sexual sins of bishops like Richard Grein, and, as a real act of contrition, throw out the utterly false charges and fiction of "abandonment of communion" laid at the feet of Bishop John-David Schofield by four California bishops. That would be a great start. And then as the church righted itself theologically and proclaimed the gospel of Jesus Christ, Bishop Bob Duncan (Pittsburgh) could close down the Network and the AAC would go away. The truth is bishop, this isn't going to happen. Too much water has gone under the bridge for things to change now; many believe the Episcopal Church is finished.
Lipscomb: "I would encourage you to join me in a 40-day fast from reading the web blogs. Instead, fill that time with prayer, join other members of your congregation to reflect on the Scriptures, and allow God's Holy Spirit to guide the church through these difficult times."
It's not going to happen, bishop. As things get worse, the need to know only grows greater. VOL is living witness to that fact. More than three million persons will go to VOL's website www.virtueonline.org this year, and there is no way I could or would stop them. And they are not Americans; they are from Canada, Australia, the UK and more than 40 other countries.
Lipscomb: "I urge the people of this diocese to be patient. Do not lose heart. Do not be afraid. As Anglicans we have been entrusted with a precious treasure from generations past that we know is held in earthen vessels. Human wisdom is not enough. We must pray God will show us the way to peace that will bring honor and glory to the Kingdom of Heaven."
Noble words bishop, but that isn't happening in dioceses like Florida, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, California or San Diego where patience has run out and orthodox priests are fleeing for their spiritual lives and from revisionist bishops with their "inclusive" gospel and where "human wisdom" runs rampant and God's word is repeatedly and deliberately ignored and denied.
"If a blog falls in the forest and no one reads it, does it make a sound?" Who knows, but one thing is for sure, the blogs and news services are not going away and they will continue to be read, because the need to know what apostasies are being preached by clergy and bishops, and who is upholding the faith and who is not, far outweighs ignorance. After all if the blind continue to lead the blind, they will all end up in Hell, and that dear bishop, is for all eternity.
Traditional Anglican ping, continued in memory of its founder Arlin Adams. . . . but why this bishop, if he is indeed a moderate one as Virtue suggests?
Get a job you're qualified for, Bishop...this isn't it. The sin of our first parents wasn't their choice for autonomy over interdependence, but their choice for willful behavior over obedience to God.
There are modern day parallels, Bishop...you needn't look far.
"How many revisionist bishops could honestly stand up and say, "I am not ashamed to say Jesus is my Savior and Lord..." Does he think a Charles Bennison, an Orris Walker, a Tom Shaw or V. Gene Robinson could say these words with straight faces and make anybody believe them! Who are we kidding!"
Lets extend that down to Priests, Asst. Priests and Deacons. Before hiring or signing on any of these to our churchs, ask them if they can abide by the above. Then if they have any problem with the Nicene Creed and Baptismal Service. If they do, don't hire them or fire them.
My, how neatly that little bit of philosophy parallels the teachings of Karl Marx. ;)
The bishop calls for for honesty, fairness, and charity through deceit, hypocrisy and slander. Nice.
Excuse me, Bishop, but you have some scomb on your lip; Try taking 40 days' fast from being Satan's henchman.
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