Posted on 02/22/2007 12:27:41 PM PST by Alex Murphy
As a "conservative" Episcopalian, I have a real problem with the church that may be difficult for others to understand. For those on the outside, the Episcopal Church's problems may seem like a mishmash of issues that society largely has moved beyond. From within, however, there is something more important going on.
Contrary to what the more liberal elements of the church's leadership (and unfortunately much of the media coverage) would have you believe, what is happening within the Episcopal Church has nothing to do with sexual preference, same-sex marriage, female clerics or a host of other accusations hurled at us for disagreeing with the church leadership. These are symptoms. Much as an elevated temperature may point to a deadly infection, the disease itself is worse. The Episcopal Church is suffering from an acute case of fear.
The more liberal among us fear irrelevancy. The process of de-coupling the Episcopal Church from historic Anglicanism coincides pretty closely with the revolutionary attitudes of the 1960s, when our benign trust in leadership was shattered by governments that did a lot of bad things behind our backs. The next generation didn't want the same old church as their parents. Church enrollment dropped; fear took root that the institution would decline and perhaps disappear.
In the 1970s, church leadership believed social justice could trump fear. It began to "fix" the church by discarding the beloved 1928 Book of Common Prayer. The 1979 version, with its watered-down requirements and weak translations of Scripture, was designed to be easy to read. Out went Shakespeare, in came Mr. Rogers. The revisionists celebrated, but church attendance did not improve. Fear grew.
That fueled demand for female clerics. In the 1980s, female priests appeared, followed closely by bishops. Enrollment declined further; fear increased.
This brings us to the latest innovation to stop the decline, "the full inclusion of baptized Christians in the full life of the Church." That's code for "we need homosexual priests and bishops, same-sex blessings and marriages." Today, enrollment is still slipping.
Make no mistake; the battle within the U.S. Episcopal Church is not about intolerance, gender or sexual preference. It is about fear leading to theological amnesia. And fear has driven out the purpose of the church. Loosening the rules to attract more congregants instead has driven more away. Making it easier to be a member is not what works to retain the faithful. It's all about how you cast your theology in your life -- is your faith your anchor or just something that makes you feel good?
I place a very high value on caring for the sick and feeding the hungry. Christian churches do this. But is that their raison d'etre? Absolutely not.
The Christian church was founded in the first century to lead people into faith in Jesus Christ. The means they chose to do this was to illuminate who Christ was to help the faithful understand what He wants of us. With that faith, Christians still believe we can develop a relationship with Him.
Historically, this illumination was gained through reading the Bible. The Bible offers four different accounts (the Gospels) that agree on these points: Jesus was both man and God. He rose from the dead. He had expectations of us that clearly included not embracing sin.
These accounts show that his definitions of sin were in sync with Jewish law of the time. He even said He wouldn't change one thing in that law. To be a Christian is to accept that, if Jesus said it, we are subservient to it. That's been mainline Christian theology for almost 2,000 years.
So now I find myself, as one who tries to embrace the law as Jesus explained it, forced to break it in order to remain an Episcopalian. I am forced to support and encourage others to sin. Jesus said that helping someone else to sin was worse than committing the sin yourself.
Now you understand my fear. If I stay in the Episcopal Church, I have to embrace and support behavior clearly identified by Jesus as sinful. If I leave the church, I am "intolerant," "homophobic" or just plain "mean-spirited."
I am simply trying to do what Jesus told me to do. He said, "Love God with all your heart, mind and soul. And love your neighbor as yourself."
If I know someone I love is going to endanger their soul by doing the wrong thing, is it an act of love to embrace the wrong action? Jesus clearly loved sinners, but despised their sin.
The other side fears irrelevancy, I fear Hell. Come to think of it, maybe we're both afraid of the same thing ...
When was the last time a ECUSA priest delivered a message along the lines of "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" or "Go forth and sin no more"? The last time I visited an Episocopalian Church, the priest sounded like a Liberation Theology Communist.
I take umbrage with the "feel good" label.
Is it too much to ask not to be brow beaten for sinning and putting my own beliefs above God's Teachings?
Does God know who He's dealing with, getting all pushy with His Morals and what not?
He's on the verge of making a very powerful enemy if He and His Church don't keep hectoring me about my behavior, morals and values.
Owl_EagleIf what I just wrote made you sad or angry,
it was probably just a joke.
I didn't realize until recently that when the ECUSA discarded the 1928 Book of Common Prayer in favor of the phony 1979 prayer book, they also jettisoned the Thirty-Nine Articles of Faith, which are the core of the Anglican tradition, and relegated them to being simply a "historical document," having no authority. (I found that shocking, having been raised in Sunday School going through and having to learn the Articles, and being told that this was what made us Anglican.)
It was at that point that the die was cast as to all the ECUSA's future heresy and apostasy, and that was when ECUSA ceased to be an Anglican church. The 39 Articles speak clearly to the present situation, including the authority of Scripture which has also been discarded.
I still am trying to figure out what this means--I know the charter of my diocese dating from the 1800s requires that the diocese be in conformance with the Thirty-Nine Articles, so they have technically been in violation of their governing documents since 1979.
I prefer churches that hand out Ecstasy, myself. Although I think the midget ushers are part of someone else's hallucination.
Various Articles the ECUSA no longer believes in, in one way or another:
(ECUSA: "Thank you Mother Jesus")
I. Of Faith in the Holy Trinity.
There is but one living and true God, everlasting, without body, parts, or passions; of infinite power, wisdom, and goodness; the Maker, and Preserver of all things both visible and invisible. And in unity of this Godhead there be three Persons, of one substance, power, and eternity; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.
(ECUSA: "There are many ways to get to God on our various faith journeys")
II. Of the Word or Son of God, which was made very Man.
The Son, which is the Word of the Father, begotten from everlasting of the Father, the very and eternal God, and of one substance with the Father, took Man's nature in the womb of the blessed Virgin, of her substance: so that two whole and perfect Natures, that is to say, the Godhead and Manhood, were joined together in one Person, never to be divided, whereof is one Christ, very God, and very Man; who truly suffered, was crucified, dead, and buried, to reconcile his Father to us, and to be a sacrifice, not only for original guilt, but also for actual sins of men
(ECUSA: "God made us the way we are, we aren't really sinful so there was no sacrifice by Jesus.")
III. Of the going down of Christ into Hell.
As Christ died for us, and was buried, so also is it to be believed, that he went down into Hell.
(ECUSA: "We really don't need Jesus to get to Heaven; everyone is going to heaven (except maybe Hitler) and you're ok, I'm ok just as we are.")
IV. Of the Resurrection of Christ.
Christ did truly rise again from death, and took again his body, with flesh, bones, and all things appertaining to the perfection of Man's nature; wherewith he ascended into Heaven, and there sitteth, until he return to judge all Men at the last day.
(ECUSA: "Hey, dude, the Spirit (we're not really sure which one) is telling us to do a new thing!")
V. Of the Holy Ghost.
The Holy Ghost, proceeding from the Father and the Son, is of one substance, majesty, and glory, with the Father and the Son, very and eternal God.
(ECUSA: "The Bible? It's outdated and doesn't count when it contradicts our modern enlightened understanding of the evolving nature of human beings as revealed by science!")
VI. Of the Sufficiency of the Holy Scriptures for Salvation.
Holy Scripture containeth all things necessary to salvation: so that whatsoever is not read therein, nor may be proved thereby, is not to be required of any man, that it should be believed as an article of the Faith, or be thought requisite or necessary to salvation. In the name of the Holy Scripture we do understand those canonical Books of the Old and New Testament, of whose authority was never any doubt in the Church.
(ECUSA: "Sin, what sin? God made us the way we are, straight, gay, bi-sexual, polyamorous. We need to embrace our diversity and be inclusive of all!)
IX. Of Original or Birth-Sin.
Original sin standeth not in the following of Adam, (as the Pelagians do vainly talk;) but it is the fault and corruption of the Nature of every man, that naturally is engendered of the offspring of Adam; whereby man is very far gone from original righteousness, and is of his own nature inclined to evil, so that the flesh lusteth always contrary to the Spirit; and therefore in every person born into this world, it deserveth God's wrath and damnation. And this infection of nature doth remain, yea in them that are regenerated; whereby the lust of the flesh, called in Greek, p¢vnæa sapk¢s, (which some do expound the wisdom, some sensuality, some the affection, some the desire, of the flesh), is not subject to the Law of God. And although there is no condemnation for them that believe and are baptized; yet the Apostle doth confess, that concupiscence and lust hath of itself the nature of sin.
(ECUSA: "Hey what counts is how well we gave lip service to those United Nations Millenium Development Goals, not whether we followed some outdated words in an old dusty book!!)
XI. Of the Justification of Man.
We are accounted righteous before God, only for the merit of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ by Faith, and not for our own works or deservings. Wherefore, that we are justified by Faith only, is a most wholesome Doctrine, and very full of comfort, as more largely is expressed in the Homily of Justification.
(ECUSA: "Yep, all we really need is to talk about Millenium Development Goals!)
XIII. Of Works before Justification.
Works done before the grace of Christ, and the Inspiration of his Spirit, are not pleasant to God, forasmuch as they spring not of faith in Jesus Christ; neither do they make men meet to receive grace, or (as the School-authors say) deserve grace of congruity: yea rather, for that they are not done as God hath willed and commanded them to be done, we doubt not but they have the nature of sin.
(ECUSA: "Sin, what's sin?)
XV. Of Christ alone without Sin.
Christ in the truth of our nature was made like unto us in all things, sin only except, from which he was clearly void, both in his flesh, and in his spirit. He came to be the Lamb without spot, who, by sacrifice of himself once made, should take away the sins of the world; and sin (as Saint John saith) was not in him. But all we the rest, although baptized and born again in Christ, yet offend in many things; and if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
(ECUSA: "Again, we must remember that there are many paths to God, and we can't be judgmental and insenstive")
XVIII. Of obtaining eternal Salvation only by the Name of Christ.
They also are to be had accursed that presume to say, That every man shall be saved by the Law or Sect which he professeth, so that he be diligent to frame his life according to that Law, and the light of Nature. For Holy Scripture doth set out unto us only the Name of Jesus Christ, whereby men must be saved.
(ECUSA: "Hey, the church is for everyone, it doesn't matter whether you are an unrepentant sinner who doesn't believe in God or Scripture or anything else. You can even become a bishop in our church!!")
XIX. Of the Church.
The visible Church of Christ is a congregation of faithful men, in which the pure Word of God is preached, and the Sacraments be duly ministered according to Christ's ordinance, in all those things that of necessity are requisite to the same.
(ECUSA: "Hey, so what if what we're doing in promoting homosexuality is directly contrary to scriptures throughout the Old and New Testaments--those are outdated, like not eating shellfish, and we don't have to follow them. And if you don't agree with us, you're homphobic, insensitive and causing division and must be punished")
XX. Of the Authority of the Church.
The Church hath power to decree Rites or Ceremonies, and authority in Controversies of Faith: and yet it is not lawful for the Church to ordain any thing that is contrary to God's Word written, neither may it so expound one place of Scripture, that it be repugnant to another. Wherefore, although the Church be a witness and a keeper of Holy Writ, yet, as it ought not to decree any thing against the same, so besides the same ought it not to enforce any thing to be believed for necessity of Salvation.
(ECUSA: "Hey, you don't need to be a baptized Christian to take communion in our churches. Anyone can do it, and it's just a little ceremony to indicate our inclusiveness.")
XXV. Of the Sacraments.
Sacraments ordained of Christ be not only badges or tokens of Christian men's profession, but rather they be certain sure witnesses, and effectual signs of grace, and God's good will towards us, by the which he doth work invisibly in us, and doth not only quicken, but also strengthen and confirm our Faith in him.
There are two Sacraments ordained of Christ our Lord in the Gospel, that is to say, Baptism, and the Supper of the Lord.
Those five commonly called Sacraments, that is to say, Confirmation, Penance, Orders, Matrimony, and Extreme Unction, are not to be counted for Sacraments of the Gospel, being such as have grown partly of the corrupt following of the Apostles, partly are states of life allowed in the Scriptures, but yet have not like nature of Sacraments with Baptism, and the Lord's Supper, for that they have not any visible sign or ceremony ordained of God.
The Sacraments were not ordained of Christ to be gazed upon, or to be carried about, but that we should duly use them. And in such only as worthily receive the same, they have a wholesome effect or operation: but they that receive them unworthily, purchase to themselves damnation, as Saint Paul saith.
I would suppose that if you wanted to be Anglica you would need the articles of faith. But if you want to be a Christian then you would simply need the Bible as your authority.
Can't find any Anglica in the Bible. God wants us to put our faith in Him by his word not man.
Don't disagree with you. I left the ECUSA for a Bible-believing church almost ten years ago now.
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