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To: stfassisi; Alamo-Girl; boatbums; Cronos; Matchett-PI; xzins; Mind-numbed Robot; metmom; Quix
I heard many protestants tell me they drive their ministers out of their churches quite often because they don't like the theology.

I've heard that too, dear brother in Christ. Plus I know of an up-close-and-personal example. My husband's then church (in Massachusetts) — B is an Elder of the Methodist Church, who is now unchurched like me — kicked out its pastor. I gather the congregation considered him to be not up to their cultural level and sophistication. He came across to them as too "old-timey" in his religious stance and admonitions for their taste. That is, too "biblical," too "orthodox." [Plus you can't say "bad things" about gay people!!!]

So out he went.

The important thing to note here (IMHO) is the Reformed Church is thoroughly "democratic" institutionally, whereas the Roman Catholic Church is hierarchical and authoritative in its basic institutions. A Reform church can expel a pastor on majority vote. But no layman nor group of laymen have the power to expel a priest. Only his Bishop can do that.

If there "seems to be many versions of [social justice] depending on certain political agendas, even certain faiths," then that probably indicates we do not agree about what "social justice" is.

Personally, I find the state-of-the-art definition in Pope Benedict XVI's magnificent Caritas in Veritate....

I'm sure our ersatz president has different ideas entirely....

A Marxist cannot "change or add any new dogmatic teaching. Impossible!" I agree. But what he can do is take a given teaching and distort it by changing its meaning, conforming it to the requirements of a pre-existing ideological commitment in his mind. I do not think you appreciate how very much Left Progressives appreciate the magical power of words. They go so far as to expect that their constructions of rhetoric will be magically clothed in the substance of reality if they can just charm enough people into believing their fairy stories....

Oh dear stfassisi! Thank you so very much for your graceful, gracious close — and your prayers! Being outside the Holy Sacraments — most especially the Eucharist — is a regrettable state of affairs.

Thank you so much for writing, dear brother in Christ!

112 posted on 07/08/2011 1:29:10 PM PDT by betty boop (We are led to believe a lie when we see with, and not through, the eye. — William Blake)
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To: betty boop

Thanks for the pings and your usual excellent points.


125 posted on 07/08/2011 6:57:18 PM PDT by Quix (Times are a changin' INSURE you have believed in your heart & confessed Jesus as Lord Come NtheFlesh)
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