Posted on 11/23/2011 11:11:08 AM PST by marshmallow
A notoriously 'gay-friendly' parish in San Francisco has invited an openly homosexual Episcopalian cleric to lead an Advent Vespers service.
Most Holy Redeemer parish asked Bishop Otis Charles, a retired Episcopalian prelate, to lead the November 30 service. After serving as the Bishop of Utah from 1971 to 1993, he publicly announced that he is homosexual. Divorced from the mother of his 5 children, he solemnized a same-sex union in 2004.
I can't believe the number of churches that are ordaining queers and how the dam just broke one day and they all got in a mad rush to start bragging about the queer in the pulpit they had being more queer than the other church has. There's a church in Raleigh that used to be very solid, I knew folks who regularly attended services there. It was about the largest church in county Raleigh is in if not the largest, and now I hear that my friends left the church a good while back when a lesbian was appointed as pastor there. The majority of those who are members didn't want that, they left but were replaced by an inrush of liberals who never attended church at all prior to joining to bath in the glow of a lesbian pastor
The churches in this country are under heavy assault by Satan and it's due to so many average folks going along to get along, building a wall between their faith and their governance the way fascists want them to, and to so many people being focused on what they don't have to do to be Saved rather than on what the will of Christ is in their lives.
JMHO, I'm sure there are others with a more sophisticated or deeper insight into the collapse than I have, but any way you look at it the average Christian in this country has been far more concerned with their "liberty in Christ" than with bearing their own cross and following Christ.
Regards
>>>>>Do not conflate Catholic with Christian. One does not by default mean the other.
Who are you, the Religion Moderator?
A reminder from the Mod’s page:
“If the other guy is throwing spitwads at you on an “open” thread it probably means he has run out of ammunition. Take it as a backhanded compliment. You won, walk away.”
Thanks for the compliment, metmom. ;-D
Apparently the nuns were mean to her when she was just a little girl.
That's exactly why heretics do things like throwing out seven books of the Old Testament before they even start to spin their new religion from whole cloth. They know that unless they first trash the Bible people might be led by the Holy Spirit to read those portions of Scripture and in doing so recognize that they've been led away from Christ and His Truth rather that to Him. You know, the way Luther wanted to throw out James because it clearly tells Christians "not by faith alone".
It's sad, but those who believe "Thy Will" and "My Intellect" are exactly the same things are always substituting their own intellect for the Truth and therefore subscribe to fallacies and heresies like "Sola Yourselfa" and "Sola Fee Pay" types of doctrines. They're floating in a lake of their own pride and that's exactly what leads to tens of thousands of different little religions each claiming to be the only real church and spinning out things like the Blab it and Grab it Gospel. The health and wealth doctrine is based every bit as much on someone's personal interpretation of Scriptures as the many distortions of The Word regularly posted here are. Those who pretend that Christ either lied or was too stupid to say say what he meant and could not possibly mean exactly what He said spin endless distortions and even premeditated lies to suit their own intellect. And in every case back their little heresy up with their own personal interpretation of Scriptures, their own new interpretation that contradicts the interpretations that have been held by Christians for close to two thousand years.
Those who clearly call Christ a liar by denying that Christ founded His Church and that Christ lied when He said He would be physically present in the Eucharist are a perfect example of what I Corinthians 2:14 is talking about, people totally blinded by their own pride and refusing sight when it's offered because they're enjoying their hallucinations so much.
You can say that again. They want a personal relationship with the one true God who sent His Son to this world. Jesus personally made it possible to go directly to the Father on a personal level with His personal assurance that we have been made clean by His personal blood. He personally said “whosoever may come” and didn’t require any risk taking by relying on some fallible egotistical fallen man. Jesus personally assured us that we would not come into judgment if we personally believed in Him.
"Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life." (John 5:24)
Jesus personally sits at the right had of the Father and is our personal advocate before the Father.
“My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” —I John 2:1
Jesus gave us the ability to personally go before the Father not having to rely on any earthly corrupted human or any other go between.
“Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh.” (Heb. 10:19,20)
We are personally promised that we can have personal peace with God through our faith in Him.
Rom. 5:1, "therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,"
You are so correct that there are many personal reasons to “come out” of the earthly rituals and mysticism of the RCC cult. No more restrictions to approaching our personal Lord and Savior personally rather than the uncertainty of a fallible man calling himself a “stand it” or “representative” but assured that we have a personal mediator between us personally and the Father.
1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
Very well stated...thanks!
“Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh.” (Heb. 10:19,20)
here’s what Christians believe and we have for 2,000 years:
1. Jesus gave HIS authority to TEACH and BAPTIZE to the Church in Matthew 28.
2. The Apostles went all thru the known world preaching the Gospel and building THE CHURCH.
3. The Apostles instructed that the men they ordained, also ordain others to continue this work. Read 2 Timothy 2:1-2.
4. The Holy Spirit moves within THE CHURCH and protects THE CHURCH, he doesn’t work outside the Body of Christ.
5. any time there is a question of doctrine, the Holy Spirit leads THE CHURCH to truth.
6. Christians look to the leaders of THE CHURCH, those men who have their office by “apostolic succession”, to decide doctrinal matters.
7. Hebrews instructs Christians to obey these leaders in 13:17.
8. in the last days, men will become lovers of THEMSELVES, rejecting THE FAITH and following their own way and not God’s way. read 2 Timothy 3:1-9
9.Paul told us to reject anyone else who brings a different Gospel than THE FAITH we received from the Apostles in Galatians 1:6. so when someone teaches BAPTISM is not for the remission of sins, but rather is a test of obedience, LET THEM BE ACCURSED. when someone teaches the Eucharist is NOT THE BODY OF CHRIST, LET THEM BE ACCURSED.
This is what Christians believe.
No church which names the name of Christ has any business ordaining or permitting to remain in the ministry any man (or woman these days) who is engaging in immorality. Scripture is very clear about the qualifications of a pastor or elder. God is not mocked. They will reap what they sow and the judgment of God WILL be on those who name His name and practice such evil and those who permit it will also be heal accountable.
That said, the RCC is in no position to throw stones. They need to clean own act. They don't get points or gain credibility for pointing out the speck in the other's eye while ignoring the log in their own.
Catholic church embarrassed by gay priests revelations
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jul/24/catholic-church-gay-priests-exposed
The Gay Priest Problem
http://www.catholicculture.org/news/features/index.cfm?recnum=20565
And there are plenty more where that came from.......
As a matter of fact, it appears to be a long standing problem within Catholicism.....
St. Peter Damian's Book of Gomorrah
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/696871/posts
St. Peter Damian : The Book of Gomorrah (Part 2)
68% of those raised Roman Catholic still are Catholic (comparable with or better than the retention rates of other religious groups). 15% are now Protestant (9% evangelical); 14% are unaffiliated. Pew forum, Faith in Flux (April 27, 2009) http://pewforum.org/uploadedfiles/Topics/Religious_Affiliation/fullreport.pdf
44 percent of Americans have switched religious affiliations since childhood, mostly mainline Protestants. 7% who were raised Protestant are now unaffiliated; 15% now belong to a different Protestant faith. ^
80% of adults who were raised Protestant are still Protestant. ^
51% of Protestants from a different Protestant denomination cite a lack of spiritual fulfillment as a reason for leaving their childhood faith. 85% say they joined their current denominational faith because they enjoy the services and style of worship Only 15% left say they left because they stopped believing in its teachings. ^
Those who have left Catholicism outnumber those who have joined the Catholic Church by nearly a four-to-one margin. 10.1% have left the Catholic Church after having been raised Catholic, while only 2.6% of adults have become Catholic after having been raised in a different faith.
4% of Americans raised Catholic are now unaffiliated; 5% are now Protestant. ^
Over 75% of those who left Catholicism attended Mass at least once a week as children, versus 86% having done so who remain Catholics today.^
Regarding reasons for leaving Catholicism, less than 30% of former Catholics agreed that the clergy sexual abuse scandal played a role in their departure. ^
71% of Protestants converts from Catholicism said that their spiritual needs were not being met in Catholicism, with 78% of Evangelical Protestants concurring, versus 43% of those now unaffiliated. ^
50% of all Protestants converts from Catholicism said they stooped believing in Catholicism's teachings overall. Only 23% (20% now evangelical) were unhappy about Catholicism's teachings on abortion/homosexuality (versus 46% of those now unaffiliated); 23% also expressed disagreement with teaching on divorce/remarriage; 16% (12% now evangelical) were dissatisfied with teachings on birth control, 70% said they found a religion the liked more in Protestantism.
55% of evangelical converts from Catholicism cited dissatisfaction with Catholic teachings about the Bible was a reason for leaving Catholicism, with 46% saying the Catholic Church did not view the Bible literally enough.
81% of all Protestant converts from Catholicism said they enjoyed the service and worship of Protestant faith as a reason for joining a Protestant denomination, with 62% of all Protestants and 74% Evangelicals also saying that they felt God's call to do so. ^
42% of those now unaffiliated stated they do not believe in God, or most religious teaching. ^ For more see HERE
JA: That's been true for years, here.
It's been true forever.
I know what's in my old nature. I have no illusions about that.
I just read and believe what it says.
It’s not rocket science but it does take spiritual discernment which the natural man does not have.
I heard the gospel plenty of times before I got saved and it made no sense to me whatever. When the Spirit of God was convicting me of the truth of it, the same message became clear as day.
There’s no understanding it without the leading of the Holy Spirit and when you have it, you will know. And it;’s not based on feelings, in a probably vain attempt to ward off that accusation.
Well, you were doing ok when one sees the church as all who are ‘believers’...until you said this:
...(God)”he doesn’t work outside the Body of Christ.”......
..It was all the way downhill from there. You tripped on a lie about God and fell over yourself thereafter...What do you mean He doesn’t work outside the Body of Christ! For shame....Of course God works whereever and whenever He chooses and with whom.....if HE doesn’t then none could be saved for ‘we were all outside The Body of Christ when he began His good work in us...seperated from God. Yet as believers we can all look back to the many times God worked in our life BEFORE we became Christians.
I had the same experience last Christmas eve. A friend invited me to her church for the service and the very minute that I walked into the sanctuary I was flooded with the Holy Spirit from my head to my toes. I also couldn't stop crying. In fact, for the first few weeks I couldn't attend a service without shedding tears - of relief that I was finally in God's arms and that he had forgiven me of my past - I was truly saved!!! I knew then that I had found my Church home where God wanted me to be. I have been going there every week and am a VERY active member now.
Life is so different now. I'm also a very different person - all in good ways. I truly enjoy sharing the Word whenever I have the opportunity and God has led me to some very spiritually rewarding volunteer work with the local CHRISTIAN homeless shelter.
I am so grateful that God never gave up on me and has revealed himself as a loving God rather that the God to be feared that I was brought up with in the Catholic church.
Which books of the Bible did you throw in the trash this morning?
didn’t read that, didn’t need to.
Why do you like Episcopalian queers but hate Catholics?
Acts 17:24-27 24 “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. 25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. 26 From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. 27 God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.
John 6:44 44No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.
1 John 4:19 We love because he first loved us.
John 16:7-15 7Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: 9concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; 11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.
12"I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15 All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.
Do you have reading comprehension issues? Reread the first few sentences again.
I don’t justify it for ANY clergy or anyone in the ministry of anyone in any position of responsibility within any church.
Those verses in the Bible where you believe Jesus Christ lied, do you cross the original verse out or just stick a Post-it note over it with a verse you write for yourself in place of the original quote of Jesus Christ?
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