Posted on 08/10/2003 10:34:43 AM PDT by altura
We had discussed posting what happened in our Episcopal churches this Sunday morning.
I’m in the diocese let by Bishop Stanton, one of the 11 Bishops who walked out of the General Assembly in protest. He wrote a letter to all the parishioners to be read to each congregation by the Priest.
Our Priest did not want to read the letter and said so. However, she did because she had taken a vow to obey the Bishop. In itself the letter didn’t say much other than expressing his deep concern for the direction of the Church and announcing the meeting on October 12th to which all of the Priests and other leaders of the diocese will be expected to attend.
He also mentioned the meeting called in England by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Prior to her reading this letter, she preached on the lesson from Ephesians, which was read today, quoting the following:
“Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.”
She also suggested we e-mail Bishop Stanton with our opinions.
Does anyone else have an experience to share?
Apparently there was none.And you're right, it should have been dealt with at the parish level, however, his parish obviously just thought what he was doing was fine and dandy.
Correct me if I misunderstand your meaning about churches looking the other way and not stamping it out at the local level, but the thing with the Episcopal church is that there is an hierarchy of authority. For example, our parish in Colorado, where I lived when this problem first started rising to the surface, DID condemn it at a local level and no individual aspiring to the priesthood as a homosexual was supported. I did know of one who moved away as a result to seek support in another state. The point is, that although our own parish, and at that time, our diocese, stood very firmly against the ordination of homosexuals, we had no authority to chastise those of a parish in another diocese. Only by being approved at the national level did the issue become everybody's problem, at least insofar as the church hierarchy is concerned. Before that, our only valid role was to pray for them.
Progressing along the road to Hell.
I have no hope for my ECUSA diocese. After all, Griswold was the Chicago diocesan bishop before he became presiding bishop.
I'm a never-married female- who am I supposed to ask?
The general ecclesiastical hierarchy of the Church in America is as follows:
The Presiding Bishop: America is the only communion within the Worldwide Anglican community that has a Presiding Bishop. Other Anglican communions refer to this person as an Archbishop. Their hierarchal positions are very similar, the main difference being that in America the Presiding Bishop has somewhat less control over the diocesan Bishops ecclesiastical authority. The "Presiding Bishop" in America is considered "first among equals". The presiding Bishop or "Archbishop" has ecclesiastical authority over more than one diocese, unlike a Bishop who controls only one region. Our Presiding Bishop resides in New York but his cathedral seat (a cathedral is a bishop's "home" church) is at The Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. The Presiding Bishop is the "president" of the House of Bishops during Church conventions.
The Bishop: The bishop is the head of an assigned diocese. A diocese is a region of a particular part of the country which may contain dozens of parishes or churches. For instance in the Diocese of NW Texas, the bishop is responsible for ecclesiastical authority over parishes (churches) in Lubbock, Abilene, San Angelo, Midland among many others. All of these parishes are a member of the diocese of NW Texas. The main seat or (cathedral) of the Bishop for this diocese is in Lubbock, Texas. The bishop attempts to visit every parish at least once within a given church year. He or she performs confirmations, preaches, and celebrates Eucharist whenever he visits a parish. This is always a special time of celebration in a church parish.
The Priest: The priest is the ecclesiastical authority of a parish (a single church within a diocese). He or she is responsible for leading or directing the "flock" of Christian people within a particular church. He or she celebrates the Eucharist, performs baptisms, takes confessions, visits the sick (as do the laity), among other duties. If there is more than one priest assigned to a parish, then one of them is the "Rector" or "head" priest. The rector may have an assistant, sometimes referred to as the "Assistant rector".
The Deacon/s: Next in the ecclesiastical hierarchy are the deacons. Deacons are ordained ministers who are under the authority of the "rector". They generally perform such duties as visiting the sick (along with the laity), administering the "Eucharist" in the absence of a priest or bishop. (Note: deacons cannot "consecrate" the holy communion. Deacons may only "administer" Eucharist from previously consecrated bread and wine, referred to as the "reserve sacrament".) Deacons can be called upon by the church to perform any duties appropriate to their skill and training.
There are 2 directions the deaconate can take. All priests are deacons for a time before being ordained as priests. There is also what is referred to as perpetual deacons which means that the deacon does not aspire to the priesthood and he or she serves as a deacon under the direct headship of the bishop.
Here are a couple of other links you might be interested in if you care to pursue it furthur:
Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.
He pointed out four contrasts:
wide -- narrow
broad -- difficult
many -- few
destruction -- life
Though in general he was not addressing the decision about bishop Robinson, he did mention it near the end of his message. He said that the 60+ bishops who voted for the admission of Robinson as a bishop had taken a step towards leading many people down the broad path to the wide gate that leads to destruction. [My paraphrase of his words].
He also referenced Matthew 7: 21-23:
Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'
Though I think you were asking for responses from other members of the ECUSA, I thought this might provide food for thought for any reading this thread.
Herein lies the fruit of their wickedness; a MAJORITY of Bishops voted in support of an active homosexual, promoting him to the position of a "bishop" and view it as "God doing a new thing".
These Bishops wield tremendous power over the priests, their dioceses and the parishioners under the relm of their supposed "care". Because they are the "head honcho's, they can write letters and have them circulated to all of the churches and "request"/demand that the priests read them to their congregations. Instructing them that homosexuality is a "gift from god" (i.e. Satan) that these congregations and their ministers need to support and work for homosexual causes all in the name of "christian love" and "christian social justice".
These evil men control the MILLIONS of dollars donated by these congregations and will funnel them to their ungodly causes.
The tragedy is, these evil men are going to make life totally miserable for those godly leaders within the denomination that take a Biblical stand regarding this issue.
They will be persecuted for being "intolerant", "insensitive" and the greatest of all sins; "unloving". Godly leaders will be given low level, "cruddy jobs" within the denomination, while those who promote homosexuality will be given the plum positions of power and prominence in order to further their agenda.
This is going to happen, and it is already taking place. Two African bishops were physically attacked by bishops that voted in favor of the Sodomite becoming a bishop. They were physically attacked BECAUSE THEY VOTED AGAINST THE HOMOSEXUAL BECOMING A BISHOP! That was their "crime". The scenario above is just a matter of time. That is why such harm has been foisted upon the denomination and Christendom at large.
The only viable option for those within the Episcopal Church (be they leaders or members of the congregations), that are genuinely born-again through faith in Christ alone totally apart from works, is to leave as soon as possible. Otherwise, they will be seen as condoning their denominations wickedness and will also partake of their denominations judgment and sinful responsibility in this matter.
The majority of “spiritual” leaders in the denomination have just chosen to throw the Word of God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ out the window, embrace perversion at the highest level and some are concerned this decision “may test the limits”.
God’s Word regarding the course of action and decision these so-called “spiritual leaders” should have made is clear:
“9I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; 10 I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world. 11But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler—not even to eat with such a one. 12 For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church? 13But those who are outside, God judges. REMOVE THE WICKED MAN FROM AMONG YOURSELVES.” (1 Corinthians 5:9-13)
Since the majority of those calling the shots within the denomination have chosen not to “Expel the wicked man” from among them, they have rejected God and His Holy Word and instead have whole-heartedly supported and embraced perversion and wickedness at the highest level within the denomination.
With this decision these leaders have left those who truly know Christ with only ONE option from a Biblical perspective: There is only one course of action available and the counsel of God’s Word is obvious for all born-again believers, ministers and leaders within the Episcopal Church:
“ ‘Therefore, COME OUT FROM THEIR MIDST AND BE SEPARATE,’ says the Lord. ‘AND DO NOT TOUCH WHAT IS UNCLEAN; And I will welcome you. And I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to Me,’ Says the Lord Almighty.” (2Corinthians 6:17 - 18)
This advice may not be popular or politically correct, but it is God’s unfailing counsel regarding the situation. Even if this stand for the truth results in the loss of buildings, property, possessions, positions, power, friendships and anything else that Satan might use to persuade these believers to COMPROMISE their walk with Christ and support for the Word of God. It will be telling in the days and weeks ahead to see if those who actually know Christ within the denomination, be they lay people or leaders, are willing to “count the cost”, and conclude with the apostle Paul:
“7But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, 9and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, 10that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; 11in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.” (Philippians 3:7 – 11)
Before. He should have been removed from the priesthoood at that time, as straight priests are routinely defrocked for adultery. That he was not reflects a profound moral failing on the part of his parish and diocese.
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