Episcopal Church Problems

vanity | Sunday, August 10, 2003 | altura

[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?

[WashingtonSource]

I went to an Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C. that is supposed to be orthodox, although the priest has been wavering in recent years. During the week he was quoted in the papers as saying that he disagreed with traditional church teachings on homosexuality and that he had known homosexual couples whose relationship had "made them more Christ-like." I kid you not. In other ways, men buggering men brings you closer to Christ.

Today attendance was down significantly and the sermon completely ignored what happened in Minneapolis. During the sermon the priest said that people should confront those with whom they have a disagreement in order to bring reconciliation. Afterward a lady in the parish let the priest have it in the recieving line for his published comments. She was also angry because he had made similar comments in a sermon two weeks ago.

After servcie the same lady continued the conversation with the priest in my presence during coffee hour after the priest came up to our table and restarted the discussion. When she pressed him for his exact views -- for or against the new homosexual bishop and for or against blessing same-sex unions -- he refused to say. He shrugged his shoulders. He say he disagreed with how the issue was settled. Needless to say, this lady was not happy with the answer. Nor was anyone else who heard it.

Several people told me pointedly they were not going to give a cent to the church until they can make sure none of its goes to Bishop Chane, our arch revisionist bishop who lead the effort to adopt a liturgy for same-sex unions. People were complaining about the diocese and the national church, but I kept pointing out to them that our rector had basically "come out of the closet" on his views as a revisionist and supporter of the homosexual agenda, even while couching his views in a degree of uncertainity. It's amazing how people can not fathom the obvious sometimes.

That meant, I told them, that the problem was now in our parish, not somewhere else. It also meant this man lied when he was a candidate for rector in the mid-1990s, when he protrayed himself as orthodox and a traditionalist.

Several people said they were ready to leave and found a new parish or join another existing one outside ECUSA. Everyone was quite upset and unsure about the future.

[brbethke]

You're kidding, right?

I wish.

[kittymyrib]

And of course, the homophiles in the Episcopal Church taunt the conservatives with the fact that the conservatives threatened to leave after priestesses were approved and they haven't said "Boo" about it since, so they'll get used to the gay invasion of the priesthood too. No wonder the priestesses preach the gospel according to Rodney King: "Can't we all just get along." These women are not qualified to be ministers any more than the gays are according to I Timothy 3:2: The overseer (minister) must be above reproach, the husband of one wife..." That eliminates all females, even those pretending to be males.
I sympathize with the Episcopalians who thought they could accept Bishop Spong's heresy, women priests, abortion, etc. etc. and keep the faith. Today they were cited as the bad example of what happens to churches who disobey God's Word in Christian churches on every continent. How sad!

[altura]

Yeah, it's hard to follow Paul's advice (in one of his more mellow moods)to put away all bitterness, wrath, anger and wrangling, when the national church did something completely unnecessary, which they had to know would deeply hurt and divide the Church.

And one wonders if they looked around for the most undesirable Gay Guy or just lucked into him. I mean that comment Robinson made about God turning Good Friday into Easter had to be the limit in self-absorption and arrogance.

And the presiding Bishop is not much better. I still haven't forgiven him (sorry, Paul) for his remark earlier about how he "was tired of having to apologize for the United States when he was abroad."

You know what ... I'm tired of having to apologize for him.

[two23]

"Does anyone else have an experience to share?

20 "He that walketh with wise men shall be wise; but a companion of fools shall be destroyed. 21 Evil pursueth sinners: but to the righteous good shall be repayed."

Proverbs 13: 20, 21

[altura]

I have to respectfully disagree with you about women priests.

There is nothing inherently sinful about being female.

I don't believe in changing for change's sake, but I think this was a valid change. I think the percentage of women having this calling and being right for it is small, but it does exist.

I just don't think we should become the Church of Whatever.

[The Brush]

How long will it be before churches start turning over their pulputs to atheists so that the congregations can hear both sides to the religious "argument" and choose which message they choose to follow?

As strange as that might seem, who would have even considered there could be a gay bishop 10 years ago?
The church is under attack from Satan and many people, in the misguided view of unity, love and forgiveness have fallen into the trap.

Satan is alive and well and infiltrating the so-called Christian churches.

[altura]

I just had an idea.

Our "priestess" as some of you delight in calling her (I call her Mother N.) suggested we e-mail our thoughts to Bishop Stanton.

As soon as this thread dies down (probably tomorrow morning) I intend to e-mail the whole thread to the Bishop.

[mel]

What part of Texas, we lost our liberal rector to a church in Austin. I was soo happy when he left two years ago. I am sure he is elated over this gay bishop.

[colorado tanker]

I saw an interesting report this morning that a group is considering organizing a separate "province" in the U.S. for the conservative churches, in effect creating a second Episcopal Church. I'm not Episcopalian, so I don't know how that would work. It would give conservatives somewhere to go without leaving the denomination.

[bluebunny]

I agree Humidston. Keep your money away from these people!

[mel]

They won't get one red cent from my hands, i'll just give it to the humane society or something like that. they always need money

[stop_fascism]

No problem. The Eps had a bishop named Spong who was an atheist.

[PLK]

Share our Sunday morning experiences? At our Catholic mass this a.m., our priest was near tears sharing the fact that the church he grew up in was partially destroyed by arson yesterday. In addition to several intentionally set fires, anti-Christian graffiti was everywhere and the Tabernacle was vandalized.

How is this related to the crisis in the Episcopal church? All of Christianity is under attack, led by the leftist media, academia, abortion activitists & the gay agenda all over the world. Look for escalation of violence against Christians and efforts to destroy churches from within.

[brbethke]

I mean that comment Robinson made about God turning Good Friday into Easter had to be the limit in self-absorption and arrogance.

I'd been wondering about that. For Robinson to not withdraw his name, knowing full well that his election would split the Anglican church and destroy the Anglican-Orthodox communion, struck me as the sort of colossal arrogance that should constitute prima facie proof he is not fit to be bishop. I was wondering if I was misreading him.

But no, I don't believe I was.

[Humidston]

I concur completely. The Bible clearly states women should leave the teaching to the men, pure and simple. It's a puzzlement to me why some will try to justify this "little glitch" in liberal churches today.

But I guess once you start breaking the rules, the justification for breaking down the next set of standards and rules comes easier...

Till finally, the so-called church justifies a man leaving his wife and children in order to enjoy perverted anal sex with another man - all the while - maintaining his position as a teacher of God's word. A priest. A "Godly" man.

[brbethke]

By the way, is it just me, or does "GLBT" sound like it should be some sort of sandwich?

[utahagen]

Hey, why are you pouncing on this freeper? Maybe he wants to sit tight at his church rather than let some heterodox priest or priestess push him out. I think you're attacking the wrong person.

[utahagen]

My hunch is that Episcopalians went to Episcopal churches in droves this Sunday to see how their own churches would respond.

[FreeRep]

Archbishop of Canterbury will not let them create a different ECUSA in North America. They want Gay bishops and same-sex blessings! No second Episcopal Church, they do not want conservatives.