Letter of Repentance from exDruid Priest William Melynk

Institute for Religion and Democracy ^ | November 4, 2004 | William Melnyk

[lightman]

http://www.ird-renew.org/Episcopal/Episcopal.cfm?ID=987

A Letter of Repentance from The Rev. William Melnyk

November 4, 2004

This morning, the IRD received a copy of the following letter of repentance sent from Rev. William Melnyk to his bishop. We are grateful for his humble and direct letter. We hope that the leaders of the Episcopal Church's Office of Women's Ministries will likewise repent of that office's promotion of neo-paganism. We also hope that this direct act of recantation of wrong and reaffirmation of the historic faith of the Church will serve as a model for other Episcopal leaders who have been called to express regret for their actions in the context of "the repentance, forgiveness and reconciliation enjoined on us by Christ" (Windsor Report, paragraph 134).

To the IRD,

I have today sent this letter to my Bishop. My wife [The Rev. Glyn Lorraine Ruppe-Melnyk] has sent a similar letter:

Dear Bishop,

Recently it has been brought to light by several agencies and individuals that I have been involved in work with Druid organizations in the United States and England, exploring the relationships between Christian and pre-Christian Druid spirituality and theology. These individuals and agencies have presented you with pages of documentation of my activities from the internet. You and I have discussed this material, and you have pointed out to me that it is the opinion of the church that my involvement, writings, and activities go beyond the bounds expected of a Christian and a Christian priest.

I affirm to you with all my heart it was never my intention to engage in such error, but only to help others who had lost connection to the Church to find a way to reconnect. I also thought that there was much in our early British heritage that could help those of us in the Church to broaden our understanding of Anglican tradition.

I was wrong. I repent of and recant without qualification anything and everything I may have said or done which is found to be in conflict with the Baptismal Covenant, and the historical Creeds of the Church. With God as my witness, I reaffirm my belief in the historical creeds of the Church, and the Baptismal Covenant, and reaffirm to you my faith, as expressed in that covenant. I am resigning my membership in the Order of Bards, Ovates, and Druids, as a sign of my repentence.

I have been a follower of Jesus Christ since my Baptism in 1947, and a faithful Deacon and Priest of the Church, with the exception of the error admitted above, since 1981. It is my desire to continue as such, and I ask for the mercy of the Church, and of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Sincerely,

The Rev. W. William Melnyk

I now take pains to publicly affirm this statement, and to thank the contributors to the various Anglican weblogs for bringing this to my attention and helping me to see the truth.

[lightman]

The Eighth Commandment (Lutheran numbering) requires that we share this letter of repentance as broadly and freely as we did the original charges. Let us rejoice with the Holy Angels for this sinner's return!

[LiteKeeper]

AMEN!

[torqemada]

Apology accepted....HOWEVER, the Revs. Melnyk have absolutely no business continuing to be shepherds, teachers, and passed off as godly people. Both are in need of some serious re-education before they are allowed to, once again, be in a position of influence for other Episcopalians. May I suggest a full year in study of the Scriptures...and this time, read the Old Testament, too. If their knowledge of the Bible and of church doctrine is so limited that they, themselves, fell into heresy, how can they be trusted not to do so again and cause individuals in their congregations to follow right along behind them on the path to Hell?

[lightman]

Good and proper discernment of the distinction between personal sin and public office. The former can and should be readily forgiven; the latter, because of its public nature, requires more than just a letter of apology.

Perhaps expulsion from the assembly on Ash Wednesday, barefoot and in sackcloth, might be a first step.

[thor76]

Your intellignet suggestions for the good of their souls is noted.

However, I personally would not believe that their apology is in any way sincere, as these two have been too deep into the occult for too long. The Melnycks are most certainly not believing Christians.

What they are......is scared! For their jobs........their very cushy jobs in the Episcopal church. Each of them is the Rector of a parish, and they take home two very comforatble salaries plus assorted perks and benefits.

Having all the credentials of a massage therapist, they are not well suited (seperately or jointly) in late middle age to engage in a job search! So, fear of destitution, loss of position, etc., leads them to write this screed.

I would venture to say that they do not fear the just judgements of God....but fear a loss of $$$$$.

Before they are to be allowed to return to the ministry, some time in penance in sackcloth & ashes would be appropriate. Otherwise.....banish them!

[torqemada]

I am always pleased to bow to a better idea. Expulsion is really the appropriate action. Sadly, it won't happen. Bp. Bennison (their "boss") is not a Druid (at least not that I know of) but he is no less heretical. I'm laying odds that he won't do anything at all. He's proven that he only goes after traditionalist priests who refuse to buy into his new revisionist gospel. Anybody who thinks that V. Gene Robinson is suited to the episcopatem shouldn't find much wrong with the idea of Episcopal priests being practicing Druids.