Posted on 10/10/2005 5:16:29 PM PDT by wagglebee
The issue of homosexuality continues to put pressure on mainline Protestant denominations. Here is a brief recounting of what has happened among some of those churches over recent months:
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)
Delegates to ELCA's 2005 national convention in August angered homosexual activists in the 4.9-million-member denomination when they rejected a proposal to allow the church, under certain circumstances, to ordain homosexuals in long-term, committed relationships.
The convention upset conservatives, however, by refusing to vote for a resolution that would remove the ambiguity from the denomination's regulations regarding whether or not a minister could bless same-sex unions.
Episcopal Church in USA (ECUSA)
The fallout from ECUSA's 2003 consecration of openly homosexual Rev. Gene Robinson as bishop of New Hampshire continues to roil the denomination, home to 2.5 million of the worldwide Anglican Communion's 77 million members.
Six Episcopal congregations in Florida have asked Rowan Williams, archbishop of Canterbury and figurehead leader for worldwide Anglicans, to allow them to report to a new bishop. The row was caused, the congregations said, because their current bishop, John Howard, approved of Robinson's consecration. The parishes, with about 4,000 members, said Howard's stand caused a "serious theological dispute."
In Connecticut, 19 Episcopal lay leaders and clergy in Connecticut have formally charged their bishop, Andrew Smith, under provisions of canon law, according to the American Anglican Council (AAC). The AAC is trying to help conservative Episcopal denominations bring themselves under theologically orthodox bishops.
Smith is charged with breaking church laws when he took actions against six conservative priests in the Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut, after they objected to Smith's stand in favor of Robinson's ordination.
Smith entered St. John's Episcopal Church in Bristol and announced his suspension of Rector Mark Hansen, one of the six, and installed a pro-homosexual female priest in Hansen's place. Then Smith allegedly dismantled the church's website, hacked into its computers, and gained access to financial records.
United Methodist Church (UMC)
Rev. Edward Johnson, pastor of South Hill United Methodist Church in Virginia, was placed on a year-long leave of absence by his UMC district superintendent. His ecclesiastical crime? He refused to allow a non-repentant homosexual into church membership.
Johnson's district superintendent, the Rev. William Layman, had twice ordered Johnson to accept the homosexual man into membership. Layman acted with approval from the head of the Virginia Annual Conference, Bishop Charlene Kammerer.
When the pastor refused, he was removed from his position without salary. Johnson, who has been in the pastorate for 24 years, had pastored at South Hill for six years.
Meanwhile, the Rev. Irene Stroud, who had lost her credentials last December following an ecclesiastical trial over her admission that she was in a committed lesbian relationship, will have a new day in court. In April, a UMC appellate court reinstated her ministry credentials after overturning her conviction on an 8-1 vote.
That case will top the docket of the UMC's supreme court, according to United Methodist News Service.
Presbyterian Church (USA)
A special PCUSA panel recommended that next year's General Assembly not change a 1997 church law that limits clergy and lay officeholders to sex within marriage.
The battle over the issue has grown heated in the PCUSA. Homosexual activists continue to submit bills to repeal the rules. Meanwhile, conservatives have been frustrated that congregations continue to defy current church law and that the denomination allows ceremonies to bless same-sex couples.
An example of such open defiance occurred in the Pittsburgh Presbytery, where a female minister, Dr. Janet Edwards, performed a "marriage" ceremony for two lesbians. The ceremony integrated the couple's Buddhist and Christian traditions.
Be merciful to those who doubt; save others by snatching them from the fire; on others have mercy in fear, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh. Jude 1:22-23
I am an LCMS member also, but we have some gay supporters in our congregation and even one "transgendered" individual. Be on your guard for infiltration. I don't know what we're going to do if this trend continues...
All I can really think to say is: "COME LORD JESUS!" "COME QUICKLY!"
I firmly believe we can stay true to our faith AND be politically active. We just need to be aware of the dangers and the differences.
Not quite. There is an authentic, and purely Christian contemplative prayer movement that goes back to at least the third century, if not the time of the Apostles. It is especially strong in the Orthodox Church (mainly among monks, but many laypeople as well), and is also found in the Western tradition (e.g., The Cloud of Unknowing, Teresa of Avila, etc.). The mainly Roman Catholic/Protestant "Centering Prayer" movement is based on the Cloud, and is thus purely Christian. However, Christians who practice contemplative prayer MUST avail themselves of the Word and Sacraments (which are much more important that contemplative prayer and form its foundation) and pray with words (e.g., intercessions, thanksgiving, petitions, etc.) as well.
Neverthless, there are also SCADS of radical-liberal priests and pastors who condone or practice all sorts of sycretism, including with Buddhism, "New Age", and Wiccan. This is heretical and disgraceful, and spiritually very dangerous. We have all we need for salvation in Jesus Christ!
The Antiochian Orthodox Church has left the NCC, and the Orthodox Church in America (OCA) is in the process of doing so. I expect all the Orthodox churches, led by SCOBA, to follow them.
I read the OCA's document (from their last national convention) on why they originally joined the NCC (back when it was first formed), and why they want to leave. Originally, the Orthodox churches joined in order to engage in "faith and order" ecumenical dialogue, and specifically to promote Orthodox truth in sister churches and eventual unity on the basis of that truth. However, especially under its current clintonite director Edgar, the NCC promotes political aims, and specifically New World Order ones!!!! "Faith and order" discussions are nowhere to be found in the NCC.
Therefore, the Orthodox churches, which have dissented from the NCC for many years, are in the process of leaving. Neither they nor SCOBA can be blamed for the garbage that Edgar spews in great abundance!!!
Acting like Christianity can clean up and purify an occult practice is like saying it's okay for Christians to have a seance, play with a ouija board or crystal ball, etc. Christians are not supposed to play around in the spirit world. Contemplative prayer is mysticism. In fact supporters freely admit that. And the more you read about the current supporters the more you will see that they are promoting the New Age, universalist religion packaged with some Christian terminology. It's a very bad and dangerous thing and it is leading many people away from the true gospel of Jesus Christ. Supporters emphasize experience and elevate doubt. It is cool to be stupid regarding doctrine, at least according to most contemplatives. There is no such thing as a false teacher or false doctrine. They don't read the Scriptures enough to even know we are told to beware of such things. It's all about experience and feeling and "unity." Who needs the Word of God when you can go talk to the image of god within you.
It disgusts me.
We are talking about those who are familiar with the Gospels here. If they know better (and they do) we ought to separate from them.
9 I wrote to you in an epistle not to keep company with fornicators. 10 I mean not with the fornicators of this world or with the covetous or the extortioners or the servers of idols: otherwise you must needs go out of this world. 11 But now I have written to you, not to keep company, if any man that is named a brother be a fornicator or covetous or a server of idols or a railer or a drunkard or an extortioner: with such a one, not so much as to eat. 12 For what have I to do to judge them that are without? Do not you judge them that are within? 13 For them that are without, God will judge. Put away the evil one from among yourselves.
1 Corinthians 5:9-13
3A time to kill, and a time to heal. A time to destroy, and a time to build. 4A time to weep, and a time to laugh. A time to mourn, and a time to dance. 5A time to scatter stones, and a time to gather. A time to embrace, and a time to be far from embraces. 6A time to get, and a time to lose. A time to keep, and a time to cast away. 7A time to rend, and a time to sew. A time to keep silence, and a time to speak. 8A time of love, and a time of hatred. A time of war, and a time of peace.
Ecclesiastes 3:3-8
sickening is ONE word for it!!
I cannot for the life of me, understand how people, never mind ANY church, being swayed by a bunch of people who not only advocate abominations, but boldly and pervertedly, proclaim that they refuse to live their lives as what God created them to be! It's the ultimate :in your face" and it is directed at our Lord and Savior!! How, in the name of God, is this even remotely following Christian values and doctrine? If anything, it is a total and complete rebellion of ANY church!
It's not about love, not at all. How many normal people, having been told that some form of sexual activity would harm or even kill, their spouse, would perform that activity anyway? To do so is not loving!!
I completely agree. Those so-called Christians who embrace homosexual sin, for example, should be anathema to the true body of believers. We should have no fellowship with them. But we should continue to warn them and try to "snatch" some of them out of Satan's clutches. That's all I'm saying. I continue to pray for several who are caught in this sinful lifestyle....
Now that is something that should be proclaimed loud and often!
We need signs that proclaim "PC Free Zones!!"
Christian mysticism can be misused, and MUST be taken with huges doses of Scrpture and Scriptural preaching, liturgical worship in a Christian community, and the sacraments. And practitioners of Hesychasm have spiritual fathers to advise them, and are told to get into the practice slowly. But you seem to need to learn about St. Gregory and other great mystical saints, and the good fruits of their contempative practice. The "New Agers" also need to learn about them in a true way, so that they can realize just how BOGUS the "New Age" really is!!!! Unlike the mystical saints, the "New Agers" bear BAD fruit!!!!
I strongly disagree with everything you said in post 52. I think you little altered state of consciousness practice is very dangerous.
I grieve and have lost patience with my relatives who remain behind.
Congrats to the Orthodox Churches.
Many of them are occupying the pulpits.
"I think you little altered state of consciousness practice is very dangerous."
Were the Apostles in an altered state of consciousness on Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit descended?
The Georgian Orthodox church left quite some time ago, as well.
I agree. One does get a much better perspective when you pray for these folks.
Don't get your hopes up quite yet. I've been contacting churches in hopes that I can get them to distribute FreeMarket voter guides for our (Texas) Constitutional election on Nov. 8th. Texans now have an opportunity to to define marriage as between 1 man & 1 woman. Our local Baptist Church (Baptist General Convention of Texas)will not allow me to pass the voter guides out to the membership.
Go figure....
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