but it should have happened as soon as things started to veer away from scripture. I wish those churches that are breaking away and their members all the best. They are doing the right thing.
As for what they are leaving behind, scripture is pretty clear on what awaits them. I hope they figure that out before it's too late. |
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This has been coming for years and it's affecting all churches. It's tragic that, in a time when ,we as Christians need to be united in a faith based on such an awesome love that we let slip the essential elements that are a part of what God is and what we should be to each other. Compromise is a useful political/social tool but there are some things that cannot and should not be compromised. God give us the wisdom to be more worthy of His miraculous grace.
Merry Christmas, Mary Kate! |
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After reading and hearing a few articles and interviews with Jefferts-Schori, I was surprised that this had not happened sooner. Here's a column from Michael Meved:
http://www.townhall.com/columnists/MichaelMedved/2006/11/22/new_bishop_show_bankrupcy_of_religious_left
When a church leader begins to refer to Christians in the 3rd person, and cannot clearly state the meaning of verses such as John 3:16, it only follows that the true Bible believers she "leads" would quickly make the decisions that are now being made. And it is no surprise to read Schori's response in the final paragraphs of the column in the NYTimes. |
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to hear that. It is such a sad and bitter thing when church's split. |
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I am have been expecting this for some time as the more conservative Anglican Church has been making subtle overtures to the Episcopalians for some time now to lay off the gay agenda and female bishops for awhile. The worldwide Anglican church has been amazed in my opinion at the breakneck speed which American Episcopalians are abandoning the traditions
and dogma of the Anglican Church. I believe the moral relativism being practiced in the Episcopal church and the struggle to have such views accepted in other mainstream denominations, esp. Methodism will result in more cracks in the Worldwide Christian Church as a whole. When churches begin to abandon the teachings in their holy books and make decisions based on their values and not the teachings of the church, there has to come a time when the individual churches reach out and let the leadership know that won't fly.
I see the stirrings of the acceptance of gay marriage in the methodist church and I fear we will see the membership loss and disarray that the adoption of the modern relativism and the abandonment of the more conservative teachings of the Bible will cause.
I believe the church as a whole will undergo a reformation in the coming years as we struggle to deal with the growth and influence of Islam and the fact that a religion that demands obedience is on the rise as Christians seem to be abandoning our teachings and our values for more politically correct interpretations.
Christ came to earth to offer man a way to step outside sin and receive God's grace through belief in him. The current situation in the Anglican/Episcopal church only goes to show how little man has learned about faith and belief in the Bibles teachings and the abundance of God's grace for caring about such a petty group of creatures like us. |
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I think it's a very positive and healthy thing for the denomination to split over this.
I'm a Methodist and our history is the darkest when we let the conservatives rule (slavery, women's rights) and the greatest strides have been when the conference has had the most tension.
Let the conservatives take the Episcopalians in one direction and the liberals in another. History will judge them accordingly.
PS: Where do you see "the stirrings of the acceptance of gay marriage in the methodist church"? I have seen a minister kicked out and a minister allowed to deny membership to a lay person. Doesn't sound too pro-gay to me. |
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I had to say my goodbyes to ECUSA some time ago and it pains me to see all of this coming to pass. I found a home not too far from(closer maybe) my spiritual starting point here:
http://www.anglicanprovince.org/
Our Bishop, now semi-retired, wrote an excellent piece about his observation of the roots of the current troubles while a Priest in the late '60s and early '70s. I don't think it is available online anywhere but I can track it down for anyone interested.
God Bless,
TB |
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I'm at Truro Church in Fairfax, VA. (www.trurochurch.org)
Let's get this straight, folks. We're not leaving the Episcopal Church. The Episcopal Church left us. |
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Jesus is the only true route to salvation.
Where do these theologians who disagree come from, they evidently didn't read the Bible if they come to that conclusion.
If I ever had a Pastor tell me that, I would be seeking a new Church. |
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Elisabeth,
If you remember there has been much ado about the Lake Jenaluska conference held by Hearts on Fire group about a year and a half ago in order to promote acceptance of Homosexuality by the church. There was a great deal of strife in the church about the use of the facility by this group. I would point you toward the UMC webiste at umc.org and the drop down topics listing on homosexuality. There are a number of articles there with quite a bit of information on the issue and the ways the church is struggling to deal with the divisions. I wasn't aware of it until I went looking for the articles on the website but there was a paper circulated during the 2004 General Conference of the Methodist Church that advocated dividing the church over this issue. It was not endorsed by the delegates but it does show the issue has divisive momentum in the church. There are a number of articles on the site accessible from the drop down menu for you to review if you like.
I dont think methodists are anywhere near the point the Episcopalians are now but there does seem to be momentum leading us into that direction. There is also an article on this very subject on the UMC site entitled "Pay attention to what's happening in Episcopal Church" in the commentary section.
I hope you find this reply helpful.....
Merry Christmas |
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We Roman Caholics Welcome the brake-away with open arms, come and worship with us.
Merry Christmas |
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It sounds like a wonderful opportunity to find a church that actually adheres to biblical principles. Liberal denominations such as the Episcopalians have shifted from the true Gospel of salvation of God's grace through faith in Jesus Christ to the false social gospel. Be a good person and you, too, can go to heaven. If that's true, there was no reason for Jesus to have died on the cross. I'm sure you have many friends there and would hate to leave them. But church isn't a social club. It is a place to worship and grow closer to God. You can only do that by the power of the Holy Spirit. Not through a bunch of rituals you find in liberal churches and the Roman Catholic Church. I hope you allow the Holy Spirit to lead you to a true church where you'll here the true Word. |
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My congregation is one of those "exhausted and trying to hide," I think. We very nearly split with our own Diocese after Robinson was consecrated, and I have little doubt that, sooner or later, we'll be making the same decision your church is making.
That won't just split the Communion further, it will split my congregation. I know which side I'll fall on, but I'm still praying it never comes to that. |
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The Presbyterian Church (which I grew up in) has been going through the same. I left the PCUSA many years ago because of it. As more of the mainstream Protestant denominations toward politics and away from the Bible, this will continue to happen I fear.
All you can do is pray and put it in the Lords hands.
Merry Christmas Mary Katherine and may God bless you and your congregation. |
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because it is my church also. Cradle Episcopalian is what they call us. Three weeks ago, my wife and I met with the Rector and told him we were leaving the church. On the good side, we have joined in with other Anglicans and have started a new church. Not yet affiliated with an African Bishop, but we will at some point.
BUT it just makes me mad all over again. It was MY church, not theirs. They are just the hired help. The church is not theirs to make over, but they have. They took vows in the apostolic tradition - 2000 years of tradition - and they just couldn't stand something having authority over them (Bible, 10 Commandments, 39 Articles) |
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