Friday, June 15, 2007

The Episcopal Church - Stay In or Get Out? (Part 1 of 3)

Over the next few days, we will be posting some perspectives on the choice between staying in TEC or leaving it to practice Anglican Christianity under other leadership.

One point of view is that we should stay in for now, and act according to how TEC responds to the worldwide Anglican Communion by September 30th (a deadline set by the presiding bishops of the 38 Anglican Provinces).

This position is expressed by Father Noel Rich, of Minnesota Anglican Connection.

I can tell you why I am still here in the Episcopal Church, though now retired. I am still here because I am part of the Anglican Communion! So is the Episcopal Church, for the moment, even though it is so apostate in so many ways.

I notice that the Bishop's from AMIA and CANA, Godly men that they are, were not sent invitations to the 2008 Lambeth Conference. Why? Because they are not at this time recognized by the Anglican Communion.

As a faithful Anglican, I will remain a part to the Anglican communion until the day I die. When the Episcopal Church is no longer a member of the Anglican Communion (probably not much longer); and, when there is a recognized Anglican entity recognized by the Anglican Communion... then I will leave the Episcopal Church and establish my membership in that recognized new American Anglican entity. Until then, I am as aligned as I can be with the AAC and the ACN while still "officially" a member of the Episcopal Church (TEC).

What do I do in the mean time? I continue to serve on the Board of SAMS (the South American Missionary Society). I continue to publicly teach, wherever I can, on the errors of TEC, the deception that has overtaken the leadership of TEC, and warn other denominations not to follow the path that TEC has taken and still is taking.

I am, and always will be an Anglican through and through.

In Jesus' love and service, Noel+

4 comments:

Tregonsee said...

I wonder what Noel+ will do should, as seems probable, there be two Anglican Communions in the near future?

TLF+ said...

apbiddle good question! We know that Abp. Nzimbi of Kenya recently visited groups in Minnesota, and that Kenya just consecrated an American, Bill Atwood, as a missionary bishop (on par with Martyn Minns as a bishop for CANA/Nigeria).

Fr. Rich clearly cares about theology, so, our guess is that he would go with the Anglican Communion that embraces confession of Christian faith rather than the AC interested in institutional connection to Canterbury.

As the Global South leaders have expressed it, "We don't need to go through Canterbury to get to Jesus."

Anonymous said...

In NPA's Re: "We don't need to go through Canterbury to get to Jesus."

I think that most of us believe that we can go directly to Jesus without going through anything else.

We do however need to gather in His name.

TLF+ said...

Amen, Denny T.! We do need to gather in Jesus' Name to be Christians who live by what the New Testament teaches. If one gets out of TEC, one must become part of Christ's visible body in some other church.