Sunday, July 20, 2008

Episcopal Church abandons its own tradition of tolerance; declares itself "the one, true church"

I almost entitled this "For What It's Worth," since so many Episcopalians nestle down in their pews and pretend that "all is well" with the church.

But if you're still listening, you should know that representatives of the largest Christian bodies around the world have diplomatically but firmly warned that Episcopal innovations (mainly the substitution of homosexual activism for Christianity) are separating the Anglican Communion from the rest of the Christian world.

Remember when we used to brag about our church's "tolerance"? How we used to reassure interested friends that Episcopalians "don't claim to be the one, true church" and are able to play well with others? In fact, even the 1979 Book of Common Prayer includes this statement, which used to be our starting place for good relations with other Christians:

That this Church does not seek to absorb other Communions, but rather, co-operating with them on the basis of a common Faith and Order, to discountenance schism, to heal the wounds of the Body of Christ, and to promote the charity which is the chief of Christian graces and the visibile manifestation of Christ to the world.

So, what does (y)our Episcopal church now proclaim?

That devotion to homosexuality is a "new thing of the Spirit" that only Episcopalians can understand. The Episcopal Church is the one, true church.

That the message worth spreading is not the Gospel of Christ, but homosexuality. Gay-TEC is the one, true church. The growing, Gospel-preaching churches of Africa should be replaced with the shrinking, closed off, Gay-club of Episcopalianism (the one, true church).

Yes, the Episcopal Church says it all with sweetness and light.

But I am not surprised! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.
II Corinthians 11:14

3 comments:

bls said...

I don't really think that your conclusion follows from your premises; the fact that TEC "stands firm" on behalf of gay Christians (who have almost noplace else to go in the Christian world) doesn't imply that it thinks it's the "One True Church."

And I'm not really sure that opposing something one believes is wrong necessarily constitutes "devotion to homosexuality." (There's really no such thing as "homosexuality," BTW; there are only homosexual persons, and of course one can indeed be devoted to human beings.)

And I hate to mention it, but the "old thing" really isn't doing too well these days, either. People are leaving the church in droves, in fact.

TLF+ said...

The word tricks look good. ("There's no such thing as homosexuality"?!?!?! Can't tell you how many gay people I've know who, when deciding to move, check out potential sites for the presence of what they call "a gay community" or "gay culture.")

TEC has come to speak a self-referential jargon that makes sense only among TEC insiders.

Look, evangelical and other publications have no problems publishing stats that show their own problems (the Barna studies are but one example). But TEC consistently hides stuff. What it does cannot stand the light of day.

Really, what does TEC do/stand for besides LGBT? In another great word trick, TEC declares the U.N. development goals as its mission priority... then spends way more on lawsuits to hoard for its own institutional survival.

And yes, Christianity falters in some settings and thrives in others. So has it ever been. I think this is God's painful way of showing that ours is not a religion of any one culture or geography.

TEC, as defined by its actions rather than its words, wants to be a small, well funded organization to employ LGBT people who are into clergy titles and perks. Just say so and stop pretending that it is a church representing Jesus Christ.

Alice C. Linsley said...

The problem is that TEC has slipped into madness, a consequence of believing its own lies. For example, TEC gay activists would have us believe that their cause has won the right to "marriage" in 15 countries, but not one of those countries uses the term "marriage." Read the facts here:

http://college-ethics.blogspot.com/2008/07/civil-partnership-does-not-marriage.html

It is evident that the world consensus is that marriage is a unique institution between a man and a woman. This is but one of the realities that TEC's leadership refuses to face.