G
gurneyhalleck1
Guest
HI Vivienne,
Absolutely I read the entire article. I would never post it without reading all of it. I realize the bishop and leadership position on what happened here vs. the priest’s views. But my point in posting this is not just to look at this particular act of inanity but to hammer the point home that it is the very nature and environment as well as self-contradicting agenda of TEC that allows this kind of bizarre frivolity to flourish! In the Catholic Church some rogues are out there but this type of over-the-top absurdity would be smacked-down. A guy like this should be excommunicated and defrocked. But it is this loosy-goosey and surreal environment and theological playground that TEC encourages that gives a guy like this the opportunity to do these things. Sure, the bishop might not condone it, but it’s the turf, the mindset of the church in general, where it’s going with the overarching “inclusion” mission and the Presiding Bishop’s “Christ is a way to God, not THE way” example being set that is promoting these types of acts. These folks are completely on a godless path…sad stuff…
Absolutely I read the entire article. I would never post it without reading all of it. I realize the bishop and leadership position on what happened here vs. the priest’s views. But my point in posting this is not just to look at this particular act of inanity but to hammer the point home that it is the very nature and environment as well as self-contradicting agenda of TEC that allows this kind of bizarre frivolity to flourish! In the Catholic Church some rogues are out there but this type of over-the-top absurdity would be smacked-down. A guy like this should be excommunicated and defrocked. But it is this loosy-goosey and surreal environment and theological playground that TEC encourages that gives a guy like this the opportunity to do these things. Sure, the bishop might not condone it, but it’s the turf, the mindset of the church in general, where it’s going with the overarching “inclusion” mission and the Presiding Bishop’s “Christ is a way to God, not THE way” example being set that is promoting these types of acts. These folks are completely on a godless path…sad stuff…
This is alarming, but did you read the whole article in the link provided?
I am a former Episcopalian (Anglican) myself - happily, gratefully and gladly Catholic for more than 2 years now. But I know there are liberal and conservative strains in Anglicanism and I have had both types of priests as my pastor at different times. One of the liberal ones could almost have used something similar, his Archdeacon and Bishop would have thoroughly chewed him up for that; the conservative priests wouldn’t have touched this thing with three bargepoles lashed together.
But please note from the article:
When parishioners filed into St. John’s Episcopal Church in Harrison, Arkansas, on All Saints Sunday, November 1, they were handed a bulletin that sent shivers down the spines of many of the congregants. It was a case of inclusion gone wild.
Many of the parishioners were not happy with this!
Note this response from the Bishop of Arkansas:
*VOL contacted Arkansas Bishop Larry R. Benfield to ask if this liturgy had been approved. Through his communications officer Micah McConnell the bishop issued the following statement: *
“I am a supporter of interfaith dialogue. I look forward to the day when the many barriers that now separate us can be removed. But interfaith dialogue works best when we are confident of our own Christian faith and can articulate it clearly.”
He clearly does not support this “liturgy”.
Nor does this Bishop:
However, a former Episcopalian who is now a bishop in the Reformed Episcopal Church, the Rt. Rev Sam Seamans who received a copy of the bulletin incredulously asked, "Can you believe this? I really am at a loss, even coming from a TEC parish. It is truly unbelievable.
Asked why he forwarded this to VOL, the bishop said, "I do think that we need to expose these kinds of things because they are leading so many people astray. When a parishioner hands me something like this from an “Anglican” church in my own state I am going to respond - part of what we promise to do as bishops is to drive out strange and erroneous doctrines.
Before we Catholics brand all Anglicans as a result of this highly irregular liturgy, it is worth remembering that:
It serves no good purpose to say that all Anglicans are pagan because of what we have read here. Many, many Anglicans are indeed devout, faithful and godly (I just wish they would all come home - but painting with such broad strokes will not bring them back, more likely make them feel totally unaccepted by Catholics.)