Saturday, May 20, 2006

The Coming Episcopal Breakup?

On June 13, the Episcopal Church, or for us traditionalists, the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America, will hold the triennial convention in Columbus, Oh.
Hopefully, the church will not have a breakup over the most obvious and charged issue of homosexuals roles in the church and in particular over same sex unions and the ascent of V. Gene Robinson as the first openly gay and non-celibate man to be a bishop in the church.
But most worrisome is the fact that the church is straying further and further from Anglican ethos that are the three-pronged approach to faith and religion, Scripture, Tradition and Reason.
It appears more and more that the hierarchy of the church and their lay followers have decided that Scripture and Tradition are irrelevant and only Reason matters. If you only have reason, then nothing else really matters.
Hence, that is why if the evangelical movement is now the face of the Republican party in the eyes of the mainstream media, then my beloved Episcopal Church, is the face of the Democrat party. I mean, if you live in the six-county Diocese of Los Angeles, go the the annual convention the first weekend in December. You will see what I mean.
But, it is the issue of removing the Scripture and Tradition and having reasonable debate over any given issue is quickly becoming impossible among the liberal hierarchy with the people in the pews.
As a Christian, my most important task after being baptized is to spread the Gospel, "Go ye therefore and make disciples of all the nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Ghost"
I would like to remind those who are Episcopalians reading this that the following is the most succint and truthful confession of faith and I hope that our church meeting on June 13 remember the Nicene Creed. This is from the 1928 Book of Common Prayer:
I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth. And of all things visible and invisible; And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God; God of God, Light of Light, Very God of very god; begotten, not made: Being of one substance with the father; By whom all things were made: Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven, And was incarnate by the Holy Ghost and of the Virgin Mary, And was made man: And was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; He suffered and was buried: And the third day he rose again according to the Scriptures: And he ascended into heaven, And sitteth on the right hand of the Father: And he shall come again to judge the quick and the dead: Whose kingdom shall have no end.
And I believe in the Holy Ghost, The Lord, and giver of Life. Who proceedeth from the Father and the Son; Who with the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified; Who spake by the prophets: And I believe in one Christian(Catholic) and Apostolic Church: I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins: And I look for the Resurrection of the dead: And the life of the world to come.
Amen.
I hope that those that still believe that will prevail over those who have done their best to forget it.

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