Posted on 03/21/2019 6:02:47 PM PDT by marshmallow
The Episcopal Church's House of Bishops met in Kanuga, NC this past week in an attempt to put lipstick on a pig.
Michael Curry's much ballyhooed "way of love", an advance certainly on Frank Griswold's Circle Dance of Dispossession, and other Sufi ramblings, saw the HOB get an evangelical wakeup call from two speakers, who would, in times past, have been shown the door, not invited in.
The first was a woman bishop from the African American Methodist Church, whose denominational mandate is "to seek out and save the lost and to serve the needy." TEC hasn't saved a soul in decades, but it does have oodles of causes that keep it busy with no mention of seeking and saving anything, except whales, bashing white privileged folk and lots of talk about unidentifiable racists in the Episcopal Church.
"The church at its best is the whatever-it-takes church" and must be "more prophetic than programmatic," said AME Episcopal Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie, the denomination's first woman bishop.
Both the culture and the context of church have changed in the 21st century, she said, and what worked in the past does not work now; however, too many churches just do the same old things, maybe with a different name, and hope it brings different results. The church, McKenzie said, has to be "more prophetic than programmatic" and should not be content "to preside over attrition."
TEC is riddled with programs with none having to do with the salvation of souls, and, based on year-over-year numbers, it is presiding over its own attrition.
The truth of the gospel has not been diminished by any cultural advancements. The Africans are living proof of that. Episcopal and Methodist churches in the US are largely staying alive because of the African witness to the gospel.
(Excerpt) Read more at virtueonline.org ...
Inevitable?
Only if we say it is.
We choose not to die.
it is fascinating that churches and synagogues which “go secular” (or pagan).... lose so many members
yes, they still cater to some ... but certainly they’ve proven that replacing whatever their traditional understandings of Biblical faith (and morals!) were....with some sort of communistic “social agenda”......is not a path to success ... when it comes to reaching “the masses”
they’re so fond of talking about...
put simply, I think....if all a church or synagogue is gonna do is preach some kind of “progressive social justice (sic) agenda”...
people who want that can get it far more conveniently elsewhere...
People still look to houses of worship for, well, worship..or at least spiritual inspiration and support...and, yes, moral values, instruction, guidance and support, encouragement.. that they instinctively recognize as fundamentally correct....
Many people will support equal political rights for homosexuals but do NOT want it taught, promoted, or encouraged from the pulpit...they are willing or perhaps genuinely supportive of decriminalization and maybe some libertarianism in the public sector....but they still know or look to church to preach and teach correct moral values.
If these basic elements (morals and faith/spirituality) are watered down, or absent from a church or synagogue, most (not all) people will just quietly walk away...
....
bump
Meanwhile, the Evangelical non-denominial churches are thriving.
If you see one of these at any church, run far and fast:
1. A female head pastor.
2. Any sort of rainbow flag or banner, or pastors wearing rainbow vestments.
Either of these symbolize the church is under the control of Satan and mocking God. It will be confirmed by an elderly and dying congregation (usually 100% white liberals) who go on and on about how inclusive and multi-cultural they are.
I left my Episcopal Church parish long ago. The last time I paid attention, their “Bible Vacation School” was on the theme of Stopping Global Warming (they hadn’t invented “Climate Change” yet). We left because I didn’t want my young children exposed to homosexuality. They are both now adults, which shows you how long this has been going on. I am guessing that the parish has maybe 1/5 of the attenders it had when we were still there, but it emptied out fast. We go to a non-denominational Bible church now. Mostly young people in their twenties and thirties, my wife and I are probably among the older attenders. It’s alive and growing.
The Episcopal Church will hang on for a long while yet, considering the size of its real estate holdings, especially in New York City.
(Hey, did y’all know that the Holy Spirit is a “she”, and that the disciples were fishers of “people”?)
Don't worry, a Mosque will buy it.
1. A female head pastor.
2. Any sort of rainbow flag or banner, or pastors wearing rainbow vestments.
3. Use of the words "inclusive" and "social justice" in their mission statement.
Sorry if you think that.
Don't mind me. I'm going to be over there working to take over the world.
I left also...never looked back. Im 77, the Episcopal was a thing of beauty once, then the loving progressives moved in and God moved out. I’m beginning to think any organized religion becomes the word of man rather than the word of God. It happened to Episcopalians then and it is happening to Catholics today. Then I discovered I can hold my old prayer book in my lap, sit on my back porch, look out over the water and BE where I was 50 years ago. That’s all I need.
Demographics catches up. Here in Our Little City,when we came here 25 years ago, there were 2 mainline Presbyterian churches. Both had a decent crowd attending. A few years ago, the two merged. The remaining one dwindled, and ran through its endowment money, and just recently closed its doors. The little flock remaining is scouting around to other mainline churches to join as a group. Keep the old gang together, you know. (They offered us their building, gratis. Classic 19th century limestone church, that we wouldn't have a hope of being able to keep up on the maintenance of.)
Also here locally, within the past month, 2 United Methodist congregations just merged, because one faded away.
My dad calls it The Church of Whatever.
L
But.....
What happens to all the Young souls ?
This is my worry no Christian instruction for the children
Just liberal anti-Christ crap forced down their throats
I pray for our salvation from this evil
You and I can pray, but the progressives don’t pray, they ACT. We need less thoughtful prayer and more “Onward Christian Soldiers”...Christianity’s downfall always has been the “peace not war” attitude...and that vulnerability becomes our key weakness for exploitation by our enemies who believe and practice the opposite. We will continue to lose the youth using love and passiveism as our weapons of choice.
I tried. My generation’s battle is nearing the end...and we lost. And back to thread focus...the Episcopal Church was an early battleground...I walked away from it mentally bloodied and defeated...something so beautiful...lost. The youth today are not being given the memories thay I have. I fear for them becoming what they are taught. However, when I’m on my back porch, prayerbook in my lap, looking out over the water...it’s all, for me, found again. And, amazingly, without sermons, canons or magical cookies.
Jesus preached mightily about the faults of the Pharisees, but he never put down or left the Jewish faith. He was a good Jew up to and including the Cross. So would He favor leaving the church?? or staying and being His witness?? - just asking!
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