They may summon the Bishops 
but all they'll get is a bunch of queens 
Posted on 08/08/2003 4:51:55 AM PDT by kattracks
Gosh, I have been in such despair, I was actually unable to pray for several days other than just exclaiming "Help us, Lord Jesus!" over and over . . . I am finally able to say the Rosary again.
Getting this organized will give us something to DO!
I knew that Bishop Alexander was a weasel and was going to vote "yes" as soon as I saw his pre-General Convention message in the diocesan newsletter. But Atlanta is so liberal and so pro-gay that a bishop would have been pre-selected to vote that way (I'm sure he was asked during the selection process).
My parents fortunately live in the Diocese of Georgia (southern half of the state), and their Bishop Louttit is a strong and faithful man who voted "no". One possible outcome here is diocesan overlap -- churches may change their affiliation to S. Georgia (would be nice). We will be in my parents' church this Sunday.
Looks like trad_anglican is going to be in charge of the list and the Ethread on the Religion forum. Ping him/her and get on the list.
I'm Baptist, but I did the same thing. I'll bet real Christians around the world are doing the same.
The homily below reminds me of something my wife told me the other day: "We have already won the War. What's happening now is just that we are stumbling over the debris on the battlefield."
A Sermon Preached at a gathering of the Forward in Faith supporters at Westminster Presbyterian Church, Minneapolis, on the Feast of the Transfiguration, August 6, 2003
20 bishops representing four continents attended this service (see list at end)
by the Rt. Rev. Robert Duncan Bishop of Pittsburgh
Scots are used to losing battle. Christians are used to losing battles. There's a little bit of wisdom in this. Scots sometimes think it's more important how you fight the battle that really matters. Of course, the victory is Jesus. The victory is already won. Jesus has won the victory and we know how the story turns out. We know the end of all things. We know that Christ is seated on the throng. Today we celebrate the Transfiguration of Jesus our Lord. There are battles ahead for him, battles that he loses, before God claims the final victory.
Paul wants us to know that the battles we fight are not just against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers. Most in the world today think of today as the anniversary of Hiroshima, not the feast of the Transfiguration.
It should not surprise us that the Lambeth vote of five years ago on sexual morality has its 5th anniversary in yesterday's vote. We've been dealt a grave blow. We've lost a particular battle. Although I see more battles ahead, we already know who's won the victory. Everything in the Transfiguration is about what becomes of the victory and who it is at the center and the only one that all of creation will look to. What I want to focus on is what we do to go forward in faith? There is no organization whose name is a better name-Forward in Faith. I want to ask today how do we go forward in faith?
It's one word and it has five letters? What's the word? Jesus. Jesus is the word of God, the word incarnate, the word of life, the answer to how we know we're going to go forward in faith from this day.
The transfiguration story and lessons associated with today give us four particulars as to how we might go forward in faith. I want to share those thoughts with you about more specifically how we go forward in faith.
The verse that I've based this sermon on, "This is my son, my beloved, listen to him."
The English word "obedient" comes from the word "to listen." The first thing we have to do is LISTEN to him. We're called to obedience and live a life that listens to him. The way we begin to go forward in faith is through his word. Everything is supported by the word of God. That's what we hang on, That's what we build on and trust in. Listen to him.
When we essentially been defeated in a battle yesterday, we went first to prayer. We didn't begin by talking to the press. How do we go forward? We listen to him. That's how we go forward in faith.
The second thing-is that we FOLLOW HIM. The way in which we can fight this fight is to follow him-to take up the cross and follow him. It's that very word about taking up the cross that Jesus speaks before that transfiguration event. It's because we're willing to take up our cross and we're changed and from this world to the glory of the next.
I will never forget almost 25 years ago John Stott preaching and saying to a great crowd of students at UNC-Chapel Hill that if we compromise less we would suffer more. If we compromise less-we will suffer more. We're going to have to follow him. To follow him means to be willing to suffer today, tomorrow and to the end, not worrying about which battles we win or lose, but knowing that he's won the victory and every moment will participate in it with us.
The third thing-if we want to go forward-we actually WORSHIP HIM. To worship we get the nearest approach to how the end is going to be. We get the nearest approach to victory--Evangelicals and Catholics agree to that. When we worship, which is what we're doing today, we see his glory. At first here a cloud and then we see through the crowd. How do we go forward? We worship. Who is it that we worship? Jesus?
And finally-the fourth way we go forward-we're called to REVEAL HIM. What happens whenever we've encountered God face to face is that our faces shine. Last night we were gathered and singing, "Shine Jesus Shine." By the end of our worship we were all shining. He shines through us. Isn't that just spectacular? If we're going to go forward and bring the world forward, we're going to have to look like him. We're going to have to shine. When we reveal him, we show his love for the world. The central revelation is that we love them so much is that we speak the truth.
We listen to him, we follow him, we worship him and we reveal him. Whether we lose battles along the way-never mind. It is truly how well we fight and it's his victory as his factory is realized day by day by day until the end. Amen.
Bishops in attendance:
Michael Nazir Ali - Bishop of Rochester, United Kingdom
Josiah Fearson - Archbishop of Kaduna, Nigeria
Benjamin Nzimbi - Archbishop of Kenya
David Bena - Suffragan Bishop of Albany
Gethan Hughes - Bishop of San Diego
John W. Howe - Central Florida
Keith Ackerman - Bishop of Springfield
Peter Beckwith - Bishop of Springfield
William Wantland - Bishop of Eau Claire (ret)
Ed Salmon, Bishop of South Carolina
Daniel Herzog, Bishop of Albany
Terence Kelshaw, Bishop of Rio Grande
William Skilton - Suffragan Bishop of South Carolina
Jack Iker - Bishop of Fort Worth
James Stanton - Bishop of Dallas
Bert Herlong - Bishop of Tennessee
Stephen Jecko - Bishop of Florida
Henry Scriven - Assistant Bishop of Pittsburgh
John-David Scofield - Bishop of San Joaquin
Jim Adams - Bishop of Western Kansas
END
They may summon the Bishops
but all they'll get is a bunch of queens
The Catholic seminaries used to have a very strict screening process where homosexuals, thieves, neurotics and all kinds of other undesireables were kept from entering religious orders. With a liberal ascendancy in the seminaries, this screening was changed to screen out strong Catholics and encourage those of dubious sexuality and in open rebellion to Catholic teaching to come in (like how universities screen out conservatives to serve on their faculty.) This is all very well documented in Goodbye, Good Men by Michael Rose.
Homosexuals prey on young teenagers, this is really well documented -- which is why they should NEVER be allowed in ANY position where they might have acess to or authority over young people. This is why gay adoption is so completely horrifying to me.
No Catholic is forbidden to marry. In fact, there are married priests in the Catholic church (Anglican clergy who have converted, mostly.) Priests voluntarily give up marriage to devote themselves to the church (as Paul said, I would all of you were like me, but it is better to marry than to burn.) All religious orders have a "noviate" period where you take temporary vows (depends on the order, some are one year, some are three) so if you decide the religious life isn't for you, you can go your way and no harm done. Also, most Catholic churches do have altar girls. I don't want to get into a long Catholic v. Protestant apologetics thing, this isn't really the thread for it, so if you want more info on what Catholics believe you can freepmail me and I can send you some links.
As other posters have said, it looks as if homosexual infiltration of the churches is a deliberate, long term project they have taken on. With all the "hate speech/hate crime" legislation that is being pushed, I am starting to think the time is coming where if you say homosexuality is wrong, you'll be jailed. So, Twinkie, we may be sharing a cell some day!
AAC NEWS ALERT: August 8, 2003
-- AAC answers the question: "What do I now?"
-- Statement from Archbishop Bernard Malango, Central Africa (Primate)
-- Statement from Archbishop Greg Venables, Southern Cone (Primate)
==================================================================== -- AAC answers the question: "What do I do now?"
The AAC has just published an important document answering the question "What do I do now?" after the grevious decision of the Episcopal Church to depart from the historic Christian faith.
To read the document, please visit: http://www.aplacetostand.org/dspnews.cfm?id=70
URGENT: PLEASE FORWARD THIS EMAIL TO AS MANY OF YOUR EPISCOPALIAN FRIENDS AND FAMILY MEMBERS AS YOU CAN!
==================================================================== -- Statement from Archbishop Bernard Malango, Central Africa (Primate) http://www.aplacetostand.org/dspnews.cfm?id=71
-- Statement from Archbishop Greg Venables, Southern Cone (Primate) http://www.aplacetostand.org/dspnews.cfm?id=73
American Anglican Council's A Place to Stand General Convention 2003
8/08/03
AAC Answers the Question: What do I do now?"
What just happened?
1. The Episcopal Church has departed from Biblical truth, from the historic teaching of the Christian faith and from the near universal consensus of the Christian Church around the world.
2. In the words of the Primate of Kenya, the Episcopal Church has "kicked itself out of the [Anglican] Communion."
3. In the words of the Primate of Nigeria, the 43 bishops who voted no on Gene Robinson "have refused to bow their knees to baal."
4. The Archbishop of Canterbury has called an emergency meeting of the Primates for October 15-16, 2003, the first such meeting in the history of the Anglican Communion.
What do we do next?
1. Rejoice... in all circumstances. God is still on the throne.
2. Repent... for our participation in our Church's sins. Continue in a spirit of repentance, not arrogance, in the days ahead.
3. Forgive... as Jesus did, "Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing."
4. Pray... for God's grace to guide and sustain us.
5. Love... those who consider themselves to be homosexual, sharing the transforming power of God.
6. Reject... the unbiblical, unconstitutional actions of General Convention. Repudiate them, disassociate yourself from them. Do this personally, as a parish, as a diocese. Communicate with your rector, your bishop (even those bishops who share your views; they need to be supported!), the Presiding Bishop (815 Second Ave., New York, NY 10017), and the Archbishop of Canterbury (Lambeth Palace, London SE1 7JU, England). Copy the American Anglican Council (1110 Vermont Ave., NW Suite 1180 Washington, DC 20005. lhuntington@americananglican.org).
7. Reach out... to those who are lonely and isolated in unsupportive parishes or dioceses, and those who share our concerns but are not at General Convention; they are likely confused about what happened, unaware of the strength of our coalition, and uninformed about the Primates, the Plano meeting, etc.
8. Redirect... money from structures which support these actions (parish, diocese, national church), and give to parishes, dioceses, organizations and mission agencies which are upholding mainstream Anglicanism, such as the AAC, FiFNA, and Ekklesia.
Do's and Don'ts
1. Do NOT say you are leaving the Episcopal Church.
2. Do NOT say you are breaking Communion with your bishop.
3. DO say you are NOT leaving the Anglican Communion.
4. Do NOT sue for your property or take unilateral action.
5. DO hold on until Plano.
6. DO give the orthodox bishops and archbishops six months to achieve a framework for dramatic realignment.
What is Plano and what will happen there?
1. It is a gathering of bishops, clergy and lay leaders who embrace biblical faith and teaching and who reject the actions of General Convention, to be held October 7-9, 2003 at Christ Church, Plano, Texas.
2. We will pray, worship, study the Word and preach the Gospel.
3. We will hear reports on actions of specially-convened diocesan conventions.
4. We will prepare a detailed petition and proposal for the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Primates, who will meet October 15-16, 2003
5. We will offer training and specific help with canonical, legal and financial issues.
6. We will build relationships and organize our network.
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