free fall

Midwest Conservative Journal is required reading for those who do not know what is going on over in the ECUSA. That wouold be all of us, includling EUCSANS because that plane is in free fall!

Check out, "Nailing Jello to the Wall." which begins with the end of a recent PB Frank Griswold sermon to a bunch of bishops, then Chris Johnson's ruminations:

Christ says to his disciples, and to us, “I still have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth…he will take what is mine and declare it to you.” Christ, who is our truth, has much more to say to us but we cannot take it in all at once. “Truth as in Jesus,” to borrow a phrase from Ephesians, has to unfold over time. Our ability to follow the motions of the Spirit increases and matures as the Spirit of truth pours into our hearts the love of God – that is God’s profligate and undiscriminating and life changing love for us. To see all things with the eyes of compassion is to see as God sees and to know the truth as in Jesus, the truth that sets us free. This is a lifelong process of growth and discovery.

I wonder from time to time: just how much more does Christ have to say to us? When will the Spirit of truth have made everything known? Not in our lifetime to be sure. Meanwhile, I try to remain focused on truth not as thing but as person as Christ encounters me face to face in the sacraments, particularly the Eucharist. I try to remain focused on the truth, who is Christ, present in the limbs and members of his risen body. These, my brothers and sisters in Christ – in all their grace and quirkiness – mediate both the consolation and challenge of Christ’s ever unfolding truth and love.

On one level, there is nothing to argue with here. We have not, indeed we cannot, plumb the depths of the truths of God. But leaving aside the question of exactly how Frank and the rest of ECUSA's liberals know that it is okay with God to make bishops out of unrepentant sinners(can't recall any pillars of cloud and/or fire and terrible voices from the tops of mountains turning up anywhere lately), it seems to me that this would be an extremely dangerous line to defend.

For 2,000 years, the Christian church, including ECUSA, taught that the Word of God declared that homosexual activity was sinful. Then, in August, 2003, ECUSA gave a pointy hat to a man who engages in homosexual activity on a regular basis and feels that he has nothing whatsoever to repent of. How does ECUSA explain the contradiction?

By "new knowledge," of course. The writers of the Scriptures thought homosexual activity was abnormal, we are regularly told. They did not know anything about "committed same-sex relationships" and the fact that all homosexuals want to move with their life partners to the suburbs and coach their adopted children's sports teams. Forgetting what this says about the competence of the Holy Spirit, Who is supposed to have inspired the Word of God, homosexual activity per se is no longer a sin; what once was truth is no longer truth thanks to "new" truth. And who knows what other truths will be superseded down the road?

So this is not a case of "Hath God said...?" ECUSA is not satanic; it is nihilist. It doesn't really believe in anything at all. Which, in a backhanded way, is a very clarifying moment for someone who has spent most of his life trying to get his mind around Anglican theology. Thanks, Frank."

Thanks Chris!

Chris is pointing out to the benefit of the ELCA that we have full fellowship with a group run by a bunch of Unitarian wanna-be's who probably would have left long ago except for the perks.

Think Shrimp is being hard on them? Think Shrimp has committed big sin of judgment?

Go over to Titus One Nine or Stand Firm and read recent denial of Christian faith made from the pupit of the National Cathedral. The preacher seems to have no need for Jesus. ELCA needs to ask do we have need for this awful stuff? How long before we are subject to these kinds of nihilistic sermons and jedi ramblings on a regular basis?

Truth is, Shrimp not picking on ECUSA or ELCA. Both have wonderful people, wonderful traditions, wonderful history of Reformation. Read Jude. People need to rise up and get rid of interlopers.

Seven million sheep at stake. Who is caring? Wake up.