Faith based Neighborhood Partnerships

February 11th, 2010

President Obama’s Advisory Council on Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships has made public their votes on “non-consensus reform report issues.”  Churches accepting money from the government (actually getting some of our money back from the government) would come with strings attached.  

All one has to do is see how the questions were structured on the survey to see how Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships will influence those churches who participate. Make no mistake about it, Moravians will be encouraged to participate. ( Read your Moravian Magazine for Jan/Feb 2010.)  We will be expected to embrace and support the ecumenical movement’s focus on community service through support of the councils of churches.

As a faith based adviser, the Obama council is making it clear that Churches should focus on Distribution of Social Services absent any faith message to those they serve. 

National council of Churches President and Moravian Peg Chemberlan votes that religious symbols should be covered or offices used that have no symbols where government funded services are given to clients.  If it is not possible to do this, and the client expresses an objection to being served in that environment where a religious message is present, another provider must be made available. 

Now lets think about this for a moment. What would Jesus do? If the sick or needy comes to him and does not demonstrate faith in Him did he say well I can’t help you but there is another provider I can send you to that does not require you to believe. 

Do we rally want our church to pass the test of the federal government that we do not convey our witness to a visitor?

Final Vote Tallies on Non-Consensus Reform Report Issues

Posted by Melissa Rogers on February 08, 2010 at 04:26 PM EST

Friends, please find below an update from the chair of the President’s Advisory Council on Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships, Melissa Rogers:

Final Vote Tallies on Non-Consensus Reform Report Issues

We would like to announce the final tallies of the Advisory Council votes on the non-consensus Reform Report issues.  Those tallies are listed below, with the votes favoring each option listed under the relevant answer. 

Please note that subsequent to the post on February 4, Council member Diane Baillargeon changed her votes from abstentions on both questions to the answers reflected below.

Please contact us if you have any questions about these issues.   Thank you for your interest in the work of the Advisory Council.

1. Should the government allow nongovernmental providers of federally funded social services to provide those services in rooms that contain religious art, scripture, messages, or symbols?

a. No.  Amend existing regulations, guidance, and an executive order to permit nongovernmental organizations to offer federally funded programming only in areas devoid of religious art, scripture, messages, or symbols.

2 votes – Fred Davie and Nancy Ratzan

b.Amend existing regulations, guidance, and an executive order to allow federally funded programming in areas with these religious items only when there is no available space in the organizations’ offices without these items and when removing or covering such displays would be infeasible (e.g., where it would take great effort to remove or cover a religious icon mounted high on a wall or remove or cover a large statute).  If these measures are not feasible and beneficiaries object to the presence of such symbols, beneficiaries must have access to an alternative provider to which they do not object.  (See Reform Report Recommendation 10: Assure the Religious Liberty Rights of the Clients and Beneficiaries of Federally Funded Programs by Strengthening Appropriate Protections, pages 27-29.)

7 votes – Anju Bhargava, Peg Chemberlin, Harry Knox, Eboo Patel, David Saperstein, Bill Shaw, and Sharon Watkins

c. Yes.  Neither require nor encourage the removal of religious symbols where services subsidized by federal grant or contact funds are provided, but instead encourage all providers to be sensitive to, and to accommodate where feasible, those beneficiaries who may object to the presence of religious symbols.  If these voluntary measures do not meet the objections of the beneficiaries, those beneficiaries must have access to an alternative provider to which they do not object.  (See Reform Report Recommendation 10: Assure the Religious Liberty Rights of the Clients and Beneficiaries of Federally Funded Programs by Strengthening Appropriate Protections, pages 27-29 of the Reform Report.)

16 votes – Diane Baillargeon, Charles Blake, Noel Castellanos, Arturo Chavez, Nathan Diament, Joel Hunter, Vashti McKenzie, Dalia Mogahed, Otis Moss, Frank Page, Anthony Picarello, Melissa Rogers, Richard Stearns, Larry Snyder, Judy Vredenburgh, and Jim Wallis

2. Should the government require houses of worship to form separate corporations to receive direct federal social service funds?

a. Yes, the government should require houses of worship that wish to receive direct federal social service funds to establish separate corporations as a necessary means for achieving church-state separation and protecting religious autonomy, while also urging states to reduce any unnecessary administrative costs and burdens associated with attaining this status.

13 votes — Diane Baillargeon, Anju Bhargava,  Charles Blake, Fred Davie, Harry Knox, Vashti McKenzie, Otis Moss, Nancy Ratzan, Melissa Rogers, David Saperstein, Bill Shaw, Jim Wallis, and Sharon Watkins

b. No, the government should not require separate incorporation, because it is not always the best means to achieve these goals, and because it may be prohibitively costly and onerous, particularly for smaller organizations, resulting in the disruption and deterrence of effective and constitutionally permissible relationships.

12 votes – Noel Castellanos, Arturo Chavez, Peg Chemberlin, Nathan Diament, Joel Hunter, Dalia Mogahed, Frank Page, Eboo Patel, Anthony Picarello, Larry Snyder, Richard Stearns, and Judy Vredenburgh

Melissa Rogers is the chair of the President’s Advisory Council on Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships

Tags:
Posted in News and Events | 1 Comment »

Ecumenical Aftershocks in Massachusetts

January 24th, 2010

Just as many dems fear the political landscape changed in Massachusetts 2 weeks ago the Council of Churches of Massachusetts seems to be bracing for a seismic shift away from support of their socialist agendas and a loss of interest in ecumenism. (We should not be too optimistic here)

Read this article and be advised that the Council of Churches clearly expresses it’s desire to broaden their scope of Christian Unity to non Christians.
I guess that oxymoron is to be expected since the Council of Churches thinks they can be the bond that brings members together.

Consider that they report that individual member churches are assuming roles of civic and government engagement that was once the responsibility of Council staff. ( This brings to mind the signature endorsements by PEC Presidents of the Heath Care initiatives and Hillary’s commitment of USA billions in reparation for our part in Global Climate Change.)

They believe Christian organizations are a Gift of God just as health care and global warming reform should be. What the Council of Churches is really concerned about is that if this is the will of God Christians will be moved to unified action without the Council possibly even without their denominational affiliation.

Both Christians and non-Christians were moved to action in Haiti apart from denominational, faith or Council affiliations. Only Christians will have the unique opportunity to bring Christ to those to whom they bring comfort and aid. As was the M O of Christ.

Is there growing recognition that the Councils of Churches are irrelevant and are losing support and influence?

One benefit: synods would be shorter and able to focus on relevant issues of the Church and its commission if it did not have to wade through one WCC and NCC authored resolution after another before finally addressing resolutions affirming Jesus as THE only way to salvation. That should have reset a focus in 2006 that would have ended our attempts to align with those who will not officially affirm Jesus’ unique role in the salvation of all.

By Bronislaus B. Kush TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
bkush@telegram.com
WORCESTER — Delegate members of the Massachusetts Council of Churches were challenged this weekend to continue to seek common ground in addressing the social, economic, and environmental problems racking the world.
Additionally, they were urged to take a hard look at their own commitments to the ecumenical movement and Christian unity.
The MCC held its 108th annual meeting yesterday at Assumption College, with much of the agenda focused on ways that Christian churches in the state can bond more closely to deal with such issues and ills as peace, human rights, discrimination, racism, poverty, hunger and health care.
There was also some discussion of a report that looks at directions the organization may take through 2014. They include broadening the scope of Christian unity dialogue to seminaries and groups with very little representation at the MCC, and increasing interfaith involvement with Muslim and Jewish faith groups.
The report noted the organization is more diverse today, and added that member churches are engaging with government, business, and civic leaders on public policy and other matters; a responsibility once left primarily to MCC staff.
Following a prayer service that featured the Ghanaian choir from Wesley United Methodist Church, the delegates got down to business.
Archbishop Vicken Aykazian, the legate of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern), said the relief work in Haiti proves that Christian groups and churches can work together effectively.
“The Christian organizations are a gift of God to humanity,” he said.
But, he said, similar efforts are needed to address issues ranging from global warming to health care reform.
Archbishop Aykazian warned that American Christians shouldn’t become lax about racism just because a black was elected president. He added that the war on poverty is a continuing campaign, noting that 1.6 billion people around the globe live on less than a dollar a day.
He said MCC members must educate their congregants about the issues and challenge the political leadership to find answers.
In addressing issues revolving around unity, Laura Everett, the MCC’s associate director, noted that “not everything should be ecumenical” and that it’s not a bad thing if denominations retain their unique identities.
But she’s worried about the ecumenical movement, because people aren’t as curious as they used to be about the churches they don’t belong to.
Framing her point of view in paradoxes, she said, “We’re too familiar with each other but we’re not familiar enough … I worry we’re too tribal, but we’re not tribal enough.”
She said it’s imperative for Christians to help the less fortunate — and added that the best way to do that is through unity.
Kathryn Lohre, the president-elect of the National Council of Churches, said the religious landscape of the country has changed drastically since the council’s founding in 1902, and much of that is because of the number of immigrants who were able to come to the United States as a result of the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act.
For example, Ms. Lohre, who is also assistant director of the Pluralism Project at Harvard University, which charts religious diversity in the United States, said that Massachusetts contains the seventh largest population of recent immigrants; that demographic represents 14.3 percent of the Bay State’s total population.
Naturally, she said, the increase in immigrants has changed the religious makeup of the country, adding that interfaith relations shouldn’t compromise Christian identity.
The MCC is made up of 17 Protestant and Orthodox denominations. Though not formal members, the four Roman Catholic dioceses of Massachusetts have collaborated for many years with the organization.
Clergy leaders attending yesterday’s meeting included Bishop Gordon Scruton of the Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts; Bishop Robert J. McManus of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Worcester, and Greek Orthodox Metropolitan Methodios.
At the meeting, the Rev. Diane C. Kessler, a former MCC executive director, was awarded the Forest Knapp Award for her work in promoting ecumenism. Mr. Knapp is considered to be a pioneer in the ecumenical movement.

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

History and the Pendulum – Moravian Theology

September 2nd, 2009

While doing research for the short Video I am putting together on the Bishop Pfohl 1917 sermon “Christ is All” that Rev Campbell read 2 weeks ago, I stumbled back on something I had  read before. 

I was interested in what was going on in the life of the church and country when Bishop Pfohl gave this sermon. 

Remember we had just gone through what has been referred to as the theological Crisis in 1909.  For more than 10 years theological conservative were witnessing a major shift in church theology to liberalism. These are the words recorded by Crews. 

There was kind of a show down in the 1909 Synod where conservative forces were able to hold their ground so to speak.  As we know that does not stop the liberal forces from regrouping and laying groundwork for their next chance at synod.

 In 1914  doctrinal changes  again was on the back burner the next attack on doctrine came from the British and was brought to the 1931 Synod.  As the following transcription from Daniels book indicates the attempt got little attention although it was requested that it be considered by various committees before the next Synod. 

  Bishop Pfohl was undoubtably aware of the tempest that was brewing when he wrote this powerful sermon delivered at Home Moravian Church in 1917. It is clearly a response to the liberal attempts to change Moravian Theology as rooted in the Holy Scripture. 

I have often talked about a phenomena we notice that there seems to be a 100 year pendulum swing in theology from left to right.  If the 1909 Crisis was a swing to the left and even if the brakes were applied, the swing back to the right never completely happened. 

I rediscovered Daniel Crews little Red Book Titled “Confessing our Unity in Christ” 

One could draw many analogies to the account of our history 100 years ago to 2009 and 2010. 

Are we so distracted by what we understand to be major financial and governmental structure problems that we do not look up to see what is on the horizon regarding implications to our theology by the Full Communion Agreements with the Lutheran and Episcopal Church?

Task Force Members became visibly disturbed by questions at the Town meeting in King regarding their use of principles for building a healthy church in their proposal that they said was successfully used by the Episcopal Church. Their final response to the question: “Do we know how healthy the Episcopal Church is based on their declines in members are?” –their response was “we are getting off Track here” and they did not answer any more questions or even mention the Episcopal Church in any of the several remaining Town Meeting around the Southern Province. 

Read this excerpt from Crews Book. 

Two World Wars and the Great Depression
The next General Synod met in 1914. As usual, the mis­sions and how to pay for them occupied much of the agenda. Doctrinally, this Synod made no change in the Results of 1909. It was hoped to be able to have General Synods more fre­quently, and another was called for in six to ten years’ time. However, as Bishop Kenneth Hamilton says: “Then before ever the members of Synod could reach home, marching armies be­gan to reshape the face of Europe and the fate of the world.”62

Following the First World War, Unity Conferences were held in 1919 and 1922 to deal with pressing issues that

demanded immediate settlement. It was not until May 28, 1931, that a full General Synod could be assembled, and even

then the number of delegates was reduced.63 New political circumstances and other factors necessitated the division of the missions work among the various provinces, rather than having one board headquartered in Germany as before. It was decided that at future General Synods, the Southern Province was to be given equal representation with the other “Home Provinces,” because of its 94 percent communicant increase since 1914.

Doctrinally, the British Province presented a proposal to shorten drastically the opening chapters of General Synod Results. In this proposal the sections on doctrine are reduced to eight paragraphs, making a single printed page.64 Careful analysis might indicate that what is not said in this is perhaps as significant as what is. In any event, Synod was too pre­occupied with questions of church government and finance to be able to deal with the British proposal. No action was taken on the proposal itself, and the British Province was asked to “give further consideration to this matter,” and to submit any forthcoming proposals to the PECs of the other provinces. Each province was recommended to appoint a committee to examine the proposals to shorten the portions of the General Church Order dealing with doctrine and other basic matters.~ As Bishop Hamilton says: “Unquestionably Synod thus avoided what might well have developed into a heated debate.”66

Another World War intervened before the next General Synod could meet. Following that war, as in 1919 and 1922, Unity Conferences were held to deal with immediate needs in 1946, 1948, and 1953. A full General Synod was called to meet in the Quincentennial year of 1957, and for the first time it assembled in the western hemisphere, in Bethlehem, Penn­sylvania, to be exact.

                               From Archivist Daniel Book Titled “Confessing our Unity in Christ”

Tags: , ,
Posted in Moravian Episcopal Communion Agreement | 1 Comment »

Denominational liberals have departed from the Holy Bible, the Word of our Lord.

August 29th, 2009

Denominational liberals have departed from the Holy Bible, the Word of our Lord.

Adrian Rogers likened denominational liberals to the leaven of the Pharisees.

“In the mean time, when there were gathered together an
innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trode
one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples first
of all, Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is
hypocrisy.”
Luke 12:1, KJV

“Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the
leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. And they
reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have
taken no bread. Which when Jesus perceived, he said unto
them, O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves,
because ye have brought no bread? Do ye not yet understand,
neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and
how many baskets ye took up? Neither the seven loaves of the
four thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? How is it
that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you
concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the
Pharisees and of the Sadducees? Then understood they how
that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of
the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.”
Matthew 16:6-12, KJV

Liberal, denominational leadership has promoted the idea of inclusion; the notion that any sin and the sinner is OK, and even welcomed, in the church. The idea that inclusion means to condone the sin along with loving the sinner is weakening the church to the point that the church looks no different that the secular world. Christians are called to be different. Christians are called to be ‘not of the world’.

“If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.” John 15:18-20 (KJV)

For the liberal leadership, the cultural experience of Christianity has displaced a serious pursuit of true discipleship and personal holiness. When we embrace the sin, we are no different than non- Christians.

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

Report of Moravian Agreement with Lutheran ELCA Greatly Exagerated

August 26th, 2009 
Moravians are not on Board! 
In this press release by the Lutheran news agency today it is noted that their
 actions on Human Sexuality at the 2009 church wide assembly are in step
with their ecumenical partners. (Episcopal Church, Moravian Church in
America, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Reformed Church in America
and the United Church of Christ) 

There is no debate that these actions mirror those of the Episcopal Church USA. Be reminded that even thought all the elements were served up at our Provincial Synods over the past 25 years Moravian delegates refused to go all the way. Division among the delegates stopped the resolution far short of its objective. A moratorium was called on any further action on this issue by unity synod. See a response to resolution 6. and a discussion on the event in the Hinge.

From <NEWS@ELCA.ORG>
Date Wed, 26 Aug 2009 11:34:09 -0500

 

Title: ELCA Shares Significant Actions with Ecumenical, Global
Partners

ELCA NEWS SERVICE >August 26, 2009 ELCA Shares Significant Actions with Ecumenical, Global Partners 09-188-MRC CHICAGO (ELCA) — The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is sharing some significant actions taken at the 2009 ELCA
Churchwide Assembly with its ecumenical and global partners. Two
significant actions include the adoption of the ELCA’s 10th social statement, “Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust,” and the modification of ministry policies
that govern pastors and other professional church leaders in committed
same-gender relationships.

The assembly, the chief legislative authority of the ELCA, met in Minneapolis, Aug. 17-23. About 2,000 people participated, including 1,045
ELCA voting members.

The ELCA shares full communion agreements with the Episcopal Church,
Moravian Church in America, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Reformed Church
in America and the United Church of Christ. At the assembly, voting
members agreed to a full-communion partnership with the United Methodist
Church (UMC) — the first such relationship for the UMC.

In an Aug. 24 letter to these and other ecumenical partners, the
ELCA presiding bishop and the denomination’s ecumenical executive said
all recommendations regarding human sexuality were “given serious and
protracted consideration.”

“These considerations reflect nearly 10 years of discernment, where
whole communities have walked together through the arduous challenge of
discerning the ecclesial call to all of God’s children in the Church
universal,” wrote the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, ELCA presiding bishop, and the
Rev. Donald J. McCoid, executive, ELCA Ecumenical and Inter-Religious
Relations.

“As we now enter into the 100th anniversary of the contemporary
ecumenical movement, Christian communities have worked tirelessly to
develop relationships, reach historic agreements, honor differences,
strive toward unity and pursue significant accomplishments together,”
they wrote.    

“We understand with you the need for ecumenical tables to discuss
theological, ethical and morale concerns that are facing Christians
today,” Hanson and McCoid wrote. “We believe the most central way of
engaging these deep-structured concerns is to enter into and remain with
one another in the heart of constructive dialogue. We wholeheartedly
encourage and invite you to engage with this church around those very
tables in the near future.”

In a separate letter, Hanson and the Rev. Rafael Malpica Padilla,
executive director, ELCA Global Mission, acknowledge some “continued
disagreements” among Lutherans both in the United States and overseas on
the topic of human sexuality.

“We will continue to be in a time of prayer and deep conversation
within the ELCA, and wish to continue the conversation with you as
companions in the common mission God has entrusted to us,” Hanson and
Malpica Padilla wrote.

In their letter Hanson and Malpica Padilla outlined other actions
taken by the assembly, including a $10 million campaign to implement an
HIV and AIDS strategy. The assembly’s action commits the ELCA to raise
funds needed to implement the ELCA strategy and to expand the church’s
commitment to support the ministries of its companion churches overseas
in responding to the HIV and AIDS crisis.

They also highlighted a major initiative to undertake the fight
against malaria. A two-year pilot phase could precede the initiative in
partnership with companion churches.
- – -

Information about the 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly is at
http://www.ELCA.org/assembly on the Web.

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

Full Communion – A False Witness

August 25th, 2009 
Full Communion - a False Witness
By Lee

Moravians may feel that Full Communion Agreements with other denominations are  harmless projects legitimizing retired ministers and Bishops pensions and travel. After all what harm could come from sponsoring participants in the Various Council of Churches around the country?  Can there really be anything wrong with having representation in prestigious organizations like the World Council of Churches, National Council of Churches or the various State Councils of Churches? A Brain Child of the ecumenical movement – Full Communion Agreements might be incorrectly viewed only as a feather in the cap for our council representatives.

Moravians that think our associations with the Lutherans (ELCA) and the proposed association with the Episcopal Church (ECUSA) can only bring us in closer unity with the Spirit of Christ must consider the message this association brings as the reasons for division in these churches becomes clear to more people.

Media reports of the schisms in both the Episcopal and Lutheran Church frequently include recognition that the Moravian Church is either in Full Communion or seeking it. 

Brothers and sisters please consider what these reports do to our mission efforts as we try to appeal to new members or try to hang on to existing members.

People do vote with their feet and their pocketbooks.

Read this article from Rt. Rev. James Heiser, Diocesan Bishop August 24, 2009

 

ELDoNA responds to the Actions of the ELCA 2009 Churchwide Assembly

[The following is forwarded from the ELDoNA News email list. ELDoNA is a small diocese of Lutheran congregations that have left other synods in recent years. To subscribe to that list, send any message to ELDoNANews-on@lists.ELDoNA.org. The following may be freely forwarded to all interested parties.]

A Response to the Actions of the ELCA 2009 Churchwide Assembly
by the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America

During the Reformation of Christ’s Church in the 1500s, those who came to be known as Lutherans sought to establish all they did and taught in two ways, so as to prove that their contentions were good and right. First and foremost, all that was set in place or rejected must be in conformity with God’s holy Word. Second, the history of Christ’s Church was consulted to demonstrate that what was being said or done was not some novel twisting of that Word (2 Peter 1:20). The actions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America at its Churchwide Assembly this past week in Minneapolis completely set this fundamental principle of the Reformation on its head: it has acted contrary to God’s Word and contrary to how that Word has been understood by the whole Church throughout the ages.

Both with regard to its social statement on homosexuality and to its declaration of fellowship with the United Methodist Church, the ELCA has rejected God’s clear Word and embraced sin and false doctrine as if it were pleasing to God—or even necessary to His ‘justice’ (as defined by men apart from His Word). Instead of loving homosexuals enough to call them to repent of their sin and to offer God’s grace in Christ for forgiveness—as well as provide the help of the Church to the individual homosexual in struggling against his or her sin (as one would do with other sins, such as alcoholism or drug addiction)—the ELCA has taken the easy way out by lying to those caught in this sin, making it seem as if God’s Word no longer speaks clearly. Just as this leaves the Bible open to being discarded whenever its truth offends a practitioner of whatever sin, it has the additional ill effect of making all of the Bible untrustworthy, including those sections that speak to its unique and overarching message: the forgiveness of every sin through the perfect life and atoning death of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Of course, this pattern has been well set within the ELCA from its inception. The ELCA’s rejection of the absolute authority of Holy Scripture (inspiration, inerrancy, infallibility) has been shown again and again—by its rejection of the Bible’s limiting the pastoral office to men, by its refusal to keep pure the chief article of the Church (that man is saved solely by the grace of God through faith in the atoning death of Jesus Christ alone) as was shown by its signing the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification (wherein they gave up all standing as a Reformation church body by compromising that chief article of the faith with the false teaching of the Roman Church), and by its entering into ‘full communion’ agreements with church bodies that completely contradict the scriptural doctrine of the Lord’s Supper that is upheld by the Lutheran Confessions (namely, that the bread and wine in the Lord’s Supper are the very body and blood of the Lord Jesus, given for Christians who are united in the true faith to eat and to drink for the forgiveness of sins). The approval of full communion with the United Methodist Church—like the previous approvals of fellowship with the Reformed Church in America, Presbyterian Church U.S.A, the Moravian Brethren, the Episcopal Church U.S.A, and the United Church of Christ—is but another instance of the desire for external unity at any cost overriding the pure teaching of God’s Word.

It is the prayer of all in our diocese that those in the ELCA who confessed their consciences bound to the Word of God and unable to continue in a church body that has so dramatically thrown aside that Word will have had their voices heard by those who were in favor of these rejections of God’s Word. May the Holy Spirit use their confession to bring their church body to true repentance for these and other previous sinful actions. Indeed, we pray that God the Holy and Blessed Trinity, in His mercy, would either lead the ELCA to re-embrace the foundation of Christianity in every way, or bring those who still confess the truth to a new home where they may be served in accord with God’s will, and that those who have been hardened in their errors through these sinful actions would yet hear both the Law and the Gospel of the Lord so that they are not eternally lost through the impenitence that has been encouraged in them. At the same time, we pray that those Lutheran bodies that have effectively ‘winked at’ the corporate sins of the ELCA by continuing to participate with them in various joint endeavors (including an aberrant Ministry of Gospel and Sacrament to those in the Armed Forces) would finally repent of their enabling of the progress of such false doctrine and practice.

With the unanimous consent of the diocese,

The Rt. Rev. James D. Heiser, Bishop

Rt. Rev. James Heiser
Diocesan Bishop
The Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America
c/o Salem Lutheran Church
718 HCR 3424 E
Malone, TX 76660
(254) 533-2330
http://eldona.org

Tags:
Posted in Moravian Episcopal Communion Agreement | No Comments »

Moravians look to the Episcopal Church for Pointers on Being a Heathy Church

August 23rd, 2009

As all eyes continue to follow the break up of the Episcopal Church Rev Neil Routh tells a Group of Moravians gaithered at an informational Town Meeting in King that we can learn what it takes to be a Healthy Church from the Episcopal Church.  The following article by Canon for Pastoral Care at the Cathedral Church of St. Luke, Orlando, Florida discusses the distinction between “high cost” and “low cost” religions and why denominations begin out of a need for spirituality as a “high cost” sect and move towards “low cost” inclusiveness.

 

Why Inclusiveness is exactly wrong

August 23rd, 2009 Posted in Homosexuality, TEC |

By Gary L’Hommedieu, Virtueonline

In a recent opinion piece in The Washington Post The Rt. Rev. John Shelby Spong, the Episcopal Church’s iconoclast emeritus, weighed in approvingly on the actions of the recent General Convention in moving the gay agenda into the end zone of History. Assuming an air of authority he declared “the battle over homosexuality” to be “over.” (John Shelby Spong, “Battle Over Homosexuality in Episcopal Church is Over“, Washington Post, August 6, 2009; )

“I do not want to be part of a church united in homophobia or one that pretends it can preserve unity by excluding any group of human beings,” scolded the retired Bishop of Newark.

Bishop Spong couches his remarks in reference to the secular gospel of which he is a self-proclaimed champion, the gospel of inclusiveness. Under the usual anointing, he pronounces TEC to be on “the right side of history”, compared with the Archbishop of Canterbury who, regrettably, is relegated to history’s “backside” for giving place to the majority of the Anglican Communion who do not share the anointing of the American Province and its leadership.

Spong is right about one thing; the battle is over in the Episcopal Church. Conservatives are reeling, scouring the horizon for “other issues” to moralize about in order to persuade the public that they are not homophobic after all. They have yielded the moral high ground to the revisionists by giving credence to the faux pathology of homophobia.

 

One of the comments we conservatives make is that we really are the inclusive ones, that we alone truly “welcome” sinners through our willingness to lovingly speak the truth about their need to change. Gays and straights alike see this for what it is–a transparent display of self-promotion. What has astonished me is the need conservatives have for affirmation by those who have already rejected us. We can’t bear the thought that anyone might get the wrong idea about our good intentions.

For now, the battle is over. No one is debating any more. It takes a common language to hold a debate and an openness to be persuaded. Neither side has that sort of mind–not on this issue. And no one will hear our self-serving remarks as we bid for our self-respect. We can only win that back by not worrying about it.

It’s time for an ideological shift by the orthodox, both those remaining in TEC and those who have departed. For those who have ears to hear, it’s time to reject the inclusiveness dogma. The reason is not to persuade the revisionists–and certainly not to win their approval–but to turn ourselves from the tendency to sell ourselves at a bargain price, which is the core motivation of Christian revisionism.

As a basis for evangelism and as a guiding principle of faith, the message of inclusiveness is associated with groups in rapid decline. As a word “inclusiveness”, whatever it does mean, does not mean aggressively recruiting those who feel excluded. Even if a few do straggle in, the main thrust of the inclusiveness gospel is the validation of the institution that proclaims it.

The message of inclusiveness rings hollow for a number of reasons. Least among them is the fact that it represents a distortion of New Testament teaching and is thus a heresy–as if heretical institutions cannot thrive. The mainline churches are not declining because of heresy–not directly.

Conservatives who bewail TEC’s heresy and apostasy are too late. The faith of the creeds has been decorative at best for generations of Episcopalians, even at the highest levels of leadership. The American Episcopal Church has tolerated, even embraced, a latent unitarianism for most of its history. The present “inclusive” church, with Gene Robinson as its most recent poster child, is only the latest example.

The Episcopal Church, along with the other mainline churches, did not begin its decline after World War II when liberal policy wonks began foisting their social experiments on traditional faith communities; nor during the Vietnam era when the protest generation began coming of age. The decline began at the time of the American Revolution with the rise of the nonconformist “camp” religions, when a spirituality based on religious need began to distinguish itself from a spirituality often based on social polish.

In their book “Acts of Faith” Rodney Stark and Roger Finke identify a . Those religions that make demands on their membership, whether in terms of commitment or belief, are the ones that “cost”. People join these faiths out a sense of need, and they’re willing to pay a considerable price.

Stark and Finke develop a parallel concept of “tension” in relation to high and low cost religious institutions. “Tension refers to the degree of distinctiveness, separation, and antagonism in the relationship between a religious group and the ‘outside’ world” (page 281).

According to these writers “churches” are those institutions existing “in relatively lower tension with their surroundings” and are thus “low cost”, compared to “sects” which are characterized by “relatively higher tension” and thus higher “cost”.

The “church-sect” typology has a long history among students of religion, one which enjoys a surprising resiliency today. When H. Richard Niebuhr wrote “The Social Sources of Denominationalism” in 1929, he predicted that the rise from small “sect” to established “church” would be a one way progression, running parallel to other forms of progress in the exploding industrial economy. The sects began as meetings of the lower socio-economic classes who, in place of wealth and respectability, found religious faith and community life as incentives.

After the Revolution the former Old World missions–the Episcopalians, Presbyterians, and Congregationalists–were transformed overnight into the Establishment. Outsiders clamored to get in because being an Episcopalian (for example) was a sign of class. Meanwhile the upstart sects, composed of displaced immigrants seeking a place in the new economy, became the focus of dramatic growth in the New World–in the 19th century, the Baptists and Methodists; later, in the early 20th, the fundamentalists and Pentecostals. Already the older churches demonstrated a gradual decline relative to the overall population, a decline which accelerated in the post-WWII era up to the present. Among the distinguishing characteristics of the newer religions is that they put demands on their members. Discipleship had a cost and often carried a stigma. The sectarian movements often defined themselves as “true believers” over against the established churches who had sold their spiritual birthright for a pottage of worldly prestige and splendor. From the standpoint of the mainline elites, to belong to one of the sectarian bodies carried the stigma of social immobility–like living on the wrong side of the ecclesiastical tracks. This last point explains the instinctive abhorrence Episcopalians feel at being identified as “fundamentalists”. It is a source of shame. The horror Episcopalians feel at being so labeled is not a reaction to criticism. For a modern Episcopalian to be called a fundamentalist means the same thing that being spat on meant to a Jew three thousand years ago.

In spite of explosive controversies surrounding women’s and gay liberation, TEC’s proclamation of inclusiveness is anything but a prophetic challenge to authority. It is at best a calculated effort at running a parallel course to the secular culture, with minimal risk at predicting the drift of that society. In other words, TEC’s agenda is a strategy for systematically eliminating social stigma.

Note that Bishop Spong exults in the final elimination of tension in the life of the Episcopal Church. Here his terminology is revealing. He refers to his fear of being “irrelevant” and “embarrassed”–two code words for shame. He legitimizes his fear in grandiose terms as “being on the wrong side of history”, indicating his own delusion regarding the social meaning of TEC’s lockstep conformity to the dominant culture. The rhetoric of inclusiveness, in short, is a formula for false consciousness. It is a jealously guarded illusion.

Inclusiveness is an explicit strategy for cost-free religion, which in turn is a formula for religious decline, as in Spong’s former Diocese of Newark. As Bishop Spong put it himself, TEC’s doctrine of inclusiveness is about “relevance”–a thinly disguised bid for validation and an attempt to avoid embarrassment and shame.

Inclusiveness is the ideology of a toppled majority. It is a form of appeasement. It is the “prophetic” voice of those who have lost the will to defend any boundaries, physical or psychological, hence they can “include” everyone. It is really impossible to join a group that has no boundaries. “Join” doesn’t refer to anything. The invitation is imaginary.

Conservative Anglicans and Episcopalians have been called “sectarian” by revisionist critics, and this is ironically true. Much to the chagrin of Professor Niebuhr and the prognosticators of Progress, the sect-to-church evolution can and does reverse itself. The newer, smaller Anglican bodies, including conservative Episcopalians, have in effect voluntarily moved to the other side of the ecclesiastical tracks, with all the social “tension” that implies.

In spite of our proud pedigree we have become “fundamentalists”. Don’t bother trying to rehabilitate that term with historic reference to “the fundamentals of the faith”. People who toss that word around aren’t interested in what it means. They just want to spit.

We are not “inclusive”. We have boundaries, like any healthy body. It means something to join our group, and it costs a lot. But we have something to offer, besides our illusions.

—The Rev. Canon J. Gary L’Hommedieu is Canon for Pastoral Care at the Cathedral Church of St. Luke, Orlando, Florida, and a regular columnist for VirtueOnline.

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Moravian Episcopal Communion Agreement | No Comments »

SEPARATION

August 20th, 2009

SEPARATION
                                  written by Tommy Smith

“Wherefore, come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing;” (2 Cor. 6:17)  God called out the nation Israel to be a separated people unto Himself.  “For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God, and the Lord hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto Himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth.”(Deut. 14:2)  God has likewise called out Christians to be a separate people unto Himself.

Separation in scripture is twofold:

A.      From whatever is contrary to the mind of God; and

B.      Unto God Himself

The underlying principle is that in a moral universe it is impossible for God to bless and use His children who are in compromise or complicity with evil.  Separation from evil implies:

A.      Separation from this present world system. (1 John 2:15-16); and,

B.      Separation from false teachers, who are described as being “vessels to dishonor”

(2 Tim 2:20-21; 2 John 9-11)

Separation is not from contact with evil in the world or in the church, but from complicity with and conformity to it.  (John 17:15; Gal. 6:1)

The reward for such separation is unhindered communication and worship (Heb 13:13-15), and fruitful service. (2Tim 2:21)

Conformity involves the loss of these things.  Here, as in everything else, Jesus is the example.  He was “holy, harmless and undefiled, separate from sinners” (Heb 7:26), and yet He was in contact with them for their salvation.  The Pharisees accused Him of associating with sinners (Luke 7:39), even though the reason Jesus came into the world was to “seek and save that which was lost”. (Luke 19:10)

Many churches today have been so “carried about with every wind of doctrine”

(Eph 4:14), that one cannot see any difference between the church and the world.  They will receive their just recompense as spoken of by the prophet Hosea, “For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind.” (Hosea 8:17)

Submitted by Tommy Smith

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

Moravian Statement on Health Care and Ecumenism

August 10th, 2009

The goal of the ecumenical movement is to “unite” ALL religions in world (including Islam). There is evidence for that by reading Revelation, and we can easily see of how far along we are toward that end by reading the literature and articles published by the WCC/NCC, the various state Councils of Churches, and other ecumenical and “progressive organizations”. The recent ” Statement from Religious Leaders On Health Care Reform”  endorced by Moravian leaders Wayne Burkett and David Wickman (see: www.tikkun.org/article.php/20090707141055145/print)  is a good example portraying “scripture” from the Qur’an as equal to the protestant Bible. It is interesting to note that Islam is promoted as “a religion of peace” and attention is drawn to Islam surpassing other religions in terms of growth, the Roman Catholicism is the “false religion” (the “whore” described in Revelation) which will be THE One World Religion.

David T.

You can also read the following article at:
www.onthewing.org/user/Islam%20-%20German%20looks%20at%20Islam%20-%20Tanay.pdf

A German’s point of view on Islam
by Dr. Emanuel Tanay, Psychiatrist

A man whose family was German aristocracy prior to World War II owned a number of large industries and estates. When asked how many German people were true Nazis, the answer he gave can guide our attitude toward fanaticism.
‘Very few people were true Nazis ‘he said,’ but many enjoyed the return of German pride, and many more were too busy to care. I was one of those who just thought the Nazis were a bunch of fools. So, the majority just sat back and let it all happen. Then, before we knew it, they owned us, and we had lost control, and the end of the world had come. My family lost everything. I ended up in a concentration camp and the Allies destroyed my factories. ’
We are told again and again by ‘experts’ and ‘talking heads’ that Islam is the religion of peace, and that the vast majority of Muslims just want to live in peace. Although this unqualified assertion may be true, it is entirely irrelevant. It is meaningless fluff, meant to make us feel better, and meant to somehow diminish the spectra of fanatics rampaging across the globe in the name of Islam. The fact is that the fanatics rule Islam at this moment in history.
It is the fanatics who march. It is the fanatics who wage any one of 50 shooting wars worldwide. It is the fanatics who systematically slaughter Christian or tribal groups throughout Africa and are gradually taking over the entire continent in an Islamic wave. It is the fanatics who bomb, behead, murder, or honor-kill. It is the fanatics who take over mosque after mosque. It is the fanatics who zealously spread the stoning and hanging of rape victims and homosexuals. The hard quantifiable fact is that the ‘peaceful majority’, the ‘silent majority’, is cowed and extraneous.
Communist Russia was comprised of Russians who just wanted to live in peace, yet the Russian Communists were responsible for the murder of about 20 million people. The peaceful majority were irrelevant. China’s huge population was peaceful as well, but Chinese Communists managed to kill a staggering 70 million people.
The average Japanese individual prior to World War II was not a warmongering sadist. Yet, Japan murdered and slaughtered its way across South East Asia in an orgy of killing that included the systematic murder of 12 million Chinese civilians; most killed by sword, shovel, and bayonet.
And, who can forget Rwanda, which collapsed into butchery. Could it not be said that the majority of Rwandans were ‘peace loving’?
History lessons are often incredibly simple and blunt, yet for all our powers of reason we often miss the most basic and uncomplicated of points: Peace-loving Muslims have been made irrelevant by their silence. Peace-loving Muslims will become our enemy if they don’t speak up, because like my friend from Germany, they will awaken one day and find that the fanatics own them, and the end of their world will have begun.
Peace-loving Germans, Japanese, Chinese, Russians, Rwandans, Serbs, Afghanis, Iraqis, Palestinians, Somalis, Nigerians, Algerians, and many others have died because the peaceful majority did not speak up until it was too late.
As for us who watch it all unfold, we must pay attention to the only group that counts: the fanatics who threaten our way of life.
Emanuel Tanay, M. D.
Wayne State University
Ann Arbor, Michigan

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

Moravian Church on Health Care Reform

August 6th, 2009

Moravian Church on Heath Care Overhaul 

In June the National Council of Churches released a statement entitled  Religious leaders declare health care reform ‘has become an urgent priority’ . Moravian PEC presidents Wayne Burkett of the Southern Province and David Wickman of the Northern Province Joined 31 others including Episcopal Bishop The Most Reverend Katharine Jefferts Schori in signing the declaration. 

The NCC states: “Signers of the declaration, which was drafted with the assistance of the National Council of Churches Health Task Force, will seek a meeting with President Obama next month to press the point and assure him of their support for reform.  

A MATTER OF HEALTH…A MATTER OF WHOLENESS

Today health care reform has become an urgent priority, with many Americans fearful about the health care they now hold and more than 45 million lacking coverage altogether. Rising unemployment, underemployment and a decline in employment benefits have deprived many more of health care. The health of our neighbors and the wholeness of the nation now require that all segments of our society join in finding a solution to this national challenge.“…Learn to do good, seek justice; rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow.” Isaiah 1:17“…Love your neighbor as you love yourself.” Matthew 22:39“…Ye who believe! Stand up firmly for Allah, witness to justice…be just, that is next to piety.” Qur’an 5:8

Our diverse communities of faith -Jewish, Christian and Muslim- are each shaped and guided by our respective sacred texts which compel us to speak out on behalf of the most vulnerable members of our society. Today that means making comprehensive and compassionate health care reform an urgent priority so that all of our neighbors, especially the people living in poverty, children, and the aged, can be assured of the fullness of life that is central to the holy vision of a beloved and peaceable community.

No longer can we afford to squander the hopes and dreams of the American people through a much-too-costly system that contributes to economic despair. Families and individuals must be able to rely on affordable care in times of illness or accident and preventative care to safeguard health and well-being. Those who are ill need the assurance that coverage will not be canceled by illness or employment circumstance. They should also be afforded the dignity of selecting their own caregivers.

Today we pray, each in our own custom, for discernment, boldness, clarity and leadership in each segment of our society so that we may find the resolve to achieve health reform worthy of this land. As we together pursue this vision our direction is certain-it is toward the common good. The prospect of high-quality, affordable health care for everyone is a measure of our wholeness as a nation.

We pray that our best minds and kindest hearts might be joined in this effort so that all men, women and children will have the health care they need to live the lives for which they were created. We stand ready to give our support and energies to its achievement.

Archbishop Vicken Aykazian
Armenian Apostolic Church
President of the National Council of Churches

Bishop Wayne Burkette
Moravian Church in America, Southern Province

Rev. Dr. Miriam Burnett
Medical Director
African Methodist Episcopal Church Health Commission

Rev. Jerry D. Campbell, Ph.D.
President
Claremont School of Theology

Sister Simone Campbell, SSS
Executive Director
NETWORK, A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby

Margurite Carter
National Board President
Church Women United

Dr. Iva E. Carruthers
General Secretary
Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference, Inc.

The Right Reverend John Bryson Chane
Episcopal Bishop of Washington
District of Columbia

Bishop Ronald M. Cunningham
Ecumenical Officer
Christian Methodist Episcopal Church

Dr. William H. Curtis
President
Hampton University Minister’s Conference

Amy Echeverria
Director
Columbian Center for Advocacy & Outreach

Matthew Ellis
Executive Director
National Episcopal Health Ministries
National Episcopal AIDS Coalition

Bishop Christopher Epting
Deputy for Ecumenical and Interreligious Relations
The Episcopal Church

Rev. Brenda Girton-Mitchell
Ecumenical Officer
Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc.

Rabbi Steve Gutow
President
Jewish Council for Public Affairs

Dr. Richard L. Hamm
Former General Minister & President
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the US & Canada

Rev. Mark S. Hanson
Presiding Bishop
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

Dr. Michael Kinnamon
General Secretary
National Council of Churches

Dr. Ken Brooker Langston
Director, Disciples Justice Action Network
Coordinator, Disciples Center for Public Witness

Elaine Lee
Vice President at Large
Health Ministries Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc.

Rabbi Michael Lerner
Rabbi of Beyt Tikkun Synagogue in San Francisco
Chair of the Interfaith Network of Spiritual Progressives

Rev. Dr. Eileen W. Lindner
Connectional Presbyter
Presbytery of the Palisades (NJ)

Rev. Michael E. Livingston
Executive Director, International Council Community Churches
Immediate Past President, National Council of Churches

Marie Lucey, OSF
Associate Director for Social Mission
Leadership Conference of Women Religious

Felton Edwin May United Methodist Bishop (Retired)
Executive Director
Multi-Ethnic Center for Ministry

Dr. David McAllister-Wilson
President
Wesley Theological Seminary

Rev. Dr. A. Roy Medley
General Secretary
American Baptist Churches

Stanley J. Noffsinger
General Secretary
Church of the Brethren

Harriett Jane Olson
Deputy General Secretary, Women’s Division
General Board of Global Ministries
The United Methodist Church

Rev. Gradye Parsons
Stated Clerk
Presbyterian Church USA

Rev. Dr. Tyrone Pitts
General Secretary
Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc.

Bishop Sharon Zimmerman Rader
Ecumenical Officer
United Methodist Church

Nancy Ratzan
President
National Council of Jewish Women

Rabbi David Saperstein
Executive Director and Chief Legal Counsel,
The Union for Reform Judaism’s Religious Action Center

The Most Reverend Katharine Jefferts Schori
Presiding Bishop and Primate
Episcopal Church

Dr. Robert Seymour
Minister Emeritus
Binkley Memorial Baptist Church

Ronald J. Sider
President
Evangelicals for Social Action

Rev. Dr. T. DeWitt Smith
President
Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc.

Dr. Sayyid M. Syeed
National Director
Office for Interfaith & Community Alliances
Islamic Society of North America

Russell M. Testa
Executive Director
Franciscan Action Network

Rev. John H. Thomas
General Minister and President
United Church of Christ

Daniel Vestal
Executive Coordinator
Cooperative Baptist Fellowship

Bishop George Walker, Jr.
Senior Bishop
African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church

Dr. Sharon E. Watkins
General Minister and President
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada

Dr. Robert Welsh
President, Council on Christian Unity
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada

The Rev. David L. Wickmann
President
Moravian Church-Northern Province

Jim Winkler
General Secretary
General Board of Church and Society
United Methodist Church

Bishop Gabino Zavala
Bishop President
Pax Christi,

 

 I have to wonder if these spiritual leaders have been given details of the health care plan that have not yet come to light. For many including myself and hopefully our national lawmakers, we are looking for specifics assurances that this plan will not move us to a 3rd world health system as plans of this kind have done without exception. 

Last year I went to my family doctor with some chest pains. He immediately got me an appointment with a Cardiologist. In less than an hour I was in his office. I was not having pain at that time but explained exactly what the symptoms were. He said “usually we would schedule you for a stress test to determine the next step of treatment.  But your story is too good. I am convinced you need to be in the hospital ASAP.  The next day I was having a stint placed in a coronary artery that was 90% blocked. 

The system worked and by law it has to work for everyone. Adding more layers of authority and pre approvals may give more people government jobs placing them on the government health system while putting the rest of us in a unproven socialized experiment.

My Cardiologist has since retired and has this to say about the proposed health care plan. 

I am a retired cardiologist and I have practiced for many years in government, academic and private venues. The most inefficient, impersonal and lowest quality care I observed was in government institutions.

People vote with their feet and come here from all over the world for care, especially Canadians dissatisfied with long waiting lines or unavailability of needed procedures under their government-run system.

Polls have shown most Americans are reasonably satisfied with their own care. By law, no one is denied care, and according to Karl Rove (”Obama’s Great Health Scare,” Wall Street Journal, July 29), only about 2 percent of American citizens actually want and need health insurance but cannot afford it.

From what I have learned about the 1,000-plus page health-care bill, it will be a bureaucratic nightmare and a giant step toward total government control of medicine. It is obvious that we will ultimately lose our current private-insurance plans.

According to a 2005 Heritage Foundation report, Medicare has an estimated $2.7 trillion in unfunded mandates over the next 10 years. Imagine the astronomical cost to the taxpayers of extending such a program to everyone.

I shudder to think that my family and I, and all Americans, may lose our freedom to choose our own doctors and hospitals and may be forced to endure substandard health care under the direction of blundering politicians and bureaucrats, while at the same time we are impoverished by the crushing taxes that will be required to pay for it”

DR. AL RUFTY

 

Winston-Salem Journal Aug 6 2009

Tags: ,
Posted in News and Events | 5 Comments »

« Older Entries