Fraudulent Letter to Moravian Ministers
The Fraudulent Letter
May 16th, 2010Fraudulent and Deceptive Mailing
May 13th, 2010I was appalled to receive a mailing this week (authored by someone clearly opposed to the Episcopal Full Communion) which was fraudulently designed to appear as if it was from the Rt. Rev. Wayne Burkette. It was faked up and cobbled together on Provincial Elders’ Conference Stationery. The return addresses on the envelopes were from various churches. Some presented the return address of the PEC. These were apparently mailed to every Moravian Church in the area.
This letter quoted Romans 1:18-32 and challenged readers to consider that passage when considering the Full Communion Agreement with the Episcopal Church.
Apparently the secret author of the letter failed to read the entire passage, which not only condemns sexual immorality, but in the same line also says that those abandoned to a debased mind are also “full of strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters.”
It is shameful, no in fact SINFUL for Christians to employ intentionally deceptive tactics. Lying in defense of the truth is not a Christ-like action and in fact it clearly violates the 9th Commandment.
Who is the deceiver? I do not know. But when those who purport to follow Christ feel justified in using fraudulent tactics and lies to further an agenda, they are working for The Deceiver and not the Holy One of Israel.
Entirely aside from the issue of full communion with the Episcopal Church, I am very tired of Christians cobbling up lies to further an agenda. We have a flurry of such lies on the internet and in the news media, including outrageous claims and statements that simply do not bear close scrutiny, but whe get repeated and reposted by otherwise well-meaning Christians. It is shabby testimony to the world, where people increasingly are disgusted and turning away from the church because of such hypocrisy.
YHWH is a God of truth not a God of deception and lies.
The Rev John Jackman
Pastor
Trinity Moravian Church
Pagan Celebrations Continue at Episcopal Church
April 10th, 2010With 4/10/10 Update
Original Story 10/25/04
An incredible story unfolded as it was discovered that pagan liturgies were being distributed and used in the Episcopal Church and Wiccan celebrations continue!
As Moravian leaders attempt to answer the clarion call of ecumenism by the World Council of Churches and Synod delegates are preparing to vote on Full Communion with the Episcopal Church it is disturbing to discover that some in the Episcopal Church, with whom we seek communion, have endorsed pagan worship. All quite deniable of course – once their web site was sanitized to remove the evidence. To the credit of the Episcopal Church they did not deny the charges.
This series of postings on the the another site Blog mirror other blogging accounts that also brought this story to light back in 2004.
This is a case in point. The postings that follow are listed by date. You need to realize that this shocking and sad story was in the making as these postings were written to the web.
Sadly the story does not end as we recently discovered. Reports have surfaced this week that as Christians were participating in Passion Week Services for the 2010 season All Souls Episcopal Church in Ashville North Carolina was hosting an “ecumenical ritual” where wiccans celebrate the seasons change and the divine feminine, the goddess. Read these two accounts then read the 2004 account of how the Episcopal Church supported Wiccan worship through its worship resource materials.
Moravians concerned about seemingly intentional unholy activities that seem to run rampant in the Episcopal Church met with A Moravian Bishop and retired minister who claim to have initiated and developed the dialogue towards a formalized ecumenical partnership agreement for Full Communion with the Episcopal Church USA. Retired Rev. Bill McElveen explained that the dialogue began with a conversation between himself and Episcopal Rev. Tom Rightmyer of Ashville, North Carolina.
The Joint Board and visitors at Olivet Moravian Church expressed concerns that the Episcopal Church was engaging in activity and teachings that were unchristian. Rev Bill McElveen responded that in discussion with Episcopals in North Carolina both he and Bishop Graham Rights did not believe those they were associating with believed or were engaged in such activity.
Episcopal Tom Rightmyer can often be found responding on various blogs regarding religious and social justice issues. Recently he commented on his association with All Souls Episcopal Church and describes the church and service there this way:
At the Vigil at All Souls, Asheville, last night I baptized our granddaughter Kathryn Amalia Rightmyer Repoley. Bishop Porter Taylor anointed her. All Souls is broad church fancy but the dean chanted the sursum corda and the deacon the Exultet, and there was lots of good music. The vigil readings were the Creation, the nonsacifice of Isaac, the Exodus, and the Dry Bones. The offertory anthem was a Te Deum and we sang the Pascha Nostrum metrical version to Sine Nomine. I wore a white linen stole I inherited from my father; it was part of a white linen set from the mid 1930’s. The chasuble is long gone, but the stole and maniple remain.
Tom Rightmyer, Asheville, NC
The Episcopal Church, Wiccans, and the Divine FeminineWritten by Marcia Segelstein March 26, 10:18 AM I suppose nothing The Episcopal Church does should shock me any more. Nonetheless, it does.In this holiest of Christian seasons, on the evening before Passion Sunday, the Cathedral of All Souls Episcopal Church in Asheville, N.C., hosted an event in its parish hall for an organization called The Mother Grove Goddess Temple. The purpose of the event? To celebrate the spring equinox of course. Wait, you say, that’s not Christian, that’s pagan. But there’s more. According to Mother Grove’s website, its mission “is to create and maintain a permanent sanctuary where people of all faith traditions may openly and safely celebrate the Divine Feminine.” According to Byron Ballard, a Wiccan priestess and a member of the temple, Mother Grove “isn’t a Wiccan group, though some of us are Wiccans.” Just in case you were wondering, Ballard goes on to explain that “Wiccans may also refer to themselves as witches.” Here’s Mother Grove’s description of the event: “The celebration will consist of raising a circle, singing, ‘whistling in the wind’ and flying prayers written on paper airplanes. Ballard will lead the ritual, explaining that it is a joyful expression of the beginning of spring and coming together as a community.” Many churches rent their parish halls to community organizations like the Boy Scouts and Alcoholics Anonymous. But to organizations whose teachings are entirely incompatible with traditional Christian beliefs? Oh, wait. The Episcopal Church (TEC) doesn’t care about traditional Christian beliefs. Probably more important to them was the fact that the Saturday event was “open to all faith traditions.” I’d be curious to know if they’d play host to traditional Anglicans (like myself) who oppose the direction TEC has taken. Somehow I think not. As one person speculated on the StandFirm website, devoted to traditional Anglicanism, I wonder if it would be reasonable to say that All Souls Episcopal Church isn’t a Christian group, though some of them might be Christians.
ASHEVILLE, NC: Mother Grove Goddess Temple celebrate spring equinox in All Souls Episcopal Cathedral By Carole Terrell After making it through the harsh winter, people in Western North Carolina are looking forward to the warm sun of spring. Some are preparing to celebrate the season’s change with an ecumenical ritual. Saturday officially marks the first day of spring, being the day of the spring equinox. Members of Mother Grove Goddess Temple will celebrate at 7 p.m. Saturday with A Breath of Appalachian Spring: A Ritual in Celebration of the Spring Equinox, in the parish hall of the Episcopal Cathedral of All Souls in Biltmore Village. Saturday’s event is open to all faith traditions, said Byron Ballard, wiccan priestess and a member of the temple. Mother Grove “isn’t a wiccan group, though some of us are wiccans,” she said. “Mother Grove is an outgrowth of the work of several people in the goddess/earth religions community,” Ballard said. “Its goal is to create a permanent sanctuary, where people of all faith traditions may openly and safely celebrate the divine feminine, the goddess.” Wicca is a modern religion built on the ancient agricultural religions of Europe, she explained. “Wiccans may also refer to themselves as witches.” Jill Boyer is a co-founder and priestess with Mother Grove. She says she looks forward to celebrating “with my celebrants and community, having time to celebrate something that is very important to me and the ritual aspects themselves.” Boyer believes people have an ancient and human need for ritual and celebration in groups, and to acknowledge the changing of the seasons. The celebration will consist of raising a circle, singing, “whistling up the wind” and flying prayers written on paper airplanes. Ballard will lead the ritual, explaining that it is a joyful expression of the beginning of spring and coming together as a community. Nonperishable food items will be collected at the event for the Mother Grove Cornucopia Project food drive. “Last year, as part of the celebration, we asked people to write a prayer or wish on a piece of paper and fold it into an airplane,” Ballard said. “We spent about five minutes flying planes around the room. Then we asked people to pick up a plane that was not theirs, take it home with them and pray for that person.” Ballard said that “whistling up the wind” is an old English and Appalachian tradition. March is usually the windiest month, so the element of wind will be emphasized at the celebration. One person will whistle while three others honor the elements of earth, fire and water. “It’s a lovely holiday for children,” Ballard said. “The first chance to get out and see what’s growing, to welcome baby chicks and lambs, to taste the first little green bits of chickweed. All pagan and wiccan holidays are family-friendly. Many Earth religionists choose to honor their spiritual traditions as a family group.” |
Original 2004 Story Follows Below
Monday, October 25th 2004Episcopal neopaganismThere are those who doubt that paganism has penetrated the Episcopal Church. If you’re among them, check out this “Women’s Eucharist,” the text for which comes from the Worship Resources section of the ECUSA Women’s Ministries Web site:
A Women’s Eucharist: A Celebration of the Divine Feminine
We gather around a low table, covered with a woven cloth or shawl. A candle, a bowl or vase of flowers, a large shallow bowl filled with salted water, a chalice of sweet red wine, a cup of milk mixed with honey, and a plate of raisin cakes are placed on the table. When all are seated on the floor and comfortable, one of the women lights the candles saying, “Mother God, Giver of light, let this flame illumine our hearts and minds. May its warmth remind us of the love in which you embrace us all. We thank you, Mother, for light.” Placing both hands on the fabric covering the table, one of the women says, “We thank you, Mother, for the hands that wove this cloth. May her life be rich and full. We thank you for the colors, the textures, and the patterns that cover our sacred time and places. We thank you for the wisdom of the weaver’s art, the glory of the interplay of thread and cord. May we be woven together with cords of love and trust as we weave the vision of our lives.” Gathering the flowers to her face, another woman says, “Blessed are you, Mother God, for the fertility of this world. We thank you for the sight and scent of flowers, for the way their shape evokes in us the unfolding of our own sexuality, and for their power to remind us of the glory and the impermanence of physical beauty. May our days of blossoming and of fading be days spent in your presence.” Dipping her fingers into the bowl of salt water, one of the women says, “Sisters, this is the water of life. From the womb of the sea, Mother Earth brought forth life. From the womb waters of our own bodies our children are born. In the womb shaped fonts of our churches, we are baptized into community. This is the water of life.” Touching the water again, she continues. “This, too, is the water of our tears. Our power to weep is an expression of God’s love in and through us. We weep in sorrow for that which we have lost. We weep in anger for the pain of others. We weep in hope of healing and wholeness, and we weep in joy when our hearts are too full to contain our feelings.” Dipping her fingers in the water, each traces a tear on the cheek of the woman beside her saying, “Remember, sister, tears are the water of life.” The chalice of sweet red wine is raised and a woman says, “Blessed are you, Mother God, for you have given us the fruit of the earth. Red as blood, warm as life itself, sweet and intoxicating as love. We thank you for wine. We bless you for the power of this drink to remind us of our own power. We praise you for the strength and beauty of our bodies, and for the menstrual blood of womanhood. We embrace the mystery of life which you have entrusted to us, and we pray for the day when human blood is no longer shed and when woman’s blood is honored as holy and in your image.” The cup is passed hand to hand and all drink from it. The cup of milk and honey is raised and a woman says, “Thank you, Mother, for the abundance of life. Thank you for the rich, full, pleasing, and life giving milk of our bodies. Thank you for the children who drink from our breasts for they bring sweetness to our lives. We drink this cup as your daughters, fed from your own bosom. May we be proud of our nurturing and sustaining selves. May we honor our breasts as symbols of your abundance. Thank you for the milk and honey of your presence with us.” The cup is passed and shared by all. The plate of raisin cakes is raised and a woman says, “Mother God, our ancient sisters called you Queen of Heaven and baked these cakes in your honor in defiance of their brothers and husbands who would not see your feminine face. We offer you these cakes, made with our own hands; filled with the grain of life — scattered and gathered into one loaf, then broken and shared among many. We offer these cakes and enjoy them too. They are rich with the sweetness of fruit, fertile with the ripeness of grain, sweetened with the power of love. May we also be signs of your love and abundance.” The plate is passed and each woman takes and eats a cake. When all have eaten, they say together: “We thank you, Mother, for revealing yourself to us in the mystery of our womanhood. We thank you for the water of life in which we swam in the womb and which gives us the power to weep. We thank you for the blood of life which flows in and from our bodies and which makes us creators in your image as we give birth to new life. We thank you for the milk and honey of life which we receive from our mothers and which we give to our own children. And we thank you for the rich, sweet, and savory taste of life found in the grain of the earth and the fruit of the vine — the gifts of your body shared with us. May we cherish it and ourselves always, and may we live in your peace.” This comes to the ECUSA courtesy of the Rev. Glyn Ruppe-Melnyk of St. Francis in the Fields, Malvern, PA. Now, compare it to this item, found on Tuathe de Brighid, which refers to itself as “a Clan of modern Druids”:
A Celebration of the Divine Feminine in A Eucharist to our Mother Goddess by Glispa
We gather around a low table, covered with a woven cloth or shawl. On the table are a candle, a bowl or vase of flowers, a large shallow bowl filled with salted water, a chalice of sweet red wine, a cup of milk mixed with honey, and a plate of raisin cakes. When all are seated on the floor and comfortable, one of the women lights the candles saying, “Mother God, Giver of light, let this flame illumine our hearts and minds. May its warmth remind us of the love in which you embrace us all. We thank you, Mother God, for light.” Placing both hands on the fabric covering the table, one of the women says, “We thank you, Mother God, for the hands that wove this cloth. May her life be rich and full. We thank you for the colors, the textures, and the patterns that cover our sacred time and places. We thank you for the wisdom of the weaver’s art, the glory of the interplay of thread and cord. May we be woven together with cords of love and trust as we weave the vision of our lives.” Gathering the flowers to her face, another woman says, “Blessed are you, Mother God, for the fertility of this world. We thank you for the sight and scent of flowers, for the way their shape evokes in us the unfolding of our own sexuality, and for their power to remind us of the glory and the impermanence of physical beauty. May our days of blossoming and of fading be days spent in your presence.” Dipping her fingers into the bowl of salt water, one of the women says, “Sisters, this is the water of life. From the womb of the sea, our Mother Earth brought forth life. From the womb waters of our own bodies our children are born. In the womb shaped fonts of our churches, we are baptized into community. This is the water of life.” Touching the water again, she continues. “This, too, is the water of our tears. Our power to weep is an expression of Mother God’s love in and through us. We weep in sorrow for that which we have lost. We weep in anger for the pain of others. We weep in hope of healing and wholeness, and we weep in joy when our hearts are too full to contain our feelings.” Dipping her fingers in the water, each traces a tear on the cheek of the woman beside her saying, “Remember, sister, tears are the water of life.” The chalice of sweet red wine is raised and a woman says, “Blessed are you, Mother God, for you have given us the fruit of the earth. Red as blood, warm as life itself, sweet and intoxicating as love. We thank you for wine. We bless you for the power of this drink to remind us of our own power. We praise you for the strength and beauty of our bodies, and for the menstrual blood of womanhood. We embrace the mystery of life which you have entrusted to us, and we pray for the day when human blood is no longer shed and when woman’s blood is honored as holy and in your image.” The cup is passed hand to hand and all drink from it. The cup of milk and honey is raised and a woman says, “Thank you Mother God for the abundance of life. Thank you for the rich, full, pleasing, and life giving milk of our bodies. Thank you for the children who drink from our breasts for they bring sweetness to our lives. We drink this cup as your daughters, fed from your own bosom. May we be proud of our nurturing and sustaining selves. May we honor our breasts as symbols of your abundance. Thank you for the milk and honey of your presence with us.” The cup is passed and shared by all. The plate of raisin cakes is raised and a woman says, “Mother God, our ancient sisters called you Queen of Heaven and baked these cakes in your honor in defiance of their brothers and husbands who would not see your feminine face. We offer you these cakes, made with our own hands. Filled with the grain of life–scattered and gathered into one loaf, then broken and shared among many. We offer these cakes and enjoy them too. They are rich with the sweetness of fruit, fertile with the ripeness of grain, sweetened with the power of love. May we also be signs of your love and abundance.” The plate is passed and each woman takes and eats a cake. When all have eaten, they say together: “We thank you, Mother God, for revealing yourself to us in the mystery of our womanhood. We thank you for the water of life in which we swam in the womb and which gives us the power to weep. We thank you for the blood of life which flows in and from our bodies and which makes us creators in your image as we give birth to new life. We thank you for the milk and honey of life which we receive from our mothers and which we give to our own children. And we thank you for the rich, sweet, and savory taste of life found in the grain of the earth and the fruit of the vine–the gifts of your body shared with us. May we cherish it and ourselves always, and may we live in your peace.” No, this is not a double posting. You read correctly: this neopagan liturgy is currently being offered essentially unchanged on the official Web site of the ECUSA for use by Episcopal churches. If you’d like to contact someone to express your opinion about the, ah, appropriateness of this liturgy on an allegedly Christian Web site, write to the director of Women’s Ministries, the Rev. Margaret Rose, at mrose@episcopalchurch.org. I’m sure she’d love to hear from lots of fans of Rev. Ruppe-Melnyk’s handiwork. (Hat tip: Erik.) UPDATE: If you’d like to get in on the paganization of the ECUSA, you can respond to this invitation:
A Call for Resources
Many aspects of women’s lives and bodies have historically been left unrecognized in the rites, rituals, and ceremonies of the church. However, for women to move from representation to true inclusion in the church and beyond, the church must embrace pastorally, ritually, and liturgically the many passages and experiences of a woman’s life. We believe in the narrative aspect of liturgy–the ability to tell the story of a woman’s life through ritual, prayer, and ceremony. The following section provides worship resources that respond to the lives of women. We anticipate this will be a place where women can share with one another liturgies they have created or found that respond to the various passages and experiences of their lives. It is our hope that such resources may be incorporated within the context of a Sunday morning service or any other appropriate milieu. These can include but are not limited to: * conception/pregnancy/miscarriage/childbirth Yessir, I can’t wait to incorporate that menstruation liturgy from the local Wiccan coven into my All Saints’ Sunday worship. Because, you see, it’s all about us. That God character can get His/Her/Its own worshippers. UPDATE: Check out the comments by Ted Olsen of Christianity Today’s excellent Weblog here. Wednesday, October 27th Keep looking, keep findingMore stuff from the Episcopo-Druids can be found at a business they seem to have some association with, Sacred Grove Handmade Prayer Beads and Wearable Sacred Art. For example, here’s a portion of a pagan rosary, written by Episcopal priest Bill Melnyk:
On each Earth Spirit Bead say:
Fur and feather, leaf and stone, On each God and Goddess Bead say: Gods and Goddesses, Shining Ones, And here’s one from Oakwyse and Glispa (Episcopal priest Glyn Ruppe-Melnyk): Goddess beads
On the space say:
I bind unto myself today the Wisdom of the Crone.
Meditate on the Presence of the Crone . . . On the space say: On the silver Moon Bead conclude: These folks are deep into this stuff. More on the Druid storyTurns out that the “Rev.” Bill Melnyk–also known as the Druid priest “OakWyse”–serves a parish of his own, St. James Episcopal in Downington, PA. Here’s how he describes himself on his church’s site:
Father Bill has served congregations in South Carolina, Tennessee, Michigan, Florida, and New York before coming to Pennsylvania. His chief pastoral interests are in the fields of teaching (especially Old and New Testament, theology, and ethics), preaching, and liturgical planning and leadership. He has extensive experience in spiritual direction, personal spirituality, and retreat leadership.
Fr. Bill is deeply involved in the study of Celtic Sprituality, including the interface between the early Celtic Church and pre-Christian Celtic spritual expressions. His personal spirituality is centered on the unconditional love of God for all creation, and the goodness and worthwhileness of all human beings. Uh, huh. You wonder whether his congregation knows just how “deeply involved” he is with that “interface.” You also wonder whether his bishop, the notorious Charles Bennison, will give a hoot. (Thanks to MCJ for the link.) UPDATE: The original link URL no longer works. So if you want to take another look at the source of the hubbub, look here. Priest and priestessThe readers of the Rev. Kendall Harmon’s blog Titusonenine have been hard at work, and have established that the “Rev.” Glyn Ruppe-Melnyk did not plagiarize the neopagan “Women’s Eucharist” from the Druid site Tuathe de Brighid and the author “Glispa.” That’s because she is the Druid author. Here’s the connection, courtesy of “Nicholas”: Okay I’m convinced now. I did find the link via the husband. This link identifies the druid “Oakwyse” as being Bill Melnyk. This one identifies Bill Melnyk and Glyn Ruppe-Melnyk as a couple. This one links the two again and gives Melnyk’s email address as being oakwyse at aol dot com. And several links such as this one link Oakwyse and Glispa. The two of whom have also co-authored this:
Wiccan Lunar Ritual (excerpts)
Honoring the Lady [Gong] In the Face of the Moon we honor Our Lady, who was of old called among humankind Isis, Artemis, Astarte, Aphrodite, Diana, Mary, and by many other Names. She stands in the Center of the Circle, with head bowed and arms across her chest. New Moon Ritual Death and New Life Invocation of the Goddess [Priest] Dark is the night, new is the Moon, Behold the Lady of Darkness: Receiving the Blessing of the Goddess [Priestess] Old and eternal, young as the Spring, First Quarter Moon Ritual Nursing [P] Mother Goddess, silver bowl, Behold our Mother, the Waxing Moon: [PS] Draw near, Beloved, safely led, You get the point. Titusonenine reader “Perpetua” asked the author of the “Women’s Eucharist” about it, and here’s a quote: “This is not a liturgy of the Episcopal Church. It is a pastoral rite, not intended for Sunday worship or parish liturgy, and as such has neither been submitted to any official sanctioning body in the Episcopal Church nor to my knowledge been used outside small groups studying spirituality.” And here’s a link to Bill Melnyk, with a bit about his quest: On the web as “OakWyse” since 1994, he is the Organizer of RavenOak Grove. OakWyse is a Druid Grade member of OBOD, and an Anglican Priest. He is committed to the exploration of the Common Ground upon which rest ancient Druidry and English Christian Spirituality. Finally, (genuine) Anglican priest David Roseberry has spoken to the head of Women’s Ministries. He describes their less-than-cordial conversation here. Liturgy? What liturgy?Well, well, well. By a miracle of modern technology, the neopagan liturgy formerly found on the worship resources page of the ECUSA Women’s Ministries division has been dropped down the memory hole. Nothing on the site would give you any idea that the “Women’s Eucharist” had ever been there. No explanation for why it’s gone, no acknowledgment that there was anything wrong with it being there. However, by another miracle of modern technology, this link still works. If you haven’t seen the latest testimony to the disintegration of the Episcopal Church’s status as a Christian institution, check it out. UPDATE: By the way, a Liturgy for Divorce that had also sparked some less-than-complimentary responses in the blogosphere is also gone. Thursday, October 28th Women’s Ministries explains it all for youThe ECUSA Office of Women’s Ministries has decided that it has to respond to the firestorm that has surrounded its posting of a neopagan “Women’s Eucharist” on its Web site. Initially found by Erik Nelson and Faith McDonnel of the IRD, it was first reported here and at Chris Johnson’s MCJ, then picked up by Titusonenine, CaNN, and Christianity Today Weblog. It would seem that that last was the elephant in the living room that could no longer be ignored. Here’s the response: We have been astounded and grateful for the number of people who have taken an interest in The Office of Women’s Ministries of the Episcopal Church through Christianity Today’s recent weblog, “Episcopal Church Officially Promotes Idol Worship,” as posted by Ted Olsen on October 26, 2004. “Grateful”–I’ll bet. The material questioned in Olsen’s article, “A Women’s Eucharist: A Celebration of the Divine Feminine” was sent to us in good faith in response to our recent call for resources. We regret we did not realize that the material was copyright protected. Proper notifications were not included by mistake and so the page has been withdrawn from our website. In the dictionary under “disingenuous,” it says, “see this.” They got the material from the author–what more copyright permission did they need? And how hard could it have been to get them? If this was the problem, it would be back up already. We profoundly regret that Christianity Today did not contact us before making claims such as, “…leaders of the Episcopal Church USA are promoting pagan rites to pagan deities.” The resources listed on our website are not approved liturgies of the Episcopal Church. These liturgies are intended to spark dialogue, study, conversation and ponderings around women and our liturgical tradition. There is quite a difference in presenting resources for people’s interest and enlightenment and promoting resources as official claims of the Episcopal Church. Only General Convention has this authority. She must have consulted a canon lawyer. Technically, of course, the “Women’s Eucharist” isn’t an official, approved liturgy of the ECUSA. But by putting this on the official ECUSA site, saying nothing about its origins, indicating that it came from an ECUSA clergwoman, and giving no guidance as to how it diverged, if at all, from ECUSA teaching and practice, the OWM certainly gave the impression that they thought it was hunky-dory material for Episcopal women to use. I mean, the GC didn’t approve it, but didn’t OWM director Margaret Rose approve putting it on the site? Or do low-level OWM grunts just regularly slap neopagan materials on its site for all the world to see without telling the head honchos? The current liturgy project–A Call for Resources: The Women’s Liturgy Project–and the Women’s Worship Resources section on our website is a grassroots, organic, interactive process. It is an offering to open the awareness of the many voices and needs that exist among people in the church as we all strive to find expressions of our life, love and faith in God. And if we find our “expressions of…life, love and faith” in the gods and goddesses of Old Europe or ancient Canaan, bully for us. So, here’s another question for Margaret Rose: Once you’ve got the necessary copyright permission, are you going to put this “worship resource” back up on the site so that we can all “interact” with it? Better yet, are you going to try to explain to Frank Griswold what the fuss is all about?
Quick! Hide the evidence!Head for the hills! That seems to be the general tenor of the burst of Internet activity connected to the “Women’s Eucharist.” In the last two days: *The liturgy itself came down off the Office of Women’s Ministries site, along with a liturgy for divorce. Lame excuse followed. *The personal site of the Rev. Druid Bill Melnyk, www.oakwyse.org, has been taken down. *Tuatha de Brighid took down the page that their version of the “Women’s Eucharist” appeared on (fortunately, I still have it here, bwahahahaha). The Wiccan Lunar Ritual by OakWyse and Glispa is still up, however. *Every single post (over 400) ever made at the message board of Druidry.org by one “Druis” has been removed. Said Druis also claimed to be an “Anglican” priest. (Meanwhile, questions are apparently being raised at MCJ by readers who looked at Druis’ posts and discovered that contributions for Druid-related activities have apparently been funnelled through the Rector’s Discretionary Fund at St. James Episcopal Church, Downington PA–Rev. Melnyk’s church.) *Just before signing off of Druidry.org, Druis posted this frantic message (down, of course, but saved by a reader at Titusonenine, comment 86):
My Dear Friends ~
Raven and I have come under vicious attack from Anglican fundamentalists re our connection to druidry. Hour by hour the attacks are spreading on fundamentalist BLOGs across the country. For our protection, we must end all internet connection as soon as possible. I ask Kernos to leave this one notice up for a day or two, but then to do a universal delete of all references to Druis. Please delete my membership. I cannot stress how serious this is. If you respond, please do not use my name in your response. I will not be posting again. You can see a summary of the issue at www.christianitytoday.com Kernos – the polls will take care of themselves – please note the winners when they are over. Peace to all. Pray for us. Druis The pathetic thing about all thing deletion activity is that the principals seem to have forgotten that what Google has once seen, Google remembers. So hitting all the delete keys in the world aren’t going to get the spooky pair off the hook. In addition to all this attempted cover-up activity, the listserv of the ECUSA House of Bishops has been abuzz. According to one observer of said list, This sorry mess is being blown off as a tempest-in-a-teapot by many, with some even attempting to defend it as harmless. Others contend “everybody knows” you can’t consider something official just because it is posted on the official ECUSA website. Predictably, there are one or two who classify those of us in “fundamentalist’”weblogs who raise objections as being prejudiced against the liberation of women from a dominating patriarchal society. (Comment 122) Yeah, it’s a real pity us up-tight fundies can’t see that a little polytheistic paganism, all in good fun, never hurt anyone. I’ve got further inquiries out to ECUSA leaders. I’ll let you know if any of them respond. Hatchetman in the “grove” of the LordChris Johnson has dug up this tidbit on Our Man Melnyk from the Druidry.org site, where his posts are now apparently stored under the name of “Thrum,” though he’s signing them “Bran.” (Those posts haven’t been deleted, just altered.) This one gives us an idea of how he and his wife view their ministry:
Hi, folks. I’m 57, live in southeastern Pennsylvania, and have been a member of OBOD since 1998. My spouse and I are both Druid graduates of the training course. We are also both priests in the Episcopal (Anglican) Church. Between us, we lead two groves (some call them “congregations”) of Christians learning about Druidry numbering about 1200. As I write this, I have just finished a wedding and a funeral back-to-back for some 300 people.
Raven and I are both members of the Pipes and Drums of the Delaware Valley – she a flourishing tenor drummer, and me a piper. We love Scotland, and go to Iona every spring for Beltaine. I have served as a tutor in the past, but not at present. My creed? ‘There is only one river.’ Whatever that means. I think that at this point, it’s crystal clear that the ball is in Bishop Charles Bennison’s court. It’s up to him to decide whether it’s ok for pagans to infiltrate his diocese and set up shop masquerading as Episcopal priests (I’m not saying their orders aren’t valid, just that they’ve shredded their ordination vows and defected to the Other Side.) Coming soon to a major newspaper near youThe Episcopagan story is about to get bigger. Word in the blogosphere is that the Washington Times is going to be running a story in the next day or two about it. And from there it’s only a matter of time before other media outlets jump into the fray. If I were Charles Bennison or Margaret Rose, I’d be practicing my ducking, not to mention getting my phony-baloney story together. And if I were Oakwyse or Glispa, I’d be making hasty reservations for Stonehenge, or wherever it is that pagans go when they want to run from the light of day.
Friday, October 29th
Gotta educate the congregationOakWyse blesses us with theological insights grand and glorious:
I see “god” in the sense of “Ground of Being,” or “Universal Life Force.” (The former is solidly mainline Christian theology. The latter is from my work as a Reiki Master.) For the purpose of myth-making, it’s okay to anthropomorphize that, but we must remember when we do that we are dealing with metaphor.
I don’t like the idea or concept of “worship.” Rather, I prefer “celebration”: the celebration of life in its glory and holiness. My Druidry relates to the world itself–sea, earth, and sky. I venerate all this, and often do visualize it in terms of Celtic deities. I have a special devotion to Manannan mc Lir, as many know. But I believe Nature has a validity and sacredness in itself, not because it was created, or managed, by some “god.” I am a follower of Jesus of Nazareth, because in him I see a profound example of the presence of holiness, the “Ground of Being,” in human flesh. But I believe that everything the Church now says about Jesus, Jesus himself said about people in general. God’s (or the Gods’) incarnation is everywhere, and in everyone. This makes me certainly a panentheist (God is in everything), and perhaps a pantheist (everything is God) I believe that the concepts of resurrection and reincarnation are non-provable metaphors for exactly the same thing: life is stronger than death. And people should not set one of those metaphors over against another. Heaven is fully integrated life in the presence and awareness of the Holy. (BTW – “hell” is being in heaven and not liking it. A position people put themselves in, not God.) The catholic church is a fallible body trying to be the incarnate body of God in the world, and doing only as well as is humanly possible. Every other loving faith group is the same. I am a follower of Jesus mac Dei, but I am very unsure about the “one, holy, catholic, apostolic church.” The Bible is the record of the search for God of a specific tradition through the ages. It contains some truth, some beauty, some pathos, and a whole lot of garbage. Like everything else, it makes you dig for what’s valuable in it. Yes–my form of faith makes me a heretic in the eyes of fundamentalist Christians and fundamentalist Pagans. But heresy is in the eye of the beholder! And there are many, many Christians who see life and the Gods as I have described. I suspect that John Lenon was the great western theologian of the twentieth century, though he might well have poured a beer over my head for saying so! In the same thread, we’re given a bit more of a peak into what is going on at St. James, Downington: My congregation strives to learn about and honor its Pagan roots. On February 2nd we will celebrate Imbolc as well as Candlemas, and learn about how Brighid (Goddess and Saint) connects the two. In a comment on my original post on this subject, Epsicopal priest John Wilkins says, “This is a minor event. A small thing made large by some obsessive people hunting for witches. Easy to see how McCarthy got so many supporters.” A few responses: 1) No one had to go hunting–they put themselves right out where the whole world could see them. After that it was just a matter of finding some links. 2) McCarthy was congenitally dishonest about what he knew about Communists in the government (which was next to nothing, though they were there to be found if he’d known what he was doing). All the bloggers pursuing this story have done is quote the Melnyks out of their own mouths. 3) The large thing is the presence of this kind of material on the ECUSA denominational Web site, recommended for use in Sunday worship for anyone dumb enough to use it. Father Wilkins may consider the content of worship, and the object of our worship, trivial enough so that substance doesn’t matter. Scripture would indicate that such is not the case, though whether that would make any difference to him, I don’t know. I can understand not enjoying the sight of an institution to which you are dedicated under attack. The answer is not to demonize the messengers, but to change the institution, which won’t happen as long as its spitting in the face of its own reason for being continues. UPDATE: Karen at Heretic’s Corner has an interesting perspective on the controversy from a kind of, sort of, more liberal point of view. Worth a look. Checking out the bookstore
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Will ecumenical “Social Justice Leaders” succeed with Obamacare?
March 18th, 2010Will ecumenical “Social Justice Leaders” succeed with Obamacare?
More and more Americans are realizing that the Social Justice initiatives of modern ecumenical partnerships are chiseling the epitaph on the head stone of America and the rest of the free world – one letter at a time.
The NCC and Sojourners chief Jim Wallis the same who called for a boycott of Glenn Beck for warning people to find out what “Social Justice” means to their pastors and bishops and leave if it is the same as Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s are now willing to disregard abortion funding features of the bill as they near the Obamacare milepost on their “Social Justice Road” towards the perfect world.
Will Moravians be counted among the majority who seeing these “Social Justice” initiatives for what they are put an end to the much coveted Ecumenical Movement conceived by the NCC and engineered by the Episcopal Church?
We must face the fact that ecumenical leaders do not want any speed bumps to slow down their efforts and certainly for the Little Moravian Church to derail the movement would be an embarrassment of historical biblical proportion. Will this be the corrective action that restores the church to its biblical roots? These corrections have occured in Moravian History about every 100 years. The last corrective stand occurred in 1907. Do we still have what it takes to make another historic stand?
WASHINGTON, March 18 /Christian Newswire/ — Believing firm restrictions on government funded abortions are no longer possible, evangelical left officials are jettisoning traditional evangelical pro-life convictions to back the U.S. Senate version of Obamacare now before the U.S. House of Representatives.
The evangelical left initially sought to consolidate liberal evangelical support behind Obamacare by promising protections against government funded abortions. Now some evangelical left officials are claiming such protections are unnecessary.
A letter sent this week to Congress from some prominent liberal evangelicals claims information about abortion provisions in the Senate health care bill is misleading and urges Congress urgently to support the Senate version of Obamacare. In contrast, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops opposes the Senate’s Obamacare, pointing out it lacks the House version’s clear restriction against government funded abortions.
Evangelical signers of the congressional letter include Evangelicals for Social Action President Ron Sider, Sojourners chief Jim Wallis, Florida megachurch pastor and National Association of Evangelicals Board Member Joel Hunter, New Evangelical Partnership for the Common Good Chair David P. Gushee, Emergent Church guru Brian McLaren and Glen Stassen of Fuller Theological Seminary.
IRD President Mark Tooley commented:
“For the mostly new Evangelical Left and the old Religious Left, government-imposed health care is a long-time totem for which their activists have toiled across years and decades.
“Politically liberal evangelicals remain anxious to pass the bill, even without the Stupak-Pitts language that some of them previously supported.
“Evangelical Left activists like Jim Wallis desperately want Obamacare despite possible abortion funding.
“For the Evangelical Left, when their espoused pro-life views conflict with messianic hopes for socialized health care, Obamacare wins.”
The Institute on Religion and Democracy, founded in 1981, is an ecumenical alliance of U.S. Christians working to reform their churches’ social witness, in accord with biblical and historic Christian teachings, thereby contributing to the renewal of democratic society at home and abroad.
NCC continues its efforts towards "Social Justice"
Faith based Neighborhood Partnerships
February 11th, 2010President 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
Ecumenical Aftershocks in Massachusetts
January 24th, 2010Just 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.
History and the Pendulum – Moravian Theology
September 2nd, 2009While 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”
Denominational liberals have departed from the Holy Bible, the Word of our Lord.
August 29th, 2009Denominational 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.
Report of Moravian Agreement with Lutheran ELCA Greatly Exagerated
August 26th, 2009Moravians 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.
Full Communion – A False Witness
August 25th, 2009Full 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