Other Related Stories:
Living On Borrowed Time
The New Sexual
Orientation
A Call For A New Reformation By John Spong
Remarks From David Virtue's Interview
What To Make Of The Primates' Meeting
A General Summary Of Spong's Teachings
|
ECUSA's Apostasy Casts A Dark
Cloud - The Loss Of Salvation
Commentary by: Otis Page
At this Easter celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, a dark cloud
is cast over all of Christendom. The flagship Episcopal Church's 2.4
million-member denomination in the USA, called ECUSA, has become apostate
and is schismatic as a result. Apostasy is defined as the repudiation of
the
Christian faith once held. ECUSA has departed from Scripture and apostolic
standards of doctrine, morals, and order received as the common faith of
the
Anglican Communion, the fundamental Christian precepts on sin, grace and
salvation. The alarming consequence of this apostasy is the probable loss
of
God's salvation for ECUSA's members, those who do not leave and who
continue to condone the church's error. The main responsibility for this resides
with the Episcopate, who are pledged to defend the faith. But all are condemned
who knowingly or unknowingly follow the actions of the Bishops. For, by
their betrayal, all are condemned.
This repudiation of basic doctrines of the faith thereby undermines the
faith once held. The manifestation of ECUSA's apostasy jeopardizes everyone
around it - bishops, clergy and laity. Each member of ECUSA joins its
apostasy by knowledge, by ignorance and even by not being informed! Why has
this occurred?
The American Episcopal Church, ECUSA, has defied the determinations
condemning homosexuality established at the Lambeth conference held in
England in 1999. The Episcopal Church confirms its apostasy by endorsing
the
teachings of retired Bishop John Spong and his homosexual followers. (See
sidebar "A Call for a New Reformation" by John
Spong) Spong champions the
thesis that the church and Christianity are broken, that the Scripture has
no application in the third millennium.
Spong's collaborators include ECUSA's Bishop Primate Frank T. Griswold III,
a group of following Bishops, and theologians such as the Rev. Dr. L.
William Countryman who trashes the relevance and applicability of
Scripture.
General summary of ECUSA's beliefs
Here is the general summary of beliefs being quietly imposed on the laity
of
the church. Scripture is misconstrued in assessing that homosexuality is
not
a sin and that "sexual orientation" is a greater truth than the truth of
"sexual behavior". (See sidebar "The new 'sexual orientation'
terminology")
The new belief states that repentance does not require the confession of
homosexuality and says that homosexuality is a gift of God and is between
committed same-sex partners. That "genital expression" by a combination of
oral means and massage is a seal of love between same-sex partners who
embrace Jesus Christ. It is declared that Scripture supports particular
historic prejudices against Jew, Blacks, Women, and Homosexuals.
Establishing these beliefs as practice, ECUSA recognizes same sex couple
homosexual relationships. The Spongite Louie Crew now sits on the Executive
Council of ECUSA with a specific objective to implement the homosexual
agenda in the Church. The clear implication of this action condones and
allows the future marriage of same-sex couples and ordination of
homosexuals.
Most basic of Christian teachings denied by ECUSA, members face consequences
Besides this, there are practices that infer ECUSA is drifting into a
belief system supporting the United Religions Initiative (URI) that holds that
there are many ways to God besides Jesus Christ. Obviously, such belief
denies the "faith once held" and Godıs supreme revelation in Jesus Christ
so critical and fundamental to Christian belief. Both of these actions, the
denial of sin as manifested in the denial of homosexuality and the denial
of Christıs authority, are two repudiations of the most basic Christian
teachings. Apostasy is the conclusive result.
For ECUSA's members, the apostasy means "A new way of being church." The
new church portends to leave behind a "dying mind-set" of tradition and values.
This view of a new way of being a church is where there will be sexual
guidelines embracing homosexuality, bisexualism and transgender
applications of a new sexual code. One retired Archbishop suggests "Why bother with what
weed they're ingesting, or the kind of sexual activity they're up to and
with whom?" The problem, he suggests, is the church is "pre-modern,
patriarchal and paternalistic," whereas secular society is post-modern and
has arguably assumed that issues such as homosexuality and abortion are
resolved. Certainly, these beliefs would be strongly refuted in other major
Protestant denominations and the Catholic Church!
Sadly, there is a manifested consequence of apostasy that concludes the
loss of salvation for ECUSA's members. The following Scripture passage from Heb
6:4-6 applies: "For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened,
and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy
Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to
come, if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they
crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to open shame."
How do the leaders of ECUSA "crucify again for themselves the Son of God,
and put Him to open shame?" They do this by teaching homosexuality is not a
sin. "Disobedience to God in the form of homosexual practice may be a trivial sin compared to the Church's teaching that it is not sin." (JD
Murphy) They do this by disparaging His word, Holy Scripture.
ECUSA disparages scripture and Sacraments
ECUSA's conduct is based on the judgment that homosexuality is not a sin.
That Scripture is either ignored, held to be misconstrued, or is held to be
wrong on the teaching regarding homosexuality. Here is the specific
evidence. The Bishop Primate and the majority of ECUSAıs leaders have
asserted there is error in Scriptureıs teachings regarding homosexuality.
Contrasted with Scripture's teachings, confirmed by events and actions at
the Episcopal General Convention held in July 2000, ECUSA teaches
homosexuality is a gift, that it is not a sin, and that homosexuals are not
subject to the call of chastity or of confession and repentance. By this
teaching ECUSA disparages Scripture and tradition and undermines the state
of Christıs Church in all its various denominations.
Apostasy exemplified at the cup
What is the further evidence of the apostasy? It occurs at a central and
precious sacrament of the liturgy. The apostasy is exemplified at the Cup.
ECUSA admits unrepentant homosexuals into the Church and allows them to
continually take the Cup without the confession of their sin. "Therefore
whoever eats of this bread or drinks of this cup of the Lord in an unworthy
manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man
examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For
he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to
himself, not discerning the Lord's body." (1Cor 11:29-29)
Finally there is Jesus Christıs statement, "Any kingdom divided against
itself is laid waste; and a house divided against itself falls" (Luke
11:17). This certainly applies today to both ECUSA and the Anglican
Communion because of the issue of apostasy fully confirmed by the evidence
of schism.
There is a schism in the Anglican Communion. But the schism is not caused
by so called orthodox or conservative factions in the church. It is caused by
the revisionist actions of ECUSA. Why is this so? Because, by its apostasy,
ECUSA is schismatic. By its apostasy ECUSA has repudiated the Christian
faith once held with ECUSA and now held throughout the Worldwide Anglican
Communion. Church polity and governance must yield to common sense as to
what must be done in following what Scripture teaches and Tradition
confirms. All Christendom suffers by ECUSA's schismatic apostasy, and
especially those who lose their salvation because of it.
|
The
Tribune Papers