Churches losing foundation / LJWorld.com

Archive for Thursday, June 22, 2006

By Cal Thomas

June 22, 2006

The new leader of the Episcopal Church in America, Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, says she does not believe homosexuality is a sin and that homosexuals were created by God to love people of the same gender.

As the Episcopal leadership continues to huff and puff to catch up with the world, it would be helpful if it could tell its members what it regards as sinful behavior, or will the very concept of sin soon be up for negotiation in order to avoid giving offense to anyone?

Truly what Paul, the Apostle, warned would happen in the "end times" is coming true in our day: "For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine, instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn away from the truth and turn aside to myths." (2 Timothy 4:3-4 NIV).

Meeting in convention in Columbus, Ohio, the denomination passed a resolution expressing "regret" for consecrating a homosexual bishop three years ago, but it declined to repent of its action. That is known as trying to have it both ways and it doesn't fly among conservative members of the denomination who are thinking of leaving.

Bishop Schori, a former oceanographer for the National Marine Fisheries Service in Seattle, says, "The Bible tells us about how to treat other human beings and that's certainly the great message of Jesus - to include the unincluded."

This is so outside orthodox Christianity that only biblical illiterates or those who deny the supreme authority of the only book that gives foundation to the faith will accept it.

Anglicanism has suffered from probably irreversible corruption since the days of the late C.S. Lewis and John Stott, who is still with us. These men combined intellectual heft with orthodox belief and had little regard for trends, fads or cultural diversions.

Maybe the question for Bishop Schori and her fellow heretics should be: if homosexual practice is not sin, what is? And how do we know? Or is it a matter of "thus saith the opinion polls" and lobbying groups, rather than "thus saith the Lord"? With the bishop's "doctrine" of inclusion, why exclude anyone? How about applying the religious equivalent of "open borders" and let everyone into the church, including unrepentant prostitutes, murderers, liars, thieves and atheists. If the Episcopal Church denies what is clearly taught in scripture about important matters like sexual behavior, why expect its leaders to have any convictions about anything, including directions to Heaven? How can anyone be sure, if the guidebook is so full of errors?

The leader of Anglicanism, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, has promoted this doctrinal wishy-washiness. Williams, who has acknowledged ordaining a priest who is a homosexual, says he opposes cohabitation by heterosexuals because it has a harmful impact on family stability. But the same book that speaks against what we used to call "fornication" before such words died along with the accompanying doctrines, also speaks against the "sin" of homosexual practice. So how can anyone be sure one is true and the other not true, or the reverse, or neither, or both? And who is to say if the church leaders don't know or are afraid to say because they might be criticized as "exclusive."

The Episcopal Church isn't the only denomination having trouble deciding what it believes. The Presbyterian Church (USA) has voted to "receive" a policy paper on sex-inclusive language for the Trinity. Instead of the traditional (and biblical) Father, Son and Holy Spirit, these liberal Presbyterians will consider using "Mother, Child and Womb," or "Rock, Redeemer, Friend," among others. Never mind what God calls Himself. These people want a name change without asking permission.

No wonder liberal denominations are losing members while the conservative ones are growing. The liberal ones don't seem to care. Seeking only to be "relevant" they face condemnation from the One they are supposed to represent, whose attitude about such things is anything but "inclusive."

Conservative Episcopalians are too few in number to stop the theological drift. If they intend to preserve their congregations without further theological seepage, they should "come out from among them and be separate."

Cal Thomas is a columnist for Tribune Media Services.

Discussion

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22 June 2006
at 8:40 a.m.

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TomPaine (Anonymous) says…

Cal Thomas does defend the true meaning and message of the Bible: “Be a thick-skulled bigot for the Lord, and save yourself from His wrath.” He couldn't have it more correct, or be a better specimen of the faith. Liberal Christians misrepresent the Bible. “Liberal Christian” is like “compassionate sociopath.” There is no moderate form of an extremist belief system, of a worldview which says “We know the intentions of the ultimate being, and how he plans to destroy those who oppose him.” Once you begin with that, nothing good can come. Christianity is evil in its essence, and the divisive, vicious invention of sick, egomaniacal humans like Thomas. Fortunately, more and more of us are too intelligent and too decent to be seduced by this atavistic filth, and there lies a slim hope for humanity, if only the hateful irrationality of religious obsessives and self-annointed theologians like Thomas doesn't drag us back down.
22 June 2006
at 8:57 a.m.

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happyone (Anonymous) says…

Well said TomPaine
22 June 2006
at 9:26 a.m.

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gr (Anonymous) says…

Tommy, do you need to be sent to your room?

Are you reading more into the article from past articles? Where does Cal Thomas say anything about saving oneself from God's “wrath”?

Do you object to the Bible or how Thomas reads it?
22 June 2006
at 2:43 p.m.

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TomPaine (Anonymous) says…

gr -

Why do you ask?

“Tommy”
22 June 2006
at 3:58 p.m.

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OldEnuf2BYurDad (Anonymous) says…

Mr. Paine, have you ever read the part in the Bible where it says “God is Love”?

So, is the concept of wrath something that contradicts love? Does the Bible have more than one “heart”, like somone with a personality disorder?

God is LOVE. The scriptures are packed with references to His mercy and grace. Likewise, the scriptures make it clear that He is a “jealous” god, who believes that, being God and being gracious towards us, we should then be devoted to His authority. Or as Paul wrote to his friend Titus, the “grace of God… teaches us to say NO to ungodliness”. God's grace came at great expense to Him, so he expects us to respect His gift. When we fail to appreciate His love, he gets angry. God's love is enormous, and his jealousy is equal to His love. If you can understand His wrath in the light of His love, you'll be able to make sense of it.

You see, God doesn't have to ask our forgiveness for spurring him on to deserved wrath. God, from day one, has done nothing for us that wasn't specifically designed to help us and promote a knowledge of His glory. This is why he calls us “adulterous”, because His devotion is greater than that of a loving husband, and he gets really upset when we fail to see that we are supposed to be bound to Him in His love.

Are you a father? How do you react when your child ignores your authority as Father? No reaction at all? No, you discipline your child, for the good of the child. Should God shy away from doing the same? Even you, a mere man, can see that being a good father means making certain demands and establishing standards for your children.

“Christianity is evil in its essence, and the divisive, vicious invention of sick, egomaniacal humans”

So, you explain to me how it is that I have found freedom, not sickness, in my relationship with God. My faith is, in your way of thinking, an absolute cancer; yet I am experiencing, in Christ, a peace that is deep and a joy that is true without having to be “seduced by this atavistic filth”. Please explain that.

Also, Mr. Paine, please use scripture in your explanation, whenever possible. I'm curious to know if your perspective is that Mr. Thomas is perverting God's word, or if the word of God was perverted before Mr. Thomas started quoting from it. I'm relatively well-versed in it, and I believe that Mr. Thomas' usage was perfect.

If you are complaining about people who use God's word as a tool of hate, then I'd have to say that part of your attitude is justified by the Phelpses of the world. But, if you are saying that the Biblical faith of Christianity is “sick”… then you are wrong. God has no hate for gays, not any more than he does towards [insert sin here]. His desire is that “all men reach an understanding of the truth”. He is asking for repentance so that he doesn't have to resort to wrath. His wrath is the one aspect of God that “we” created. A God of love would rather not have wrath.
22 June 2006
at 7:11 p.m.

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gr (Anonymous) says…

Old,

If I may interrupt here…

“When we fail to appreciate His love, he gets angry.”

“No, you discipline your child, for the good of the child. Should God shy away from doing the same?”

Could YOU show with scripture your basis. Yes, I know many think the same, and that's how, like Paine, many have a very negative view of God. But consider (Isa 55:8-9 NIV) “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

In light of that, you can't say, should God do the same when His ways are not the ways of man. If you take texts such as John 1:1-3 and John 14:8-11, and in light of the leader's reaction to Jesus' claims of being equal and the same as God, wouldn't it follow that Jesus reacted the same to those who disagreed with Him as God would react? And, what was Jesus' reaction? Did Jesus ever harm anyone? He did leave them to their own sins (Matt 23:37-38). And He had to deal with His own disciples' thoughts which are like many today (Luke 9:54-56). If that was ever a time for “wrath”, wouldn't that be a way for Jesus to show everyone what He and the Father were like?

So, what does God do to sinners? One place which explains it is the end of the first chapter of Romans. Also, check out Hosea 11. Is God's “wrath” the same as man's wrath?

Do you believe the Bible is contradictory? Is it “God is love, unless you tick Him off, then you'd better get running”?

(John 3:17 NIV) For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
22 June 2006
at 8:30 p.m.

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crono (Anonymous) says…

TomPaine, it seems that you are not tolerant of any absolute truth claim, except the absolute truth claim that there are no other absolute truth claims.

Also, it's unclear to me how saying “We know the intentions of the ultimate being, and how he plans to destroy those who oppose him” (which you criticize and condemn) is any different than saying that “There is no ultimate being, or there is we can't know anything of he/she/it, and Christianity is evil in its essence, and the divisive, vicious invention of sick, egomaniacal humans like Thomas … and there [i.e., eliminating Christianity] lies a slim hope for humanity, if only the hateful irrationality of religious obsessives and self-annointed theologians like Thomas doesn't drag us back down.” (which you approve)

22 June 2006
at 10:37 p.m.

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JesusIsKing (Anonymous) says…

Find Jesus outside of so-called “religion.” History is just repeating itself with apostate Christianity, just as there was apostate Judaism in Jesus' day.

Instead of all the condemnation/judging of those outside the Church (God is their Judge), how about Gospel, a.k.a., the good news. How about how Jesus can transform someone's life now and for eternity; how He died for our sins? Yes - repent and believe the Gospel.

(1 Corinthians 5:12) For what have I to do with judging them that are without? Do not ye judge them that are within?