It would appear that being an apostate is not a bar to serving as a priestess in the Episcopal Church (TEC). The Rev. Ann Redding of Seattle has embraced Islam and yet remains a practicing clergy person in TEC. This would seem to be inline with the Rev David Hart who converted to Hinduism however he also remains a licensed Anglican cleric.I confess that I was shocked when I read this. But I really should not have been. This is after all the church of Bishop Jack Spong and company. I have at various times wondered aloud (and online) if TEC had not crossed the line from mere heresy into institutional apostasy. However at the risk of being called judgmental I think its time to say bluntly what I have been kinda thinking for a while. The Episcopal Church is not heretical. It's apostate. It has ceased to be a Christian body, and I will no longer refrain from saying so out of respect for people's feelings.
To those reading this who may still remain in TEC, please leave. Don't walk away. RUN! It's not going to get better. Stop fooling yourselves. Go Baptist. Go Roman. Or better yet go Orthodox. But wherever you go, get out of TEC! The Anglican Communion will not save you. The CofE is almost as bad as TEC. It's time for a reality check. There is no argument that can justify remaining in an apostate religion. You are endangering your soul by doing so. I understand converting is hard. It took me a very long time to do what I had known for many many years I needed to do. In fairness I was not leaving a church that was remotely in the same situation as TEC. But I do have a firsthand knowledge of the terrible spiritual agony that comes from breaking with a faith tradition you were raised in. Although for me at least it was the decision that was agony. After actually doing it the sense of peace has been remarkable.
Wherever you go (and thats not an unimportant issue), the most important thing is that you go. Stop putting it off. And start the search for a new spiritual home, today.
Now having offending every Episcopalian reading this blog, I will add insult to injury by offering very seriously to discuss this extremely tough issue with anyone who needs to talk about the processes and pains of changing religious confessions in private. Please feel free to email me by clicking on the link in the sidebar.
May God bless and preserve all those who are struggling with this great crisis of faith.
Read Rev. Redding's story on page 9 here. (pdf doc)
Read about Rev Hart here.
Hat tip to the young fogey
2 comments:
Don't worry. You havent offended me. But that is because I am an Anglican under the oversight of a solidly orthodox primate and bishop in a staunchly orthodox parish now parted from apostacy of TEC.
In other words, I couldnt agree with you more about TEC.
Now if you were to go off on the Anglican communion in the same way, then I would probably feel differently. That body is in the main very much alive, very much faithful to the Gospel and fighting as any healthy body would against the infection that has completely overcome one of its members. That infection will be dealt with shortly. Not in any manner that an outsider would probably prefer but it will be done and be done thoroughly in a thoroughly Anglican way. Its already happening. Check out www.standfirm infaith.com for what our Global South Primates have been up to lately.
Peggy,
I periodically check standfirm. It has been in the links on Ad orientem for a while. However I remain skeptical about the overall health of a communion that appears to be defined largely by communion with the See of Canterbury. The Church of England is not much better than TEC. I think the Anglican Communion is in deep trouble, unless some very serious changes are made.
ICXC
John
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