The Episcopal Church USA’s new presiding bishop is Katharine Jefferts Schori. She is the first woman to head any member of the worldwide Anglican Communion. Doctrinal questions of women in leadership aside, this could be the end of the Episcopal church as we know it…

Jefferts Schori has some not-so-well-received ideas about the church. The one that gets the most press is that she is pushing for the full acceptance of homosexuality in the church. She says that “she won’t impose her views on others” and that the US church will compromise to stay united with the worldwide Anglican Communion…”for a season.” But she says that when it comes to the other denominations theological qualms with women’s ordination, “they’ll have to ‘get over it’.” See the AP story here.

She wants to pursue peace and healing, and is even willing to compromise, but she will have her way. She’s like a spoiled 3 year-old making a power play. Is this the application of liberal tolerance? That she is moved to include everyone, as long as they agree with her?
That problem is bad enough. But the position that you won’t hear much in the mainstream press, is that she doesn’t think that Jesus is the only way to God.This isn’t a big deal in the world. Most people think there are other ways to God. But for the primate of a denomination of 2.4 million people, this is blasphemy.

That word doesn’t get tossed about very much, as well it shouldn’t. It’s a serious charge that in centuries past has resulted in charred bodies tied to stakes. But what else can you call it? Misguided? No, the idea that God will give you every selfish request is misguided. Deceptive? No, telling someone that you have no sin is deceptive. Mistaken? No, saying the Great Commission is in Malachi 28 is mistaken. This is what Paul called preaching another gospel. This is blasphemy.

“If we insist we know the one way to God,” she said, “we’ve put God in a very small box.”

“It’s this sense that one person can have the fullness of truth in him or herself, rather than understanding that truth is — like God — more than any one person can encompass.”

Those are her own words. She says this despite the fact that Colossians 2:9 says, “in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form,” and Jesus’ own declaration that “no one comes to the Father, except through [him].” She is unconcerned with what the Bible teaches, and decides for herself what is right and wrong. She has taken to leaning on her own understanding.

Some of you who are reading may not be Christians, and probably think it’s great that someone is coming in and going against the grain. You may not think it’s legitimate to hold to such old teachings, and that it’s good that someone is thinking outside of the text. The only problem is that the Bible and it’s teachings are what hold Christians together in this world. Belief in Christ, as the Scriptures tell him is what we are based on. Schori is free to believe that Jesus is only one of many ways to find God, but she shouldn’t have a leadership role in an organization that is based on the belief that he’s the only way.

This post from Get Religion tells the story well, including this incredible insight from an email:

A pastor is married for years, has children, runs a successful church, advances in his denomination/sector of Christianity, and then “finds himself” and abandons wife and children for a live-in situation with another man. His reward? Consecration as a bishop in the Protestant Episcopal Church of America and wide-ranging media praise. LATimes, I believe, had a nice kiss-up interview with Gene Robinson just this week.

Another pastor apparently is married for years, has children, builds and runs a a successful church, advances in his denomination/sector of Christianity, fights temptation and loses, stays with his family, and when the dam breaks, is crucified in the press as his reward.

If you’re unaware, V. Gene Robinson is the gay Episcopal bishop who was consecrated in 2003, with praise from the media. The second story is of Pastor Ted Haggard, of New Life Church in Colorado, who was fired on Saturday following his scandal. I don’t think this email is saying anything to the effect that Haggard should have been allowed to stay, only that the media swing is amazing.

As it says in this article, Jefferts Schori’s comments are in line with what she has said before and with ECUSA leadership. And this is only a symptom of the new forms of Bible interpretation that take the stance that the text contains God’s truth, but not explicitly. This stance holds that the entire Bible, every story, is a metaphor. With this idea of the Bible nothing is certain. There are no concrete facts or commands.

When you reduce the whole of the text to metaphor you can support anything. Despite there being no Biblical support for the idea that God sanctions monogamous homosexual relationships, and concrete evidence that we were intended for monogamous heterosexual relationships (Gen 1, 2; Mt 19, Mk 10, 1Cor 6, Eph 5), you can say things like, “God loves us, why would he create someone as a homosexual if it was a sin?” And no matter what I say, you can refute it, because you don’t believe the Bible is true word of God.

What these groups don’t realize, is that when Jesus argued, he argued from Scripture. A lot. He is constantly referencing the Old Testament. When Satan tempts him he responds by quoting scripture. When the Pharisees confront him about his disciples picking grain on the Sabbath, he uses Scripture. But if take their position, scripture comes second to reason.

I’ve gone through this before, in the posts On the Narrow, and On the Narrow (pt. 2).

What will become of the true Christian faith? How long will it be before the idea that Christ is all, that he was truly God in the flesh, is all but gone in our society? There’s a lot of talk about the growth of Christianity in the global south. Will it become the new center of Christendom when intellectuality takes over the church in America?

The advance of this mindset in America’s large denominations, particularly the PCUSA, ECUSA, and ELCA is frightening to me. We need to separate this “Christian Spirituality” or “Christian Universalism” from Christianity, and quickly.

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

Matthew 7:13-23

Technorati Tags: african, anglican, bishop, blasphemy, christ, Christians, christian_universalism, Church, compromise, deity, denomination, divinity, ECUSA, elca, episcopal_church, gene_robinson, getreligion, get_religion, god, homosexuality, interpretation, jefferts_schori, jesus, liberal, literal, literalism, mainline, mainstream, msm, narrow_gate, only_way, on_the_narrow, pcusa, power_play, presiding_bishop, progressive_christianity, progressive_christians, scripture, sexuality, sin, small_box, spoiled, ted_haggard, Theology, tolerance, worldwide

Share your thoughts.

Name (required)

Mail (will not be published) (required)

Website