TEC has resoundingly declared its intention to stay on its revisionist course, and damn the torpedoes. It has now officially given its approval and encouragement to men who have an irresistible urge to have sex with men, and women with women. It is only a very short step away from giving the same approval to men who want to have sex with boys, and women with girls. If man/man sex is good and to be encouraged, what's wrong with man/boy sex? Or man/child sex? Or man/beast sex? Essentially anything goes in the sex department, and the prime responsibility of the church is to make sure that everyone is happy and comfortable with their sexuality.

This has all come about because Jack Spong and Louie Crew have jointly made a full frontal attack on the rudiments of the Christian faith which the House of Bishops was too weak-kneed to denounce for what it was, or to apply appropriate disciplinary action. The new religion they espoused is a perfect match for the prevailing decadence of our culture. As the revisionists boast, we have changed our faith to adapt to a new era - the era of Western decadence. The new TEC and a decadent culture fit together like hand and glove.

We are merrily slithering down a long slippery slope at the bottom of which we will be greeted by the complete collapse of our Western way of life, just in time to submit to the gathering energy and suicidal passion of the radical Muslim alternative. Like the ancient Romans, we are sitting ducks for a new generation of Barbarians.

The Africans have had the guts to call a spade a spade. They are in the frontline trenches of the great Christian/Muslim divide, while we sit in our comfortable living rooms watching a daily torrent of news stories of men abusing and murdering women and children, and the filth glorifying sex and violence billed as entertainment by Hollywood and the media. We pretend to be horrified by the Muslim mistreatment of women, and soak up a daily dose of American-style abuse of women. Sooner or later we will get what we deserve - probably sooner.

We are at a hinge point in history, and vast wheels are turning slowly. The overriding question of the century will be how do we deal with the Muslim/Christian confrontation, and we need to reexamine all our priorities, "family values" and philosophical positions in that context.

---John Becker is an Episcopalian, a parishioner and former vestryman in the Diocese of East Carolina. He was a Deputy to the 2003 General Convention in Minneapolis. He was born and educated in England, but is a U.S. citizen. He is a professional portrait painter. His website can be accessed here: http://www.portraitpainter.org