"Most Episcopalians stay because they don't think the Episcopal Church's heresy affects their parish.."

I'm sorry but I just don't believe this. By this time almost all Episcopalians should have experienced to one degree or another the new religion that has taken over their local diocese and/or parish. I am persuaded that the exodus from TEC is about finished. Those who remain, with the exception of the elderly whose families are buried in the churchyard, have to one degree or another compromised with the national agenda. Yes, I know there are still several conservative dioceses and parishes, but their number is extremely marginal. Too much ink has been spent on the blatant heresies of TEC for anyone to say "it doesn't effect me." I have no expectation of any further mass exodus, no matter what Common Cause does or doesn't do.

Yon Angler doth protest too much

The fact is, most pew-sitters who remain in The Episcopal Church do so because they just don't care about what happens outside the four walls of their parish church. They have an often-fatal disease called complacency, with a good stiff dose of apathy thrown in for good measure.

They love to get together on Sunday mornings in their much-adored brick, stone, or avant-garde churches for a "feel-good" session....listening to sermons designed to make them think everything's just hunky-dory, and go to their parish hall for tea and crumpets with their friends, where they can exchange the usual gossip and maybe chin with the bishop if he's there.

So is it any wonder why the Episcopal Church is in such rotten shape?

Cennydd

Hmmmm, in my experience the dead usually don't move their resting place unless they are exhumed.

As sad as it may sound, the author makes sense.

Our small REC parish used to meet in a rented school Cafeteria (complete with Coke Machine in the rear). The space was pretty good, we brought in Altar, Kneelers, Processional Cross, Candles, Torches, Vestments, Prayer Books etc, we used folding chairs. For all practical purposes, after we put up wall hangings, it looked like a church. Our attendance plateaued.

Then, we moved into a former Baptist Church which is now a chapel next to a Coptic (Egyptian) Orthocox Church. It has Icons and stained glass windows. We still use the same portable altar, folding chairs, portable kneelers, etc that we used to. We do everything the same. But the simple fact that the building we are in "looks like a church" has made a difference. Our attendance has about tripled in the past two years.

So, as much as folks say that "doctrine" makes the difference, it is often the "other stuff" which makes the church attractive to some folks.

In most cases the issues are never discussed and so most people don't think it's worth leaving even if they have at least doubts about the new religion etc. I left but I have to travel for three-quarters of an hour to find a really faithful Episcopal sort of church. Like most Episcopalians I want to have the regular celebration of the Eucharist, and so other mainline Protestant or evangelical churches don't suffice in that respect, and I'm not ruling out going over to Rome at some point. But most people just don't feel as strongly about the issues as I do, and so inertia keeps them in place.

TBW, my wife and, during our long military career and afterward, spent 40+ years in the Episcopal Church, and in many different places around the country.

We saw that Church's ASA plummet, reasserters ignored and outvoted at virtually every turn in the governance of that Church, the divinity of Christ denied by Spong, the scriptures denied by Pike, and yes, even by some of today's bishops.

The proof is "in the pudding." It is a matter of record, and it's in your Church's Archives, I believe.

Why did this happen? Why is TEC in the shape that it's in today? You have only to ask those who are responsible.

Ask the former Presiding Bishop, Frank Tracy Griswold, why he reneged on the promise he made to the primates, when he turned right around and did what he said he wouldn't do, and consecrated a known non-celibate man who was openly cohabiting with his male lover. Ask the House of Bishops, many of whom lacked the courage to say "no" to him.

Ask the GLBT crowd who constantly try to ram acceptance of their perverse sexual acts down society's throats, and then scream bloody murder when we resist them.

I could go on, but I won't.

Cennydd

It's tough to give up Gothic splendor for strip-mall Christianity, and pipe organs and hymn books for guitars and power point. It's not that bricks and mortar are more vital than sound doctrine and a full-blooded Gospel, but "tacky" is still "tacky'" and many break-a-way Anglican get-togethers don't look so different from the little old Free Will Baptist Church around the corner. And the fact is that many groups that left the official Anglican fold are not too desperate to keep up the old "appearances" anyway. So it's power point and mindless choruses blending into a kind of pseudo-Pentecostalism. This is why, in the end, I chose the example of St. Simeon Stylites. To me, sitting alone atop a pillar in the desert is very appealing in the current ecclesiastical holocaust.

From the heart.

My family and I are very active in our local, and conservative, Episcopal church.

You ask, why do we stay? And I catch quite a lot of heat from the faithful here, and although it hurts, as I respect them, I must not back away.

We stay because we feel the strong presence of Jesus Christ in our church. I experience great sadness, but our Lord is there, of that I am certain.

THAT is the reason you can’t dress up a school cafeteria for services and call it ‘church’. As recchip explained so well, it can only be a transition. Although God is everywhere, the intenseness of a faithful church needs an exclusive building for continuity in displaying and receiving our faithful blessings.

My heart aches for those that have left, are in the process of leaving or will leave in the future. Where we experience our Lord so intensely is forever special. It shall forever be a vital part of us.

The Episcopal Church has always been unique and wonderful, though it has been changed through concerted activism. My conservative church may not be a prime example of the national trend, but it is just one of many that are truly blessed.

We do not attend church looking for perfection. No person is perfect, and surely no church, diocese or denomination is perfect. We come to encounter Jesus Christ on His terms, sinners all.

We have forceful liberal activists on the left and forceful conservative activists on our right. My ideological loyalty remains with conservatives. But my loyalty of faith is firmly with Jesus Christ.

When will I also leave? I will leave when Jesus Christ turns out the light in my church. I will know. He will guide me.

How can I be persuaded to leave? There must be a welcoming place where Jesus Christ is intensely present. I am encouraged by ACNA. But after checking other places, nothing compares favorably at this time.

Those encountering the beast are paving the way. I can tell you what I envision. I envision a time in the not too distant future where the powers in control of TEc will lose their power and influence. Their funding will begin to dry up and the reality of their decisions will give them pause. The grandiose plans they were working will become out of their reach, and continue to diminish. The expenditures for legal actions will drain them, and the funding for retirements will be affected. Though heresy can be accepted, these ‘persons of God’ will find that the ruination of their retirements will not be acceptable, though they were definitely related. Over time the Episcopal Church will descend into homosexual mission outreach. They will turn loose their iron grip, but only because their goals will become financially unsustainable. They will permit individual parishes to disassociate with the denomination and they will be forced to consolidate dioceses that can’t survive on their own. As this happens, many of the liberal activists will move on to other nonreligious activities. Some will of course be embedded and protected. But they will lose their impact and influence over Christianity. ACNA will take on the role of national denomination. ACNA will generously acknowledge them as a mission church. Over time, the homosexual indoctrination will wear thin, and the homosexuals will look elsewhere for their ‘salvation’, as it cannot be found in Christianity, for Christianity depends on living our lives as Jesus Christ intended. Anglicanism will have learned an extremely painful but necessary lesson; if faith is not founded upon Holy Scripture, it leads away from Christ.

The Episcopal Church in the United States has done many things well. Those in the pews do not take the intense presence of Jesus Christ lightly, no matter the ideology. A suitable conversion is coming, but is not available yet. As it materializes, the faithful will migrate. They don’t stay because of activism, but they also will not leave out of activism either. The orthodox can not dictate that Jesus turn out the light on the heretics, any more than the heretics can dictate that the orthodox believe in their ‘social justice’ idol. We do not serve either liberal or conservative. We do not serve activism on either side. We serve our Lord Jesus Christ. Where Jesus Christ is intensely present, there shall you find us. It matters not whether it is perfection, for the perfection is through Him.

Times are changing, but God remains the same. History is playing out in our time. One day people will look back and wonder how this was permitted to happen. They will look at the frailties on both sides with a microscope.

My gifts to our church are selective, only to go to local interests and NOT the diocese or the national church. I humbly thank those that are active in their convictions for their faith once delivered in opposing this heresy. I join them in many ways. When the Lord calls upon our church to do likewise, I will be there as called. If the Lord calls for us to leave our church, so be it. If ACNA comes around, and our church has not, I will support ACNA with my attendance if available.

I do understand why people can get frustrated with the worship "style" at some ACNA churches, especially the low-church/evangelical types. I don't find praise music especially edifying. It seems more like a concert than worship. I don't like admistering the Body of Christ with bread that crumbles and winds up all over the floor. It is, for me a great distraction.

As far as denying the uniqueness of Christ, it's important to separate the public pronouncements, "Of course we're perfectly orthodox" and the drivel that comes out from the sermons and speeches that come from diocesan conventions and parish visits.

I was a diocesan delegate in an Uber-liberal diocese for 5 years. The bishop insists the diocese is impeccably orthodox, but I heard at least twice every single convention from different clergy how Jesus was just one possible way to heaven and how Jesus didn't have to be sinless or the resuurection was just a metaphor. So please, spare me the indignation about how it's all just an unfortunate urban myth that the Episcopal church is anything less than an "anything goes" theological toxic stew.

My apologies to Mr. Stevens.
People do not leave the Episcopal Church because it is the church which they attend.
It is the church of their friends and associates.
It is the church of their childhood.
It is where they belong.
That the Gospel is not preached, that folk are not born again, that sins are not forgiven, that the people are not set right with God, is not a problem.
Because the Episcopal Church is a social organization, not a Church. It is a comfortable place, where nothing much new ever happens. It just goes on. Anything new or different which ruffles feathers is prohibited. The good news which Jesus came to share is a new or different thing, thus the good news (which makes folk uncomfortable) is not heard. The Gospel might call folk to repent. And we can't have that.
It was Jesus Who said that the path which leads to destruction is easy, and that many are found thereon. And Tec is following the path which is easy, which requires no repentance, which does not make unalterable demands for repentance, which does not require fundamental changes in our lives.
The path which leads to life is hard, and there are (as it was in the days of Jesus) few who are found on that path.
It is as simple as that.

Mathman,

Looking for ‘simple’ is seeking self justification. The Lord’s work is His will, not our own.

Though what you have stated is fundamentally true, there is much more to this than that. Is the objective to crush the Episcopal Church, or is it to provide a better alternative that will attract the Episcopalians in the pews?

You don’t really build up your cause by attacking those you disagree with. You do it by laying a foundation that is much more sound and attractive, and then contrasting what you have and stand for with what the Episcopal Church has become and where that will lead them. That is how we must compete with our adversary for parishioners.

This article was on why there hasn’t been a mass stampede out of the Episcopal Church. You state your observation of why they stay and why their staying is so flawed. Like real estate, the three answers are the same. Location, location, location.

To ‘leave’ you must have someplace to go. You explain your perspective of ‘why’ they should leave. But insulting them in a blanket manner does nothing but provide frustration for everyone. There are some wonderful leaders in this movement, but they simply are not in a location that will expedite departure.

I know you believe that being ANYPLACE would be better than attending a church within the Episcopal Church. I disagree, but I do comprehend your point.

To drain the swamp, there must be an acceptable sanctuary to transition to on a local level. I am with you on the national level, and even on most bishopric levels. But locally there are few acceptable alternatives. We need church building to provide that competition at a local level. That is slowly materializing through ACNA.

Church building and planting is the way forward. A welcoming church that is built upon more perfectly serving the Lord WITHOUT the baggage of anger and bitterness is what is required. There is a place for anger, but not for the lingering bitterness, as bitterness affects the heart of the church. We must not rely on anger and bitterness, for that is also in opposition to His written word.

I am angry for specific actions by the ‘social justice’ idolizing liberal activists. This idolizing s not God’s will. It is taking one issue to the extreme and in turn abandoning areas that are equally important in God’s perfect will for us. It has become the will of the activists, not the will of God that drives them.

To compete and win parishioners, and be fishers of men, we must provide a more Christian way forward at the local level.

In your opinion Jesus Christ has already turned out the light and left the Episcopal Church. I believe that Thad Stevens statement “When the Glory of the Lord departed from the Temple, God left by degrees.” Displays that there is a transition only dependent on God’s will. The people in The Episcopal Church are being taken to task. The handwriting is on the wall, as you have portrayed. The actions of the ‘leaders’ within the Episcopal Church will seal the fate of the national church. That is their responsibility and accountability. The responsibility and accountability for the leaders that have left is to provide a way forward for those that will be displaced when this occurs. They are ‘building the arc’ so to speak. But these are people not animals we are dealing with. You don’t capture them and take them in crates elsewhere. To accomplish this we must be fishers of men. We must compete successfully by providing an acceptable mission church for the abandoned. Giving advice from Pittsburgh, San Joaquin or Fort Worth and lecturing the national pew sitters is no more effective than issuing edicts from New York. The campaign must be effective at a local level. The TEc has an advantage, these people in question are Episcopalians and are in facilities and have their funding tied to the national church. The transition will be extremely painful. To compete effectively, we must not only have better message, but way forward on a local level.

Shedding light on the shenanigans of the Episcopal Church is necessary. Condemning the pew sitters for staying without presenting a better way forward is just counterproductive. Judge not lest ye also be judged. Insulting them individually does nothing to endear yourself to them. It may help you feel superior, but isn’t that one of the many problems the ‘leaders’ of the TEc suffer from? We need to contrast ourselves from them. Work on that with style and grace. Become a beacon of hope that more perfectly serves the Lord that is magnetic, not simply a polar opposite. If you think of it as there are really only three ways forward; the ‘right way’ (the one we have taken), the ‘wrong way’ (the one that our opposition has taken) and then there is God’s way, which is the one we are all tasked with taking, we can humble ourselves to His will and His way. We must understand we are all called differently, and sometimes seemingly in opposition with each other. When we believe that our calling can be the only correct choice, we place our will above His will. As we must grant unto Caesar that which is Caesars, we must also humbly grant that which is God’s unto God. That does not mean compromising our faith, only accepting that there will be others following God’s will in ways that seem in opposition to our own. We are in competition with each other for the flock. We do our best to more perfectly serve Him, and hopefully receive His blessings on our journey to confirm our calling to service.

The way forward is coming together. It will always seem too slow. His will be done.

Quote:Ah yes... the error of Ostrichism.

I love my smells and bells, but if the doctrine isn't solid the smells and bells are meaningless. Give me snake belly low ACNA anyday over high church mush I can get from TEC.

Fire_Ready, we have to be able to reach out to the pew-sitters in TEC, but how to do that in the face of outright opposition from their rectors, and most especially, how to do it without being accused of trespassing is the problem.

I believe that letting our witness be known should be the norm.

Cennydd

For those who cant take either heresy or guitars and crumbly communions, and who arent inclined toward Rome, may I suggest the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS). It is very similar to an Episcopal service and the doctrine is still orthodox.

The bishop is described in the bible as the episcopos or overseer whose job is to make sure everything runs properly. This blog tends to give the new bishops a pass if they fall in the mud. It is not healthy for them and it clouds the future of the new “movement”.
E.D., (episcopal dysfunction), is a problem, that, if not treated gets, that gets worse with time.

Cennydd,

We have to compete with the TEc for the flock. The ACNA needs to be competitive in nature, not simply different, as we already have a glut of different. To compete, they must have a similar service that is traditionally Anglican. The difference would be the use of an older version of the BCP being used, not worshipping at the idol of 'social justice' and emphasizing the Christ intended life changed through faith. It must be welcoming and accepting of all, but with the intent of Jesus Christ at its center. The leaders must be held to a higher standard. If you can't faithfully follow, you aren't suitable to lead. It must be based on forgiveness, not anger and bitterness. This is even more important at the local level as it is on the national level. The trenches need to be filled with people full of the Holy Spirit that congregants desire to follow. God's peace and joy must be displayed by the clergy in all its glory! People are looking for this. They are called to this. They MUST feel the presence of Jesus Christ in each church. They need to be healed from this torment. The healing faith in Jesus Christ is what will draw the people to the church, and keep them. Busy hands are happy hands. Put the people to work! They need to be needed! They don't come just to visit, they come to be a part of the church life. To be able to rejoice in it!

We must always let our witness be known! But to get them to join us, we must provide direction and display our beacon of faith as a bright and magnetic light. They must want what we have, which is the peace, joy and blessings brightly displayed. They must be willing to work for it, and there must always be work to be done. That is the sign of a healthy and growing church. They can stagnate where they are. Many times they have the opportunity to serve where they are. God's narrow path leading to God's small gate must be magnificently lighted with the joy, peace and blessings of our Lord!

As we magnetically bring people in and put them to work, they will become closer to Him, and his intended life for them. At that time they will have the opportunity to repent. As they repent, the veil of ignorance will be lifted. This is a grass roots campaign. Every competitive church planted will be like seeds in fertile soil. The energy and continuing beacon displaying God's guiding light will attract more and more people. We are saved! Rejoice in it!

It will seem slow, but watching the seeds grow will warm our hearts and nourish our souls. There is nothing that compares to the joy of faith in Jesus Christ! As we proceed, the Lord's blessings shall surround us. In Him, we have nothing to fear! Onward Christian soldiers!

AMEN!

Cennydd

I can understand you not wanting to believe the article or at least the statement. But if you want an example of people who truly believe that their little church is not affected by the diocese and national church actions go to Holy Trinity EC in Manistee MI. There are quite a few people there who believe it and another group who have no clue what is going on because no one will tell them or let them be told. Suppression of church problems is alive and well.

rfeichel,

Of course there is the suppression of national church problems at a local level. Addressing the national problems has many down sides and few upsides. The local church that leaves faces persecution and the loss of their buildings and funds. The parishioners that really comprehend the problems either leave or stay. If they stay they either vocalize defending the faith, or hold back for the benefit of the church. Either way, they are thoughtfully and faithfully looking for an exit strategy.

Our Lord works in mysterious ways and in His own time. Trying to force the will of God is not living your life as He intended. We follow His lead.

No church is perfect. They are managed by imperfect human beings. We must deeply feel His presence in the church. Our Lord will provide guidance as we are called to move on. It will be different for every congregation. May He bless those that sacrifice so much as they lead the way. May God bless them and hold them close.

Those that look at the national church with a faithful and critical mind and heart plainly see the heresy and controlling ways of the activists and see where it leads. It does not lead to God’s narrow path leading to God’s small gate. The inclusive and broad road is necessarily transitional. The people come into closer contact with our Lord Jesus Christ, are touched and look to more perfectly follow and serve Him. That is part of God’s plan for us.

Though the ‘leaders’ have ceased their responsibility and calling to both more perfectly follow and serve Him and lead others to do likewise, God still uses them. What is lacking, and much needed, is a path to accomplish this. As this is better achieved, the faithful will follow. Until it can be provided, the people will stay put, unless the national heresy oppression becomes too great.

That is why church planting is so important right now. The Episcopal congregations are the target. The traditional Anglican faith is the light to draw people to God’s narrow path that we have chosen. It isn’t the only way, and it is not perfect, but it fills us with God’s presence and His Joy and Peace. Our new church must build itself around the target market we want to compete in. The Episcopal church is Anglican based. We need a church that brightly displays the life intended for us through Jesus Christ. The beauty of the service that the Episcopal church has adopted from its roots in the Anglican faith must be displayed. The church must be distinctly Anglican. It need not, and indeed should not, be designed to be the opposite of the Episcopal church. It must be designed to include the things the Episcopal church does well, and there are many areas in which they do quite well. The differentiation will come from the faith once and all delivered by the saints and the authority of Holy Scripture. Many of the goals of the Episcopal church are actually good, just taken to the extreme and placed on a pedestal. How these issues will be handled will be first seen through God’s intended will for His faithful followers. That is what has been missing in the Episcopal church, and has permitted them to be lead astray.

The Episcopalians in the pews need a suitable alternative to be lead to. Not just an entity to lead them away from something, but to lead them TO something. That something must be a local Anglican church close enough and faithful enough for them to be called to attend.

Lacking this, all we accomplish is creating torment. Attacking the ‘pew sitters’ without providing a Christ centered alternative just produces chaos. Hate the sin, love the sinner? We should take this seriously. We must hate the sin of leading the faithful astray, but still love them in spite of it. We must compete faithfully and filled with the joy and peace we receive from the Lord and which we display brightly! We must give thanks that the Episcopal church has brought these people to the broad road and exposed the people to God. Then we must provide the more perfect way of serving and following Him as He intended. It is our tasking to transition them from the broad road leading to destruction to God’s narrow path leading to His small gate leading to salvation. We must humbly accept that many, even most, people will not select God’s narrow path. That is God’s will. But as bright beacons of faith we will lead the way with God’s peace and joy magnetically drawing the faithful to join us on our more perfect journey.

We must humble ourselves to His will. He has advised us that we will not succeed with many of them. But the joy and peace we experience from those we do reach will be worth it, for them as well as for us. How well we display our faith will have a direct impact on how successful we are in this calling. Display God’s peace and joy well!

Why Do Faithful Christians Stay in The Episcopal Church?

That is quite a different question than, “Why do people stay in the Episcopal Church?” The fundamental answer is in the call of God to be here in the first place. Let me state at the outset that no denominational group is pure. Human beings by virtue of the fall are corrupted and much of what we do is acceptable only under the grace and mercy of God. We faithful Christians are and will remain a blood washed band. Any student of history will tell you that there are heresies and problems in every church body; there always has been, there always will be.

When I felt the call of God to join the Episcopal Church in the late nineteen sixties all of the present heresies were already flowering with the Episcopal Church. There is nothing touted in TEC today that wasn’t already being taught and modeled by the seminary that I graduated from; Death of God, Situation Ethics, and Saul Alinsky style social reform, all were part of the ongoing agenda. Where do you think our current crop of Episcopal Church leaders came from? Even then the roots of the Episcopal Church sank down through an immense heap of manure into the deep soil and bedrock of church history.

In the first Epistle of John two fundamental heresies are identified. One is a heresy in the doctrine of Christ; the other is the heresy in praxis, fundamentally the failure of love. TEC notably demonstrates the failure in doctrine, and many of those who have fled from TEC in fear demonstrate a failure of praxis. To read some of their published comments is enough to caution those within TEC, faithful Christians, or blatant apostates, that the critics are both incredibly arrogant and loveless. Those who have fled, and I have know some of them personally, also have some doctrinal flaws that alarm me; notably an inadequate understanding of the nature of humankind, “there are none righteous, no not one, not even in the separatist groups. They also frequently betray a failure to understand the doctrine of the Church itself. What is amazing to me is to see catholic Christians aligned with protestant evangelicals and charismatics although there is no common ground in their view of the nature of the Church and authority.

Salvation and holiness are not assured by jumping ship and uniting with two-thirds world dioceses. I have enough personal experience in Latin America and Africa to know that there are no “pure” churches there either, although I will grant that they are in better doctrinal shape than TEC. Years ago a fundamentalist American college was slammed for their naïve claim that they were “twenty miles from any known form of sin.” Little did they know that like those fleeing from TEC, they carried their sin with them.

Faithful Christians, who have answered the call of God within TEC are grieved and with the psalmist they cry out, “Your servants love her very rubble, and are moved to pity even for her dust (Psalm 102:14 BCP). A reality that we face is that in many places faithful Christians and faithful parishes are being driven out of their dioceses, but that is different than fleeing out of a sense of outraged theoretical holiness. To do so is to betray the fact that you may never have discovered the depths of your own heart. I’m outraged by the apostasy and blatant immorality of many within TEC but I do not see a viable biblical model for flight. “Come out from amongst them an be ye pure” refers principally to sharing in the life and sins of the children of the world. We too may ultimately be driven out of TEC and TEC itself may end up outside of the Anglican Communion and separate itself from the faithful dioceses, parishes, and Christians currently within TEC. To me being driven out is substantially different than fleeing because I think my doctrine and morality is better than what I see within the covenant community of the Church.

I prefer the model of Moses in Exodus 32:10 when God offered him a way out: “Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them, in order that I may make a great nations of you.” Moses declined the offer and instead prayed and worked for the transformation of the covenant people of God. These are the days of the Golden Calf, but too many of our “faithful” leaders, unlike Moses, have deserted in hope that God will make a great nation of them. Which of the prophets, which of the apostles fled from the sinful churches of New Testament times in order to become a great nation of theoretically pure doctrine and praxis? Tell me. Which one fled? Why should we?

RobSmith,

Excellent points! Thank you!

Your Sail Alinsky comparison was excellent. It permeates the culture we are experiencing today. We can readily see the ‘fruits’ of this approach, and the church should be the calm at the center of the storm, not the cause of the storm. The activists utilize our Christian calling for their own ungodly purposes, and the foundation for action is lost. For what good is food of the flesh without the food of the spirit? When that connection is lost, the will of God is no longer part of the process. Although they mouth the words of God, their deeds are deeds of man. Corruption soon follows, as is well displayed by the United Nations and TEc.

“These are the days of the Golden Calf, but too many of our “faithful” leaders, unlike Moses, have deserted in hope that God will make a great nation of them.”

Although I see your point, I believe it is somewhat different. God works in mysterious ways. There have been relatively few faithful leaders that have fled, and I prefer to see them as having been driven out due to the forced heresies within the national church. I see it as part of God’s plan to reclaim His rightful position in the church. The faithful have not ‘deserted’ in hope that God will make a great nation of them, they have actually steadfastly refused to follow and preach heresy, and instead remain where they have been all along.

As Christians we are always called to compete for lost souls. We are Christians first. With the lost nature that permeates the TEc, we must fall back to our roots that go back further than the Episcopal Church; that would be Anglicanism, which is also experiencing much of the same turmoil.

I believe good can come of this, and God’s perfect will shall prevail. The wheat is being separated from the chafe. The transition from finally experiencing Christ, to life changing faith MUST be brightly illuminated. TEc has relegated itself to the position of target market mission status. So be it. Now the transition work must begin, and the TEc has abandoned its capacity to offer this necessary transitional step. In fact, they actively obstruct this vital transition.

Therefore another entity of the Lord must step forward to present the faithful with the opportunity of transformation. This entity must graciously accept the limited, but important, missionary work that TEc performs. The problem has never been that this work cannot or should not be done, the problem has been that it is strictly target market missionary work, and therefore transitional. It is target market based, and should not be seen as sufficient for all the faithful. In fact, if this mission work begins and ends in mission work with no possible or intended transition, it will be stagnant and die. That is the reason the movement had to erode the church from within. It could not stand on its own, and the missionary work of the church did not have outreach into this lost community.

The activist ‘social justice’ movement is not founded in Christian faith. It only uses Christian faith as a tool in the Saul Alinsky model. The Christians become their useful idiots. They exploit Christian compassion and implement a new ‘human compassion’ in its place. There is a difference, but they have been successful in blurring these differences.

The objective is for the ‘leaders’ controlling TEc to lose their fascistic grip on the churches. They will not do this on their own because it is the Christian thing to do for they are no longer foundationally Christian. They cannot be shamed into it, for they are arrogant and have no shame. But they do comprehend financial compulsion, for they do comprehend financial ruin. As ACNA competes, TEc will wither and shrink. Over time they will learn their place in mission status. The activists living high on church finances will depart when their lifestyles are affected and they are no longer living the luxurious life at the expense of the faithful. The weak minded ‘leaders’ will have regrets, but the activists will not, as they will just take up their activist causes elsewhere and look for another host for their parasitic movement.

This will be a time of revitalization for the church. We will be tormented financially and our ties to the past will be shredded. But our faith will be clarified. Hopefully our leadership will learn a lesson from all of this. Human compassion is not the same as Christian compassion. The compassion of Jesus Christ is presented to us in Holy Scripture. It does not change with the moral storms of secular life. It needs to stand as the calm within the storm. Mankind will never ‘evolve’ to the point where it will be more knowledgeable than God. Children we are, and children we shall remain. Life itself is transitional. Our goal is to live our lives as He intended to receive His eternal gift promised.

We were members of a non-denominational church for 32 years, which became a mega, ultra-contemporary, entertainment style church, and we finally had to leave. It was very difficult to do so, and we were drawn to the liturgy of the Episcopal Church. We believe - and still do - that in our parish the Word of God is respected and the Eucharist is central to the worship. The Rector does not give any political or social commentary; he preaches on that Sunday's scripture. While we do not like what some of the leaders of the Episcopal Church are saying, we have little choice but to stay where we are. In our city, there is no Anglican Church, other than a couple with six to ten people attending on a given Sunday. Most churches do not have weekly communion, which we believe to be central to corporate worship. So there you have it. We know that there is no perfect church; we know there are no perfect Christians; as long as our parish preaches Christ crucified and resurrected, this is where we will stay.

God bless you Linda Smith!

You epitomize those I have come to know and love in the Episcopal Church. Your reasoning is well thought out, and I agree with you!

We are not alone. The beauty and acceptance of the church and its service drew us in and nurtured us. God touched us and blessed us as we became members. Our church is conservative, but welcoming to all. We lost some people from the 2003 debacle, but most have returned, and our church is prospering. Not because of the ‘new thing’ the national leadership believes, but in spite of it. Because of our faithful children’s programs, our church is exploding with children. The program works! Our bishop is one of the ultra appeasers and enablers and firmly planted in the liberal ideology. I am sure our numbers and success are used to display how his ‘style’ works. But we have little exposure to him, and for the time being he has not meddled in our affairs. My prayer is that we will not be targeted before the consequences of the national church are painfully felt and they are humbled into compliance to God’s will. Those churches and dioceses that were forced into action have suffered much. They will be rewarded for their sacrifice, and if they can implement a change of direction within the national church leadership, many parishes such as ours may be spared the conflict and turmoil. God bless them!

Our church services are wonderful! Our communion is magnificent! The presence of our Lord is intensely present! In this and so many other things we have so much to be thankful for. I am not sure if we are all that unusual, but I know we aren’t alone. I keep my eyes open and pray for guidance. There may come a time when we must choose, but now is not that time. The Lord’s work is being done here, and we are blessed. May we continue to experience God’s peace! Thank you for commenting!