Does Johnston really believe this rhetoric ?

Yeah, I think he does! And if that's true, he's delusional.

His diocese and his "Church" got their comeuppance from the Virginia Supreme Court, I believe, but if these fools want to waste more millions of dollars, fine!

Let 'em bleed themselves dry paying those legal fees and court costs!

Cennydd

Why are you suprised. People belive in Area 51 and being abducted by flying saucers. I have found people can talk themselves into almost anything and they often do.

The difference is that the Area 51 test site was there (it's closed now), but +Johnston still believes in fantasies.

Cennydd
USAF Ret

(And don't ask me what I did, because I can't tell you)

Maybe not spiritual, however it is better to be thought of as a fool than to open ones mouth and confirm it beyond the shadow of a doubt. One thing for sure, the good Bishop has figured it out that TEC
cant take their money with them, so might as well spend it now, I only wish it would be for orphans, widows and healing.

May the Holy Spirit provide guidance
HJLNJL

I don't get it. My Bible says that it is better to be defrauded and suffer lose than to go to a secular court. In otherwords it is unbiblical and unorthodox to go to court. Better to loose material church property than to fight in court with unbelievers.

Our parish is ready to loose all our property if need be and walk out and start new.
All this court crap is of the devil.
Read your Bible guys and act like real Christians and not argue in a secular court of law.

Artistree

Forget the legal struggle! The theological and spiritual struggle will continue on long farther! There is a struggle for the hearts, minds, and souls of those involved. Right now... I fear that TEC is on the wrong side of the fence.

I certainly hope that those who would essentially say, "Give up the legal fight" are doing so with the best of intentions; but, unfortunately, there are evil, self-serving people in this world who must be prevented from harming others and ourselves.

In the real world, civilized people use courts of law to optimally accomplish that end.

To enable a fellow human being to continue to harm others is unconscionable. To enable a fellow human being to continue to harm one's own self is sick....masochistic....and could be suggested that it is, in some perverted way, even prideful and self-aggrandizing.

In any case, one is complicit in the evil deed, by omission, when one turns ones back and refuses to deal with a perpetrator.

Failing to deal with a perpetrator is the furtherest thing possible from "loving one's neighbor as oneself".
True love requires that one acts in, promotes, protects. and defends the best interests of another individual....it does not enable another individual to continue in activity that is detrimental to other human beings and, which in turn, is therefore detrimental to the perpetrator, himself.

For those who would just allow the "bad guys" in this world to get away with whatever they please, I suggest you do not love your neighbor as yourself. Rather you hate him for you are surely encouraging a perpetrator to engage in dreadful deeds, in sin, the wages for which we all know.

Operating under the misguided supposition that to love one's neighbor is to permit that neighbor to do whatever he pleases, to not hold that neighbor reasonably accountable, is one of the most hateful things one can do. It may be the easiest solution. It may be the most expeditious, the most pragmatic, even the most self-serving at any given time; but it is most assuredly not Biblical. Biblical admonitions make good common sense when taken in context. When used otherwise, they make no sense at all.

Unfortunately, the distorted argument that one should never under any circumstances take a fellow "Christian" to court has also been most cunningly used by the enemy, TEC. Please do not aid and abet them by perpetuating their sophistry and the propaganda that those dispossessing the orthodox are "Christian" by any stretch of the imagination.

Does the good Bishop of Virginia believe this pack of lies? No faithful Episcopalians have been refused a place of worship. Congregations such as Truro, The Falls Church have opened their doors for funerals and other worship services with the so called "loyal Episcopalians". His predecessor had negotiated a protocol whereby congregations could depart and keep their property. That was ready to take place when the new Presiding Bishop stepped in. So this is complete and utter untruths. What is this guy's problem?

"Loyal Episcopalians have been exiled from their Episcopal homes for too long"

How do you define "loyal Episcopalians"? I define them as those who believe in the Truth of the Bible, The Nicene Creed and the 39 Articles. The people that you represent are nothing more than a bunch of dumbed down pew slugs and heretics whose only holy writ are the Canons of TEC.

Artistree:

"Read your Bible guys and act like real Christians and not argue in a secular court of law."

It's actually very simple Artistree, Christians are NOT suing people in a court of law. TEC and it's lawyer minions....who in ALL cases did the suing (i.e. went to court), are simply not Christians, or at least are not behaving in a Christian manner at all. Hence the "Christians should not sue Christians" model of I Cor. 6:1-8 does not apply, TO THOSE WHO WOULD SIMPLY DEFEND THEMSELVES FROM THE APOSTATE TEC.

Also, read Acts 21:27 and forward. St. Paul went to court to support his rights as a Roman citizen, against those APOSTATE RELIGIOUS LEADERS who would of forcibly shut him up, even demanding the high privilege of attaining a hearing by the Roman Emperor himself. So was Paul breaking his own instructions against going to court of I Cor. 6? Of course not.

Clearly Paul's instructions to the Corinthians were about petty minor lawsuits WITHIN THE MEMBERS OF THE CHURCH, NOT about apostate "Church" (religious) leaders attempting to destroy, steal land, and shut down the real Church.

One needs to read ones bible as a responsible adult--and not come to simplistic conclusions.

One other thing, within the judgement of each congregation, diocese, or other entity....prayerful consideration should be made of whether to fight, or not, over the property.

In the state of Virginia for example--since there is a specific statute (unique, and unlike in any other state) about denominational splits, congregations have a reasonable chance of keeping their churches (and have been winning at nearly every turn). In other states, those chances are reversed. Hence, what may be a wise choice in Maryland, or North Carolina--to not spend the money on fighting in court (as you will likely lose)....may well not be so wise in Virginia...where the chances of winning are a lot better.

Also, pacifism is not the way of Christ when it comes to social injustice. Organizations stealing other peoples' property (many millions worth too)--under the name of a dubious unilateral "trust" forced onto congregations in the last 30 years--is a serious social injustice--and responsible Christians should do whatever is possible to oppose this. Legal precedent too, set in these cases may well help other groups in the future from being subject to such injustice.

Again though--we have a fundamentally evil, non-Christian entity, TEC attempting to steal millions from authentic Christian Churches. To allow that to stand in the name of peace....is simply irresponsible or even possibly cowardly, and not obedient to the spirit or the letter of I Cor 6.