Monday, August 11, 2003
Ah Yes
We'll start off today's post with some relevant quotes. First, for the Episcopal Church USA, "video meliora, proboque; deteriora sequor" (with a nod to TS O'Rama), meaning "I see the right way, approve it, and do the opposite." Next is Christopher Johnson a fellow Episcopalian (for now), with "It's just that I've never had my denomination reject the Christian religion before and I'm kind of new at this." I suppose we could look back at an awful lot of things ECUSA has done and prove Christopher wrong, but most of those things tended to slide under our radars, so we can at least play the ignorance card, weak as it is.
I'd also like to notify all you Protestants, Catholics, and Orthodox members that while I appreciate your interest in raising the membership of your denominations, I'm not currently shopping for a new one. I'm pretty sure that I'll be leaving ECUSA before too long, but you've got a whole pile of churches in the Anglican tradition that take precedence over you. I'm sure that Rome is lovely this time of year, that the filioque clause is probably something worth getting hot and bothered about one way or the other, and that the PCA, LCMS, SBC, UMC, AoG, etc. are made up of very lovely people whom I'd be honored to meet, but you see, we're having dinner right now and this really isn't a good time to call so please have a nice day [click]. In your minds, Anglicanism has suddenly exploded, leaving helpless survivors thrashing about for a theological lifeline, and you're only too happy to throw everything you've got to [at?] us. The problem is that if we wanted to be in Rome, we would've left Canterbury a long time ago. If we wanted to worship in funny-shaped churches, we'd be Orthodox by now. If we didn't have a sneaking suspicion that you Protestants were always only that far from becoming Puritans who would go into convulsions and foaming at the mere utterance of "bishop," we'd be worshipping in your often-drab churches at the moment. Yes, I know I'm being offensive. Trying to cherry-pick at a time when Anglicans both here and abroad are still in shock is far worse. Back off. Don't call us; we'll call you. We've got your number on a business card around here somewhere.
The Thirty-Nine Articles still hold, as do the Apostles Creed and the Nicene Creed. Most Anglican bishops oppose the heterodoxy adopted by the General Convention. Not only can we find Episcopalian bishops who remain orthodox here in America, but there are all sorts of Archbishops in other, often larger, provinces who support Christ as well. If no new alternative to ECUSA is set up, I'll join the Anglican Mission in America and be under Archbishop Emmanuel Kolini of the Province of Rwanda before I'll switch denominations.
As I said above, referring to Protestants, Catholics, and Orthodox, back off. Now is not the time.
We'll start off today's post with some relevant quotes. First, for the Episcopal Church USA, "video meliora, proboque; deteriora sequor" (with a nod to TS O'Rama), meaning "I see the right way, approve it, and do the opposite." Next is Christopher Johnson a fellow Episcopalian (for now), with "It's just that I've never had my denomination reject the Christian religion before and I'm kind of new at this." I suppose we could look back at an awful lot of things ECUSA has done and prove Christopher wrong, but most of those things tended to slide under our radars, so we can at least play the ignorance card, weak as it is.
I'd also like to notify all you Protestants, Catholics, and Orthodox members that while I appreciate your interest in raising the membership of your denominations, I'm not currently shopping for a new one. I'm pretty sure that I'll be leaving ECUSA before too long, but you've got a whole pile of churches in the Anglican tradition that take precedence over you. I'm sure that Rome is lovely this time of year, that the filioque clause is probably something worth getting hot and bothered about one way or the other, and that the PCA, LCMS, SBC, UMC, AoG, etc. are made up of very lovely people whom I'd be honored to meet, but you see, we're having dinner right now and this really isn't a good time to call so please have a nice day [click]. In your minds, Anglicanism has suddenly exploded, leaving helpless survivors thrashing about for a theological lifeline, and you're only too happy to throw everything you've got to [at?] us. The problem is that if we wanted to be in Rome, we would've left Canterbury a long time ago. If we wanted to worship in funny-shaped churches, we'd be Orthodox by now. If we didn't have a sneaking suspicion that you Protestants were always only that far from becoming Puritans who would go into convulsions and foaming at the mere utterance of "bishop," we'd be worshipping in your often-drab churches at the moment. Yes, I know I'm being offensive. Trying to cherry-pick at a time when Anglicans both here and abroad are still in shock is far worse. Back off. Don't call us; we'll call you. We've got your number on a business card around here somewhere.
The Thirty-Nine Articles still hold, as do the Apostles Creed and the Nicene Creed. Most Anglican bishops oppose the heterodoxy adopted by the General Convention. Not only can we find Episcopalian bishops who remain orthodox here in America, but there are all sorts of Archbishops in other, often larger, provinces who support Christ as well. If no new alternative to ECUSA is set up, I'll join the Anglican Mission in America and be under Archbishop Emmanuel Kolini of the Province of Rwanda before I'll switch denominations.
As I said above, referring to Protestants, Catholics, and Orthodox, back off. Now is not the time.
