theophiles.org - Episcopal bishops OK trial gay blessing prayer

Episcopal bishops OK trial gay blessing prayer

Written by Helena Handbasket

Monday, 09 July 2012 20:56

At Google/AP:

Episcopal bishops approved an official prayer service for blessing same-sex couples Monday at a national convention that also cleared the way for transgender ordination.
At the Episcopal General Convention in Indianapolis, the House of Bishops voted 111-41, with three abstentions, to authorize a provisional rite for same-sex unions for the next three years. The liturgy next goes to convention's deputies for their authorization.

Comments

emperorbma - conjured and confabulated "doctrine"

|2012-07-10 10:11:46

Yet another whole cloth conjuring of invented "doctrines" which are not doctrines at all. On the basis of which Scripture? In fact, on the basis of what Church tradition, even? The authority of the Church is defined from the teachings of Christ found in Scripture and no teaching of Christ defines or justifies the existence of "same sex unions" or "transition of gender" of any sort. If people do these things on own, it is merely sin and that is something which God provides repentance for. However, when someone doctrinalizes such things they do so at the peril of the many souls who will believe these false teachings which are not authorized from God's Word and use it to justify acting as if their sins are not sins. Through these false doctrines, people are cut off from the earnest repentance that is a part of a sincere walk of faith rather than being faced with the gravity of the Law and the dire need for the Grace of God through Jesus Christ which saves us from sin. Such invention of doctrine is a scandal which undermines the authority of any Church which practices it.

To be clear, homosexual behaviors and trans-gender behaviors are not worse sins than any other but, like everything which is sin, those who have them need the grace of Christ which comes from His death and resurrection. In order to have a complete walk of faith, we must have both Law and Gospel in the proper place. The Law does not justify, but it is absolutely necessary to reveal our need for God's grace and what we should be striving for as followers of Him by grace. False rites abrogate the Law from its proper place and sear consciences against God.

I dunno what appalls me more, that it happens in a Christian church at all or that some who are nominally Lutheran (i.e. ELCA) buy into this kind of whole-cloth doctrine thinking despite clear convictions against such behaviors from the reformer himself...

holmegm - Guess that slope was slippery after all ...

|2012-07-10 14:43:29

... like all us crazies warned.

emperorbma

|2012-07-10 19:47:25

lol. Sadly, this is too true.

laika - re: Guess that slope was slippery after all ...

|2012-07-12 00:53:51

If you're saying that the distance from women priests to anything goes got covered pretty quickly, or that it's all related somehow...

And darn it, I didn't think women priests was such a bad idea. Strange days, these.

emperorbma

|2012-07-12 12:34:52

It takes a lot to say "Hier Stehe Ich und kann nicht anders. Gott helfe mir." in the face of a mindset where compromising principles for the sake of conformity is the norm.

holmegm

|2012-07-16 12:09:51

I wish I could find the Chesterton quote ... I remember it from one of his books or essays.

It was something about how the CoE may as well put *actual* women in their pulpits, as it wouldn't make much difference compared to who they had there already.

laika - re: Chesterton quote

|2012-07-18 22:50:56

Not that I would even attempt to defend the American wing of the CoE at this point, but it's a shame Chesterton couldn't have lived to see his own representatives so infamously and daily making the headlines.

But anyway, it's an interesting feature of the Episcopal Church in the USA that the more "inclusive" it becomes, the more of its flock head for the exits - with each round of innovations accelerating the exodus.

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Our valuable member laika has been with us since Thursday, 03 April 2008.

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