Posted by
flagwaver on Wednesday, December 19, 2007 11:16:23 AM
Schism: a formal division in or separation from a church or religious body
The schism that has been brewing in the Episcopal Church, the American branch of the worldwide Anglican Communion recently came to pass when the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin (CA) voted to formally split from the main Episcopal body in the US. The issues that eventually led the San Joaquin Diocese to vote for formal secession should come as no real surprise: the US body has decided that sexual immorality, especially of a homosexual nature, is to be accepted by the church as “natural”, and therefore homosexual unions should be considered as acceptable practice.
What seems to have moved the San Joaquin Diocese to action is the fact that this is in open violation of the stated beliefs of the Anglican Communion, not to mention the very words of the Bible itself. In 1998, the Lambeth Conference of the Anglican Communion passed a resolution that read in part:
· The church rejects “homosexual practice as incompatible with the Scripture.”
· “In view of the teachings of the Scripture…abstinence is right for those who are not called to marriage.’
· The church “cannot advise the legitimizing or blessing or ordaining of those involved in same-gender unions.”
So what did the Episcopal Church do? Just a few years later, the church decided to ordain Gene Robinson as a bishop in open defiance of the resolution passed by at the Lambeth Conference!
But the point is not just about the Episcopal Church, it is what seems to be a trend in the greater Body of Christ…the rise of “liberal Christianity.” And just like every other type of liberal, “liberal Christians” seek to redefine Christianity so that it jibes with the PC norms of secular society.
It is liberal Christians who advance the idea that Christianity should embrace the homosexual agenda, using themes of “social justice” as the basis of their reasoning. It is “liberal Christians” who are at the forefront of trying to make the global warming scam a “moral issue.” And it is “liberal Christians” who poses the same question today that the Enemy posed to Eve in the Garden, “Did He really say…” Only today, it is not about the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, but about sexual morality, ethical behavior, treatment of our neighbors, and our very freedoms.
Bible believing Christians of all denominations, be they Baptist, Methodist, Lutherans, or COGIC are facing the same assault by “liberal Christianity”, and now is the time that we should all be able to defend and prove our faith. Now is the time that was foretold when people would be led away from the true Gospel by preachers who appeal not to the Scriptures, but who are scratching our “itching ears.” We have to know what we believe, why we believe it, and know it for ourselves. We have to be that light that shines out, not that which is hidden under a bushel.
Because if we do not stand firm in our beliefs, like the San Joaquin Diocese did, we can rest assured that the Christian body will be split from within, and not brought down from without.
Now is the time to put on the whole armor of Christ, hoist the old blood-stained banner, and behave like soldiers in the Army of the Lord! We must plant our feet on the Solid Rock and hold fast to the UNCHANGING GOSPEL. The world needs us, and so does the church.
And if we don’t do what we have been called to do, the Episcopal Church is not the only one that will be led so far towards apostasy that schism is seen as the only alternative. And that is not the path we want to see the Church following.