Apostolic Succession is the doctrine that God has passed early apostolic authority from the original Apostles through the office of bishop in an unbroken chain of continued authority.
Under this view, there are twin authorities in the Church; the Bible, and the office of bishop.
So, when a bishop speaks, the Church should listen.
But what about when a bishop speaks in contradiction to the Bible, which the faithful continue to believe as the revealed word and will of God, while modernists view as an entirely "negotiable" collection of human writings which may or may not be inspired?
Insofar as the overseers of the early Church were men "filled with the Holy Ghost", and insofar as most present day bishops in the Episcopal Church are not, the present leadership of the Episcopal Church are imposters, and, I suspect, many know it in their hearts.
In one sense they are to be pitied. They are, like many of us, weak, relying on their own strength and resources, rather than on Him who is the Source of all life and spiritual authority, and without whom we can do nothing. What an awful thing to be elevated to an office where one is supposed to be filled with the Holy Spirit, and, instead, you are filled with all kinds of liberal nonsenses, with doubt and unbelief.
The fact is, most of these people are bishops -- divinely appointed and equipped overseers -- in name only.
The true office of bishop is functional, and not merely symbolic. In other words, one functions as an overseer of the Church of God -- but in a humble, not an "enthroned" way. This office is occupied today by many in various denominations, many if not most of whom do not actually bear the title "bishop". And who cannot claim the pedigree of apostolic succession.
As for the legitimacy of the doctrine of apostolic succession, the present crop of leaders in the Episcopal Church are all you need to know that this doctrine, which is not found in the Bible, is seriously flawed. The evidence clearly indicates that our God overlooks and overrules this conventional doctine in favour of men who know his heart, know his mind, submit to his righteousness, and obey Him.
Most of whom are found outside of the decrepit and decaying walls of the corrupt Episcopal Church.
4 comments:
Sad but oh so true.
How can Christians defend themselves with so much rot at the top.
We are under attack and we are led by frauds.
href="http://www.frontline.org.za/articles/Christophobia.htm">Christophobia
Churches are declining in attendance. Maybe the reason is, they are trying to be in tune with last night's newscast. The strong churches are those attached to the good news of 2000 years ago.
A sociological study has been made.
The Vanishing Protestant Majority
The churches that are most insistent on being relevant are those most willing to sacrifice biblical truth and the structure of Christian doctrine in order to prove their commitment to cultural expectations. Eventually, these churches become so identified with the culture that all distinctiveness disappears.
The sacrifice of truth for a constantly changing concept of relevance leads necessarily to the relativizing of the Gospel itself, and the undermining of biblical authority. Once these are sacrificed, authentic Christianity is abandoned and all motivation for membership disappears. If beliefs do not matter, the churches themselves do not matter.
The NORC study is wake-up call for Christianity in America. The trend-line is clear: Without a firm grasp of the Gospel, a bold commitment to biblical authority, and a clear vision for evangelism, churches and denominations are destined for decline and eventual dissipation.
As a Catholic, I of course believe in apostolic succession, and that this doctrine is indeed taught in the Bible (see articles below). But when a given bishop steps outside of the teachings of the universal Church, he stands alone, as he is not properly exercising his authority. So, there are safeguards, even though they are sadly misunderstood by many.
http://www.catholic.com/thisrock/2005/0504sbs.asp
http://www.catholic.com/thisrock/2001/0107bt.asp
http://www.catholic.com/library/apostolic_succession.asp
Linda -- thank you for providing a balancing perspective.
It gets even more complicated with regards to the Episcopal episcopate. A 19th cc. Catholic Pope (Leo XIII, I think) pronounced that Anglican orders were entirely without validity, so, in his mind at least, all Episcopal bishops and priests are invalid, even though they can trace apostolic succession.
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