The Episcopal Church in the USA has chosen Nevada Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori as its leader.
The new Presiding Bishop-elect, Ms Shiori, in her homily at the Convention's concluding Eucharist, referred to Jesus as mother. Her exact words were: "Our mother Jesus gives birth to a new creation".
Needless to say, such language defies traditional Christian formulations. But that is what liberals do. And, if you call them on it, they respond by saying, "of course, I was speaking metaphorically and not concretely".
Trouble is, they view all the language of the Bible as symbolic or metaphorical; none of it has actual substance. So they feel free to embellish and improvise.
When God is referred to as Father, their response is, "he is not of course really our Father, that's just language used to convey something about God". But God really was Jesus' Father, and we really have been regenerated by his Spirit, and we really have been incorporated into Christ. So, if God is Christ's Father, he is our Father also -- which is precisely what Jesus said the morning of his resurrection (which they also would deny, or, at least, not take literally).
Words matter. And that is why conservatives fight for the inspiration of the Bible, declaring that its inspiration extends to the actual words used, and not merely to the thoughts expressed.
Jesus is declared to be the Word of God, not the Thought of God or the Mind of God.
He is declared the Son of God, and our Saviour, but not our Mother.
Even so, her theology is bad. It is not Jesus who gives birth to a new creation. It is the Holy Spirit. He is the One who washes and regenerates us.
Still, the holy Spirit is not our mother, either!
If anyone or anything is to be viewed as our mother, it would be the church, the instrument created by God as the vehicle and vessel for salvation, via the preaching of the saving message of Christ and the prescribed sacraments of baptism and holy communion.
I realize that Anglicans value unity above all else. But, for me, I think the sooner that faithful Anglicans break all ties with the unfaithful and apostate leadership, the better for all.
Jesus said, "let the blind lead the blind; follow Me!"
And that's the way the Ball bounces
2 comments:
This is not only a problem in the Episcopal church in the USA, many denominations are edging toward the same apostasy.
We must keep faith in Jesus' words and follow Him only.
Betty G
Where do they find the loons to fill these positions in our churches? Who is responsible for the selection process?
On a somewhat different topic, although it all seems part of a whole, Elizabeth Wente of the Globe and Mail (29 June 2006) in her article "The Shame of the United Church" has a suggestion for the United Church.
"Perhaps the United Churchgoers of Canada will be outraged at their leaders too. Perhaps they'll decide that instead of boycotting Israel, they should boycott their own church. One can only hope."
Maybe the decline in church attendance is the solution. People are not finding what they need so they depart.
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