Friday, August 15, 2003

By DAVID EPPS
Pastor

It appears that the majority of the bishops of the Episcopal Church in the USA (ECUSA) are bent on committing institutional suicide.

The former grand old lady of American Christendom, that venerable denomination that has placed more men in the White House than any other Christian organization, has managed to elect an openly, blatantly practicing homosexual to the highest office in the Church the office of bishop. By doing so, the bishops have thrown out both the holy scriptures and the tradition and practice of the past 2,000 years, and have placed an apostate (or "false teacher") over an entire diocese.

Does anyone honestly believe that, if any man serving in the priesthood had left his wife and two daughters for another woman, was unrepentant about it, and was living in open sexual immorality with his "partner," that the man would have a snowball's chance in the center of the sun of being elected a bishop? Of course not. But this is a "gay" man, so the common rules of morality do not apply. Thus, Gene Robinson, is now "The Right Reverend Gene Robinson," Bishop of New Hampshire. God have mercy.

The vote, it should be said, was far from unanimous. The ECUSA bishops voted 62-45 to allow Robinson's consecration to go forward and several newspapers reported that the election was certain to further divide the already troubled Episcopal Church which has had a number of priests and entire churches leave the denomination. Bishop Robert Duncan of Pittsburgh one of the few remaining orthodox bishops, read a statement saying that he and others were "filled with sorrow." Duncan said that the action of the bishops "departed from the historic faith and order of the Church of Jesus Christ." Eighteen other bishops signed the statement along with Duncan. In 1998, Anglican leaders approved a resolution stating that homosexual sex was "incompatible with scripture." It is not, evidently, incompatible with serving as a bishop.

All this could be considered none of my business except for the fact that the public at large does not distinguish between the 28 or so denominations in the United States that carry the word "Episcopal" or Anglican" in their name. Thus, quite a number of people have asked me, and those in my church, about what we think about "our gay bishop." Some have even suggested that we change the word "Episcopal" to "Episcoperv," or "Episco-pals," "Episcoporn," or "Pervopalians." It would all be cute if it weren't so sad. So, while I have nothing but respect and heartfelt sympathy for those biblically orthodox priests and members of the laity in ECUSA, many of whom are my good friends, who are watching their bishops destroy their church, I find myself in the uncomfortable place of having to say, "We are not them."

According to a past issue of Touchstone magazine, the International Communion of the Charismatic Episcopal Church (ICCEC), is the second largest of the 28 "Episcopal/Anglican" denominations with 1,100 churches and 750,000 members worldwide. Just to be clear where the ICCEC stands on important issues, The Most Reverend Douglas Woodall, ICCEC Bishop of South Carolina, recently released a statement declaring that the ICCEC:

· Believes that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God and contains all things necessary for salvation.

· Believes that all clergy must be born again, must be Spirit filled, must believe that the Scriptures are the unchangeable Word of God, must preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and must live a life that exemplifies the teachings of Christ.

· Believes that Holy Matrimony is between a man and a woman only.

· Believes in the Priesthood of all Believers.

· Believes in the sanctity of life and is unapologetically pro-life!

· Celebrates Holy Communion every Sunday and follows the rites and ceremonies of the Book of Common Prayer.

· Bishops are a part of the Historic Episcopate having been validly consecrated through the Apostolic lines of St. Peter and St. James.

Some people mistakenly believe that the Church is to be "inclusive" (where just anything goes) when, in fact, it has always been "exclusive." Churches have and have always had standards of membership and conduct and church members are, and have always been, expected to conform to the "doctrine and discipline" of that particular denomination. If one wants true "inclusiveness" then one can go to hell. For it is in hell, where the "broad road" leads, that one will find the great mass of fallen humanity who seek to justify their sins.

Archbishop Randolph Sly, an ICCEC bishop from Washington, D. C., wrote this week:"The current drive by popular culture to affirm homosexual acts as natural and equal to those between a man and a woman is contrary to everything the church has taught for more than 2,000 years. It is critical that church leaders and faithful Christians confront this climate of promiscuity and stand for truth." Whatever the ECUSA bishops stood for in the election of Robinson, it was not biblical and historic Christian truth.

To declare strychnine a "health drink" and then offer it to people is to deny the truth and to commit physical murder. To declare a practicing, unrepentant homosexual a bishop in the Church and then give him to a diocese is to deny the truth and to commit spiritual murder. God have mercy.

[David Epps is rector of Christ the King Charismatic Episcopal Church (www.iccec.org), which meets at 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. Sundays at on Ga. Highway 34 between Peachtree City and Newnan. He may be contacted at FatherDavidEpps@aol.com or at www.CTKCEC.org.]

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