The tragedy of the outrageous acts of the national leadership is that parishes like this will decline and many will be lost. Attendance is the parish was 160 in 2003 (the year Gene Robinson was made bishop) and is now ~115. The diocese of Ohio has lost 23.3% of membership in the past decade and is going down, down, down. It will get worse. The liberals are making life untenable for those that hold to orthodox Christianity. The process of conservatives leaving, emboldening the liberals to take on more "innovations" causing more conservatives to leave is now unstoppable. Ms Schori's lawsuits only pours oil on the flames. They have eliminated the entire evangelism budget but the lawyer's fees are paid in full. The denomination is dead.
I am, unfortunately, an Episcopalian. I do feel that I was born and raised in this denomination for a reason. And for a while at least, I carry on the fight from within.
What the homosexualists have done is to run an aggressive campaign to place their own in every position of authority in the national church. The strategy has been simply to make sure there was only one liberal candidate while the orthodox vote was split among many conservative candidates. The result has been the advancement of the homosexual cause with the Gospel suffering. The denomination was increasing up to 2003. Last year, it was the fastest declining. This year promises to be much worse. Other denominations should look on us and avoid allowing what has been done to ours.
Ms Schori's Easter message made one passing reference to the resurrection and quickly moved on to an Al Gore speech. I am not against protecting the environment. But the Nature Conservancy is a much better environmental action organization. Ms Schori is trying to transform the Episcopal Church into a combination of homosexual rights/green earth political action committee.
Anyone who opposes this is unwelcomed from the ranks and sued on their way out. Just today, the diocese of Florida fired 22 priests for trying to preserve the gospel message (see www.virtueonline.org). Ms Schori has apparently forced the diocese of Ohio to sue parishes that had split off in what was being touted by the diocese as an amicable separation just a month ago (see www.livingchurch.org).
Inclusivity apparently does not extend to those who hold to the traditional Christian world view. Her lawsuits and divisiveness have led to the denomination becoming the fasting declining one in the country last year. This is going to accelerate in the coming months when several more whole dioceses leave.
IN FOCUS: Historical house of worship and refuge
The tragedy of the outrageous acts of the national leadership is that parishes like this will decline and many will be lost. Attendance is the parish was 160 in 2003 (the year Gene Robinson was made bishop) and is now ~115. The diocese of Ohio has lost 23.3% of membership in the past decade and is going down, down, down. It will get worse. The liberals are making life untenable for those that hold to orthodox Christianity. The process of conservatives leaving, emboldening the liberals to take on more "innovations" causing more conservatives to leave is now unstoppable. Ms Schori's lawsuits only pours oil on the flames. They have eliminated the entire evangelism budget but the lawyer's fees are paid in full. The denomination is dead.
August 31, 2009 at 8:53 a.m. permalink suggest removal
Churches debate policy on gays
I am, unfortunately, an Episcopalian. I do feel that I was born and raised in this denomination for a reason. And for a while at least, I carry on the fight from within.
What the homosexualists have done is to run an aggressive campaign to place their own in every position of authority in the national church. The strategy has been simply to make sure there was only one liberal candidate while the orthodox vote was split among many conservative candidates. The result has been the advancement of the homosexual cause with the Gospel suffering. The denomination was increasing up to 2003. Last year, it was the fastest declining. This year promises to be much worse. Other denominations should look on us and avoid allowing what has been done to ours.
June 16, 2008 at 6:49 a.m. permalink suggest removal
Episcopal bishops differ on environmental points
Ms Schori's Easter message made one passing reference to the resurrection and quickly moved on to an Al Gore speech. I am not against protecting the environment. But the Nature Conservancy is a much better environmental action organization. Ms Schori is trying to transform the Episcopal Church into a combination of homosexual rights/green earth political action committee.
Anyone who opposes this is unwelcomed from the ranks and sued on their way out. Just today, the diocese of Florida fired 22 priests for trying to preserve the gospel message (see www.virtueonline.org). Ms Schori has apparently forced the diocese of Ohio to sue parishes that had split off in what was being touted by the diocese as an amicable separation just a month ago (see www.livingchurch.org).
Inclusivity apparently does not extend to those who hold to the traditional Christian world view. Her lawsuits and divisiveness have led to the denomination becoming the fasting declining one in the country last year. This is going to accelerate in the coming months when several more whole dioceses leave.
April 6, 2008 at 5:18 p.m. permalink suggest removal