Hi there, I am new to the forum. About me: I have been worshipping in the Episcopal Church all my life but formally joined a little over a decade ago. I was raised Methodist in a small South Georgia town. When I was very young, my mother, who is the best organist in town, began playing for the Episcopalians since their service was before the Methodist service. Since she didn't have time to pick me up between services (nor the trust that I would be dressed when she showed up), she would take me to both. I went to a small Methodist college and, while there, read the Bible from cover to cover for the first time. I didn't like it. As a result I fell away from my faith. During that same time, it was revealed to me by my pastor, mother, and the academic dean that they had plans on setting me up to be a Methodist minister and would start me on a scholarship track that would send me to Seminary on the UMC's dime. While I look back and see what a handsome offer it was, at the time I was scared and more than a little angry. I did not like the idea of some cabal conspiring to have my whole life planned out for me...especially when I wasn't included in the cabal. So I dropped out, left the church, left the faith, left all. Years later, the need for meaning and the presence of the divine in my life led me to read C.S.Lewis' Mere Christianity. I instantly became convicted of my foolishness and turned to finding a church. Events led me back to the Episcopal Church I attended as a youth. I felt a peace that I hadn't known for many years. I joined, along with my wife and family. I became engrossed in all things Anglican. I was addicted to the majesty and grandeur of the ecclesia anglicana. But I soon became uneasy with how little of Anglican orthodoxy seemed to exist in the current Episcopal Church. Battles over the church's treatment of the homosexuality issue, its endorsement of the pro-choice movement, and its general not-so-slow descent into apostacy, have left me disaffected. I still cling to the hope, irrational as it may be, that TEC will once again be "a congregation of faithful men, in which the pure Word of God is preached, and the Sacraments be duly ministered according to Christ's ordinance." I've tried other Anglican churches, but found that I'd have to swallow the fries along with the burger to become a member, meaning that along with a return to a more classical form of Anglican worship and a more traditional form of doctrine coming from the pulpit, I would also need to accept other things: like the eventual return to the Papacy, or prayers to Mary, or political "conservatism" along with religious conservatism. Since I am more prostestant than catholic in my faith, these aren't things I am ready to embrace. I recently moved out of the South to the Rocky Mountain region. So far, I mostly worship at home on Sundays. My kids and I read from the Bible and follow the family prayers from commonprayer.org. I'd like to return to the church again (any Anglican Church), right now, though, I haven't found a place to call home. I still love all things Anglican and look forward to reading and conversing with fellow ecclesiastical anglophyles. God Bless!
Dear Brother in Christ, much of what you say strikes at the very heart of what many of us are going through now. You are welcome here, and never think otherwise. As for dropping out of the church and faith, it's an easy thing to do today. God calls many atheists to be renewed, or calls former Christians back to what they once were. Many gaps are being filled, and it begins with reading Mere Christianity or coming to a forum such as this! I pray that the Lord will open all our hearts to be good brethren to you here. You have also felt the deceptive peace which the devil loves to put into our hearts, allowing us to mistake peaceful feelings for true spiritual peace with God, and confusing grandeur with virtue. The lack of Anglican orthodoxy is not something we can just hope will die away: we must kill it ourselves with golden hearts, dreams lived out, and love given. Only you, and I, and other real individuals, can restore orthodoxy and destroy apostasy: by prayer and reliance upon God, and by virtue learned from our Lord Jesus Christ. Never let yourself be swamped. That is the whole purpose of the overwhelming attack from all sides: philosophy, theology, our minds, our hearts, our very senses. All is under attack, and God is demanding a huge effort. We must live the conservatism we hope for, not simply hope. I personally urge you never to become a Roman Catholic, as the propaganda of the Latin Mass, the Ancient Mass, etc. you may hear from them, are not stories in accordance with reality. Guitar Masses and Bad Preaching are just as copyright in Rome as they are in TEC. This day & age is a hard thing to bear, but if fighting for our Ancient Faith is done for the Gospel's sake, could we want to give any less for our Great Father?
Thanks for your response and your well wishes Consular. And you're right, we must do more than hope. One of the reasons why I stay in TEC and go...periodically...is because I think that there is a remnant there of faithful people who still hold fast to the faith once delivered to the saints. I think if we abondon the sinking ship there will be no one to plug the hole or right the rudder (I don't know if that is an accurate analogy as I am a committed Lan'lubber). A church that welcomed me, fed me, and loved me deserves better than to be destroyed. I believe in the Resurrection..which means I believe dead things can be raised back up at God's command. I want to be there when TEC comes back to itself and do my part. Also, just like you, I see the issue in TEC as symptomatic of the larger drift and decline of Western society into secularism, relativism, and ecumenism, and all the consequences that stem from it. If one recognizes a church under seige, then one must see our homes and families under seige as well. Where does one begin to offer resistence? Personally, I think it begins with teaching the children well and standing up for what one believes whenever and wherever one is challenged to do so. At least, that is the tack I am taking. What do you suggest? How does one "live the conservatism we hope for"?
The Lord always leaves a faithful remnant. Elijah's darkest days were not merited, for God had left 7000 in Israel. Abandoning ship is exactly what conservatives, evangelicals, and traditionalists have done wrong. The Lord Jesus Christ will not have such nonsense and cowardice. When I said "destroy", I meant the works of evil themselves, not the people who have been tricked into doing them. I personally believe TEC, the Anglican Church of Canada, Australia, New Zealand, etc., can and should be saved by dedicated zealous Christians, and not shot into the dust. One way to participate without hurting your conscience and potentially scandalizing others with a bad public witness, is simply to partake in Evensong at a TEC cathedral. There is nothing immoral in Christians praying together, ever. The siege is a bloody one. Living the classical faith which we hope for consists of manliness, or absolute strength and dominance of all that is wrong. Virtue is wise understanding expressed in good action. If you oppose abortion or acceptance of homosexual activity, stand firm and tell the world that it's wrong. That is not lack-of-charity, but the very height of charity to other souls! That is the key to your own dissatisfaction and dissociation from TEC, I think. Why not slowly become established in a parish, and over the months, or years, patiently establish that you are a classical, traditional, ancient Christian of the Bible, and want to bring all things in line with that? People will flock to be with you. It always begins with educating our children about the Holy Gospel. Merely teaching them yourself, however, without the benefit of the sacraments instituted by our Lord, is certainly not what Christ intends. He did say of the Eucharist: "do this" in remembrance of Him. The classical Anglican Article 26 says that no minister should be counted invalid just because of immorality, or in our case, even heresy or personal apostate beliefs. The fact is that the minister is validly ordained, especially if you accept women clergy, and thus the Eucharist is still the blessing, the communion, the thanksgiving, the sacrifice of praise. One should never go too long without partaking of that holy remembrance. You'll find many views on AF. We're small, but can and will grow by God's grace and mercy. Ask any questions, make as many threads as you want, and I at least will always be happy to discuss with you.
Great idea Consular! I shall take it under advisement. You are right. That is why, when I go, my kids are generally in tow. The reasons why I don't go more often is twofold: 1) I have recently moved from a somewhat liberal diocese to a much more liberal one (they don't even make a general confession at the eucharist!). That being the case, the sermons are far more openly hostile to orthodox Christian values and doctrines. It is difficult to explain to children, at least my children at the age they are now, why they should accept the truth of the eucharist which they receive while at the same time turning off their ears to the heresies that they receive from usually the very same person. I recognize it can be done, but I think I should abstain from regular attendance with them until they can appreciate that concept and can be more critical of the message they are receiving from a perceived spiritual authority figure. Also, I have issues with giving offerings to an institution that may use them to facilitate abortions, same-sex marriage, and interfaith projects that promote religious relativism. I used to write on the check "for parish use only" but I know they are not bound to that and that it can get them into a lot of trouble if they did honor it, as was so painfully illustrated with Christ Church in Savannah, GA, in my diocese back home. I realize that offerings are not obligatory, but I think it's disengenuous to take from the church in the form of worship and sacramental resources without giving back. And, 2) the nearest parish by at least an hour drive is very accomodating to gay parishioners. I have seen a gay couple kiss during the passing of the peace although my kids did not. I worry if they see this, it will lead to some very uncomfortable discussions that my wife and I have agreed they are too young to have at this time. I love the Evensong idea! I think that is a marvelous way to fellowship.
Welcome Lowly-Layman! May Jesus bless thee. Have you ever visited an ACNA church? http://anglicanchurch.net
Thanks CatholicAnglican! I have not visited and ACNA church yet. There is one near my home though. I might go check it out. Anything I might need to know before I go? What prayerbook do they use? Are they more evangelical or cahtolic?
Some are low church/charismatic, mainstream/broad church, and others high church/Anglo-Catholic. I would just check the website of your local ACNA church before going, but you are guaranteed that the church will be orthodox and faithful to Holy Scripture. This is my church's website http://www.stdavidsthefaithful.com
CA, your church, judging from what I see on the wbsite seems to be a wonderful godly community. I think I will take a trip down to the local ACNA. To be honest, and I am not trying to start a fight or offend, I've been hesitant to really get involved for a couple reasons that have given me pause. So much in the ACNA appears to be, at least from my outside perspective, up in the air. There's a lot of old denominations, each with their own jurisdictional power structures and particular theological priorities, that have been folded into the new institution, and it doesn't appear to me that they are wholly committed to embracing the new system and divesting themselves of the old. Can someone at the same time claim to be both ACNA and REC? A wise man once said that no man can serve two masters. There's also the long reord of seperation and schism associated with conservative anglican breakaway groups. I once met a priest who had been ordained in no less than 4 different Anglican churches and was, at that time considering a move to old catholicism. That doesn't really assure me that the church I come to love will be there for the long haul. There's another issue at play here, too. Just how traditional can the ACNA really claim to be? I read this quote on a blog once. do you think the crticism is fair? "I have another worry about the ACNA. Many of the groups within the ACNA are made up of a lot of folks who stayed in ECUSA through WO, Spong, and outright heresy and left only after an openly homosexual bishop was ordained. The ethos of the ACNA is not traditional. It is not catholic. It is white, middle class Republican – Dobson in vestments. It is moralist. Heck, these folks promote on their own website the fact that they are ‘conservative’ and ‘biblical’ on the issue of homosexuality. Their ecclesial identity is tied up in the fact that they reject the Church blessing homosexual unions. Friends, that may be correct but it does not have staying power, and it does not necessarily make a person or group somehow a more significant candidate for communion with Rome or Orthodoxy than another person or group. To pursue them on the basis of their manner of conservatism is the sort of demographic association seeking that political parties make use of, but going after particular religious groups because of their cultural conservatism strikes me as a rather repugnant form of evangelism. It reeks of that peculiar pathetic display of religious forms that feel increasingly isolated culturally and so desperately want a few more friends on the playground of culture." Do you think the center will hold for the ACNA for the long term? I'd love your feedback as someone on the inside.
Lowly Layman, welcome to the forum! I am new here myself, so it's good to meet another newbie. Have you looked at the AMiA? I like them. http://www.theamia.org/
Oops, I realize I didn't give any context or source for the text. The post was written by an Eastern Orthodox blogger, who was opining on Metropolitan Jonah's overtures and invitations to the newly formed ACNA to join in the Orthodox Church. As someone who has a much closer affinity for Eastern Orthodoxy than Roman Catholicism, my ears pricked up more to this news than the Pope's invitation. Unfortunately, the blog post no longer exists. I did find it quoted here in this post by another blogger (who I feel was a little rude and off-base in his remarks, I only link to it because I have no better source).