The news reports on the decay of liberal Protestantism seem to be flying in faster than we can record them this summer. Here’s one about the Presbyterian Church of the USA. There are dozens of Presbyterian denominations, and this is the most liberal of them.
The report says, the PCUSA General Assembly, “which took place between June 21 and June 28. …nullified proscriptions against sexual behavior outside of marriage and called for a vote to delete the church’s constitutional standard requiring fidelity in marriage and chastity in singleness. It also initiated a process that could remove mention of the Bible’s prohibition against homosexuality form the Heidelberg Catechism.”
The PCUSA Assembly also voted to establish a $2million fund to fight the congregations who want to pull out of the denomination and take their property with them.
Both votes are part of a clear, aggressive campaign by the feminist/homosexualists to eliminate their enemies.
As the revisionist agenda continues apace within the mainstream Protestant denominations be prepared for long, drawn out property wars. It ain’t gonna be pretty.
Hello Father – read your blog daily but this post connected to something from our day today and so I make this first comment.My soon to be 13 son said to me today as we drove by a United Methodist Church, “UNITED Methodist…what’s that?…as opposed to MODERATELY FRACTIONALIZED Methodist church!?” He could see the absurdity and I couldn’t help but chuckle under my breath when there are so many versions out there, all just “one-off” the other. I feel sad too.May we be one….
reminds me of a breakup song I had stuck in my head this afternoona little snippet from The White Stripe’s “There’s No Home For You Here”I’d like to think that all of this constant interaction/Is just the kind to make you drive yourself away/Each simple gesture done by me is counteracted/And leaves me standing here with nothing else to say/Completely baffled by a backward indication/That an inspired word will come across your tongue/Hands moving upward to propel the situation/Have simply haltedAnd now the conversation’s done/There’s no home for you here girl, go awayThere’s no home for you here.In my opinion if they cannot expect fidelity to one another in a marital relationship consecrated to God well how can they consider fidelity in any relationship consecrated to him? much in the same reason Jesus denounced divorce he certainly would not want anyone going around trouncing the commandments especially in a church. Some accuse the catholic church of removing the commandment against idolatry. that accusation can be shot down with a puff of logic but this statement the PCUSA is making is a clearly making it ok to covet. Please pray they move away from the house built on sand and move up to the one built on rock. Take care Fr Dwight.
Some further details and reflections here. The denomination has slit its own throat. The actions in fact permit any judicatory to ordain gays now. The facts will have been established on the ground, and that’s that. It’s over for the PCUSA.
Dwight,If you and your bloggers wish to remain in a magical, pretend Catholic world where everyone follows the Magisterium and pupils learn Humanae Vitae by heart, then I won’t write another word on your blog. But if you want to face reality of how liberalism is affecting the Christian faith, which includes Catholicism, then read on.In the UK and I’m sure the US, most Catholic priests do not speak out against homosexuality or couples living together rather than marrying. Most priests don’t talk abour artificial contraception or embryo research. That’s not just my view – Catholic Bishops tell me this (off the record)because they are so frustrated their pastoral letters are widely ignored.The Episcopalians idiots you mention are different because they actually make such stupid public declarations as you mention.But in many ordinary Catholic parishes, the clergy and laity completely ignore the holy words of their bishops, cardinals and their pope and carry on being sucked in by the liberal, feminist agenda. Most Catholics think the Magisterium is the name of a new Dan Brown movie. Most Catholics I know take their lead on homosexuality from Elton John rather than Pope Benedict.One loyal Catholic group in the UK which follows the Catholic teaching on homosexuality,(and which I promote in the Catholic media) told me when they contact parishes asking if they can come and give a talk, the priests don’t want to know.Rather than you sneering from the touchline at stupid Episcopalians who are an easy target, you would do better trying to answer how the Christian church, Catholics as well as Protestants, can fight the humanist, feminist agenda which is so insidious.James
This is so sad! The Presbyterian church is the biggest (and richest) one in my neighborhood. When I first moved here, it had just split over something else the PC(USA) had done. I think it had something to do with abortion. Our local Presbyterian church is very much against abortion. Anyway, they stayed with the PC(USA) and kept their building, but lost a lot of members over whatever it was. People were very, very upset about it for years. Now it looks like they are about to go through it all again.As a Catholic, I just don’t get the whole idea of voting on what you believe in.
James that’s perhaps the first sensible thing I have ever heard you say. and yes it is something that is being addressed. if you notice benedict the 16th he’s taking steps in that direction and is wisely building a foundation on which to work on this from. You’d also be well to notice the comming generation of catholics (of which I happily number) are more closely concerned with an authentic living of the tradition and scriptures which make up the Catholic church. We are a church composed of human beings, as such we acknowledge human beings are flawed but also capable of greatness, through grace. We will uphold the teachings that have been given us rather than submit to the weaker position of simply changing to suit the whims of society. If we dont live up to those standards we try harder until it hurts. Maybe if we as a culture were not so lead astray by brands of christianity which teach in error that suffering is without merit and that our understanding of faith cannot be understood in any way by reason and instead rely on our own subjective emotions, we would have nations that more perfectly understand the Lord as unwavering truth because unlike our emotions the “Pillar and foundation of truth” (the church, see 1 Timothy 3:15) does not shake loose when the earth shifts from beneath it. That, Mr. Hastings makes all the difference.
thursday,You make some very fine points.The concern for all denominations is not just the words or actions of the leaders, but the reality of the members.Pope Benedict like most cardinals and bishops in the Catholic church, gives a strong leadership. My Protestant friends in the UK are all admirers of Cardinal O’Brien of Scotland, as am I. He’s a holy man and a great leader. Thats one of the problems with the Anglicans. The Archbishop of Canterbury is a holy man, good at management but weak in leadership.If we want to lead like Jesus, sometimes we need to knock over a few tables.Leadership must be present in the parish. I see stronger leadership in my Evangelical church than in forty years in Catholic parishes.For Catholics, the world youth day in Australia is a magnificent event. The conern is, once those young people return to their parishes across the world, will they receive strong leadership from their priests? Or will their priests continue to remain silent on contraception, living together and the homosexual agenda and let the bishops speak out alone?As for suffering. I don’t believe it is without meaning; but healing has meaning too, and not just at Lourdes.For a real understanding of healing, I’d refer you to loyal Catholics like Cor et Lumen, Flame Ministries International or Fr Bob deGrandis.James