Worse Than the Caricature?

We all know that things in the mainline Protestant churches can get a bit wacky.  In the last few weeks alone, the following items about the Episcopal/Anglican church have appeared in the news.  The Episcopal/Anglican Church has fallen so far that you can't even caricature it any more.

The Seattle Times ran an article on an episcopal priest (Rev. Ann Holmes Redding--the woman on the right in the picture) who has become a Muslim.  In this day, that's not a shock.  The shock is that she is still an episcopal priest who still leads a congregation while worshipping at the local mosque!  Click here: Local News | "I am both Muslim and Christian" | Seattle Times Newspaper.  As the National Review Online put it, "with the benefit of hindsight, it should have been obvious that the first female imam would be an Episcopalian..."

And then there is this interesting news flash.  What do you do when your unmarried priest gets pregnant?  Click here: Unmarried priest quits top job after becoming pregnant | the Daily Mail.  At least she stepped down.

Finally, imagine finding your Bishop drunk, and passed out in the backseat of someone else's Mercedes with a huge bump on his noggin?  Click here: Clergy urge 'drunk' bishop to atone for his sins | the Daily Mail.

But does anyone see a pattern here?  As one wag recently quipped:  "don't try and caricature the Episcopal church!  They'll just do you one better . . ."  

Comments

[CB]

Kim: TEC is a wacky org, to be sure. There remain a handful of biblical and reformed churches in that denomination on the side.

While not as morally repulsive, the Anglo-Catholicism is equally dangerous, from the standpoint of theological error via the sewage of Trent! Charles

[mholst]

The Episcopal Church by and large mirrors Romans 1. Men and women reject God so God gives them over to their sins which leads to their further rejection of God which in turn leads God to give them over into even worse depravity.
Matt Holst

[Chris Coleman]

Blows my mind! Absolutely amazing!

[CB]

Chris: Unlike the Church of England, which has taken longer to follow TEC's slide to apostasy, it has never insisted on subscription to the Articles of Religion. But then, consider the CRC in recent years!

Still, that might have slowed the move downhill. CB

[PB]

As they say, you can't make this stuff up.

[Velox_Mortis_1775]

Reminds me of that archenemy character of Batman, Two Face. Is either that or this. But I am convinced she really outdone herself.
Straight out of the pages of a comic book!
Which gives me an idea; make a comic book that teaches theology, Christ-centered theology. I ave to create a caricature after her.
Riö<*><
Semper Fi!

[turmeric]

All I can say is - the Roundheads were right. This probably began with the Act of Union, but it really started going downhill with Charles I. However, I'm sure there's still time to jump ship, as some have done in Texas...

[Tyler]

I'm a modern day roundhead.

The worst part of that article about the drunken priest/cleric/whatever is the replies from people in the UK. What a joke. It's good fun to see replies from those not even IN the Church.

[Samuel Lago]

Very tragic. Especially if one, like myself, sees the Anglican identity as summed up in the BCP and the 39 articles. The 39 articles are a clear, protestant and reformed statement of faith.

I am thankful to God that here in the diocese of Chile, along with many others around the world, he has allowed it's leaders to seriously uphold the Articles as the "canon" for ordination, and not view merely as a "historical document".

Please be prayinng for the Biblically-faithfull parishes and diocese in the US and around the world, that they (we) may be able to get on with the task of mission and not get bogged down by these stupid and embarrasing scandals.

[Jeremy Felden]

Even the guy from Fuller wasn't buying it.

[Charlie]

Samuel: Good post! As an Anglican in a reformed Church, I agree with you. Don't forget the Ordinal and the Homilies, both of which with the Articles, outline truly Anglican faith. Charles

[lee]

It will be my privilege Samuel!

[Samuel Lago]

Thank you for your comments and support, Charlie and lee.

Charlie: Yes! Absolutely! I agree with your addition of the Homilies and the Ordinal. The 39 articles include a section that discusses the Homilies, so for me, when I state that I'm a "39-articles" Anglican, I'm including the homilies in my definition.

I think the homilies are a "lost" treasure and I sure hope someone, one day, will take the time to update the english (which is very old fashioned) and republish them. They're a wonderful outline of the Anglican (i.e.- Reformed Catholic) faith.

[Charles E. Miller, BA, MAR]

I see you cancelled my original post. I only told the truth. The Episcopal Church has turned from God. Homosexual marriage is wrong. I am a former Southern Baptist, and my wife and I belong to the United Methodist Church. I am worried about the future of the UMC. Is our church going the way of the Episcopalians? I would like to be a Partial Preterist Postmillennialist; however, I am not sure I can hold that view. I tend to be a Partial Preterist Amillennialist. When I read the Book of Isaiah, it does seem to predict an earthy messianic kingdom in chapters 11, 65, and 66 that happens before the coming of our Lord. Prehaps postmillennialism is right. I pray that it is.

[Charles E. Miller, BA, MAR]

I see you cancelled my original post. I only told the truth. The Episcopal Church has turned from God. Homosexual marriage is wrong. I am a former Southern Baptist, and my wife and I belong to the United Methodist Church. I am worried about the future of the UMC. Is our church going the way of the Episcopalians? I would like to be a Partial Preterist Postmillennialist; however, I am not sure I can hold that view. I tend to be a Partial Preterist Amillennialist. When I read the Book of Isaiah, it does seem to predict an earthy messianic kingdom in chapters 11, 65, and 66 that happens before the coming of our Lord. Prehaps postmillennialism is right. I pray that it is.

[Kim Riddlebarger]

Charles:

Not sure that you mean . . . I didn't cancel anything.