H/T: OBL News
(VirtueOnline) - A Coptic Orthodox Church observer to the Fourth Global South to South Encounter ripped into the Episcopal Church, stunning some 130 archbishops, bishops, clergy and laity, urging them to say "no to ordination of homosexuals, no to gay marriage, no to such immorality, and that it is time to purify the sanctuary of the Lord from this abomination that causes our God to suffer, bleed and be crucified again everyday."
"You are martyrs without the shedding of blood because you are upholding the teaching of the Gospel handed down once and for all to the apostles," Bishop Anba Suriel told the stunned delegates.
"An army of sheep led by a lion is more powerful than an army of lions led by a sheep. I really pray that you lions here, the primates of each of the provinces of the Global South will stand united with one accord against the heresies of The Episcopal Church.
"I want to share with you a saying of Saint Anthony the Great, the father of monasticism. This great Egyptian saint said, "There will come a day when the mad people will look at the normal people and say, 'Look at these mad people because they are not like us.'" A favorite quote of mine, and one I use almost to excess. I think this prophecy has been fulfilled in our day and age. Abnormality has become the new normality. Certain factions of the Christian Church are becoming desensitized to the truth of the Gospel. I call it the frog in the kettle syndrome.
"If you place a frog in a kettle at room temperature the frog will be comfortable, if you raise the temperature slightly, the frog will quickly adapt. If you continue to raise the temperature very gradually the frog will continue to adapt to its new environment until finally the water is boiling and the frog is fried inside the kettle and loses its life. This is what today's Post Modern society is doing; it is pushing the limit of immorality further and further till it tries to make some lose their spiritual life and die."
The bishop blasted New Hampshire Bishop Gene Robinson. "He was a married man and had two daughters. He divorced his wife and left his daughters to live this unthinkable life of abomination. Is this the holiness and perfection and the image and likeness of God? How then can such a person be ordained to the highest level of authority in a Church, the episcopate? What example does he give to young people, what long term effects will such a decision by The Episcopal Church USA (TEC) have on the North American Episcopalians in generations to come?"
The bishop said homosexual radical activists are overrunning schools in America with their agenda.
"While homosexual activity is strong in Hollywood, the education system is being overrun by radical homosexual activists who want to begin indoctrination in the elementary school system, middle schools and high schools. In Massachusetts, where a Court recently found that the homosexuals have a constitutional right to get married, teachers and counselors receive special state-funded training for dealing with gay and lesbian students, and libraries are stocked with book and films on homosexual issues.
"In Framingham, Massachusetts, students were forced to answer a questionnaire that openly challenged the validity of their heterosexuality. Here are some questions:
"Notice how heterosexuality is portrayed as the abnormal behavior? If you substituted the words 'homosexuality' and 'opposite sex' into many of the questions, there would be a howl of protests from radical homosexual activists and their allies.
- What do you think caused your heterosexuality?
- When did you first decide you were heterosexual?
- Is it possible heterosexuality is a phase you will grow out of? [Of course, the flip-side of the question is not asked: Is it possible that homosexuality is phase you will grow out of.]
- Is it possible you are heterosexual because you fear the same sex?
- If you have never slept with anyone of the same sex, how do you know you wouldn't prefer it?
- To whom have you disclosed your heterosexuality? How did they react?
- Why are heterosexuals so blatant, always making a spectacle of their heterosexuality? Why can't they just be who they are, not flaunt their sexuality by kissing in public, wearing wedding rings, etc?
"Today's heresy often becomes tomorrow's orthodoxy. Well, let me say the orthodoxy of God will never allow for these heresies.
"That is why TEC allows a heretic like Bishop Spong to promulgate his poison all over the world and publish books advocating a cocktail of heresies ranging from denying the divinity of Christ to a complete and shocking attack on the inspired Word of God. And yet at the same time they depose an orthodox Episcopal bishop for upholding the true faith of the Scriptures that marriage is between one man and one woman... I cannot even begin to get comprehend that."
The bishop said he was personally vilified, hissed and booed when he attended the Anglican Synod of Australia in 2001 and spoke up about homosexual activity.
"I was not politically correct, and I will continue not to be politically correct till my last breath defending this Gospel of the Good News that our Lord was crucified for to bring us salvation. My brethren, I believe it is time for the Anglican Global South to make a strong stand; there is no room here for political correctness and niceties. Your young people and indeed many ecumenical partners are watching closely the outcome of this Encounter. Will a strong message go out to the rest of the Anglican Communion to repent and return to God and to return to His Holy commandments to be holy and perfect? How can anyone live a holy and perfect life whilst living an abominable lifestyle such as homosexuality and be ordained to serve God?"
TEC keeps spouting these evil doctrines because they want to corrupt the world, he stated.
The bishop urged the Encounter bishops to study not only covenant issues but conciliar issues as well.
"Perhaps if some studies can be made, historical studies on the conciliar nature of the church and to see it from the Orthodox perspective may be helpful to you in setting up a viable structure for the Anglican Global South. "
The bishop urged greater engagement with media to get the word out. "I would like to suggest that multimedia and television/satellite channels should play an important role for the Anglican Global South. In the Coptic Orthodox Church we have found that our worldwide satellite TV channels have had a great impact on promulgating Orthodox Christian teachings. Through such channels you can teach the upcoming generations of children and youth about the proper understanding on marriage according to Biblical teachings.
"I pray that the Anglican Global South will continue to uphold this holiness of the Church. Please do not lose hope, be strong and be united together through prayer and faith. Let no one shake you or rattle you and know that your brothers and sisters in the Coptic Orthodox Church are praying for you and your provinces and we stand firmly beside you in this upward battle that you are fighting. Darkness cannot overcome the light of the Gospel, be of good cheer the Lord tells us because in the world we will find tribulation. He has overcome the world."
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Oh dear! At first I couldn't tell whether or not it was serious and I'm still not sure.
ReplyDeleteIt is blatantly obvious to anybody that the questionnaire is designed to highlight the sorts of questions homosexual people are often asked by inverting the subject, to show these questions to be ridiculous. Whether or not we agree with the motivation behind it, it is plainly not intended to be taken seriously. The man has lost himself any credibility by presenting that example to support his argument.
The scary thing is that he seems to identify a particular stance on homosexuality with "upholding the teaching of the Gospel handed down once and for all to the apostles". This tirade reminds me of single-issue Orthodox converts from Anglicanism who go on and on about the "glory days" of the Church of England before it ordained women, as though this was the turning point before which the Queen was on her throne, God was in his heaven, and all was well with the world. They seem to forget that the western churches fell into heresy centuries before the ordination of women or anything to do with homosexuality. Such converts often demonstarte that they have not really adopted an Orthodox ecclesiology or understanding of the Faith and remain fixated on whatever their pet single issue happens to be - ex-Anglicans under an Orthodox bishop. Then they become the loudest proclaimers to people still in these churches that, if only they would return to how they were 50 years ago, all would be well. From an Orthodox perspective, this is patent nonsense. I'm surprised that, in this instance, it is not coming from a convert.
Still, the question has to be asked, why was he not telling them that the double-procession of the Holy Spirit is heresy, that iconoclasm is heresy, that the denial of the sacraments is out of keeping with the life of the Church and detrimental to salvation? Why was he not correcting their misperceptions of theosis, of the nature of worship, their Anselmian understanding of the nature of salvation, and so forth? Instead he told them they are "upholding the teaching of the Gospel handed down once and for all to the apostles" simply because of their position on homosexuality. This is flagrant nonsense.
It is no surprise that this comes from a pseudo-bishop of an heretical church. By way of contrast, see Metropolitan Jonah's address to the ACNA conference, where he did not paint any deceptive picture and laid down in an open and honest way the various problems that needed to be addressed.
On the survey: I think it was meant to highlight what the gay community feels to be unfair treatment. Flipping their behavior back onto the norm they hoped to show how ridiculous it was. I found quite a few links to it and it seems that it was in fact distributed to students in one high school. Whether or not they took it seriously, it was done without parental approval or, in all honesty, good taste.
ReplyDeleteOn heresy: I think if you see two women mud wrestling to an audience of fixated men, you don't stop the event to tell one woman that her bikini top doesn't match her bottoms. You denounce the blatantly exploitative and repugnant act first, then you question her fashion sense.
On ACNA: I was there. :) His words were met by applause and clapping from one side and mute stares by others. You had high-church Anglicans, priestesses, and Calvinists under the same tent. They wanted to know what would be required of them to enter Orthodoxy, and he told them just that.
Oh that's what I get for not refreshing when I get pulled away in the middle of a post. hah
ReplyDeleteThe comment is still appreciated and I very much agree. 'Stop, drop, and roll,' then deal with the less inflammatory issues.
ReplyDeleteOn heresy: I think if you see two women mud wrestling to an audience of fixated men, you don't stop the event to tell one woman that her bikini top doesn't match her bottoms. You denounce the blatantly exploitative and repugnant act first, then you question her fashion sense.
ReplyDeleteYou clearly do not understand the seriousness of the offence of non-matching outfits - a crime crying out for vengeance. ;-)
More seriously, the grumpy tone of my previous reply aside, I still think that the approach of dealing so forthrightly and exclusively with sexuality initially, while it may receive nods of approval from those who agree, is likely to have the effect of causing those who are not yet convinced to switch off. Show them that you are not about one issue but wish to engage with them on the wider picture of which this issue is part, and they are likely to be more receptive to what you have to say.
My response to the bishop is as follows:
ReplyDeleteBishop Suriel and the Gay Agenda
This Suriel is a real piece of work. What a sense of entitlement this gentleman has cultivated. As far as I'm concerned, the entire orthodox church (as with all other religions) is a massive deceptive cult. Dinosaurs like Suriel need to make way for the moral progress of true modern agnosticism.
ReplyDelete