Morning at the Office

General Convention

Saturday, July 18, 2009

But that the World might be saved. John 3:17


Albert Mohler in a blog entry titled The Bishop Discovers Heresy says this in response to a quote possibly taken out of context from Presiding Bishop Katherine Jefforts-Schori's opening remarks at the Episcopal Church's General Convention 2009 in Anaheim, California.


"There it is -- that word so recently denied entry into any discussion. But note carefully that the Bishop identified as heresy what the church -- throughout all the centuries and in every major tradition -- has recognized as central to the Christian faith. The confession that "Jesus Christ is Lord" has been central to biblical Christianity from the New Testament onward. In every tradition, some individual profession of this "specific verbal formula" has been understood to be essential to Christian identity."


This is the quote Albert Mohler uses from the Presiding Bishop's remarks.


"The crisis of this moment has several parts, and like Episcopalians, particularly the ones in Mississippi, they’re all related. The overarching connection in all of these crises has to do with the great Western heresy – that we can be saved as individuals, that any of us alone can be in right relationship with God. It’s caricatured in some quarters by insisting that salvation depends on reciting a specific verbal formula about Jesus. That individualist focus is a form of idolatry, for it puts me and my words in the place that only God can occupy, at the center of existence, as the ground of being. That heresy is one reason for the theme of this Convention
.
"


Perhaps I'm reading Mr. Mohler's blog entry wrong or just don't understand him, but this below is from a website of the Eastern Orthodox Church. Does it not belie Mr Mohler's statement if not the entire entry?


Is Jesus your personal Savior?


"The words individual and personal bring up another interesting and important aspect. Within Orthodox teaching we can say that Jesus is our personal Savior in that He takes individuals (a being that is independent and separated from all others) and makes them persons (a separate being that is united to other beings in a larger whole, in this case the Church) This contrast between individuals and persons is a little bit of an extrapolation from the doctrine of the Trinity. We worship One God (individual) in three persons. Similarly there is only One Church (individual) which is made of many persons. The emphasis on individuality in western and especially American culture is in this sense anti-Christian and derives from and incorrect understanding of the Church which is the result of the reformation in Western Europe and the resulting theology which had to justify salvation apart from the Church. We must remember that salvation is corporate - the whole Church is saved together and will be presented as a single entity as the Bride of Christ (there is only one Bride - Jesus is not a polygamist) at the 2nd coming. Our individual judgment is not whether we are saved or not, but rather we are part of the Church and following Christ. If we are part of the Church following Christ then we are saved along with the whole Church but if we cease to follow Christ and separate ourselves from the Church by placing our own judgment and will as higher and more important than that of the Church, then we are not saved because we have "jumped out of the ark". "

Fr David Moser - St Seraphim Orthodox Church - Boise, Idaho

Monday, July 06, 2009

Happy 4th! Remember to honk.

Opinion: Truly supporting our troops Print
By Miguel De La Torre
Thursday, July 02, 2009
Miguel De La Torre

(ABP) -- Regardless of one’s feelings about the war in Iraq, it is important to provide support to the young men and women who put their lives on the line in obedience to their country’s call. One such man that deserves our support is Marine Staff Sergeant Eric Alva, a native of San Antonio who joined the Corps in 1989 when he was only 19 years old.

When the current war in Iraq started, his unit was among the first to be deployed. Alva holds the distinction of being the first U.S. solider wounded in the conflict. On March 21, 2003, while traveling in a convoy to Basra with his battalion, he stepped on a land mine. The explosion broke his right arm and damaged his leg so badly that it had to be amputated. For his valor and sacrifice, Alva was awarded the Purple Heart.

Even those of us who opposed the war from its beginning must honor Alva as a military hero. After his discharge from the Marines, he finished a bachelor’s degree in social work and is presently studying for his masters. Alva now lives in San Antonio with his partner, Darrell.

Oh -- did I mention that Alva is gay? But then again, should it matter? After all, in Iraq and other wars, gay blood flowed on the battlefield just like straight blood.

The sacrifice made by gays to protect your freedoms is no more or no less significant than the sacrifice made by straights. Why, then, should it matter if the first solider to be wounded in Iraq is gay or straight? It shouldn’t, but it does -- because of the sin of imposing our heterosexual orientation on our gay sisters and brothers.

I know that there are Christians who interpret the Bible as condemning same-gender relationships. I once also held that view; I no longer do. I am a recovering heterosexist. We who are Christians can surely engage in a lively intramural debate over this issue. However, such religious debates do not belong in the realm of public policy in a pluralistic society, especially if the religious view of the few but powerful is forced upon the many who disagree.

Alva served his country with distinction and paid a high price. Do those who have not paid such a price -- especially those who haven’t served in combat -- have a right to force their religious views on those who have? Many have bumper stickers on their cars that say “Support the Troops.” Do you really want to support the troops? Then support their wounded. Support Alva and the approximately 65,000 gays, lesbians, and bisexuals (according to a recent Urban Institute report) currently serving the United States in uniform. Write to your members of Congress and demand that the ban on gays openly serving in our military be repealed.

The “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy currently in place forces gay and lesbian soldiers to bear false witness against themselves. To risk their lives in the service of their country, they must lie about who they are and how God created them.

We Christians should be against all forms of deception, and yet, in an attempt to impose mandatory heterosexuality, we force many of our men and women in uniform to deceive their fellow soldiers. Besides the immorality of forcing our troops to lie, the present policy is placing them and our nation in greater peril. Since the policy was enacted in 1993, almost 800 specialists with critical skills needed for the defense of the homeland have been fired, of whom 323 are linguists -- 55 of them Arabic experts. Think of the backlog of thousands of documents that cannot be translated -- documents that, conceivably, could save American lives -- because we are more concerned with whom a soldier loves than we are with his or her ability to do their job.

Honesty in the military is something most Americans want. A 2008 Washington Post/ABC News poll showed 75 percent of Americans in favor of open service by gays in our military. Among those who are actually fighting in the war, three out of four soldiers (according to a 2006 study conducted by Zogby International and the Michael D. Palm Center) are comfortable with the idea. Every published Pentagon study on the issue since 1993 has concluded that no special restrictions on gay personnel should exist.

Besides, gays already serve openly in the FBI, the CIA, the Defense Intelligence Agency and the Secret Service. Why not the military? Because a small but politically powerful group is forcing their religious beliefs on all Americans. If they feel that homosexuality is wrong, then by all means, they have the right and freedom not to engage in homosexuality. But what is wrong -- what is immoral -- is for them to force their religious views upon a pluralistic society that does not share them.

Next time you think about gays in the military, think about Eric Alva. Next time you want to want to deny gays and lesbians their civil rights, think of price he paid for your rights and freedoms. Do the right thing -- repeal discrimination, repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

-30-

Miguel De La Torre is associate professor of social ethics at the Iliff School of Theology in Denver.


EDITORIAL DISCLAIMER: As part of our mission to provide credible and compelling information about matters of faith, Associated Baptist Press actively seeks a diversity of viewpoints in its columns, commentaries and other opinion-based content. Opinions expressed in these articles are not intended to represent ABP editorial policy and do not necessarily reflect the views of ABP's staff, board of directors or supporters.

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Wednesday, July 01, 2009

Jabberwocky, Senator Franken

The vote and the will of the people of Minnesota finally won out. Al Franken has his rightful place in the Senate of the United States of America.
But I have to admire Mr. Coleman a little bit. He stuck it out. He stuck out the process.
If Al Gore had stuck out the process he would have been President for at least four years. We would not have been in Iraq, and we would have had Mr. Ben - Laden at Tora Bora.

Al-Qaeda would have been severely broken back if not completely gone.
What I'm not sure about is the bulletproof majority the Democrats now have in the Senate.
Is it bulletproof against those six to 12 Democrats that so often vote with the Republicans?
The Republicans are scared to death of not being able to hijack the process and filibuster.
God bless the Democrats. God bless the Republicans. God bless the United States of America. God bless us everyone.
"O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!"
God's in his Heaven -
All's right with the world!


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