Anglicans to Rome

On Tuesday, October 20, 2009 Pope Benedict announced that the Catholic Church was making it easier for disenchanted Anglicans to enter the Catholic Church. The 77 million Anglican denomination, known in the United States as the Episcopal Church, the largest denomination in Africa, has been split by the impossible problem of female priests, homosexual pastors, homosexual bishops and gay marriage. Particularly in Africa, many Anglicans feel their denomination has gone the way of Sodom. The Pope is evidently making it easier for Anglicans to become Catholics. It is reported that the Pope taking this road is a matter of vocation, not enough Catholic priests. Perhaps Anglican ministers entering Catholicism will give more Catholic churches pastors. The great problem with many Catholics is that many of these Anglican ministers are married; nearly 100 in the United States who have become Catholic.

Another problem with the Anglicans is their attitude towards the communion table, and their lackadaisical attitude towards abortion. When Catholics read such statements as those made by Dr. Rev. Katherine Hancock Ragsdale, who received much publicity in her speech in Birmingham, Al on July 21, 2007 when she said that “abortion is a blessing”. We'll find little comfort in knowing this is the attitude of most Episcopalians. Even the Bishop of Canterbury, Rev. Williams, seems to have compromised entirely with the satanic Episcopal/Anglican concept of acceptance of the culture of death provided by abortion and the inconceivable attitude towards homosexual bishops and pastors. There are probably more gay marriages in the Episcopal organization than any other “church” group.

We wonder if the Catholic Pope will offer a shelter of refuge to Lutherans, Methodists, Presbyterians, who can no longer stomach the liberality of the gay agenda in their denominations. There are certainly Protestants and even Baptists who seek a solid rock on which to cling and even stand in this time of denominational liberalism and modernism and the attacks of the world against the Christian Church.

The word is “transition”. Born again, blood bought Christians believe that we are already experiencing the reward of heaven through our redemption in Christ. We are joint heirs, already experiencing eternal life through the sacrifice of our blessed lord. One thing I can support in any non-Catholic going toward the Catholic Church, I cling to the belief that the crucifix (Christ on the cross) should be a valued part of the Christian experience. I am convinced that the empty cross often leads one to forget the actual atonement. Perhaps not as much as the Episcopalians, but most Protestant and even Baptist memberships are as negligent in preaching and teaching, sins ruin and Christ's redemption as a local civic club. In fact, you can find about as much joy of salvation in any gathering as you can the nouveau-raison “church” membership. With a Rick Warren or Joel Osteen gathering of laughing and clapping, drums and drama, bells and smells, the circus attitude, bringing the world into the church, is the chief cause that the world has lost its respect for the worthiness of the church, Christ's bride.

The Ecumenical movement, like the United Nations in all countries, has globalized denominations as much as nations. The mantra that all governments and all religions are basically the same has so lessened the worship attitude, the grace through faith of the redemption of our blessed Lord. Young people just look upon the church as a place of hypocrisy with all the sovereignty and deliverance of a “Santa” mythology. I can understand the hunger real Anglicans and others have for the veracity and values of sacred text (John 10:10).

As with American-Russian relations during the time of the Cold War, we supposedly celebrated détente. There were photo opportunities, smiles between enemies, flowers were tossed at one another, but the Cold War still existed. The war still exists between God's promises and Satan's phonies. The caricature of worship, the pretending of posterity and prophecy prevails in a vacuum of deceit. The child of God, born anew, a new creation in Christ, seeks homage with real believers not masqueraders.

Western Civilization and the religious history was greatly determined in 1571 at the Battle of Lepanto. It was at that battle that the Christian Church actually turned back Muslim forces. A new Battle of Lepanto, which probably will not be fought on the sea, is forming battle lines around us. It is time for Christians, regardless of denomination, to get “real”, to cleanse our ranks from all impostors: “Who is on the Lord's side, who will serve our King?”.

The fate of one's soul, the fate of God's church, is a matter of God's sovereignty. God does not need “hybrid churchgoers” to carry his cross. Christian discipleship is not an entrepreneurial concept. The nonsensical high church, low church, “we want God on our terms”, is the very sign post giving direction to the broad road that leads to destruction.

One of my friends, an accomplished musician, was asked to serve as organist at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church when their organist went on vacation. The pastor said, “When you play the hymns, we do not want to hear anything about blood”. I can tell you, as a doctor, life is in the blood. You can be sure from everything in God's Word that without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sin (Hebrews 9:22). Will the Anglicans and Catholics compromise the precious blood of Christ?