Likewise, you hold marriage as something which takes place between a man and woman. More than this, you think babies shouldn't be killed in the womb, not least at the point of birth, and that Jesus is God, the Christ, and his commandments, his Word should be obeyed.
I know, it may be hard, but try to imagine it. Then picture a group of people violently, enthusiastically in favor of abortion. People who believe gender's a construct, gay marriage a right and Christ, at best, one guru amongst many. And in his Western expression, a racist oppressor.
That in mind, you'd expect the churches concerned to stand together and denounce a movement which is antithetical to their belief, Christianity, and to do so clearly, unanimously and loudly. But no.
The Roman Catholic church? Silent or busy making deals with Communist China. The Anglican Church in North America? All about investigating "systemic racism." The venerable Church of England? Very upset about racism and statues. Baptists? Crickets.
Granted, there's notable exceptions, like Cardinal Vigano and priests like Fr. Altman and Fr. Goring in Canada. But this is rare and in ACNA, the Anglican Church in North America, the silence is deafening or even complicit.
Churches, listen up. Cowardice in the face of the enemy won't win you any favors. Stand and be counted while you still have that option in the public square.
The fight is on, and don't kid yourselves that people who hate, scorn and despise you aren't coming to shut you down.
Your Old Pal,
LSP
PS. Whether the Jesuits should be suppressed, again, is an entirely valid question.
14 comments:
Bravo, Parson! Thank you for having the courage to speak out. It seems like all too many just want to bow and cower, and not "get too political", hoping they'll be the last ones eaten or thrown in the oven.
Have we no public spiritual leaders any longer? No more men the likes of Billy Graham or Bishop Sheen? Why is there no outcry?
The hierarchies of ‘every’ church are primarily politicians first and priests last (if they even remember to be that at all).
Think back to school and university. Think of, the type of person, who (desperately) wished to be class president/ student representative/hall monitor/etc., ‘that’ is now who the ‘leaders’ of the churches are.
Name a single organisation or career where those who are ‘best’ at its core aims/role ‘ever’ wish to rise in the hierarchy, to be taken away from ‘the coal face’? It’s not just a case of Conquests Third Law though, it’s that it’s ‘built into’ the system. It’s predictable from both sides actions. Those who actually represent the core beliefs/aims and are best at them, not only have no interest in ‘promotion’, they actively oppose their own being taken away from what they see as the true role. Whilst those who have the least belief/skill/ability wish nothing more than to be promoted away from the ‘work’ to gain power/position/status.
There was a movement some years ago, in New Zealand, to propose a ‘double career track’ in nursing. They had noticed (Duh!) that those who were promoted to ‘managerial positions’ were almost exclusively (whilst credentialed) those least skilled and able at ... nursing. They ended with (as everywhere) a situation where those ‘in charge’ had the least knowledge/ability of/at the actual job and thus made apparently irrational, and definitely counterproductive decisions. They proposed a separate-but-equal structure of ‘clinical’ and ‘administrative’ tracks, where the senior clinical nurses ran the ward/dept. and junior administrator did the paperwork. It failed of course since those in charge were ‘all’ administrative types. Imagine a church where the hierarchy actually had to defer to, where 'the power' resided in, the faith of the parishioners and priests instead of their own selfish desires and power-plays.
The actions of the churches is partly due to this. Partly the long-march (that they actually ‘do’ support the sjw communists). Partly abject cowardice (they hope to be eaten last).
To me, the least understandable part is the lack of action by the ‘rank and file’. Are most ‘street-level’ clergy now sjw’s? Is it a case of a boiling frog? Or is it the fact that ‘we’ operate on Larry Correia’s ‘switch’? (They have a rheostat, they can ramp the excesses/violence/corruption/sin up or down as they ‘feel’. ‘We’ have an on-off switch and we just haven’t reached the point of flicking it just yet).
I suspect it’s a bit of all of them, but primarily, even now, most haven’t/don’t recognise just how far this has all gone.
https://gen.medium.com/i-lived-through-collapse-america-is-already-there-ba1e4b54c5fc
We are living in ‘interesting times’. This is now, far more than has occurred anywhere for centuries, an existential crisis, an actual possible end to Christianity and Western civilisation (if The US goes down, the rest are irrelevant). So it’s about time some rank and file got off the fence and pulled their fingers out.
(Fighting an ‘outside’ enemy is easy. What we face is a fifth column already inside the gates. The ‘hard’ part is not only recognising that fact, but acceptance that it’s time to take the gloves off and make the rubble bounce).
Matthew 21:12-17
Everyone at St. Joan's knows how our priests think about what is going on. Plenty is said, but always slightly euphemistically. The emphasis is kept, rightly so in my opinion, on spiritual matters. The Catholic Church is a hierarchy, and there's no benefit in riling up the bishops.
That doesn't mean that they suggest we not remain the Church Militant, only that we do so with Prudence.
Still - the Fr Altman's of the world are doing a marvelous job of spreading the truth - and we thank them!
Would I like to see the bishops stand up and fight back? Oh, hell yes. Do I think it's going to happen? Nope. It is for us, citizen journalists and Christians, to speak the truth.
Being a Lutheran (or a 'jack Lutheran' more accurately), the leaders of my faith are not standing up in the face of the onslaught of evil to any extent either, or at least not that I can tell. Other than occasionally a little lip service from the pulpit such as 'evil is not good.'
Duh, I don't need an ordained pastor to tell me that.
Been a while since I've been to your site, and yes, I have been here often, just never found a reason to comment. Most sites I visit I'm like that.
Was scrolling through my phone when I thought what the heck, lets check out LSP.
Got hit with this.
Yep, you're completely right. Beyond a doubt.
I grew up Apostolic Lutheran, Finnish type, Northern Michigan type.
Up there we're called Bunn Runners.
Sorta kinda one step above Mennonites.
No make-up, earrings, stay amongst ourselves, don't be a part of the World, the older men frowned upon listening to the radio. I hope you get my point.
Anyhow, I now live in NE TX, and love it here.
We (My family) go to the local Methodist church.
What a joke.
I'm used to a good fire and brimstone sermon. Keeps me in line.
The entire "church" seems to be afraid to actually preach.
The Methodist are awful, kowtowing and kneeling towards society. I really reject that. I've gone on my own to several Baptist churches and have seen the same thing.
Well, you're right.
There is no church on our side.
-rightwingterrorist
That's a really good question, drjim. I think many have apostatized, some are cowards.
Anon, I agree, it's a bit of all of the above, and the underlying factor's apostasy.
I say this as a fair few of my old friends have found preferment, unlike me. They're good guys but do they call out Satan? Privately, yes. Publicly, per their office? Another thing again.
Well, that's why I'm here and they're bishops.
Flip side, I get to hunt, ride, fish and shoot and they don't. Who's winning?
Adrienne, I know we have to be prudent. I am, as a pastor, but we must stand up for the truth and that's exactly what's lacking in ALL denoms.
The same quiescence brought us no prayer in school. Christians rolled over and, effectively, died.
This lack of activism's got to end. At least that's the way I see it.
Fredd, it's exactly the same here. I'm not happy about it, either.
Like really, you're going to be silent as your country's taken over by a gang of Marxists? But silent they are.
Christians, per Anon, need to stand up.
That's what I think and I'm standing to it.
rightwingterrorist -- thanks for that.
We're in a war that goes way beyond denom boundaries, against an enemy that HATES the Faith and, ultimately, life itself. Of course the Methodists are part in parcel, to the horror of Wesley. So what's the score?
Maybe Christ's bringing us back together again in the face of a common threat.
Or the Eschaton's around the corner!
Twice today, Parson, you made me look up a word. Both times it taught me something. "Apostasy" has a completely different meaning than what I thought. Thank you for teaching me something.
And I'd never heard the term "Eschaton" before, but I do understand a bit about the End Times.
Thank you again!
I passed along a conservative comment to an ELCA bishop who has been a friend for over 50 years. He wrote back to me, "This is drivel! You should understand that it is beneath your dignity as a priest to indulge in such."
As a priest, I suppose I don't have much dignity. When we look at St. Paul, he did not seem to worry too much about dignity, but was much more concerned with getting the job done. I've been nowhere nearly as effective as St. Paul, but I always thought our most important job was the cure of souls. Maybe if I'd gone to the Wartburg Seminary just few blocks from my home, I might have learned more about dignity. Too late now for me ...
Fr. Sam+
drjim, I try to keep it simple but don't always succeed. Still, glad Apostasy and Eschaton came in helpful!
Sam, I feel your ELCA friend has a point but perhaps it's an old one from a better world. Still, "...beneath your dignity to indulge in such"? Good heavens, leaving aside the curious question of drivel, I'm constantly amazed at my grievous lack of more and better servants. (yes, an epic disaster, and where's my Georgian country house, dammit)
Point being, we're in a cultural firefight and dignity ain't in it. So shoot away. That /our guys haven't done this for DECADES is part of the reason we're in the fix we're in, and it's serious.
So, by all means go and talk about sacerdotal dignity to the feds who're hauling you up on hate crime charges in the conceivably near future for preaching against trans marriage. Or shut up and toe the line.
I rest my case.
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