by Stephen E. Westfall
Amid
all the uproar about the recent actions of the General Convention of the
Episcopal Church in confirming the election of a non-celibate homosexual to become
bishop of the diocese of New Hampshire, and to allow local-option decisions
about the blessing of same-sex unions, let's not lose sight of the real cause
of the problem. While the anger of traditionalists has rightly been
directed at those who are foisting these departures from the apostolic faith
onto the church, the greatest responsibility must be assigned not to the
liberal leaders who are, after all, merely following the wisdom of
contemporary culture and their own lights about what they believe to be just
and right, but to those conservative, "orthodox" bishops who, over
the last century, repeatedly failed to take steps to maintain apostolic faith
and practice within that part of the church over which they had been made
shepherds.
Bishop
James Pike of California was not the first heretic in the Episcopal Church, but
he raised it to greater visibility than any of his
predecessors, scandalizing the church in the 1950s and 1960s with his
denial of central Christian doctrines, including the Trinity, the Incarnation,
and the Virgin Birth of Christ, and turning eventually to spiritism and
séances. (Ideas have consequences.) The House of Bishops, while
censuring him, allowed him to continue in his position of influence.
When
some Episcopal bishops in the 1970s began ordaining women even before this
innovation had been approved by the church's governing body, the inaction of
the remaining bishops demonstrated to all that no discipline would be exercised
by the shepherds of the church against those who offend its faith and order. (Even proponents of women’s ordination
should be bothered by the manner in which it initially was accomplished,
basically thumbing their noses at the House of Bishops.)
When
some bishops began ordaining as priests people who were known to engage
in homosexual relations, the House of Bishops passed a resolution
declaring such ordinations inappropriate, but it failed to discipline the
bishops involved.
By
the time Bishop John Spong of the diocese of Newark began churning out his
publications in the 1980s and 1990s denying most features of the apostolic
faith, it was far too late to close the barn door. The horses had already
escaped. Liberals far outnumber conservatives now in the House of
Bishops. More anecdotes could be cited, but by now everyone
concerned is familiar with the long history of inaction on the part of the
bishops of the Episcopal Church.
Which
leads me to wonder whether it's really appropriate to use the term
"orthodox," as I did earlier, to describe these bishops. Yes,
they continued to affirm, unlike Pike and Spong, the historic creeds and
did not support the innovations. But Holy Scripture clearly teaches that
immorality, unrepented of, has spiritual consequences: It will condemn
one to hell. Bishops are charged with teaching that. But
these bishops failed to restrain and counter those who overturn the
teaching of scripture about what is moral and what is not, and the result of
bad teaching is behaviour that causes people not to inherit the Kingdom of
God. (Ideas have consequences.)
So,
yes, I'm angry about the suicide of my denomination, by its decision to depart
from the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic church. But most of my anger
is reserved for those who could have done something to prevent it and
didn't. May God grant them the grace to repent of their sin.
© 2003 by Stephen E. Westfall