God in Three Persons

We tend to anthropomorphize God,
that is, to ascribe human qualities to
  a supernatural being,
when in fact what we think of as God
has unknown and indefinible characteristics.

At the Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D.,
the church fathers compounded the confusion
by referring to a Holy Trinity as three persons:
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Later, the Eastern churches rejected the
ascription of Jesus as the son of God,
maintaining that the spirit of Jesus
already existed before He took human form.

At the same council, Jesus was recognized
as truly God in his ministry and resurrection.
I was taught by Catholic nuns that
Jesus lived on and acted as the Holy Spirit.

That was clearly erroneous because the
Spirit of God is repeatedly referred to
  in the Hebrew Bible.
Thus we conclude that God has always
been manifest in different attitudes and actions.

This becomes important in our attempts
to resolve the age-old conundrum of why
an omnipotent and yet merciful God allows
"bad things to happen to good people."

Either God is all-powerful and permits evil
or he is all-merciful but unable to prevent evil.
Perhaps the answer is both of the above,
that God acts simultaneously in different ways.

Perhaps He took human form in Jesus to show
his love and concern for his highest creations.
Perhaps He is always with us in spirit to give us
the strength to cope with the vicissitudes of life.

What's In It for Me?

February 7, 2015

What's In It for Me.

In his book, "The Unbelievable Gospel,"

Jonathan Dodson maintains that modern

evangelism begins by establishing a personal

relationship with a prospective convert.

In my words, the evangelist must be prepared

to answer the question from the prospect,

"What's in it for me?", because that is

the modern key to accepting the gospel.

"Will I be a success if I become a Christian?"

Well, maybe, if your objectives are

to do things that benefit mankind, rather

than aggrandizing your position in the world.

"Will my personal problems be solved?"

Yes, if you concentrate your attitude

toward forgiving the shortcomings of others,

and becoming concerned for their well-being.

"Will I be happier than I am now?"

That depends on how you define happiness.

Yes, if it means you will be at peace with

yourself and those who are important to you.

"Will I be free from troubles and tragedy?"

No, that is the human condition.

You will be inspired to pray for

the strength to manage whatever befalls.

"Will I become a better person?"

Absolutely, you will be free of the

chains that the modern culture imposes

and follow a higher standard of behavior.

"Will my family and friends still like me?"

They certainly will respect you

even if they do not agree with you.

Fellow Christians will open their hearts to you.

"Will I be challenged, as a Christian?"

More and more, you will find yourself

doing tasks you never expected to perform

and thus becoming a servant of the Lord.

You will no longer fear death,

because you are assured of eternal life

in the company of saints like you
and the persons you loved in this world.

.

A Church Downsized

"No, our church didn't go bust,"
said the churchwarden of St. XXXXXX.
"We were slaves to our buildings,
we couldn't afford the upkeep anymore.

"So we decided to sell the property,
and move to rented quarters.
The move worked out pretty well,
but we're having problems with the sale."

"The Episcopal diocese claims the proceeds,
under a church law called the Dennis canon.
They say the diocese has an 'implied trust'
over the property of its member parishes."

"We don't know how that will work out, 
neither does the lawyer we hired.
She does believe our liquid assets are safe,
although the diocese is trying to seize them."

"St. XXXXX is a functioning corporation, 
which has moved to another location.
Whether we own or rent is irrelevant;
we have not missed a Sunday of services."

"Our focus is on our main objectives:
bringing the saving grace to all who worship
with us, and engaging in charitable outreach
to the community around us."

"We employ a full-time pastor, paying her
the prescribed salary and allowances.
We pay the diocesan assessment on time,
which will have to be reduced."

"Our church has had to give up sponsoring
activities that used our former property/
AA groups and the thrift shop are gone.
The daycare operation moved elsewhere."

"We have an active network of 
church groups meeting in homes,
for education, moral support, and
simple fellowship and hospitality."

"All in all, our church regulars
are pleased with the new arrangement,
finding it much easier to invite
new people to meet with us."

"Our expenses are modest, operating
on sort of a pay-as-you-go system.
We don't worry anymore about 
what we can afford doing."

A Church for Sale

"Both the land and the buildings 
are for sale," said the agent.
"The property just came on the market,
so they're all in pretty good shape."

"The old building in front has some
kind of historical protection, so it
can't be torn down.  If you use it,
it may need some upgrading."

"The church complex is from the
seventies.  They took real good 
care of it.  Put in two ACs to 
protect the organ and cool the crowd!"

"The big building in back is what
they called a parish hall.  It has
a commercial kitchen and storage.
Would be fine for parties and receptions."

"No, the day care outfit has no 
lease on the space they use.
The church didn't charge them
anything; it was all on charity."

"I don't know why the church went bust.
I work for the seller, what they 
call a diocese.  The woman who hired
us is a lawyer for the seller."

"This is not a great location for business,
so we told them to set a realistic price.
You would have to advertise a lot 
to build a clientele here."

"On the other hand, this is a great
place for something that blends
into a historic neighborhood.
Just don't plan on much signage."

"Yes, that is a landscaper next door.
They are grandfathered into the site.
You may have to initiate some legal 
action to get them to remove the pile of dirt."

"The parking lot needs regrading,
better yet, paved with asphalt.
It is plenty big enough to host
capacity crowds for local events."

"Yes, that is a memorial garden.
No one is buried there, in a casket, that is.  
What you see are places where the 
ashes of people are stuck in the ground."

"The seller hasn't said what should
happen to the memorial garden.
Maybe they will just ask people to
remove the ashes, if they want."

"So let me know it you're interested.
I may be able to get someone who
used to go to this church to tell you
a little more about its history."

Anglican Evangelicals

We know who we are
even though we may not be
completely clear as to what 
an evangelical is or does.

Basically, we try to reach
the unchurched, to bring them
to the saving grace of Christ
and enlist them in His service.

Anglican Evangelicals do not
have a named church as such.
We worship in a variety of
Christian churches everywhere.

The distinguishing feature is our
heritage in the great history of 
The Church of England and its
Anglican and Episcopal successors.

Thus our doctrines are an 
amalgam of catholic and 
reformation theology, bent to
suit out worldly outlook.

Thanks to a simplistic reading
of the writings of Richard Hooker,
we value reason and tradition in
interpreting the revelations of the bible.

Individual salvation is our 
primary goal for all, to be
attained through example,
exhortation, and education.

Outreach, the good works
of modern culture, is secondary
to the fulfillment of the 
Great Commission in our actions.

Four Little Churches

Four little churches in a
large Episcopal diocese
are in  transition, searching
for the next rector.

None of them have 
sufficient means to pay the
compensation for clergy
required by the diocese.

The diocesan consultsants
recommend that each church
withdraw large sums from 
endowed funds to cover.

Inasmuch as the attendance and
collections at each church have 
been declining for years, there
is little chance of replenishment.

The diocese pursues two aims:
Keep clergy employed while
insuring that the assessments
continue to flow to the diocese.

The consultants have suggested
paying only 3/4 of the prescribed
compensation for clergypersons
but retaining full assessments.

Faced with little prospect
of expanding their congregations,
the little churches will eventually
run out of endowed funds.

When this happens, and the
church closes its doors, the
remaining assets and buildings
revert to the diocese.

Not only does the church vanish,
but the buildings which the 
people paid for over the years
are sold on the open market.

A Sin of Omission

You may not rewrite the Bible.
you may disagree with a passage,
you may question its applicability,
but you may not remove it.

Biblical scholars are always careful
to footnote the provenance of a
questionable story such as the meeting
of Jesus with the Samaritan woman at the well.

But they never say something
was never written or never said;
that someone must have added
it at a later time for selfish reasons.

We react negatively to a passage
that is ludicrous in our time,
such as Paul's admonition to women
to keep veiled and silent in church.

Therefore, that particular segment
is omitted from the daily lectionary
of The Episcopal Church in the
1979 Book of Common Prayer.

All of Romans is read daily in the
Year One except verses 26 and 27
of Chapter One, which details sins
deserving the Wrath of God..

In the 1928 Book of Common Prayer,
only the first half of Romans One
is accessed, leaving the Wrath of God
prevented from harming delicate sensibilities.

Thus we must conclude that
sins of omission are perpetrated
by the pious souls who decide for us
what we may read from the bible.