“We really just want the status quo to exist which is leave us alone, let us follow Christ as we have been doing and do that in the building that we’re in right now,” said Anglican priest, Father Carlos Raines.
Last December the Diocese of San Joaquin split from the Episcopal Church over the issue of homosexuality.
Thank you and God bless you Dean Raines.
Intercessor
I second Intercessor’s praise of our Dean! I would like to add….what does anyone think God the Father and Jesus the Son are thinking about Christians being sued by other professed Christians? Is it really worth answering to Him on that Big Day …[i]”What were you thinking?”[/i] Seriously! I ask myself that question every time I think I might be hurting someone….what is God the Father and Jesus the Son going to say to me and ask me if I do this? There is a life after this one and God will be waiting to hold us to account and I just have to wonder….don’t these people think about that?
[blockquote]”If we should lose the court battle and we lose the property we’ll walk out of here singing hymns because we’ll certainly feel secure in knowing that the Lord’s gonna be with us,” said Raines.[/blockquote]
By the way…this is called [b]”True Faith in God to Provide and Protect”[/b]! we keep our eyes, heart and minds on Him and not on the material things that the other sides seems so focused on that they feel comfy in suing for even though their name is not on the title nor did any of their money and hard work go into the building and maintaining of said properties!
Carlos Raines is a godly man of prayer and a fine priest. I am a better man and a better cleric having had a few brief encounters with Carlos+.
We here in the Ft. Worth diocese know that the shadow-“diocese of Ft. Worth” built by the “Steering Committee” of Remain Episcopal (with encouragement and direct tactical support of the PB and DBB) will be filing suits in the spring, after having organized themselves with a retired bishop mimicking the diocesan bishop we love and support.
I wonder if Christ’s admonishment to be “innocent as a dove, yet wise as a serpent” comes into play viz “walking away from the property”? One one hand, yes, it is heroic to ‘let goods and kindred go…this mortal life also”. Yet, on the other hand, who will answer to the Lord about what the enemies of the Cross do with the “goods” surrendered to them at the first threat of civil suit?
Tis a quandry!
Yes, Stuart, it is indeed a quandary! We in this diocese are naturally concerned about the possible outcome of TEC’s lawsuit against us, but we are quite willing……although reluctantly so…….to leave the properties, but Schori and Company will find them empty on Sunday mornings. They will have a lot of explaining to do when they come before the Master…….and I would not care to be in their shoes.