What if Jesus were living in today’s society, observing the teachings of churches?
The Rev. David Dingwall leaned back in his chair and thought for a moment.
“I wonder if Jesus would recognize much of what is being said and done in his name,” he said. “Some of it, he would say, ‘Yes. You get it.’ But certainly not everything.”
Soft-spoken, with a depth of thought, an easy laugh and prone to toying with his moustache when formulating an idea, the pastor of St. Paul’s by-the-Sea Episcopal Church in downtown Ocean City said he believes Jesus was militant, a radical, intensely political, but not violent. Jesus issued an invitation — experience a new way of life.
It can be summarized by reading The Sermon on the Mount, recorded in the fifth chapter of the Biblical book of Matthew, one of the gospels.
Here from the article, I think, is the key to this man. (Otherwise everything he says can be interpreted according to one’s liking.) “Dingwall doesn’t take the belief of Jesus’ second coming literally, but believes, “the kingdom of God will come in its fullness when the kingdom of this world is transformed into the kingdom of God.” ”
Also the belief in the inherent goodness of people to achieve this transformation.
Oh golly, it’s just a series of cliches, talking points from 815:
* In TEC, you don’t have to check your brain at the door
* In TEC, we value questions
* In TEC, we have a three legged stool
* In TEC, we care incarnating God’s love now
* All people are children of God
Etc.
All BS.
I’m glad that Adam in #1 draws everyone’s attention to the fact that we have yet again one more TEC priest who is proud to go on record as disbelieving in the very thing he recites on Sunday morning (the Nicene Creed).
The reporter needs to bear much of the responsibility here too. The reporter is just doing a puff piece. He has no interest in checking out whether any of the claims the apostate priest makes are true. So for example the reporter sloppily reports that TEC came into existence when it broke away from Rome in the 1500s.
I thought it was so funny what he said about in TEC we care only about this life and have comparatively little interest in eternity. What this really, necessarily means, is that people who say that don’t believe in eternal life. He’d deny that, but of course it’s true.
Just think about it. Suppose a guy said, all I care about is what happens in the next 5 minutes. I don’t care about what happens in the next 50 years. He’d be crazy — the overwhelming majority of his life is in those 50 years, and the next 5 minutes is almost nothing by comparison. If a guy really believed that (and was sane) it’s because he only thought he had a few more minutes to live.
Sounds like he is running for bishop.
Fortunately, there is an ACNA parish in the area, Holy Trinity Cathedral, Berlin, MD.
The Rev. Dingwall’s dilemma is that if I were to agree with him as to what is actually important, he can not give any good reasons for me to join his organisation. It is only by recruiting based upon what he denies or discards that he has any hope of increasing his flock.
See unlike him I do not wonder what Jesus would make of his church-I worship because I know what he does make of it. Dingwall refers to Christ as to a dead prophet wheras surely the whole point is that Christ is here present and to be adored…
The Pharisees went out of their way to have Jesus paint himself as a Zealot…Jesus was not a militant and certainly not political. Basic Christian Education is yet again failing TEC clergy.
Check the chart:
http://208.91.223.92/reports/PR_ChartsDemo/exports/ParishRPT_37201040422PM.pdf
Those stats are impressive. Sort of like watching Wile E. Coyote fall off a cliff.
Knowing Fr. Dingwall personally, I will say beyond the shadow of a doubt that he believes in the Nicene Creed. In fact, he’s fought for the upholding of the faith in the midst of sometimes muddy waters. Why on earth do we have to make these horrible assumptions about one another based on nothing more than a few lines in a secular newspaper article? Why do we trust the media more than each other?
Thank you Father J… nice to know that someone who knows me, and knows the facts, also feels compelled to comment.