A “church” that preaches and blesses blasphemy cannot be a church. Nor can any Christian be a member of it.
The religious organization that styles itself “The Episcopal ”˜Church’” now preaches and blesses blasphemy against Christ our Savior. Therefore it cannot be a Christian church. And I can no longer ”” though I grew up in it, and belonged for over sixty-five years ”” be a member.
The personal tragedy is that the parish church in which I grew up, and which I still attended as an Episcopalian, is as true to the faith once delivered as could be. Its rector and associate rector are both orthodox; one deacon has served for more than forty years. My heart grieves for what they will be going through over the next five years.
Many of the parishioners are close and long-time friends. They are simply unaware of what took place at the General Convention in Salt Lake City, and they will probably never hear of it. They will continue to come, Sunday after Sunday, and worship as they always have. And I may even join them ”” but now as a visitor.
I not only have to resign my membership; I have to resign my position as parish Chancellor, as well. I cannot remain in the former while the leadership and most of the bishops (including the one who heads my former diocese, as well as the resigned one who used to head it) are endorsing blasphemy. And I cannot remain in the latter position as that same leadership, aided by all those 129 bishops who voted for the Satanic rites, trample the Constitution and Canons and mock the Book of Common Prayer.
My own knowledge of the Constitution and canons, together with my knowledge of what actually happened in Salt Lake City, compels me to these decisions…
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Thanks for sharing your wrenching decision, Allan, and for stating your reasons for leaving TEC with such clarity and grace. As always, your words are carefully chosen and utterly convincing.
Mindful of Kendall’s request, I am not writing this comment to encourage anyone else to follow your example, Allan. But I will simply add my own testimony. I am not a “cradle Episcopalian.” I entered the Episcopal Church in April, 1979, at the age of 24. I was ordained a priest in the conservative, Anglo-Catholic Diocese of Albany in 1985, at the age of 30. I finally got sick and tired or dealing with the ever-increasing Liberalism and apostasy (or blasphemy, as you aptly put it, Allan) of TEC, and I left TEC and transferred to ACNA in June of 2009, i.e., as soon as that decent Anglican alternative was finally launched.
People sometimes ask me if I have any regrets about leaving TEC after investing 30 years of my life (24 as a priest) in that once illustrious denomination. I always reply that I have no regrets whatsoever.
There is such a thing as late onset allergies, rather like late onset diabetes, I guess. I finally became so allergic to the toxic Liberalism of TEC that I had to get out, or perish. And by Liberalism I don’t mean the political and social liberalism that now dominates TEC. Rather I mean the theological Liberalism or relativism that now so pervades and dominates TEC. That is, I mean Liberalism as John Henry Cardinal Newman defined it so succinctly in his own Apologia in 1864, i.e., as “the anti-dogmatic principle.” In other words, the dogmatic rejection of all Christian doctrines and dogmas except the fashionable new dogma that traditional, biblical Christianity is false.
Some of my friends back in Albany and elsewhere don’t seem to have developed the same allergy that I came down with, at least not yet. Fine, I wouldn’t wish a bad allergy on anyone.
I didn’t leave as an act of protest, or anything like that. I left TEC because I literally had to do so, or my immortal soul was in grave peril. TEC had become completely toxic to me. Sad, but true.
We each have our own needs and our own story. Thanks again, Allan, for sharing yours. You have been an inspiration to me, and to many, for a very long time. May our gracious Savior be with you in the coming days and years.
Respectfully,
David Handy+