You can't make these people up: an Episcopalian priestess in Washington state has declared that she's both a Muslim and a Christian. Which of course you cannot be, but hey, she's postmodern. It's all about her:
"At the most basic level, I understand the two religions to be compatible. That's all I need."
Naturally, her bishop is cool with it, saying that "he accepts Redding as an Episcopal priest and a Muslim, and that he finds the interfaith possibilities exciting."
Exciting? Please. For Bishop Redding, the Christian faith apparently has no doctrinal content whatsoever -- nor does the Islamic faith, but that's not really his business, now is it? If only that Episcopal priest who became a Druid priest and then recanted had been in Bishop Redding's diocese, all would have been well.
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Here is Ms Redding’s Q&A at the paper.
Its a topsy-turvy world. Mormons who believe that Jesus is Lord and Savior aren't Christians but Muslims are.
I've met several Pagans (myself not amongst them, btw) who love Jesus Christ's message, and are very familiar with the writings, but hate what Christians have done with Him. I suspect that there are many more such people out there who did not not turn to modern Paganism(s) when they found themselves wanting to follow Jesus, but unable to follow His self-chosen leaders.
For myself, I honor the man's life, I admire His alleged actions, and I grieve over some of the consequences.
If you just think Jesus had a swell message you shouldn't become a Christian even if you thought Christians were totally lovely dudes who passed out condoms or whatever else one needs to get society's gold star these days.
If you think Jesus is who he claimed to be, than if you any gumption at all you should follow Him and damn the failings of his followers.
Mr. Mandias,
If you think Jesus is who he claimed to be, than if you any gumption at all you should follow Him and damn the failings of his followers.
Do you mean gumption in the face of cries of heresy (and a trial thereof, as in the case of the Episcopalian priest mentioned earlier)? Do you mean gumption against the disapprobation, ostracizing and disowning within the community on the simple word of said leaders?
I worded my post quite deliberately. The people mentioned love the word of the Christ. They hate what some Christians have done with them, and they acquired that hate by directly experiencing that leadership. I would say, at least in some of their cases, that they demonstrated heroic gumption by surrendering to the rejection, the hateful words and the complete lack of family and friends' support and allowing themselves to be divorced from their communities.
Dr Redding is technically an apostate from Christianity (but it seems she doesn't understand Christianity) and apparently a dishonest Muslim.
Good observation that 'it's all about her'.
That the diocese approves beggars the imagination!
What's the relationship between the Orthodox Church and the Anglicans? Is it true that the Orthodox Church, as opposed to the Catholic Church, views the Anglican orders as valid?
Thanks to the implicit Catholicism one can find in Anglicanism and more specifically in its Catholic Movement (Anglo-Catholicism) starting in the mid-1800s there once was a lot of interest among Anglicans in the Orthodox and some of this was reciprocated. In America St Tikhon the Russian archbishop was sincerely very friendly with the Episcopalians in Wisconsin. With his blessing an Episcopalian, Isabel Hapgood, put together the first Orthodox service book in English. Some Episcopalians offered material aid to immigrant Orthodox churches and didn't try to convert them.
Some Anglicans thought they were the English equivalent of the Orthodox churches. Some among them and some others thought about some kind of union with them.
In the 1920s and 1930s some Orthodox churches (Constantinople and Romania for example) declared that IF all of Anglicanism unprotestantised and then asked to be admitted to Orthodoxy they'd be received 'economically' in their orders (no re-ordination). (The founding first hierarch of ROCOR, Metropolitan Anthony, believed this.) Which was a consolation to Anglo-Catholics because in 1896 the Pope ruled against the validity of Anglican orders. Sometimes - Because of wishful thinking? Misunderstanding? - people describe these statements from some Orthodox as 'the Orthodox recognise Anglican orders' as they are now, which is not true.
Then, and now, convert clergy are re-ordained outright.
A conservative blog for peace
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