Episcopal Issues
This weekend I read this article on MSN. It's a good read; the gist of it is that various Episcopal parishes around the United States have been independently staging U2-themed services. Given that U2's music is very spiritually focused (which won't come as a surprise to any of you who read TSTF frequently), and given that many U2 songs contain direct quotations of scripture, U2 music serves as a good contemporary update for Episcopalians, a denomination with a very liturgical form of worship.
The article discusses the identification that youth have with the band's, and specifically Bono's, activism. According to the article:
For those of you who don't know, the Episcopal Church of the United States of America is the American arm of the Worldwide Anglican Communion, otherwise known as the Church of England. I was a parishioner at an Episcopal parish in College City for about a year and a half during college, and I eventually left for several reasons. My primary reason for leaving the ECUSA as a whole, as opposed to just finding another parish, was that the ECUSA doesn't have its house in order.
In 2003, the ECUSA confirmed the appointment of an openly gay bishop, and the Canadian branch of the denomination has blessed homosexual unions. Now, I've never believed that homosexuals ought to be excluded from the church; nobody ought to be excluded from the church. I believe in the veracity and validity of the Bible, and whether I care about homosexuality or not, the Bible says in both testaments that homosexuality is sinful. We are all sinners (particularly Lycan and Mo-Licious), but there's a difference between screwing up, and openly and unrepentantly persisting in sin. The American and Canadian churches have been sending a message for a number of years that sinful behavior isn't worth getting bent out of shape about, or even worrying about at all; the issue with the churches' tacit approval of homosexual behavior is only one example of this trend.
Part of the baggage of being a Christian is accepting the Bible and what it has to say. It's open to interpretation in some cases, but most of the Bible is pretty clear.
Where am I going with this? Well, it's really quite simple: the church isn't hemorrhaging members because it's not hip or fresh enough. It's failing to draw young people because the young people who are really intent on church affiliation are the ones who are looking for orthodoxy. Being open-minded and tolerant of people who disagree with you is great, but there has to be accountability and consistency, and in the case of successful churches, that accountability and consistency comes from following the Bible, and not ignoring clearly defined doctrines. That, ladies and gentlemen, is why the Roman Catholic Church is doing fine (other than the whole priests molesting children thing) and the Episcopal Church is flopping around like a fish out of water; in fact, various American Anglican splinter groups like the Anglican Mission in America and the Reformed Episcopal Church are growing and being enriched by relations with orthodox dioceses in Africa and Asia while the ECUSA is using gimmicks in an attempt to keep from imploding.
U2 is the greatest rock band in the world, and their music has been an invaluable element in my faith. I think that the concept that's being instituted by these Episcopal parishes is a great one. Unfortunately for them, it's going to take a lot more than glow sticks, television monitors, loud music, and One Campaign singup sheets to save the Episcopal ship from sinking.
The article discusses the identification that youth have with the band's, and specifically Bono's, activism. According to the article:
Brooks said the evening was designed to invigorate his once-aging congregation — attracting young people and those interested in social activism. "We absolutely need to grow in order to survive," he said. [...] The event included an offering for local charities and enlisted volunteers for the One Campaign, an effort to alleviate global poverty backed by U2's lead singer, Bono.
For those of you who don't know, the Episcopal Church of the United States of America is the American arm of the Worldwide Anglican Communion, otherwise known as the Church of England. I was a parishioner at an Episcopal parish in College City for about a year and a half during college, and I eventually left for several reasons. My primary reason for leaving the ECUSA as a whole, as opposed to just finding another parish, was that the ECUSA doesn't have its house in order.
In 2003, the ECUSA confirmed the appointment of an openly gay bishop, and the Canadian branch of the denomination has blessed homosexual unions. Now, I've never believed that homosexuals ought to be excluded from the church; nobody ought to be excluded from the church. I believe in the veracity and validity of the Bible, and whether I care about homosexuality or not, the Bible says in both testaments that homosexuality is sinful. We are all sinners (particularly Lycan and Mo-Licious), but there's a difference between screwing up, and openly and unrepentantly persisting in sin. The American and Canadian churches have been sending a message for a number of years that sinful behavior isn't worth getting bent out of shape about, or even worrying about at all; the issue with the churches' tacit approval of homosexual behavior is only one example of this trend.
Part of the baggage of being a Christian is accepting the Bible and what it has to say. It's open to interpretation in some cases, but most of the Bible is pretty clear.
Where am I going with this? Well, it's really quite simple: the church isn't hemorrhaging members because it's not hip or fresh enough. It's failing to draw young people because the young people who are really intent on church affiliation are the ones who are looking for orthodoxy. Being open-minded and tolerant of people who disagree with you is great, but there has to be accountability and consistency, and in the case of successful churches, that accountability and consistency comes from following the Bible, and not ignoring clearly defined doctrines. That, ladies and gentlemen, is why the Roman Catholic Church is doing fine (other than the whole priests molesting children thing) and the Episcopal Church is flopping around like a fish out of water; in fact, various American Anglican splinter groups like the Anglican Mission in America and the Reformed Episcopal Church are growing and being enriched by relations with orthodox dioceses in Africa and Asia while the ECUSA is using gimmicks in an attempt to keep from imploding.
U2 is the greatest rock band in the world, and their music has been an invaluable element in my faith. I think that the concept that's being instituted by these Episcopal parishes is a great one. Unfortunately for them, it's going to take a lot more than glow sticks, television monitors, loud music, and One Campaign singup sheets to save the Episcopal ship from sinking.
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