Features
PB sermon turns silk purse into sow’s ear
I think that last Sunday’s lesson from Acts is one of the Bible’s best for preaching the liberating power of Christ. It is a passage that even progressives should find inspiring on several levels. Unless you are the Presiding Bishop, who sees the complete opposite. Instead of liberation, there is confinement. Instead of Christ’s glory, there’s just squalor.
Don’t Sign the Letter
Living in a condition of regular unrepentant sexual engagement with a person of the same sex is, according to 1 Cor 6:9-10, damnable. The best thing, the only thing, to be done is to repent, break off the relationship, and turn to Jesus Christ. For the sake of those engaged in this sin (and those who are tempted by it) there can be no pastoral or practical accommodation.
A Facebook Exchange with a COE Bishop
It’s sometimes unpleasant to have one’s rhetorical inconsistencies mocked and it’s sometimes unpleasant to have someone else in one’s organization point out that there’s no commonality on one’s faith.
How to Never Say Anything True About Jesus to Anyone Ever
The apostles did not wait, nor do they ever suggest waiting, until hearers might “receive the gospel as good news” before proclaiming it. The cross offends. It always will because it amplifies the sinfulness of human sin and the helplessness of humanity apart from the work of Christ.
Beware the Next Reichstag Fire
The American left probes for a Reichstag fire moment. There is a quest for an incident that will allow more centralization of emergency power in the federal government, the elimination of constitutional rights and, it would appear, the advent of a single party state.
Eichmann to Gosnell, Ragsdale on the Assist
I don’t think I’m violating any confidences to say that most of us at Stand Firm are finding it very hard to cover the Gosnell trial, as relevant and pointed as it is for the kinds of faith and culture issues we engage here. Monstrous as he is, he is but a microcosm of evil pervading the church and the world.
Once More into the Breach: The Silly Shellfish Argument Rises Again
If you’re a revisionist activist devoted to normalizing homosexual behavior in the church, Acts 10 isn’t a moving account of the gracious and merciful hand of God extending salvation to the Gentiles – it’s a threat that must be neutralized.
Burning Incense to Rosie O’Donnell
“Marriage equality” lets people stand on a cost-free moral high ground. You’re a good person just for holding the opinion, saying the slogan, burning the pinch of incense. You are an accepted member of the in group and can look down your nose at those on the outs.
Sexual Immorality is a Rejection of Jesus
What I want to do here is look at the specific way in which the New Testament equates false teaching about sexual ethics with false teaching about Jesus and outright denial of his Lordship.
The Duke, the Dauphin, and the Episcopal Bishop of Virginia
It’s such a crude and farcical fraud by now—like the Duke and the Dauphin capering across the stage in Huckleberry Finn—and yet our bishops still put on the play with nary a trace of embarrassment or self-awareness.
Learning the Right Lessons: No One Should be Surprised by Shannon Johnston
To promote the notion that two people of the same sex can be married and/or engage in sexual acts within the context of a union God has blessed is not simply to reject God’s revealed purposes for human sexuality, it is also to construct a false image of god, a distorted portrait of Christ.
Truro - the Crisis for the Communion
Simply put, Baucum/Truro have crystallised and provided validation to what is becoming increasingly clear is Justin Welby’s approach of non-discipline of heretics in the Communion
Truro - the Crisis for the ACNA
Truro’s position effectively demands that all former Virginia parishes revert to TEC.
The Devil, You Say
Was Adam Lanza, the Newtown gunman, the Devil’s agent? To put it another way, can the possibility be foreclosed? Because if it can be, the Prince of Darkness is off the hook, and we turn, necessarily, to the examination of purely human causes and motives
Mindy McCready and the New American Priesthood
One hopes that a real priest, pastor or somebody will come alongside McCready’s abandoned children, with a word more enduring than film scripts or pop lyrics.
Promises, Promises: What Now for the Loyal Opposition in Mississippi?
The Episcopal Diocese of Mississippi is on an irreversible path toward full-on celebration and normalization of homosexuality and transgenderism, and any other deviant sexual cause that becomes fashionable among the theological leftists who run the diocese.
What’s our message to those who aren’t having sex?
Just like there’s all kinds of sex going on, there’s all kinds of celibacy going on. Some celibacy is temporary, some is permanent. Some is planned, some is an intrusion. Some is honored, some is reviled.
The Week
Awesome and Shibboleths of Community
More on community and church choices, this time from Red State: Again, this sounds a lot like deciding the grass is greener elsewhere because of what others say. I…
Capitalism and Community
I’ve skipped the great excerpt from Senator Lee’s speech, so make sure you hustle over to Red State to read it all: This is a significant point, and it…
The Art of the Non-Apology by Rachel Held Evans
7 Hey look, so I recognize that hypothetically speaking it is possible that I might potentially write something that might be construed by some people as “wrong”. And I want to apologize to…
Jurgen Liias’s Move to Rome: A Spiritual Autobiography
Here’s another man’s thoughts about his church search. Obviously, I disagree with his foundational assumption which is that Rome’s assertions about its identity as “one true church”…
Adoption: Recipe for Virtually Automatic Audit
Have you adopted a child recently? Don’t look now, but the IRS will be knocking on your door soon, according to David French of National Review Online: As we get word…
May Madness: A Bracket for My Search of a Church Home (Miniblog #204)
This is a fascinating post on church searching—something which many Episcopalians in TEC [or out of it now] have undergone. [For a bit of background on this person’s…
All is Well™ - Georgia Division
19 A new chapter in the All is Well™ - Geogia Division saga. Word on the street is that a portion of the congregation at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church…
Homicide Rates Before Guns?
1 Interesting analysis over at Extrano’s Alley, where there is more: England is one of the few exceptions to the lack of records. Wide areas of England have excellent…
Mid-Week Refresher: Marine reunited with dog he handled in Afghanistan in surprise ceremony
1 Very sweet. From Fox News, where there is more: When Marine Sgt. Ross Gundlach served as a dog handler in Afghanistan, he told the yellow lab who was his constant…
States Have a Right to Protect Residents from Illegal Immigration
From Red State, where there is more: To begin with, there is a clear need for states to help enforce laws against illegal immigration in such a large country. When you…
Gang Immigration Bill (S.744) is Comprehensively Flawed
The three categories that Daniel Horowitz over at Red State covers are Enforcement/Security, Amnesty for Illegals, and Legal Immigration/Guest Workers/Future Flow—so make certain…
Autopsy of a Deceased Church: 11 Things I Learned
5 This is an interesting piece from Thom Rainer, a Southern Baptist minister, and for the most part, I agreed with him. One thing I do wonder is if…
The Abusive Hermeneutics of Rachel Held Evans
10 I’ve been following Rachel Held Evans’ writing for about a year now. It’s hard to read her regularly and keep your patience because she consistently misuses the bible to support her favorite causes. Most recently…
2013 Best & Worst States For Business
2 Interesting stuff from a CEO survey about best and worst states for business—SC ranks eighth on the list, though there’s plenty our leaders can do to move us up in that ranking. Where does your…
Helping Oklahoma
4 Capn’ Jack Sparrow has helpfully sent a couple of links for donations and/or volunteer work to help those in Oklahoma recover from devastating losses and death. Are there other suggestions from readers?
Recent Comments
B. Hunter - The Art of the Non-Apology by Rachel Held Evans
Apparently the known universe must revolve around her…I hope this doesn’t cause the earth to spin off it’s axis…
Capt. Father Warren - The Obama Scandals Aren’t About Bad Government, but Big Government
He’s never served anywhere, never been responsible for running anything; just a street agitator.
Pb - The Obama Scandals Aren’t About Bad Government, but Big Government
As Commander in Chief, he should know that you can delegate authority but you cannot delegate responsibility. I guess this is understandable since he never served in the armed forces.
cennydd13 - The Obama Scandals Aren’t About Bad Government, but Big Government
Katherine, the buck stops at the very top, and in this case, that means President Obama. This mess happened on his watch, and he is ultimately responsible for it. Whether or not he has anything…
Pb - All is Well™ - Georgia Division
Fr. Mears was from Albany. I believe his home parish has left TEC. His parents were very active in the early days of Cursillo and he comes out of that tradition. At one time there…
tired - The Art of the Non-Apology by Rachel Held Evans
What an artless and, yes - ungraceful - manner of requesting grace from her readers. On what basis might she have any expectation of deserving such? I think I shall “actualize the possibility” of continuing…
Undergroundpewster - All is Well™ - Georgia Division
I wonder how Fr. Mears got into the Diocese of Ga. or has he been there for a long time? I bet the Dio staff is investigating that as well.
frhutch - All is Well™ - Georgia Division
Pewster, Fr. Mears has done an incredible job teaching and ironically was praised in print by Canon Logue.
frhutch - All is Well™ - Georgia Division
There are three that have left. However, another priest, Fr. Bill Hess, who was summarily drummed out of King of Peace in Kingsland by +Benhase, has started a new Anglican Congregation. In +Benhase’s tenure in…
Sarah - All is Well™ - Georgia Division
In 2001, ASA for the Diocese of Georgia was at around 7800. in 2011 it’s at about 6200. Wow. What an incredible meltdown over a 10-year period.
Sarah - All is Well™ - Georgia Division
So how many congregations in the Diocese of Georgia have departed since Benhase became bishop? I believe we’re at three, right? Or is it four?
Sarah - All is Well™ - Georgia Division
RE: “The reading of the book of Jude began the meeting . . .” Major style points there! ; > )
Martial Artist - PB sermon turns silk purse into sow's ear
And if there is anyone for whom listening to her voice is insufficient penance, I am reasonably confident that any number of Google searches can provide something equally bothersome—fingernails on blackboard, gravel being crushed, screams…
SpongJohn SquarePantheist - PB sermon turns silk purse into sow's ear
Chris Rosebrough, Lutheran apologist, recently analyzed this sermon on his podcast, but since there is no audio, he created a synthetic computer facsimile of Schori’s voice in order to recite the sermon text. It’s a…
frhutch - All is Well™ - Georgia Division
Sarah, Frank Logue is the Canon to the Ordinary, Joy Fisher is the President of the Standing Committee (actively employed as an attorney), Ted Clarkson is the Dean of the Convocation and William Willoughby was…
Cindy T. in TX - The Abusive Hermeneutics of Rachel Held Evans
So she basically objects to the doctrine of original sin, and can’t wrap her mind around the necessity of the cross. How does she define “grace?” Merited favor? She can’t “live into the tension” of…