Peter Ould to TEC Bishops: Play the Man Again

Powerful and painful - and humbling.  By this measure, most of us are runners up in sissy contests.  May we have the faith to live in God’s fear, die in his favor and rest in his peace - and know that it is only by the grace won for us on Calvary that we can.

Well . . . yes . . . but that was a long time ago.

Perhaps the Anglican Reformers did not have the understanding of discipleship and martyrdom that we have gained by contemporary experience. 
And VGR and FTG did wear kevlar…

Wow.  Great job, Peter!

It really brings it all in focus, doesn’t it.  Either we stand on the foundation of Scripture as understood by the Church (capital C) or we stand on the shifting sands of time.

I spoke to an orthodox priest from another diocese recently who told me, “I’ve got a good bishop.  He’s a Windsor Bishop.”  Well, I know who his bishop is, and he’s never been mentioned as even a possibility, and he’s certainly never been to Camp Allen.  Maybe he’s a good bishop (i.e. not making life uncomfortable for the orthodox in his diocese) but he’s keeping his head so far down that he can’t see where he’s going, if he’s going anywhere—or maybe that’s the point. Nobody will burn these fence-sitting bishops at the stake if they utter an opinion contrary to the official TEC party line. All that may happen is that they lose their jobs and have to take early retirement. Maybe they’ll have to move. Come on! What is wrong with them!

I am awe-struck. Thank you so much, Peter.

Excellent and very well done, Peter.  May we all stand as firm as these men did.

It’s humbling to remember how many have stood for their faith when “TEC bishops seem to have been chosen from the winners of sissy contest.” Thank you for this reminder, Peter!

May the Lord please give me the grace to stand like these men if that should be required of me.

Reminds me of the old quote:  “If being a Christian was a crime, would there be enough evidence to convict you?”

Excellent work, Peter.  So very sad to think that the likes of Williams, Bruno and Chane are successors to Ridley, Latimer and Cramner.  May our Lord have mercy on us all.

Wow!!!  And, as Sue Martinez pointed out: Nobody will burn these fence-sitting bishops at the stake if they utter an opinion contrary to the official TEC party line.
TEC has managed to create this culture of fear ,,, and what exactly is this fear of?
Not a fear of God.  Fear of God would cause people to reject the TEC party line.
Is the climate of fear just that it isn’t NICE to disagree? A fear of social ostracism?
And some financial costs?

I weep to think of all the Godley men and women who went before us and paid such a price for all that we have. And what have we done to preserve that costly heritage?

Play what sort of man? Christ’s man or company man.

As one might expect, Mark Harris has a long condemning article on this montage, and he says, “GLorify sinful men and women and condemn no one”.  I guess that could mean, open all the prison doors and let out everyone on society to do what they will.  That would certainly solve the overcrowding of prisons, maybe we could send them all to Mark’s house for love and rehab.

Yes, but I have a response to Mark here - http://www.peter-ould.net/2007/08/28/some-more-thoughts-on-martyrdom/

RE: Mark Harris - [*Yawn*] may I suggest there is more edifying reading material on the web than Harris’ pontificating propaganda.

It so happens that Dallas’ Diocesan Convention is the Friday and Saturday after Oct 16.  It will be interesting to see if anyone (other than me) remembers this.

YBIC,
Phil Snyder

Great video, Peter.  But I like your response to Mark Harris even better.  A very timely word, I think, reinforcing some of what the Lord has been trying to bang into my head recently during my devotions.  Thank you!
I especially appreciated this section of your response to Mark:

On and on those arms of love and freedom cry out the simple message - “Die”. “Die”, they cried out to Max Kolbe, Paul Schneider, Dietrich Bonhoeffer and those who died at the hands of the right wing facist regimes. “Die” they cried out to the hundreds of Roman Catholic priests and nuns slaughtered by the left wing government during the Spanish Civil war.

On and on further the arms stretch out and cry. “Die” they cried to Oluwatoyin Olusase, martyred in Nigeria earlier this year. “Die” they cried to Magos Solompn Semere, also martyred this year in Eritrea because he would not deny the God of the Bible.

“Die” they cry to you and me, to Peter Ould and to Mark Harris. “Die” they cry to a people [The Hebrew Children in the Fiery Furnace]  of God whose desires would, if carried out, let alone be blessed, say things about God that were untrue. Die to your sinful fallen nature and in your dying be a martus, a witness to the things that are true about God. In your death to your fallen self glorify me. This is what Jesus meant when he said that those who lose their life will gain it. Others attempt to hold onto their sin and they gain the whole world. But what does it profit them if they then lose their soul?

So to the punch-line. There is fundamentally no difference between those who bravely witnessed of Christ right into the flames and those in the church who today, die to their sin and witness to Christ in that.

So often we forget that our lives are speaking about God to those who are watching, especially if we have been vocal about our faith.  Will our lives speak lies or will they testify to the Truth of who Jesus is, of His character, His love, His faithfulness, His holiness, His forgiveness, His grace, His power to transform us…?  This is really a needed reminder today.

September 30 is the day of reckoning for all Anglicans. 

This meeting will reveal each TEC Bishop’s choice to be true shepherds/sheep or false. 

Each of them and each of us must choose what we will do.

It is the same old choice as in Elijah’s time - whether we will follow God or Baal.  Elijah asked, “If the Lord is God, follow him’ but if Baal (sex, flesh, power, money, false religion) is god, follow him.”  (I Kings 18:21)

Elijah’s question still stands for every believer from the leadership on down.

It is every person’s free choice.  Everything we give ourselves to is an act of worship.  Every day, every moment, every thought, word, deed, breath of our existence, we give an answer to Elijah’s question deciding who or what we will worship. 

The right choice is always to follow God wholeheartedly and to deny the flesh, world, devil.  We always must count the cost, it is not always painless, but can be very hard to wrench oneselves away from the relationships and habits that bind us. 

But, the rewards of following God make the destructive offerings of Baal as dung, says St. Paul.  Many the true Elijahs are among us.  They know God’s power to deliver.  The true prophets are not necessarily clergy.  They are people who speak and live God’s Word with clarity, conviction, courage, compassion.  Their words and lives align and agree with the Church of the Ages, the Global Church, the Scriptures.  They lift us to Christ and bring His power and love into our lives.  Many of them post here and on the other orthodox blogs.

I pray God will speak through His true prophets in New Orleans, city of sin, calling for a decision of TEC Bishops, Priests, laity, all Anglicans. 

Those who decide for God choose to live the crucified and resurrected life and reveal Christ to the world.  These are the true prophets and people of God.

Today’s lectionary reading, from David’s charge to Solomon, are the words:  Be strong, therefore, and show yourself a man (2 Ki 2:2).  I had never noticed the similarity to Latimer’s words: Be of good comfort, Master Ridley, and play the man.

Yes Jill, striking isn’t it?  I was going to post Peter’s video on L&B;anyway, but what a great tie in was possible with your post on the charge to Solomon!
http://lent.classicalanglican.net/?p=3837
http://lent.classicalanglican.net/?p=3836

The song is “Great is Your Name” by thebandwithnoname off their “Dying to be There” album.

Peter—Absolutely brilliant. If you’re a true evangelical, you’ll post it on UTube. Thanks for an awakening.

Something like http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcnSgDWHHG4 ?

PS - Besides I Kings 18:21, I encourage TEC and AC Bishops, leaders and laity read and meditate on Numbers 33:55 and 56.

re: playing ‘the man’ - as Pilate said, ‘Behold, the man’

Jesus is The Man - the one we all must ‘play’.