Okay, so I'm no longer going to be embarrassed about past association with the Worldwide Church of God. I admit it: I thought nobody could compete with the nutty proliferation of half-baked splinters that Armstrongism produced. The truth is, however, that there is one Christian group that can indeed give the WCG (or GCI) a run for their money.
Meet the Anglicans, and specifically the wacky Anglicans of the USA.
Yes, brethren, it seems we're far more mainstream than any of us ever guessed!
Actually, Joe Tkach might like to emulate this little Power Point presentation. It wouldn't take much to adapt for the holdouts in Glendora.
9 comments:
*rewinds PowerPoint three times*
Whoa. Did that thing say (at 2:46) the Anglican Communion is actually part of the Catholic Church?? 8-O
But, yeah, 2 million members? Not even if Junior managed to usurp leadership of the NAE itself, would he ever see those kinds of numbers. Same with the rest of the Church of God splinters.
The thing I find the funniest about the Anglicans/Episcopalians/etc. is the Mystery Worshipper Reports at Ship of Fools constantly have the attenders bitching that the services aren't "done right". LOL. I guess every Anglican splinter apparently has "the one true way" to eat the one true cracker and drink the one true wine, it's absolutely hilarious.
Did that thing say (at 2:46) the Anglican Communion is actually part of the Catholic Church??No, they are part of the catholic (little "c"- meaning "universal" church).
The Episcopal Church (TEC) has veered far outside historic orthodox Christianity and has followed other gods. (they have worship centers which highlight all faiths- Muslim, Buddhist, Christian, and others). One of their priests was told to step down because he was practicing Muslim as well as Christianity. The leadership of the church have openly rejected Jesus as the only path to salvation. They have slowly started removing conservative Anglican priests and bishops and started replacing them with their revisionist priests. It is pretty obvious that the leadership of the TEC is pushing a very liberal socio-political agenda.
However, the worldwide Anglican communion is mostly conservative, holding on to historic orthodox Christianity. It's the American branch - the Episcopalians- who have essentially left the faith.
It doesn't surprise me that there are so many splinter groups. In order to leave The Episcopal Church, and remain Anglican, they have to align with another Anglican provice from another part of the world. Most recently, a new orthodox province was formed in the U.S. I would bet that many of these splinters will align themselves with this new alternative province in the near future.
"The Episcopal Church (TEC) has veered far outside historic orthodox Christianity and has followed other gods. (they have worship centers which highlight all faiths- Muslim, Buddhist, Christian, and others). One of their priests was told to step down because he was practicing Muslim as well as Christianity. The leadership of the church have openly rejected Jesus as the only path to salvation. They have slowly started removing conservative Anglican priests and bishops and started replacing them with their revisionist priests. It is pretty obvious that the leadership of the TEC is pushing a very liberal socio-political agenda."
Cool. Where do I sign up? Seriously. That actually sounds like one hell of a kick-ass church. IIRC, it was also recommended by the religious Gnostics I spent a brief amount of time hanging around with, some months back. Now I understand why.
Er, sorry, Mark I know you were trying to make it sound unattractive. :-)
"However, the worldwide Anglican communion is mostly conservative, holding on to historic orthodox Christianity."
OH YEAH. I am currently living in what could reasonably be called a VERY Anglican part of the Anglican Communion. :-P
"Most recently, a new orthodox province was formed in the U.S. I would bet that many of these splinters will align themselves with this new alternative province in the near future."
I believe that's what the religious Gnostics are hoping for, but I could be wrong; the Catholic ones (and I do mean the "Catholic" ones) each have their own hierarchy, but there are a couple of independent churches that are looking to sign up with an acceping denomination. Churchy stuff still gives me the creeping horrors, so I didn't pay that much attention, mind, so take that FWIW.
Will keep an eye peeled for The Episcopal Church, though. Sounds a little better than the UUs, at least. And not nearly as bible-thumping as the Quakers.....
Not to worry, I have full confidence that Dr Tkach will get me to heaven.
He's worth the money people; he deserves to be rich.
Over the years, I've examined a number of methods of explaining my past affiliations to the curious.
In the mid-'70s, a close circle of friends and I began referring to AC as "Embarrassing College", mainly because if you lived anywhere in Southern California, that was a name you would most certainly NOT want on your resume! Pepperdine? Most definitely. Azusa Pacific? Perhaps. BIOLA university? Uh huh. But any references to AC would identify you in such a way that any human resources director had your status as a functioning human being "on probation". Ya might as well have quacked like a duck at your interview.
As far as the religious background goes, when people have even asked (it's rare these days in the post-Christian era of American history), I've usually explained that I was raised in a horribly toxic separatist cult that believed in abusing children, and had prophesied that the end was coming in 1975. That generally makes people ask questions, like, "A cult???? You mean, like Charlie Manson????" And, I'll explain that it was not quite on that level, because the church taught non-violence, and chaste behavior, and non-involvement in drugs. But, that it might have been more similar to Jim Jones' group in the years before he went completely koo koo. We, too had believed that our leader was an apostle, and our cult had a very rigid authoritarian structure.
I also share with them the fact that I had not become involved in this cult as a result of any rational thought processes of my own, but that it was handed to me by my parents, the direct result of their attempts to deal with a family tragedy.
And, then, I proclaim how happy I am to be free from this, having beaten the odds of recovering from brain-washing, and having undergone comprehensive therapy several decades ago. People usually state at that point that they would not have had any idea that this type of activity would have been part of my background. If they have questions as to my current status, I have no problem identifying myself as a Christian, which is certainly not an embarrassing state of existence!
BB
For the sake of decorum, the American Anglicans should be called the ECOPALIANS.
Dave Allen,the comedian, brought up this little obscenity in ecclesiastical nomenclature.
Cheers,
Jorgheinz
A little diversion re matters suilline/porcine.
Down under in NZ there is a vigorous debate going on re the matter of pigs ( hogs to you Americans) being housed in restricted accommodation so they can barely move.
Those Coggers,practising or ex, now have two criteria to consider before they purchase the flesh of the "abominable" beast...whether the meat has been KOSHERISED and whether the pig was raised in a FREE RANGE situation.
das Schwein ist fine.
Jorgheinz
"because the church taught non-violence"
Um. You mean other than Spanky's Guide to Child-Beating Bob??
You don't honestly tell people the church taught non-violence, do you? How can you say that with a straight face?
Purple Hymnal said, "You don't honestly tell people the church taught non-violence, do you? How can you say that with a straight face?"
MY COMMENT - I heard a WCG Pastor in Baltimore preach that the way to handle a rebellious wife is to rape her!
Richard
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