It’s really sad that in less than 20 years they forgot why they were formed. (And for the record, I worked with the organization that preceded ACNA when the split from the Episcopal church was coming.) If they knew the history this statement would never have been necessary. Pretty pathetic.
There isn’t day that I am not grateful God moved me on.
Whatever was the point of them joining ACNA if they were going down this path? Leftists slithered their way into TEC and turned it inside out. They absolutely cannot be allowed to do this again.
Thank you, Fr. Boersma, for your faithful witness.
If Christ is the Good Shepherd (i.e., “pastor bonus”; Jn. 10:11), He is God (i.e., “theon”; Jn. 1:1), and His ministers share in His ministry through union with Him (Gal. 2:20–21; Col. 1:24–29), then to separate theology from pastoral ministry is akin to denying the Incarnation (Mt. 1:23) and union with Christ as the Christian’s end (Ro. 6).
I am reminded of Bp. Andrewes’ “A Pattern of Catechistical Doctrine”:
Our warrant for the [first question, “whether there be a God”] is, Heb. xi. 6, “He that cometh to God must believe” first, “that God is.”
…
The phrase of “coming” used in our vulgar tongue, as “coming” to wealth, honour, learning, may shew us thus much in christian wisdom; that while man kept God’s commandments and submitted his wisdom to God, he was partaker of God’s goodness and happiness, but desiring to depart from God, he fell in extreme misery; — first, into sin; secondly, into shame; thirdly, into fear; fourthly, into travail; fifthly, into death.
But all who come again unto God shall find remedy and deliverance from all these, and enjoy felicity.”
Pastoral ministry cannot lead people to God without the study of Him (i.e., “theology”); moreover, it cannot lead people to eternal felicity without the “remedy and deliverance from [sin, shame, fear, travail, and death]”. That is, one cannot be delivered from shame (or death, travail, and fear) without the remedy of sin found in union with Christ — the pastor who is God and our blessed end.
You write, “If disordered sexual desires lead us away from a right relationship with God, then that is the key pastoral issue that we must address.” As a pastor I know a number of people who in their “disordered” sexuality and faithful same sex relationships have a deep love for Christ and seek to follow him daily. Excluding them from the community of faith seems to me disordered Christianity.
As a faithful witness of the Gospel, Hans, you and your wife should commit yourselves to lifelong celibacy for the salvation of these gay anglicans. Please be a witness to the world and live out the theology you profess.
It’s really sad that in less than 20 years they forgot why they were formed. (And for the record, I worked with the organization that preceded ACNA when the split from the Episcopal church was coming.) If they knew the history this statement would never have been necessary. Pretty pathetic.
There isn’t day that I am not grateful God moved me on.
Sad, that, "Let's be pastoral," does not mean, "Let's uphold the theology."
The liberal creep into the church is maddening. We left the TEC for this very reason.
Whatever was the point of them joining ACNA if they were going down this path? Leftists slithered their way into TEC and turned it inside out. They absolutely cannot be allowed to do this again.
Thank you, Fr. Boersma, for your faithful witness.
If Christ is the Good Shepherd (i.e., “pastor bonus”; Jn. 10:11), He is God (i.e., “theon”; Jn. 1:1), and His ministers share in His ministry through union with Him (Gal. 2:20–21; Col. 1:24–29), then to separate theology from pastoral ministry is akin to denying the Incarnation (Mt. 1:23) and union with Christ as the Christian’s end (Ro. 6).
I am reminded of Bp. Andrewes’ “A Pattern of Catechistical Doctrine”:
Our warrant for the [first question, “whether there be a God”] is, Heb. xi. 6, “He that cometh to God must believe” first, “that God is.”
…
The phrase of “coming” used in our vulgar tongue, as “coming” to wealth, honour, learning, may shew us thus much in christian wisdom; that while man kept God’s commandments and submitted his wisdom to God, he was partaker of God’s goodness and happiness, but desiring to depart from God, he fell in extreme misery; — first, into sin; secondly, into shame; thirdly, into fear; fourthly, into travail; fifthly, into death.
But all who come again unto God shall find remedy and deliverance from all these, and enjoy felicity.”
Pastoral ministry cannot lead people to God without the study of Him (i.e., “theology”); moreover, it cannot lead people to eternal felicity without the “remedy and deliverance from [sin, shame, fear, travail, and death]”. That is, one cannot be delivered from shame (or death, travail, and fear) without the remedy of sin found in union with Christ — the pastor who is God and our blessed end.
Thank you.
You write, “If disordered sexual desires lead us away from a right relationship with God, then that is the key pastoral issue that we must address.” As a pastor I know a number of people who in their “disordered” sexuality and faithful same sex relationships have a deep love for Christ and seek to follow him daily. Excluding them from the community of faith seems to me disordered Christianity.
They’ve got The Episcopal Church for that and all it entails. If ACNA isn’t going to be an antidote to that there’s no reason for it to exist.
As a faithful witness of the Gospel, Hans, you and your wife should commit yourselves to lifelong celibacy for the salvation of these gay anglicans. Please be a witness to the world and live out the theology you profess.
Ganglicans 👏👏👏
Homosexuality is sort of a misnomer. Same sex attraction isn’t only about sex.