I took time off work yesterday. I found myself coughing and spluttering throughout a meeting, becoming grumpier (and getting a lower and lower blood sugar). This morning I woke with a soaked through T shirt. There is something going on: half the staff is away (and they should be: you should not see people when you just want to snark and snarl. Or share your viruses with them).
And there are meetings that need to happen today. Things to do.
This introduction by example is to reiterate the point that we live in our body, and our body matters. What we do matters. We cannot attain righteousness, but we are supposed to be like Christ, who was righteous.
5:9I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral persons — 10not at all meaning the immoral of this world, or the greedy and robbers, or idolaters, since you would then need to go out of the world. 11But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother or sister who is sexually immoral or greedy, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or robber. Do not even eat with such a one. 12For what have I to do with judging those outside? Is it not those who are inside that you are to judge? 13God will judge those outside. “Drive out the wicked person from among you.”
6:1When any of you has a grievance against another, do you dare to take it to court before the unrighteous, instead of taking it before the saints? 2Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? 3Do you not know that we are to judge angels — to say nothing of ordinary matters? 4If you have ordinary cases, then, do you appoint as judges those who have no standing in the church? 5I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to decide between one believer and another, 6but a believer goes to court against a believer — and before unbelievers at that?
7In fact, to have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be defrauded? 8But you yourselves wrong and defraud — and believers at that.
9Do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived! Fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, male prostitutes, sodomites, 10thieves, the greedy, drunkards, revilers, robbers — none of these will inherit the kingdom of God. 11And this is what some of you used to be. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.
It may be that in times when the church is no where near power, and where the church is completely alternate, that the main method of church discipline — excommunication or shunning — has teeth. But we continue to work on the assumption that the courts in these nations are Christian, and that is incorrect.
Western culture is clearly coming to a breaking point between the two competing ideologies of Liberalism, which has its “religious” expression in Humanism – with or without the atheism – and Christianity, which is considerably weaker than it’s ever been in the West, outplayed and outshone by its competitor’s easy breezy narcissistic hedonism.
The two have coexisted uneasily for this last half century, but cannot much longer now that Liberalism has decided to directly and unambiguously target religion and the religious as Evil, and has decided that nodding and smiling is not enough of a response to affirmations of its core tenets of democracy, diversity, unfettered sexual exploration, and redistributionism. So, here we go.
You see the end of this clearly in the various controversies about hate speech. And you see the assumption that society is greater than the church when people scream because they are told they are leaving, and negotiate compensation, when none is need, and compensating is unjust.
Greg Reynolds, who resigned as a parish priest in 2011 and initiated the organisation Inclusive Catholics, was called to a meeting Wednesday with the Dean of St Patrick’s Cathedral, John Salvano, who translated a Latin document, which was dated May 31.
He was told during the meeting that the excommunication order didn’t come from Melbourne Archbishop Denis Hart, “but someone else unknown has gone over his head and contacted the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith,” Mr Reynolds said.
”The Vatican never contacted me, and it gives no explanation.”
Archbishop Hart said Father Reynolds was excommunicated because he continued to celebrate the Eucharist after being withdrawn as a priest, and his preachings contradicted those of the Church.
Mr Reynolds is continuing to negotiate a payout after 32 years of service, as so far he has received only $5000.
If Mr Reynolds had stolen from his employer, or actively marketed the opposition while working for his employer, he would have been sacked — so implying the church should pay compensation is crazy. He’s subverted the church. The correct response of church discipline is to cast him out praying that he will come to godly repentance while he has time to do so.
When times are against us, we need to be less inclusive, not more. For the standards of our master are high.
38“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; 40and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; 41and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. 42Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you.
43“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. 46For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Now, I have suggested that the church should shun those who act immorally, those who are heretics, those who preach error. We should cast them out. We should use the fact that us humans are herd animals to encourage people to remain in the huddle.
But we should not silence them. We should engage them in conversation. And so from their site — and as a non catholic — in fact, since I am of reformed theology, a heretic according to the Catholic Encyclopedia…
I resigned as a parish priest and began this new venture/ministry. I initiated it in response to two complementary unfolding experiences.
First was my growing conviction that the Institutional Catholic Church was wrong in its teaching on Women’s Ordination and on Homosexuality.
More recently I discerned a personal calling to minister to and with Catholic people who share these beliefs and have been longing for a community that celebrates the Catholic Eucharist in ways that support these beliefs. Other people drawn to this movement include victims of clerical abuse, and their supporters, who do not want to be associated with the church institution.
I do not consider the RCC is wrong on Homosexuality. Their clear rules about keeping the homosexualists from religious leadership are correct. Their errors have been around tolerating homosexual sin, particularly with teenage boys, but including a screwy form of nepotism where older homosexualists promote their lover through the heirarchy.
I disagree about the Eucharist: there is no transubstantiation. The bread and wine are symbols of a real event, and a real resurrection. The terms flesh and blood are metaphors pointing at this meaning.
I agree that we should be merciful to those who have been abused by clergy: sexually, financially, emotionally. But abuse is no excuse. There are many who have been deeply hurt — indeed the Islamists have just killed some dozens in Nairobi and those who witnessed that have to live with those memories.
Abuse is an overvalued word. It is better to say this happened, it is in the past — but you have to deal with the consequences.
Now, coming back to our priest. If he is excommunicated, no communion. Even among us reformed there is a requirement for an elder to be present at the table, so that it is not abused.
[It may be that the reformed practice of old, where the elders guard the table, is more healthy than the current one, where the table is open to all}
You cannot hold a communion outside the church, if the church has any meaning. You are left with the form of worship, but no power, nursing your delusions.
And I pray that happens to no one: but our response in these times is clear. Shun the sinner in the church. Pray for those who are against us. And allow all to speak, so we can speak back.