After months of prayerful discernment, the Diocese of Montreal has developed a Lenten series that provides new and penetrating insights on what Lent is not about. Never before has the church presented a Lenten study that is this irrelevant to Lent.
A proud moment:
See, the only problem with your view of Christianity is that it appears to be geared to robots. “Here’s a path. See the walls on either side? Well you shouldn’t, you heterodox nitwit, because your eyes should be on the _path_, what the hell is wrong with you?”
I’ve been reading your blog for what, a year? And now I could write it.
I’ll try to go to this series. Difficult with the kids and all, but I’ll see what I can do. If I make, I’ll come back and let you know how it went. You’ll all have a good opportunity to sneer. My gift to you.
Or, to put it another way: ““Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.” Matthew 7:13
Ba-dum, and indeed tish. Thanks.
Out of the overflow of a man’s heart does a man speak speak. The anger in the original comment is palpable.
Yes, of course. Do you truly find it that surprising?
So this “church” is hosting a bunch of seminars on many politically correct causes, but not a single seminar about the Sacrifice of Jesus upon the Cross and what that means for all of us.
Lost. Just simply and painfully a lost church.
Good heavens, guys. 🙁
Are you seriously incapable of seeing that Lent, being a period of self-denial and reflection on Christ’s sacrifice, can easily lead people to wonder why they should even bother, because they look at the state of the world and see that two thousand years of Christianity hasn’t necessarily made this planet all that awesome all the time? It’s not supposed to, obviously, but it’s churlish to refuse to recognise that Lent is in fact a pretty good time to reflect on such matters as well. Do you honestly believe that what _you_ see as the point of Lent is not talked about at length at Christ Church Cathedral _as_ _well_? Our Dean is a widely read, serious preacher, who could play quotes with you all you like. He’s got Lent covered as well as any man could.
Have to disagree with you on the “Lent is in fact a pretty good time to reflect on such (social justice, etc.) matters well.”
By reflecting on these other matters a person would be diverting their attention away from Christ’s sacrifice.
God has given me the ability to walk and chew gum at the same time. You are arguing traditions, not Christian living. Have your Lent. I’m not sneering at _your_ ways. Hell, I’m doing Lent the “proper” way too, though this place is making me think about giving it up out of sheer annoyance.
These people are my congregation. My friends. They are good, honest people. I think they’re good Christians. They’re certainly not always making me feel like crap. Look to your souls, guys. Let’s all look to our souls.
I’m also starting to realize that this place is not fulfilling 1 Thes 5:11 but rather the opposite. I’m also thinking of fasting from here for a while.
Some here have very thoughtful comments and critiques but others appear to be using this site as nothing more than a place to sneer and jibe and anything that the Anglican Church (both in Canada and more frequently also Canterbury) does. I know that many here have scars and hurt from experiences with the Anglican church but this doesn’t give you the right to repeatedly talk bad of other brothers and sisters in Christ (I would think that Luke 6:29 would suggest the opposite).
There is a way to criticize and challenge without being so smug and condescending.
You are right. People are often not gentle in their comments. The reason, though partly out of hurt and anger as you suggest, is more, I believe, out of an effort to clarify what they see as the difference between “brothers and sisters in Christ” and wolves in sheep’s clothing. (Matt.7:15)
Hi EdAnglican: Thanks for your comments! The God who transformed Saul into Apostle Paul can certainly change some of us into faithful servants of Jesus. May God have mercy upon all of us!
The problem comes down to whether those people really ARE of the faith of Jesus Christ, once and for all delivered to the saints.
I am not an Anglican, but like most of my Calvinist and Reformed brethren, I do not identify many Anglicans any longer as Christians in any meaningful sense of the term. I see perpetual confirmation of this on this website in the interactions with liberal – that is to say, heretical – Anglicans. This includes silly appeals to the “goodness” of people and how “social justice” can be blended with the sacrifice of Christ without, somehow, detracting from the full glory of the latter.
There is very little concern about what God has said about such issues, because of course it is not about God. It is about shaping a religion that sentimentally is attached to the label “Christianity” and has grown out of the Anglican church, but now denies its power, its truth, and actually embarks into the territory of advocating things that the Bible condemns. In short, a debased and diseased profession that has no salvific power because it no longer knows Christ. It is an entirely new religion, cut from old cloth, that wants to legitimise sin and legitimise living according to the world and its thoughts.
The ad hominem attacks, the vulgar language, the palpable anger, the piteous complaints, and the claim of being hard done by is the sort of response characteristic of this mindset, hostile to God, exposed in its way. It reflects a lack of spiritual truthfulness. It is the sort of response one would expect to be offered by any who have abandoned a semblance of heavenly belief, and are now transfixed by earthly principles, worldly concerns, and by worldly precepts.
This is evidenced in an unwillingness to search the scriptures – like the noble Bereans in the New Testament – and an unwillingness to measure all things according to the eternal words of God. The same word that will judge the living and the dead.
There is not even an effort to consider if the criticism may be valid. There is no effort to consider if the practices of these churches are really in accordance with the absolute commitment demanded by Christ. The idea of repentance is not only laughable, but offensive to such a mindset. Completely absent is the love of holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.
The sooner this denomination collapses – as it will in very short order – the sooner its ministers are put out to grass, and the sooner its practitioners are left to parasite themselves upon other failing heretical denominations, the better.
Hi Jason: Thanks for your comments! If you have time, you may find some of the following websites interesting – Anglican Mainstream, Christianity Today, Church of Nigeria, Fulcrum Renewing the Evangelical Centre, Global South Anglican, Reasonable Faith, Stand Firm, The Anglican Planet, or TitusOneNine, etc.
They probably celebrate the death of Human Rights on Good Friday
A primatial abdication of Name -Christ’s (Church) and His great Commission:
at the veritable cross-road of a city teeming to overflow with dead or lost souls,
confusing the pandemic symptoms for the soul’s sin-stricken cause;
and all in the long shadow of the Cross of Mount Royal!
The greenspel, the gayspel, the goyspel, the girlspel, the goospel,
anything but The Gospel.
+ “But we” are to “preach Christ Crucified…” + I Corinthians 1:23,
not least of all at Lent.
Aren’t we too quick to criticize the A C of C for its many interesting stances? I never cease to marvel at the uncanny way in which they are able to align their programs with popular culture. Thus, it is possible to be a devout christian and cool at the same time. I mean, whose against saving the planet? Jesus had a great deal to learn from our A C of C bishops. And had he learned it, he might have retired to the Galilee on a decent pension instead of that – well, that ungodly mess at the end.
Trueblade wrote: “Thus, it is possible to be a devout christian and cool at the same time. ”
Jesus Christ said: “If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.”
St. Paul wrote: “All who live godly lives in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.”
PS. (I recognise that you were being satirical in your comment, Trueblade).