All faiths are one, making Jesus not unique, his atoning sacrifice unnecessary and his incarnation irrelevant.
All religions are “manifestations of the Creator” including, presumably, the Pana Wave Doomsday Cult, the Happy Science Religion and the International Werewolf Religion and Secret Society.
Christians are not called to convert people of other faiths – why bother, they are all the same.
If the church jettisons everything that is peculiar to Christianity, society will respect and accept it. Or, as seems more likely, ignore it.
Bishop Michael Bird appears to be going along with all this.
So, the state of Christianity in the Diocese of Niagara is that it is no longer Christianity; it doesn’t even faintly resemble Christianity.
From the Niagara Anglican (page 4):
A great milestone of 20th century and early 21st century Christianity is that we have begun to learn to communicate with and understand other world religions. Whereas in the past we labeled non-Christians “pagans” and sought to convert them, now we realize that no theology is superior.
Theologians have long realized that, at the mystical level, all faiths are one. Even at the everyday level of belief, we can see that all religions are manifestations of the Creator and that all believers are called to worship God and to seek the well-being of all our neighbors, human and non-human.
Only when the leaders of the world’s religions work together, as political leaders are learning to do, will there be an end to war and environmental degradation. Both of these age-old activities hurt and destroy God’s holy creation: planet earth and its species.
Our church is beginning to rethink and restate our beliefs in ways that our society can respect and accept. We cannot turn back, only forge ahead, holding to the teachings and example of Jesus and his way of love. Forgiveness, compassion and courage are needed as liberals learn to articulate our faith and invite conservatives to consider it.
According to Bishop Michael in his recent visit to St. Thomas’, we are in the midst of theological and ecclesiastical turmoil of an order not seen since the Reformation. We have to get a handle on “Living the Questions” to help us reach out to those who have already asked such questions—those who long to return to the church and those who long to stay.
Soon after I visited their site a spam security window started popping up on my computer. Their sit may be infected.
I have considered Bird’s statement of faith and find it blasphemous.
I have considered the violation of his oath to tend his flock and find it so egregious that words fail me.
My sincere and heartfelt prayer is that God may tend those trusting souls still left in Niagara -for their bishop will not.
Peace,
Jim
The important thing is to see and know this kind of thing as the Post-Christianity it truly is – and to describe it thus as often as possible, so that eventually even the media and other church leaders will be forced to see it (or at least refer to it) in this way.