Who Is to Blame When the British Leave the Church of England?

Or of Lutherans: Who Is to Blame When Lutherans Leave the Church?

Or of Methodists: Who Is to Blame When Methodists Leave the Church?

Or of any Christian: Who Is to Blame When Christians Leave the Church?

SPIRITUALLY HUNGRY

Why do people leave the Catholic Church or the Episcopal Church or the Church of England or Lutheranism, Methodism, or Presbyterianism, or Christianity as a whole?

Because they are spiritually starving!

If they have encountered Jesus in and through the Eucharist, in the powerful preaching of the Word, and in true prayer, they would NEVER leave the Church.

When the Sacraments are poorly celebrated there is little to nothing to draw the faithful closer to Christ.

"The liturgy of the Mass is a solemn and reverent worship of God and the celebration of Christ's once-for-all sacrifice on the Cross," explains Fr. Dwight Longenecker "This is the complete focus."

When bishops preach from a carnival ride set up in the nave of an ancient cathedral the congregants might be amused but they are not spiritually fed. They leave the cathedral hungrier than when they came in.

"The bishop had climbed to the top of the roller coaster slide before edging halfway down the slide, where he stopped to deliver his sermon," the BBC reported. "He then received a loud cheer as he whooshed to the bottom."

"God wants to be attractive to us," the Bishop of Lynn Jonathan Meyrick preached from the helter-skelter set up in Norwich Cathedral in the summer of 2019. "He wants us to enjoy ourselves, each other and the world around us and this glorious helter-skelter is about just that."

More than 20,000 people flooded to Norwich Cathedral in 10 days to see the colorful helter-skelter displayed.

Even the Archbishop of Canterbury thinks it is a good idea to turn cathedrals into community playgrounds.

"The first thing I want is for people not to be bored. I want them to have fun," said Justin Welby as he was quoted in the Telegraph. "If you can't have fun in a cathedral, you don't know what fun is."

This Advent the same helter-skelter is returning for a third appearance on the grounds at St. Philip's Cathedral in Birmingham to help usher in the sacred season.

"First look at Christmas in Cathedral Square as helter-skelter returns for another year," the headline boasts in the Birmingham Mail.

Christians are not attracted to a clownish God or helter-skelters which replace Nativity scenes. They are drawn to the innocent newborn infant in the manger and then to the suffering God-Man on the Cross with blood dripping down His face from the Crown of Thorns piercing His forehead.

The curious and spiritually hungry fill the churches -- the cathedrals -- to overflowing on Christmas and Easter. It is the Baby in swaddling clothes which draws them Christmas and the empty tomb which draws them Easter, but, ultimately they are drawn to the Cross -- an instrument of torture -- upon which Jesus Christ purchased our salvation.

Anything other, anything less than -- including roller coaster slides -- is not attractive.

Roman Catholics embrace the crucifix to remind themselves how Jesus died for all.

Protestants favor the symbol of the empty cross to show Jesus' victory over the grave.

St. Paul found out the hard way in Antioch that he could make no converts to the faith by preaching a generic God -- by giving a history lesson on Israel. He didn't plant a church there. A church was planted in Antioch, but not by Paul. The great post-Resurrection preacher realized that he must preach Christ crucified because that is the essence of the Gospel and that draws converts.

When a denomination champions prayers which endorse and support sin the faith is watered down.

STEPPING INTO HELL FIRE

Case in point. The Church of England, through the synodal process, has stepped out of the frying pan into hell fire. Last week it approved the trial of stand-alone services for same-sex blessings by a vote of 23-10 (bishops); 100-93 (clergy); and 104-100 (laity).

"The mother church of the Anglican Way has decided that she has the power and authority to condone sin and bless disordered, immoral relationships," writes Barton J. Gingerich in World Opinion. "The Church of England has voted to approve trial same-sex blessings, with a slim majority of laity and clergy and nearly two-thirds of the bishops in favor."

The Mother Church of Anglicanism has followed the same path as her errant American daughter church -- the Episcopal Church -- forged in 2012.

"On July 9, 2012, the Episcopal Church passed a resolution approving an official liturgy for blessing same-sex unions. This liturgy, called 'The Witnessing and Blessing of a Lifelong Covenant' offers a blessing close to marriage, but the church is clear that it is not marriage," Wikipedia explains.

How long will it take for the Church of England to go from authorizing same-sex blessings to embracing full blown same-sex marriage and forcing all bishops, priests and deacons to perform them or else be defrocked. It took the Episcopal Church three short years -- 36 months -- one General Convention cycle.

Bishop William Love (IX Albany) was booted out the door of The Episcopal Church for championing biblical marriage and refusing to bow to the false claims of the culture. He will be rewarded in heaven with jewels added to his mitre for standing pat on revealed Truth and the Faith once delivered to the Saints.

"The Episcopal Church was the first province in the Communion to allow same-sex couples to marry, with General Convention approving a canonical change in 2015, days after the U.S. Supreme Court declared same-sex marriage bans unconstitutional," the Episcopal News Service reported in the 2022 run up to Lambeth Conference.

IT IS THE BISHOPS

Who Is to Blame When Christians Leave the Church?

I lay the blame at the feet of bishops. They are the successors of the Apostles. They are tasked with holding the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. Of cherishing, protecting and transmitting the Deposit of Faith -- the Faith once delivered to the Saints.

Paul teaches in 1 Timothy 3:2-7: "The saying is sure: If any one aspires to the office of bishop, he desires a noble task. Now a bishop must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, sensible, dignified, hospitable, an apt teacher, no drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, and no lover of money. He must manage his own household well, keeping his children submissive and respectful in every way; for if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how can he care for God's church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may be puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil; moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, or he may fall into reproach and the snare of the devil."

In Titus 1:7-9 Paul notes: "Since an overseer (bishop) manages God's household, he must be blameless -- not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. Rather, he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it."

The Episcopal Church defines the Deposit of Faith as: "The saving revelation of Christ that has been given to the Church, especially as known through biblical witness and Tradition. The Deposit of Faith is to be upheld and proclaimed by the Church. This requires fidelity to the received Tradition, willingness to rediscover continually the Truth of the Christian faith in each time and situation of the Church's life, and evangelical zeal to share the faith with others."

The Catholic Church fleshes out the definition of the Deposit of Faith explaining that "Divine Revelation ended with the death of the last Apostle -- John. The development of doctrine does not add to this revelation, nor does it increase the Deposit of Faith, but it increases the understanding of it."

THE SCRIPTURAL FAILURE OF BISHOPS

Many bishops have failed in fulfilling the dictates outlined in 1 Timothy 3:2-7 and Titus 1:7-9

1 Timothy 3:2 & Titus 1:7: "Now a bishop must be above reproach" -- I can think of a few denominational leaders -- bishops all -- who fail on this score starting with Pope Francis (Roman Catholic); Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby (Church of England); Presiding Bishop Michael Curry (Episcopal Church); and Bishop Moderator Dharmaraj Rasalam (Anglican Church of South India) ...

Some other bishops who have garnered their fair share of reproach include: Katherine Jeffers Schori (Episcopal Church); Megan Rohrer (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America); and Theodore McCarrick (Roman Catholic - USA) ...

1 Timothy 3:2: " ... husband of one wife ..." Some remarried bishops include: Barry Beisner (Episcopal Church -- married three times); Vicky Gene Robinson (Episcopal Church -- married twice); James Pike (Episcopal Church -- married twice); James Duncan (Episcopal Church -- married twice); Otis Charles (Episcopal Church -- married twice); Jonathan Baker (Church of England -- married twice); Barry Hollowell (Anglican Church of Canada -- married twice); William Wantland (ACNA -- married twice); and Noel Jones (Pentecostal bishop -- married twice) ...

1 Timothy 3:3 & Titus 1:7: " ... no drunkard ... "
Some boozy bishops include: Chilton Knudsen (Episcopal Church); Heather Cook (Episcopal Church); Vicky Gene Robinson (Episcopal Church); Thomas Butler (Church of England); Bruce Burnside (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America - Wisconsin); Charles Koete (Anglican Church of Melanesia); William Levada (Roman Catholic - USA); and Salvatore Cordileone (Roman Catholic - USA) ...

1 Timothy 3:3 & Titus 1:7: " ...not violent but gentle and not quarrelsome ... "
Some bully bishops include: Anne Dyer (Scottish Episcopal Church); Jon Bruno (Episcopal Church); Marc Andrus (Episcopal Church); Charles Bennison, Jr. (Episcopal Church); Wendell Gibbs (Episcopal Church); John Spong (Episcopal Church); Orris Walker (Episcopal Church); Michael Ingham (Anglican Church of Canada); Megan Rohrer (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America); Tim Dakin (Church of England); Augustine Unigbe (Anglican Church of Nigeria); Gustavo García-Siller (Roman Catholic - USA); Robert Paterson (Church of England); and Josefat Shanghala (Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia, Southern Africa) ...

1 Timothy 3:3 & Titus 1:7: " ... no lover of money ..."
Some money-hungry bishops include: Michael Bransfield (Roman Catholic - USA); Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst (Roman Catholic - Germany); Kannikadass Antony (Roman Catholic - India); David Kodia (Anglican Church of Kenya); Jon Bruno (Episcopal Church); Prem Singh (Anglican Church of North India); and Minerva Carcaño (United Methodist) ...

Titus 1:8: " ... who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined ..."
Some bishops who have taken their eyes of Christ and fail in denying self and living in holiness by embracing the LGBTQ lifestyle are now -- or have been -- in same-sex relationships include: Vicky Gene Robinson (Episcopal Church); Bonnie Perry (Episcopal Church); Mary Glasspool (Episcopal Church); Thomas Brown (Episcopal Church); Deon Johnson (Episcopal Church); Nicholas Chamberlain (Church of England); Kevin Robertson (Anglican Church of Canada); Barry Hollowell (Anglican Church of Canada); Rosemarie Köhn (Lutheran Church -- Norway); Eva Brunne (Lutheran Church -- Sweden); Guy Erwin (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America); Cedrick Bridgeforth (United Methodist); Karen Oliveto (United Methodist); Megan Rohrer (Transgendered -- Evangelical Lutheran Church in America).

1 Timothy 3:4: "He must manage his own household well, keeping his children submissive and respectful in every way; for if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how can he care for God's church?"
Bishops who can't manage their own household include: Prince Singh (Episcopal Church) ...

A BISHOP'S DUTY

All denominations are failing and there is a lot of crossing and criss-crossing the Tiber River, or the River Thames, or the Rhine in seeking out bishops (pastors, priests, deacons, presbyters and elders) who remain faithful to Gospel truths revealed in the ancient Apostolic faith.

Bishops are charged to fully live out Christ's threefold ministerial offices of Priest, Prophet and King in the earthly church.

The Priestly office is sacramental. Bishops can perform all the Sacraments that deacons and priests can celebrate in addition to the episcopal ordinances of confirmation and ordination.

The Prophetic office holds the teaching authority of the bishop -- the proclamation of the Gospel, the preaching of sermons, and the catechetical teaching of the Faith once delivered to the Saints.

The Kingly office is administrative. It is the spiritual and temporal administration of church affairs in the world.

In 1 Timothy 3:9 Paul admonishes deacons that "they must hold fast to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience." He then reminds bishops in Titus 1:9 that they "must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it."

It is the bishop's responsibility to make sure that the faith is maintained in their diocese. Any watering down of the faith comes as a result of the bishop's failure to maintain the true faith which has been watered by the blood of martyrs -- including bishops. All the Apostles save John and Matthias, were martyred: Peter, Andrew, James the Greater, Thomas, James the Lesser, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Simon and Jude.

Some of Patristic Fathers dying for the early Church include: Polycarp of Smyrna, Ignatius of Antioch, Irenaeus of Smyrna, Clement of Rome, Hippolytus of Rome, Methodius of Olympus, and Valentine of Terni.

Bishops who lost their lives on English soil through religious conflict include: Thomas á Becket (Archbishop of Canterbury); John Fisher (Catholic); Oliver Plunkelt (Catholic); John Hooper (Anglican) and Nicholas Ridley (Anglican).

Modern day episcopal martyrs dying for their faith include: Janani Luwum (Anglican Church of Uganda); and Oscar Romero (Roman Catholic - El Salvador).

WHO ARE THE GODLY BISHOPS?

At this point there are more bishops across denominational lines around the world who fail in "encouraging others by sound doctrine and refuting those who oppose it." Pope Francis (Roman Catholic); Justin Welby (Church of England); Michael Curry (Episcopal Church); and Megan Rohrer (Lutheran) top the list.

However, there are still some bishops who maintain the Faith once for all delivered into the Saints and who strive to pass it on to others undiluted. Sadly, they are few and far in-between. The bishops who are working hard and praying harder to stem the tide in their own denominations include: Laurent Mbanda and GAFCON bishops (Anglican); Foley Beach and ACNA bishops (Anglican); Justin Badi Arama and the GSFA bishops (Anglican); Andy Lines and Anglican Network in Europe bishops (Anglican); John Fenwick and Free Church of England bishops (Anglican); Communion Partner Bishops (Anglican); Forward in Faith bishops (Anglican); Ordinariate convert bishops (Roman Catholic - UK, USA, and Australia); Joseph Strickland (Roman Catholic - USA); Salvatore Cordileone (Roman Catholic USA); Walter Brandmuller (Roman Catholic - Germany); Raymond Burke (Roman Catholic - USA ); Sandoval Iniguez (Roman Catholic - Mexico); Robert Sarah (Roman Catholic - Guinea); Joseph Zen (Roman Catholic - Hong Kong); Jānis Vanags and the bishops of the Latvian Lutheran Church (Lutheran -- Latvia); Conservative Lutheran bishops from the Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod, Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, and the North American Lutheran Church Lutheran (Lutheran Church -- USA); Scott Jones and the bishops of the newly-forming conservative Global Methodist Church (Methodist); and Scott Field (Wesleyan Covenant Association -- Wesleyan Methodist -- USA) ...

THE SAINTS WEIGH IN

Troublesome, problematic and faithless bishops is not a modern problem. They have plagued the Church since the beginning when Jesus walked the earth. Look at Judas. It was his faithlessness and treachery which became the catalyst which placed Christ on the final Road to Calvary that first Holy Week -- the Iscarot's thirty pieces of silver and the friendly kiss of death.

Saints throughout history have decried errant, weak, impotent, vicious and immoral bishops -- including popes -- with their sins of omission and commission. Here is what the Saints have to say:

✓St. Athanasius -- "The floor of Hell is paved with the skulls of bishops."

✓St. John Eudes -- "The road to Hell is paved with the skulls of bishops."

✓St. John Chrysostom -- "The road to Hell is paved with the skulls of erring priests, with bishops as their signposts;" and "I do not think that there are many among bishops that will be saved, but many more that perish."

✓St. Thomas Aquinas -- "It must be observed, however, that if the faith were endangered, a subject ought to rebuke his prelate (bishop), even publicly."

✓St. Robert Bellarmine -- "As it is lawful to resist a pope if he attacks the body, so it is lawful to resist him if he attacks the soul or afflicts the state, and much more if he seeks to destroy the Church. It is permitted, I say, to resist him by not doing what he commands and by preventing the execution of his will."

✓St. John Vianney -- If the parish priest is a saint, his people will be holy; If the priest is holy, his people will be good; If he is good, his people will be lukewarm, and if he is lukewarm, his parishioners will be bad. And if the priest himself is bad, his people will go to Hell.
(The same can most certainly be said of bishops!)

✓Pope Gregory the Great adds: "It is better that scandals arise than Truth be suppressed."

Someone once said that a Christian receives more abuse from the Church than for her.

Mary Ann Mueller is a journalist living in Texas. She is a regular contributor to VirtueOnline.