Reformed Churchmen: VERMONT: Feasibility Study Reveals Diocese of Vermont in Serious Trouble

Reformed Churchmen

We are Confessional Calvinists and a Prayer Book Church-people. In 2012, we remembered the 350th anniversary of the 1662 Book of Common Prayer; also, we remembered the 450th anniversary of John Jewel's sober, scholarly, and Reformed "An Apology of the Church of England." In 2013, we remembered the publication of the "Heidelberg Catechism" and the influence of Reformed theologians in England, including Heinrich Bullinger's Decades. For 2014: Tyndale's NT translation. For 2015, John Roger, Rowland Taylor and Bishop John Hooper's martyrdom, burned at the stakes. Books of the month. December 2014: Alan Jacob's "Book of Common Prayer" at: http://www.amazon.com/Book-Common-Prayer-Biography-Religious/dp/0691154813/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417814005&sr=8-1&keywords=jacobs+book+of+common+prayer. January 2015: A.F. Pollard's "Thomas Cranmer and the English Reformation: 1489-1556" at: http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Cranmer-English-Reformation-1489-1556/dp/1592448658/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420055574&sr=8-1&keywords=A.F.+Pollard+Cranmer. February 2015: Jaspar Ridley's "Thomas Cranmer" at: http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Cranmer-Jasper-Ridley/dp/0198212879/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1422892154&sr=8-1&keywords=jasper+ridley+cranmer&pebp=1422892151110&peasin=198212879

Monday, May 9, 2011

VERMONT: Feasibility Study Reveals Diocese of Vermont in Serious Trouble

VirtueOnline - News - Exclusives - VERMONT: Feasibility Study Reveals Diocese of Vermont in Serious Trouble

A telling and witty comment was offered at VOL, to wit:

"How could Vermont or any other diocese be in trouble?

"Why, we changed our prayer book so it would be `more understandable'; we changed our music so it would be "more contemporary"; we changed our beliefs about divorce, remarriage, and fornication so we'd be "more relevant"; and we changed our focus from the worship of God to the Social Justice Gospel.

"I just don't understand it! People should be flocking to our churches!

"For goodness sake - don't we hop about the nave hugging perfect strangers now? Don't we wave our hands and talk in tongues now? What more could they want? We even have fishing poles with streamers attached so the acolytes can wave them in the air whilst coming down the aisle...now that's showmanship!

"After all, back when we were America's most admired denomination - back when we had the most beautiful worship services in Western Christendom; back when we had more trust funds than required to run several medium-sized countries; back when we had an educated, literate, witty, and erudite clergy - why, back then we were building churches!

"Would one of you draft-dodgers from the 1960s who is now a bishop please explain to me just what the problem is?"