2 January 2014 A.D. Western Anglicanism in Deep Trouble

2 January 2014 A.D.  Western Anglicanism in Deep Trouble

Virtue, David. “Virtueonline Viewpoints.”  Virtueonline.org.  2 Jan 2015. http://virtueonline.org/anglican-year-review-maryland-bishop-kills-cyclistwill-pb-invoke-title-iv-remove-bishop-cookmore.  Accessed 2 Jan 2014.

VOL's No. 3 news story is revelations that Western Anglicanism is in deep trouble and that the CofE, TEC, and the ACoC might not be around a generation from now. Already both secular and church historians are sounding the alarm that nearly all mainline denominations are in rapid decline and will likely not be in existence by the middle of the Century unless there is a spiritual revival. That appears unlikely as denominations like TEC, PCUSA, the ELCA and Church of Christ (to name a few) are running out of theological steam, running on a progressive ticket that has removed itself from biblical authority. As Fr. George Rutler, a former Episcopal priest and now an RC priest in NYC, observed this past week, "TEC is a tragic example of what happens when you abandon a serious commitment to the teachings of Christ." Ya think!

Fr. Rutler notes that the Episcopal Church has changed significantly. "It is vanishing. A few generations ago, it was the unofficial official church of the United States. It was a visible presence in the national order. It was prosperous and effective in many ways. That's all gone now. It doesn't exist anymore. The remnant you see is post-Christian. Demographically, the Church of England will not exist in 20 years. Other Anglican groups outside England have been ordaining women as priests and bishops in recent years, and the result has not only been theologically chaotic but a demographic catastrophe."

Within The Episcopal Church, there was some notable news, none of it good.