Attitude! - The decline of the Church in Wales

Transgender award recipient, Rev Sarah Jones    Source:Twitter

Tweets from the first woman bishop in the Church in Wales have become notorious, causing the Archbishop of Canterbury to be ‘deeply embarrassed’.

The first transgender priest in the Church in Wales has also been tweeting, puffed up with pride after receiving an award from Attitude magazine.

The Rev Sarah Jones was 'ecstatic'. She said, "I'm honoured to be in such company. The LGBTQIA+ community are wonderful and glorious. You add immeasurably to the beauty of this world."

Sarah Jones speaks about the award here, proclaiming the message "God loves me".

And me. And me. And me.... The assertion is constant in endless self promoting tweets. 

Do as you please because God loves you for being who you are. 

No more struggles with temptation as Christ was tempted in the wilderness. How wonderful!

Christ came into the world to save sinners but He is not needed in the Church in Wales because sin has been banished. There are no sinners, just loved ones.

 

There is a certain irony in this. There has been much criticism of the bishop of Monmouth for living in a lesbian relationship but spiritually, for me, she is head and shoulders above most of her fellow bench sitters, not that it justifies her ordination! 

Then there is the bishop of Bangor who, again, for me, has an evangelical zeal superior to others on the bench but is the husband of a second wife following divorce.

Church in Wales bishops have become adept at interpreting the Bible to suit their cause.

The consequence is that the Church in Wales is regarded as a joke in the Anglican world, providing sinecures for 'bishops' who spend disproportionate amounts of time promoting political and LGBTQA+ causes rather than the need for repentance.

Decline is inevitable.

Postscript

June Osborne @BishopJuno has tweeted:

"Such a well deserved award. So proud to have Sarah as a colleague and grateful for the inspiration she brings to Llandaff."

Another Church in Wales 'bishop' shows where her priorities lie.

Changing faith

“Pride is the beginning of sin" said Augustine of Hippo. 

Not a sentiment shared in the rudderless diocese of Monmouth where the Vicar of St Augustine, Rumney has tweeted "proud to be hosting Changing Attitudes DC Conference here in Rumney in February."

The tweet has links to the usual camp followers but oddly not to St Davids diocese where the bishop of St Davids is in the forefront when it comes to matters LGBT. Instead a newspaper link is included: @ImpactCardiff @EsgobaethBangor @LlandaffDio @MonmouthDCO @Swanbrec @StAsaphDiocese @ChurchinWales @XtiansAtPride @OzanneFoundn @1Body1Faith @CymruMae @TheGatheringCdf @PoblDewi.

Apparently the whole parish of St Augustine is proud to be an inclusive church where "all God's rainbow people" are "welcomed, affirmed and included", something one might reasonably expect from any Christian church. The difference is that young, old and even pets are used to distort the gospel.

Preceding the quoted text is "So He said to the Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, you are truly My disciples (John 6:31). 

Taken out of context the quotation is misleading, aiding the cause of the bench of bishops in their promotion of same sex marriage in church.

The Church in Wales is not alone in redefining faith. Jules Gomes in his Rebel Priest blog highlights how, in the last couple of years, Church of England cathedrals have "shocked Christians and the secular world by hosting events that are in conflict with scripture and church tradition."

His latest example highlights Derby cathedral where "graphic sex scenes, full female nudity, a pagan sacrifice and a satirical depiction of Jesus Christ" have been screened but has "banned a prominent conservative clergyman" from preaching at a student carol service during Advent.

Church involvement in gay pride parades has become commonplace but the church has gone far beyond flying the rainbow flag. It has been draped over the Holy Table while celebrating 'inclusive' LGBT Eucharistic services and over an Icon of Christ Crucified.

Muslims have been allowed to use Cathedrals to recite the call to prayer: "Allah is the greatest; I bear witness that there is no other god but Allah; I bear witness that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah" when Islam denies the divinity of Christ, and that He died on the cross to bring salvation to the world.

The Blackburn Cathedral event is acknowledged to be an error of judgement but elsewhere mistaken clergy continue to encourage the spread of Islam in the guise of interfaith dialogue which is one way channel to the acceptance of Islam as a faith equivalent to Christianity despite its many contradictory beliefs.

Tragically, the more commonplace these events become the more normal they appear, not changing attitude but changing faith.

"Pride goes before destruction,

    a haughty spirit before a fall."

- Proverbs 16:18