Lutheran Demise and Renewal

It was 2002 when I left OH and moved back to my beloved home in upstate NY.  It really wasn't the best of circumstances but it was gracious in so many ways.  After several months of no work, I came into the employ of Trinity Episcopal in Watertown — truly a group of people with a lot of unconditional love.  Even people who didn't like me were nice to me. While I was there I began this blog in 2004 and some of the early posts here were related to The Episcopal Church's (TEC) crazy theological hermeneutics, their plans to ordain an unusual bishop and mine and others predictions about the demise of the TEC. There were some derisive and skeptical comments send my way about how schism would never happen. Fast forward to today and sure enough, what was once thought to be rubbish and nonsense has now come true.  TEC has experienced great schism with a whole new Anglican body being born out of it.  And in reality we are now seeing the schism of the entire worldwide Anglican Communion, though it is not officially on paper yet.  (Just read today's report from Uganda by David Virtue) You would think that watching what TEC has been through with expensive lawsuits and factions that other churches would want to avoid this stuff.  We're about to watch the whole ugly scenario play out all over again in the Evangelical (HA! HA! oh, you guys kill me .... who writes your stuff ... that always makes me laugh) Lutheran Church in America. VirtueOnline: COLUMBUS, Ohio: New Church Body to be Formed for Lutherans in North America Not only that: I thought it was just the TEC that had the wacky stories of crazy pagan liturgies and stuff.  Nope.  TEC no longer owns the market on whacked. David Virtue also reports: "The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America recently added seven pastors who are gay, bisexual or transgender, to its clergy roster. This occurred at a Rite of Reception service. Here are a few things you may not have heard concerning this. During the "festival Eucharist celebrating the reception and reinstatement of pastors," the congregation recited the "Our Mother who is within us" prayer taken from the Goddess Rosary. The prayer goes like this - "Our Mother who is within us we celebrate your many names. Your wisdom come, your will be done, unfolding from the depths within us. Each day you give us all that we need. You remind us of our limits and we let go. You support us in our power and we act in courage. For you are the dwelling place within us, the empowerment around us, and the celebration among us, now and forever. Amen" And you thought only The Episcopal Church could be that stupid. Please readjust your spectacles."   Seriously?