Episcopal Church
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Episcopal Church - Background
The Episcopal Church is the American counterpart of the Church of England. Following
the American Revolution, the Episcopal church was formally separated from the Church of
England, and in 1789 the constitution of the newly formed Protestant Episcopal Church was
adopted in Philadelphia. It has retained most Anglican doctrines and practices. Episcopal
refers to the manner of government and refers to the hierarchical oversight of the
denomination by councils and bishops.
There have been several small breakoffs from the main Episcopal denomination which
still hold to former Episcopal doctrine and practice, but most Episcopalians are a part of
the main group, with roughly 2.5 million members. Most of the divisions arose after the
Episcopal church voted to ordain women to the ministry in 1976. The Episcopal denomination
has followed the pattern of all the modernistic, ecumenical denominations, and has been
losing members steadily. Its membership has declined 28% since 1965. The number of
children in Sunday School has decreased 52% in 25 years.
Doctrine and Liturgy
The Episcopal Church is highly ritualistic, using prayer books and a formal liturgy.
They claim there are three foundations of faith: Holy Scripture, Reason, and Church
Tradition. They have a special priesthood and sacraments (Baptism, Eucharist,
Confirmation, Penance, Ordination, Matrimony, and Healing). They often build large,
elaborate cathedrals. The Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City is the third
largest in the world. Baptism is given to infants whereby they are believed to be born
again and receive the Holy Spirit. The Lord's Supper is considered, not simply a memorial
meal, but an event in which Christ becomes present in the bread and juice. Episcopal
priests believe they are reoffering the sacrifice of Christ in the Lord's Supper.
Modernism
The Episcopal Church has largely been taken over by modernism. A majority of the
leaders hold rationalistic beliefs, denying the perfect inspiration of the Bible and
denying or questioning Christ's deity, virgin birth, resurrection, and other Bible
miracles, yet they are allowed to remain in good standing within the denomination. In the
first half of the 20th century, Episcopal Bishop James Pike denied all of the major
tenants of the Christian faith. He said, "Religious myth is one of the avenues of
faith and has an important place in the communication of the Gospel" and he spoke of
the "myth" of the Garden of Eden and the "myth" of the virgin birth.
Pike said, "I have abandoned ship on the doctrine of the Trinity. I have jettisoned
the doctrine of the virgin birth of Jesus Christ" (Christian Beacon, Mar. 17. 1955).
Another Episcopal bishop, John Spong, has gone to the outer limits in radical theology.
After worshipping in a Buddhist temple in 1988, Spong said, "As the smell of incense
filled the air, I knelt before three images of the Buddha, feeling that the smoke could
carry my prayers heavenward. It was for me a holy moment for I was certain that I was
kneeling on holy ground. ... My conviction is that the true God, the divine mystery, the
essence of holiness, is within and beyond all of these ancient worship traditions. ...
when I visit a Buddhist temple it is not for me a pagan place ... It is rather a holy
place where human beings different from me have felt the presence of God. ... I will not
make any further attempt to convert the Buddhist, the Jew, the Hindu or the Moslem. I am
content to learn from them and to walk with them side by side toward the God who lives, I
believe, beyond the images that bind and blind us all" (John Spong, Bishop of Newark,
"A dialogue in a Buddhist temple," The Voice, Jan. 1989, official publication of
the Diocese of Newark of the Episcopal Church USA). Spong has ordained practicing
homosexuals to the ministry, and in a recent book has said that the Apostle Paul was a
self-hating, repressed homosexual. In Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism, Spong
states, "Am I suggesting that these stories of the virgin birth are not literally
true? The answer is a simple and direct `Yes.' Of course these narratives are not
literally true. Stars do not wander, angels do not sing, virgins do not give birth, magi
do not travel to a distant land to present gifts to a baby, and shepherds do not go in
search of a newborn savior."
In 1985 the St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Minneapolis ran an advertising campaign
which included this slogan: "The Episcopal Church welcomes you. Regardless of race,
creed, color or the number of times you've been born." Twenty Episcopal churches in
the Memphis, Tennessee, area ran an advertisement which stated, "In an atmosphere of
absolute right and wrongs, here's a little room to breathe. ... the Episcopal Church is
totally committed to the preservation of open dialogue and undogmatic faith. We exist to
tell the world about a God who loves us regardless of what we've done or what we believe.
Even if we do not believe in Him, He believes in us. We do not suffocate with
absolutes." This, of course, is not biblical Christianity; it is gross apostasy.
Respected evangelical leader Harold Lindsell testified, "It is not unfair to
allege that among denominations like Episcopal, United Methodist, United Presbyterian,
United Church of Christ, the Lutheran Church in America, and the Presbyterian Church U.S.
there is not a single theological seminary that takes a stand in favor of biblical
infallibility. And there is not a single seminary where there are not faculty members who
disavow one or more of the major teachings of the Christian faith" (Harold Lindsell,
Battle for the Bible, pp. 145-146.)
Ecumenism
The Episcopal Church is extremely ecumenical and is a member of the National Council of
Churches in America and the World Council of Churches. The Episcopal Church is also
drawing close to the Roman Catholic Church in dialogue. Episcopal leaders have frequently
met with the Pope.
Immorality
The drop in moral standards goes hand-in-hand with a critical view of the Bible. Those
who do not believe in a holy, sovereign God will not believe in holiness of life and the
fear of God in morality. To illustrate the moral climate in the Episcopal denomination, in
1987 the Episcopal churches in northern New Jersey voted to receive and study a 15-page
report on "Changing Patterns of Sexuality and Family Life." "It is our
conclusion," says the report, "that by suppressing our sexuality and by
condemning all sex which occurs outside of traditional marriage, the church has thereby
obstructed a vitally important means for persons to know and celebrate their relatedness
to God." The report encourages the churches to accept homosexuals, fornicators, and
adulterers as long as they are "sensitive, committed" people! The presiding
bishop of the Episcopal Church, Edmond Browning, praised these actions for being "at
the cutting edge" of church issues! After a three-year study, an Episcopal Church
commission in 1991 recommended that bishops be allowed to ordain homosexuals to the
priesthood. In his book Living in Sin: A Bishop Rethinks Human Sexuality, Episcopal Bishop
John Spong said, "I have known too many non-marital relationships marked by the
qualities of holiness to suggest that they are immoral because they are not within the
narrow bands of legal marriage. ... I regard the blessing of gay or lesbian couples by the
church to be inevitable, right, and a positive good." This immoral thinking
apparently permeates the Episcopal denomination. In a 1993 study, 70% of nearly 20,000
Episcopalians surveyed said it is possible for sexually active homosexuals to be faithful
Christians, and 75% of those surveyed said a faithful Christian can live with someone of
the opposite sex without being married (Christian News, Nov. 1, 1993).
Feminism
The Episcopal Church authorized the ordination of women to the deaconate in 1970 and
approved women's ordination to the priesthood in 1976. Today there are 1,070 ordained
women in the denomination. The Episcopalians ordained the first Anglican female bishop in
1989.
Charismatic
The charismatic movement has swept through the Episcopal denomination. It has been
noted that "among major Protestant denominations, the Episcopal Church has been the
most receptive to the movement." Episcopal Renewal Ministries [charismatic]
coordinator Charles Irish estimates that 35 of the 149 active Episcopal bishops, 3,000 of
the 13,000 priests, and 18 percent of the laity are charismatic (Christian News, May 19,
1986). This is not surprising, for, sadly, the charismatic movement seems to feed upon
apostasy.
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