Christ Our Foundation
by Hank Bahr
Tuesday, February 23 – Psalms 61, 62 v 68:1–20(21–23)24–26; Gen. 42:1–17; 1 Cor. 5:1–8; Mark 3:19b–35
(BCP Readings for today)
The psalm reading(62) and the 1st Corinthians reading (5:1) tell me to make Christ my foundation and stand upon it in the face of evil. These passages register with me all too well.
This August will mark 12 years since I left the Episcopal Church of the United States, and 10 years since I left the Episcopal Church of the Ascension in Knoxville.
I was baptized in August of 1949 at the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepard in Memphis , Tn making me a “cradle” Episcopalian. I was confirmed by Bishop Stewart of the diocese of Georgia at Christ Church, Savannah, GA 12 years later. I was proud to be a member of the “thinking man’s” church. “We” didn’t leave our brains at the church door but brought them with us to worship Christ through our beloved 1928 Prayer Book liturgy. Then came the controversy over the “new” prayer book . It was a tempest in a teapot as far as I was concerned- same Jesus, same Trinity, no big deal. Then some of the clergy began talking about how God was doing “a new thing”. ( I could have sworn somebody told me that God was the same yesterday, today and tomorrow).One of the “new things” was that Homosexuality was not a sin. Wait a minute, wasn’t sex, homosexual, heterosexual, or otherwise, outside of marriage, a sin? I was told then that in order not to be sinful, we needed to bless “
One of the “new things” was that Homosexuality was not a sin. Wait a minute, wasn’t sex, homosexual, heterosexual, or otherwise, outside of marriage, a sin? I was told then that in order not to be sinful, we needed to bless “same sex marriage” ( sounds better than homosexual marriage). So then we ordain a openly practicing homosexual priest as a Bishop so he can marry is “significant” other. Right after the General Convention that consecrated this Bishop, the newly elected Archbishop of the United States was asked, on national television, “Is Jesus Christ the only road to salvation?” My bishop’s answer? “That’s putting God in a box….” If you are a Christian, this is not a hard question. The answer is “YES” next question. Here is where I would refer you to today’s 1st Corinthians passage . In it Paul is chastising the Corinthian church for letting an obvious sin to continue in their church.
I began to fight this movement in the Episcopal church, but soon found that my efforts were in vain . When I finally left the Episcopal church and my home church of Ascension, it was with a very heavy heart. I pray often for the Episcopal Church, and especially the Church of the Ascension here in Knoxville, but God in Christ continues to be my rock and my foundation. He has blessed me with Apostles Anglican Church. May we all be vigilant here.
