Regular readers may recall that I was born into and raised in the Episcopal Church. I was an acolyte (altar boy) and active in the youth group. I was even pursuing ordination before finding out that because I was a heterosexual dum masculus I was a persona non grata, at least in terms of the ministry. That ended approximately 35 years of membership. Now and then I look at the church of my birth and at what it has become, and feel a pang of sadness. On the other hand, that is countered by a feeling of immense relief. They would have frozen me out anyway, so better to get it over with. What's more, it would not have been too long before I would have been looking for the emergency exit, anyway.
Just before heading off to Asherah Poles R Us to take advantage of the Memorial Day Weekend savings, the Episcopal Church announced that it had changed its traditional symbol -- a red, white, and blue shield -- to the new Progress/Pride version.
Soon the abomination of desolation will be put in the highest place https://t.co/0tZs5eUcgP
— Dr Jordan B Peterson (@jordanbpeterson) May 29, 2024
If the dismantling of the church is not complete, it is darn close. At this point, not only is the destruction of the church too close to call, it is pointless. There is no reason to save an entity so intent on its own demise.
The original design had a red St. George's Cross over a white field. In the upper left-hand corner, there was a field of blue with nine stars, representing the original nine dioceses of the church in America. There is a deeper meaning to the original design, but growing up, it always seemed to me to reflect the church's British origin and, to some small degree, the American flag.
In contrast, the Episcopal Church wrote:
The design retains the upper-left blue corner of The Episcopal Church’s shield logo and incorporates elements of the traditional Pride flag as well as the Progress Pride flag and Philadelphia Pride flag. In their use of black, brown, pink, and light-blue diagonal lines, the latter two flags represent intersectional progress in acknowledging people who are often overlooked by the mainstream LGBTQ+ movement: communities of color; the transgender community; and the many thousands harmed by anti-LGBTQ+ policy—from those who lost their lives in the AIDS crisis of the 1980s and ‘90s, to those still disproportionately impacted today.
Pretty words to be sure. And, I have no doubt that the people in the church believe that they have the best of intentions. There are several references to the dangers of pride in the Bible, but Revelation 2:4-5 comes to mind: "Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place."
The church has become so enamored with the world that it has forgotten its task is to lift people up to God, not try futilely to drag God down to the level of humanity. That is how you get this:
Meet Ash Williams, a trans abortion doula redefining reproductive support. After experiencing a lack of care during his own abortion, Ash now provides holistic, compassionate care to those choosing not to remain pregnant.
— Planned Parenthood (@PPFA) May 29, 2024
Read more: https://t.co/Tz505xuMQp
At this point, I doubt that the Episcopal Church would welcome me. Or, for that matter, anyone who dares lift their eyes to Heaven rather than wallow in the vagaries of whatever is popular at the moment. Thanks be to God.
