General Theology
“What do you do with Jesus?”
by Clay Staggs
Anybody casually reading my writing on this blog might really think that I have it in for the Episcopal Church USA. I really don’t, but they do seem to be a perfect example of where liberal mainline Christianity is off the tracks. But today’s installment shows that they are not only off the track, but the train has plunged off the cliff, exploded, and the wreckage is smoldering.
Now, some of you, no matter how well you know me and trust me, will nevertheless have to click the link to be sure that I’m not making up something this completely ridiculous. That’s okay, though, because when my friend Herb Saunders [hat tip] sent this to me, as much as I trust Herb, I had to read it for myself to believe it.
Here goes: an Episcopal priest of some 20 years, Rev. Ann Holmes Redding, has become a muslim - but without leaving the priesthood or the church. She’s claims to be BOTH a Christian and a muslim. You can read the whole story here.
There’s so much to write about, one hardly knows where to begin. I’ll start by commending Kurt Fredrickson of Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, whom the articles quotes, for asking the blazingly obvious question that seems to not bother Rev. Redding:
“There are tenets of the faiths that are very, very different,” said Kurt Fredrickson, director of the doctor of ministry program at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, Calif. “The most basic would be: What do you do with Jesus?”
Indeed. What do you do with Jesus? Rev. Redding’s answer is the most wonderful illustration of the absolute intellectual bankruptcy of postmodern relativism:
Redding doesn’t feel she has to resolve all the contradictions. People within one religion can’t even agree on all the details, she said. “So why would I spend time to try to reconcile all of Christian belief with all of Islam? “At the most basic level, I understand the two religions to be compatible. That’s all I need.” … “It wasn’t about intellect,” she said. “All I know is the calling of my heart to Islam was very much something about my identity and who I am supposed to be.
Isn’t it wonderful how relativism makes virtue of intellectual laziness?
And, lest you wonder about the ECUSA’s position on all this, when asked, they said that it was up to her bishop, who opined as follows:
Redding’s bishop, the Rt. Rev. Vincent Warner, says he accepts Redding as an Episcopal priest and a Muslim, and that he finds the interfaith possibilities exciting.
So, there you have it. It’s “exciting” to the powers that be in the ECUSA.
It is absolutely no wonder that the African branches of the Anglican Communion consider the US to be apostate and in need of conversion. I suggest they get a missionary out to Seattle ASAP.
Posted by Clay Staggs at June 26, 2007 09:20 AM
I think her line, “it wasn’t about intellect” kind of says it all. Amazingly unbelievable post. Why are we not surprised?
Clay, “Ignorance as virtue, logic as vice.” What is apparently not understood by Rev. Redding (and others) is that they will have (in their “open-mindedness”) painted themselves into a logical corner. They will limit themselves to teaching only things in the Bible that are friendly to their point-of-view. In fact, their imprecise and cavalier dismissal of hard questions will limit all of their messages to general niceties. This must be a huge contributing factor to WHY the liberal mainlines are decreasing in size. Upon any scrutiny— even from a non-believer, it becomes a laughable parady of psuedo-religion.
At one time, the more liberal churches were better at social mercy than many conservative churches. Now, that an appropriate corrective is happening among conservative denoms in the way of addressing social ills (outside of governmental resources), the liberal churches are offering nothing that is atttractive to the soul’s hunger. At the end of the day, this relativism pleases a cosmpolitan feeling of human unity, but it does not satisy the soul. I don’t know if the train has derailed in a giant heap, quite yet. I think Amtrak is on schedule, the dining car is full, and ETA is very soon: Next Stop, the town of Complete Irrelevance.
Clay,
I wasn’t terribly surprised by the article, or your lead-up to the article. I’ve come to expect this sort of stuff. Had you posted an article about how they were advocating the worship of Pan, sadly, it wouldn’t have surprised me either. It seems to me that stuff like this is based on an over literal reading of 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 (not to mention being a “Line Item ‘Gospel’”).
When Paul was in Athens (Acts 17:16-34), he did not take up paganism. He took in the culture, and reasoned with them likewise. Similarly, to reach the Muslims, there is nothing wrong with taking in the culture (food, music, literature). There is even nothing wrong with reading the Koran. Then using this to gain an inroad, or to be able to reason with them about God, and share the Gospel. Where the line is crossed is when you begin actually worshiping in their manner, after their god.
A bit of first hand experience: When I was in Japan a few years ago doing missions work I took in the culture. I ate the food. I experienced the history. I chatted with the nationals. I even went to Buddhist and Shinto temples and shrines. The full time missionaries over there do the same thing. They do not become Buddhist, or Shinto but rather try and gain an understanding of the religion, history, and culture to try and gain the inroads necessary for the delivery of the Gospel.
But the most baffling part of the article to me was the part about not being able to reconcile between both, thus adopting both as a faith. I don’t claim to be the most intellectually active person out there, but come on, I’m not THAT lazy. It seems awfully convenient to me. What happens if a priest thus cannot reconcile between the teachings of Christ, and Pan? Perhaps someone should get into the business of making idols, since that may well be on the agenda of many (note the use of the word, “many”) liberal denominations…it’s the logical conclusion.
It may well be a very lucrative trade.
Kenny,
Very, very well said. The ultimate fate of the ECUSA is, in my view, complete demise. And the other large, mainline liberal denominations are right behind them.
After all, if you don’t believe anything, and don’t have to believe anything, pretty soon you just start staying home on Sunday mornings and reading the paper.
I didn’t post a response to this for some time mainly because I was speechless. There is almost nothing that can be said when a “Christian” group allows and even condones this assininity. Her bishop, the “right” reverant Warner, thinks it is “exciting?”
I guess anyone whose “thought” is without an intellectual basis would be able to equate gender and background, two totally different things, with belief in two versions of the same thing, religious faith. I guess she thought it sounded good anyway and there was some political correctness connotations; as there certainly is with her “embracing” two faiths that are contradictiory. What will she do with Jesus indeed. Having said that, it’s not that far from Joel O’Steen who told Larry King that there were other ways to heaven apart from Jesus.
One thing that struck me about this is something that is the deciding factor in much of modern day Christianity; pure emotionalism. She came to the realization that she was also a Muslim because she saw a Muslim stretched out in prayer and “he seemed to be reaching toward God.” From this she made a decision to embrace a false religion. I guess, in retrospect, she didn’t have very far to fall if it was possible to do that.
As a friend observed, I guess the kneeling in prayer she did at St. Mark’s didn’t count for “reaching for God.”
I, like Jimmy, was too alack & agape to respond. However, it appears that the Right Reverend Imam has entertained questions and answers about her position. You can look at it here: http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/readerfeedback/readerfeedback.php?id=171
Enjoy????
Jeff
Well, today’s (7/7/07) paper carried the latest. The Bishop of Rhode Island, who ordained her, apparently still has authority and has placed her in “time out” (yes, that’s the phrase that the Seattle bishop who was “excited” about her dual religion used.) For a year, Redding will essentially not be an Episcopal priest. She has been asked to “reflect” on the doctrines of the Christian faith and on the conflicts inherent in professing both CHristianity and Islam. The issue will be re-visited after a year but it seems that she was told that one of her options was resigning. My assumption is that this will be one of her options if she doesn’t “recant” Islam. Incredibly, she can probably do that and keep her position.
Redding predictably states that she won’t leave on her own but that there will have to be a “divorce.” Maybe she could become the Islamic equivalent, whatever that is, of an Espicopal priest. No, wait….she’s a woman as she noted last week and a third class citizen in Islam. She can’t even appear in the mosque with her face uncovered.