CROSS CURRENTS

" Episcapades "

An escapade is "a breaking loose from restraint” and "a carefree or reckless adventure; a fling," according to the dictionary. Those definitions well characterize what has been taking place in the Episcopal Church in America. Therefore, with a play on words, we can call this church body "Episcapades." There has been a "breaking loose from restraint" and an abandonment of Christian teaching and principles by a liberal majority, which seems to control the direction of the Episcopal Church. At their 75th regular convention this past summer the powers-that-be in the Church refused to consider a resolution presented to their convention which affirmed that Jesus Christ was "the only name by which any person may be saved." Apparently that was too confining a statement for their Evangelism committee, and in a religious sense it was not "politically correct." God be praised that a minority still exists which wanted a definite statement on salvation alone in Christ. One of its spokesmen summed up the Episcopalian dilemma this way: “This clearly shows we are of a mind that does not affirm Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. And we should not be surprised that our Church is dying spiritually."

This Church’s “episcapades" have included the ordaining of an openly homosexual bishop, and more recently the election of a woman as the new presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church. She is on record as defending homosexuality and not considering it a sin as God does. After having gone through a period of little or no restraint, which threatens a schism within the worldwide Anglican communion, the Episcopal Church has fortunately agreed at least to “exercise restraint" before electing any more openly gay bishops.

To Separate Or Not To Separate

The Lutheran churches in Scandinavia are closer to losing their state church system in which the church is under the control of the government. Sweden has already ended this system, and Denmark is debating the issue. Three years ago Finland passed the Freedom of Religion Act which lessened its ties to the state. Norway is now seeking to change its constitution so that all the rules relating to the political government running the Church will be taken away. All native Norwegians to this point are "automatically" considered members (baptized members) of the Church of Norway, and eighty percent of the people are confirmed Lutherans (not to be confused with "confessional Lutherans").

A major concern when these state churches consider severing their ties with the government is the question of how they will then be funded, since they are accustomed to being supported through taxes. In Norway's case a subscription fee has been suggested by some, but it is feared this would have an adverse effect on congregations. The former state church in Sweden experienced a drop in membership because of the imposition of such a fee. All of which demonstrates the negative influence a state-run church system can have on people's spiritual lives.

The support for the Christian Church and its mission in this world should come from the hearts of the people and not from some imposed taxation by the government. A state-church system does not lend itself to healthy Christian stewardship, which is one good reason (among others) for abandoning the system. The less control the government has in the life of the Church the better it will be and the more it may respond to the real needs of the people; that is, to hear about Jesus as their Savior from sin and to respond with thankfulness to God by supporting the spreading of the Gospel to all the world. We can only hope the trend for separation in Scandinavia will continue.

That Cross Again

This is just a follow-up to an item on which we commented on in the previous issue. There we spoke of the offense of the cross and Israel's rejection of the cross symbol for the international Red Cross. Since then we note another instance where the "offense of the cross" was played out in a funeral setting. The Presbyterian church in a small Wisconsin town lent its facility for the burial of a Jew, there being no synagogue in the town. So as not to offend the Jewish mourners, a cloth was draped over the cross in the sanctuary. Is that not symbolic in itself? In many a so-called Christian church today the message of the cross of Christ is hidden. That would perhaps be too inhospitable to the outsider, they reason, and they cover it over. "Then the offense of the cross has ceased" (Galatians 5:11).

Paul Madson is a retired pastor living in North Mankato, Minnesota.