Rather Expose Them Christian News Blog
A WordPress Blog-THE CHURCH MILITANT Ephesians 5:11-"And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them". This Christian News Blog maintains a one stop resource of current news and reports of its own related to church, moral, spiritual, and related political issues, plus articles, and postings from other online discernment ministries, and media which share the aims to obey the biblical commands to shed light on and refute error, heresy, apostasy, cults, and spiritual abuse. ALL CONTENT FROM HTTPS://RATHEREXPOSETHEM.BLOGSPOT.COM MOVED TO THIS NEW BLOG, MAY 2020
"Why the party is dying": Rob Finnerty unpacks the disastrous views and policies of elected Democrats, coupled this week with a hefty amount of hysterical anti-Trump behavior.
It is hardly a novel observation that the Episcopal Church (the American version of the Anglican Church) is in freefall — its once-immense cultural influence reduced to a mere whisper, its ancient liturgies now little more than quaint relics in a world that has long ceased to value the transcendent. . . .
The leadership, having spent decades more preoccupied with virtue-signaling on fashionable social justice causes, identity politics, and the moral imperative of appeasing the ever-changing winds of political correctness, now finds itself on the brink of irrelevance. It is as though the church has decided to exchange its eternal spiritual heritage for the transient concerns of modernity, only to discover, with a bemused shrug, that the transaction has rendered it hollow. (source)
A May 2023 article from the Anglican Watch titled “It’s official: The Episcopal Church is dying” states:
The past 18 months have been rough, but for the Episcopal Church, things are about to get worse. Specifically, the results of the annual parochial reports are about to come out, and they won’t be pretty. And that’s not the worst of it—folks who left the church during the pandemic, by and large, won’t be coming back. Nor is the church willing to face facts. In other words, the Episcopal Church is no longer just declining. It’s dying. (source)
Interestingly, a comment left on the blog where that article was posted, written by a long-time Episcopalian man named Joseph, stated:
The problem began when Episcopal priests started apologizing for instead of proclaiming the Gospel. The last time and I mean the last time I attended an Episcopal service, the priest on the first Sunday of Lent, greeted me with “Namaste:” (a Buddhist greeting) from the pulpit and then turned things over to a guest speaker. A black woman who harangued the congregation for 45 minutes about the “1619 Project” and our hereditary guilt as white people of “racism” and our perpetual obligation to apologize to and serve blacks. Missing was any mention of God, Jesus, forgiveness and sin. My family has been Episcopalians for at least four generations. Combine that with the cowardly compliance of the anti-Christian social engineers in Washington during the Covid “Pandemic” has completely turned me off.
The Episcopal Church has had severe spiritual deficits for a long time (long before Covid), but perhaps members such as Joseph didn’t see this coming. Just the fact that the denomination welcomed ex-communicated Catholic priest Matthew Fox into its fold a few decades ago tells a lot. After being defrocked by the Roman Catholic Church, Fox became a priest in the Episcopal Church in 1993 and brought with him his New Age views and his book The Coming of the Cosmic Christ, which teaches that all humans have christ-consciousness and God within. Ray Yungen explains Fox’s beliefs:
The Coming of the Cosmic Christ is a book in which New Age leader/Episcopal priest Matthew Fox puts forth the idea that “mysticism” should become the praxis around which all the world’s religions can unite—something he calls “deep ecumenism.” The “cosmic Christ,” Fox explains, is the “I AM in every creature” and Jesus is someone “who shows us how to embrace our own divinity.”1
So while it may seem to some Episcopalian members, such as Joseph, that their denomination took a tailspin after Covid under the influence of wokeism and “progressivism,” the downfall started long before that. And you can be sure it began even before Fox entered the picture. No church or denomination goes directly from Scriptural integrity (which the Episcopal Church may never have even had) to Matthew Foxism. As Yungen puts it, it’s a “creeping” effect2 that takes place where the deception enters in one increment at a time . . . And occasionally some big leaps take place (such as welcoming someone like Matthew Fox into the denomination).
But the Episcopal Church isn’t the only denomination that is guilty of allowing dangerous incremental steps of deception into its fold. Just about every evangelical denomination today began at some point allowing contemplative spirituality (via the Spiritual Formation movement)* into the framework of church life. It largely began in 1978 with Richard Foster’s book Celebration of Discipline, where he stated that “we should all without shame enroll as apprentices in the school of contemplative prayer.”3 After that, Christian publishers that had trusted reputations within the church (e.g. Navigators, InterVarsity Press) began pouring into Christianity hundreds, if not thousands, of books promoting and teaching contemplative spirituality and Spiritual Formation.
And just in case there are some reading this article who are wondering why we are connecting contemplative spirituality with churches (like the Episcopal) that have gone “woke” and “progressive,” this is really the “missing” (ignored?) link that explains so much yet is usually overlooked. Here’s a nutshell explanation: Catholic mystics (e.g., Thomas Merton, Basil Pennington, Thomas Keating) who were having esoteric experiences while in altered states of consciousness brought on by contemplative meditation morphed into panentheists (God is in all) and interspiritualists (all paths lead to God). This is basically the “fruit” of contemplative prayer.
As Ray Yungen so carefully and meticulously showed through his years of research and study, the reason the fruit of contemplative prayer is identical to the outcome of New Age mystics is because both are drawing from the same source (i.e., the occult). The occult, which is the heart of the New Age movement, is panentheism (God is in all) and interspiritual (all paths lead to truth or God). Those who enter mystical states through mantra-type meditation often begin to embrace the view that God is in all religions and in all people. We believe this happens because the mystical realm entered is a realm of familiar spirits (i.e., the occult) that draws practitioners away from the Gospel and into an interspiritual belief system that negates the view that Jesus Christ is the only path to God and salvation (meaning a rejection of the Cross).
In his book A Time of Departing, Yungen was able to clearly show the connection between the New Age/occult and “Christian” contemplative prayer. One of the most compelling pieces of evidence was his quote by occultist Kirby who said, “The meditation of advanced occultists is identical with the prayer of advanced mystics [contemplatives]: it is no accident that both traditions use the same word for the highest reaches of their respective activities—contemplation.”4
So Foster’s contemplative prayer was the open door to bring the occult into the church; once that happened, the stage was set for the formation of the emergent church (birthed through the efforts of Bob Buford, Rick Warren, and Bill Hybels, all who promoted the Spiritual Formation movement),5 which eventually became the woke progressive church). Show us a church or Christian college that has gone woke, and we’ll show you the incremental steps that began with contemplative spirituality. We see Christians scratching their heads, asking, “How did my church become woke so fast?” Well, it didn’t happen fast. It just looks that way because the dots haven’t been connected.
Fast forward to today, and we see evangelical churches behaving just like the Episcopal church, where this New Age/occult contemplative prayer has conditioned the ground for seeding heavy-duty apostasy and thus, the sudden burst of growth. Some may think that’s an extreme and irrational thing for us to say. But just look at Catholic panentheist Richard Rohr, who, according to one of his publishers, has as his biggest readership young evangelical men. And that’s just one example of countless ones.
By the way, one of the other “fruits” of contemplative prayer is a move away from believing in substitutionary atonement (i.e., the Cross where Jesus Christ paid the penalty for mankind’s sins, taking them upon Himself). Episcopalian priest Alan Jones (who is also a New Age-sympathising contemplative mystic) stated:
The Church’s fixation on the death of Jesus as the universal saving act must end, and the place of the cross must be reimagined in Christian faith. Why not? Because of the cult of suffering and the vindictive God behind it.
The other thread of just criticism addresses the suggestion implicit in the cross that Jesus’ sacrifice was to appease an angry god. Penal substitution [the Cross] was the name of this vile doctrine.6
For those who still can’t see the link between contemplative spirituality and wokeism, consider this statement by Alan Jones: “I see the mystical and contemplative as the necessary grounding for social action and involvement in issues of justice.”7 These “issues of justice” that identify the contemplative/woke church include promotion of LGBTQ, transgenderism, evolution, critical race theory, and mystical meditation. Is that really what the evangelical church wants to be known for? You can be sure that there is no room for the Cross where these “issues of justice” prevail. As one prominent New Age meditation figure said, “The era of the single savior is over.”8
If the evangelical church keeps going down the contemplative/Spiritual Formation path, like the Episcopal Church has so heartily done with their Matthew Fox and their Alan Jones, then the Cross of Jesus Christ will be squeezed out, and truth will be replaced with apostasy. Perhaps the Episcopal Church is indeed dying out, and perhaps that is for the best. But it’s long past time for the pastors and leaders of the evangelical church to wake up and see they are heading down the same path.
*For those who are unfamiliar with the terms “contemplative spirituality” and “Spiritual Formation,” please refer to this article: https://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/blog/booklet-highlight-is-your-church-doing-spiritual-formation-important-reasons-why-they-shouldnt.
Related Articles Regarding the Episcopal Church (2006-2014):
(2006) Marching Toward Global Solidarity
(2007) Episcopal Priest: “I Am Both Muslim and Christian” — OK With Emerging Church
(2008) Episcopal Church and the Resurgence of the Labyrinth and Meditation
(2009) Mystical Practices Lead Episcopalian Priest Into Interspirituality
(2010) Episcopal Church ordains 2nd openly gay bishop
(2012) Episcopal Church Approves Same-Sex Blessing Rite
(2013) Spiritual Directors and Episcopalians
(2013) Episcopalian National Cathedral Leader: ‘Homophobia’ a Sin; Same-Sex Marriages Will Be Performed
(2014) In a first, Washington National Cathedral to host Friday Muslim prayer service
(image from istockphoto.com; used with permission)
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[Order David Horowitz’s new book, America Betrayed, HERE.]
The diocese of Buffalo, New York, which is in the process of shutting down approximately half of its churches, has sold another historic sanctuary at a bargain-basement price.
The scandal-plagued diocese, which has been buried under an avalanche of clerical sex abuse lawsuits, has traded its historic Gothic St. Ann’s Church and Shrine for $250,000 to Buffalo’s Muslim community, for conversion into a mosque and an Islamic Center.
CATHOLIC BACKLASH
Catholics reacted with outrage after well-known Catholic priest, Fr. Ronald Vierling, drew attention to the sale on Monday. Vierling’s post on the social media platform X has attracted over 10 million views at the time of writing.
“No anger should be directed against the Islamic community,” wrote Vierling. “No doubt the changing demographics of the area and the inability to financially support the complex made the continuance of St. Ann as a viable parish impossible.”
“This scenario is being played out in once large, urban dioceses across the country,” the priest warned.
“Terrible. I know a dozen Catholics who would have pulled together to buy the building instead of letting it get sold off,” Catholic award-winning radio show host David J. Reilly replied, adding: “Sometimes the diocese chooses to not sell to certain groups like the SSPX & FSSP.”
“Muslims get a church for $250k but I can’t buy a house in a decent neighborhood for less than $500k,” a Catholic lamented.
Saint Ann’s Church, built by German immigrants in 1886, had fallen into disrepair and was decommissioned in 2013. Bishop Richard J. Malone – who in 2019 resigned as head of the diocese over allegations of sex abuse cover-up – had slated the building for demolition, as the diocese had estimated repairs could cost at least $12 million. Malone, however, changed his mind and said that the new plan was to put the property up for sale.
The Downtown Islamic Center, which purchased the property from the diocese through its affiliate Buffalo Crescent Holdings, said it would spend the millions of dollars necessary to renovate the historic structure.
“We’re looking to put several million dollars into this in the next year, in the church alone,” Talha Bakth, president of the Downtown Islamic Center, told the Buffalo News. “The space will be able to be used for worship within a year or two.”
Buffalo Crescent Holdings is also purchasing a former rectory at the complex that had been converted to apartments in a separate transaction, the media added.
QUEEN OF PEACE CHURCH CONVERTED TO JAMI MASJID
In 2007, the diocese sold the Queen of Peace Church for $300,000 to the Muslim Society of Buffalo, which converted the building into the Jami Masjid (mosque).
Since Islam prohibits the depiction of a human or living being in sacred iconography, Muslim volunteers painted all the Catholic murals sky blue, removed statues at the altar, and replaced the church’s well-preserved stained-glass windows with plain, frosted glass.
The main altar was removed entirely and replaced by a carpeted space for reading. The church’s former apse, the area behind the main altar where the choir would sing, has been screened off as a prayer space for women.
Today, the Jami Masjid has Turkish carpets instead of pews and Arabic calligraphy adorns the Gothic brackets. The orientation of prayer has changed so the imam stands along the eastern wall of the building, so that when worshippers can face Mecca when they offer their prayers and bow.
ST. AGNES CHURCH CONVERTED TO BUDDHIST SHRINE
In 2009, the Buffalo diocese sold St. Agnes Church to the International Sangha Bhiksu Buddhist Association for conversion to a Buddhist temple and meditation center. The historic church, which was consecrated on December 9, 1883, had served German and Italian immigrants for over a century.
The church closed its doors on October 21, 2007, and remained empty for two years before Vietnamese monk Thich Minh Tuyen bought it in 2009 for $250,000. It reopened in 2012 as a Buddhist temple after the iconography, including the crucifix and images of the Stations of the Cross, was removed.
The Buddhist occupants also added three 2,000-pound sitting Buddhas shipped from Canada, and six standing Buddhas, that cluster around a shrine in the narthex. The monks also replaced six pews with carpets for worshippers, but left the remaining pews intact for those who cannot sit on the floor.
The new owners also hung Buddhist banners alongside the intact stained glass windows, intending to combine Buddhist iconography with the existing Catholic themes.
‘CHURCHES ARE NOT POKER CHIPS’
Attorney Brody Hale, co-founder and president of the St. Stephen Protomartyr Project, which works to preserve Catholic churches for sacred use, lamented the sale and conversion of churches into non-Christian places of worship.
“A church as defined by canon law is a sacred edifice,” he told FrontPage Magazine. “Churches as sacred buildings have fundamentally more protections under canon law than parishes.”
“This is not what churches are supposed to be used for according to canon law. Churches are not poker chips a bishop can use to cash out when he’s in a bind,” Hale stated.
MILLIONS SPENT ON CLERICAL SEX ABUSE SCANDALS
Earlier in May, the Buffalo diocese announced plans to merge approximately 34% of the 160 parishes across Western New York and reduce places of worship by 38%.
Bishop Michael Fisher said the mergers were due to financial pressures brought about by the filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2020, after scores of clerical sex abuse lawsuits were filed under the Child Victims Act; as well as a priest shortage, aging congregations, and declining Mass attendance.
The consolidation would bring the number of parishes from 160 to a projected 106, and the number of worship centers from 196 to a projected 121.
Last year, the Buffalo diocese offered $100 million, in addition to any insurance funds, to settle 891 clerical sex abuse cases. The diocese said it would sell its 795 Main Street headquarters, the former Christ the King Seminary campus, and other “non-essential” property to cover half the settlement.
More than $15 million has already been paid to attorneys for the diocese in its bankruptcy and the state Attorney General’s investigation.
DIOCESE FAILS TO EVANGELIZE THE LOST
Interestingly, the diocesan website has a drop-down menu titled “How We Evangelize” on its opening page, but the word “evangelization” seems to be re-defined with no mention of any attempts to reach people of other faiths or no faith.
Instead, the subcategories under the menu lists buzz phrases such as “Cultural Diversity,” “Catholic Education,” and the controversial “Catholic Charities,” with events like a diocesan “Multicultural Mass” and an annual “Cultural Diversity Celebration Dinner.”
Dr. Jules Gomes, (BA, BD, MTh, PhD), has a doctorate in biblical studies from the University of Cambridge. Currently a Vatican-accredited journalist based in Rome, he is the author of five books and several academic articles. Gomes lectured at Catholic and Protestant seminaries and universities and was canon theologian and artistic director at Liverpool Cathedral. This article is cross-posted with the author’s permission from Souls & Liberty.