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By Christ Church Episcopal - Plano, Texas Submitted by Injun Joe Date: 2003 Nov 30 Comment on this Work [[2003.11.30.14.51.9270]] |
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Plano, TX (November 2, 2003) The Rev. Canon David H. Roseberry, founding rector of Christ Church-Episcopal of Plano, Texas, issued the following statement today following the national church's first consecration of a non-celibate homosexual as bishop: " I join millions of orthodox believers around the world in mourning over this historic consecration. The Episcopal Church has tragically fallen prey to the whims of our culture and refuted 2,000 years worth of Biblical teaching. They have ignored the advice of the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Primates of the Anglican Communion, and worldwide ecumenical partners. Over the next few weeks, we will see the disintegration of our worldwide Anglican family." " Normally, the consecration of a bishop is an occasion for the advancement of apostolic mission. This consecration signals the end of the Episcopal Church as a relevant moral voice in our society and around the world." Nevertheless, Roseberry is very hopeful about the weeks and months ahead. "An energetic new church will begin to arise," said Roseberry. "There will be new alignments forming so that Christian mission can continue, but it will not look like anything we have known in the past. The future of the orthodox Anglicanism will be bold, biblical and irrepressibly missionary." Roseberry already supports the leaders of the American Anglican Council in the establishment of a new "Network of Confessing Dioceses and Parishes". In consultation with the Archbishop of Canterbury, this network will seek to provide safe oversight for congregations who maintain biblical faith and practice, but are located in dioceses that do not support their orthodox beliefs. It is widely expected that the Archbishop of Canterbury will recognize this new non-geographic network or "province" as a bona fide part of the worldwide Anglican Communion, therefore declaring those in opposition to have broken communion. Roseberry concluded, "As we plan the future of our church, we will continue to pray that those who are deceived by the fancies of this culture will come to know the redeeming grace of Jesus Christ." Christ Church, formed as a mission in 1985, is the most-attended Episcopal Church in the United States, with an average attendance of approximately 2,000 per weekend. Christ Church is committed to being a center for evangelism and Christian ministry in the Plano, Texas community and around the world. |