I refer to the complete abandonment of faith which leads the Protestant church in Holland to proclaim, without irony, that atheism is no bar to Holy orders!!!
I must admit this one beggars belief:-
Every now and then something happens which allows us to discern how things actually are as opposed to how they are intended to appear. If you want clarification of where modern liberal theology actually leads then ponder this extraordinary news item. Is this not a slipping of the mask exposing a terrible, scandalous truth within Protestantism? I refer to the complete abandonment of faith which leads the Protestant church in Holland to proclaim, without irony, that atheism is no bar to Holy orders!!! Remind me again…what exactly are priests for?
Am I alone in finding it absurd that the hierarchy of any Christian church should consider atheism a valid belief system for its clergy?!! If it were the plot of a novel you would discount it as utterly stupid. Is this not a real case of a wolf dressed up in sheep’s clothing? At least Woggler has the integrity to be a real atheist rather than one dressed up in the vestments of faith.
Not that the problem is uniquely Dutch. Here in England I raised awareness of a priest with similar disregard for Christian faith and also wrote to his Bishop. Despite providing clear evidence that the man does not believe in miracles, the Virgin birth, the resurrection or the reality of sin, nothing whatsoever was done by the Church of England hierarchy. Indeed his blasphemous pamphlets continue to be published via the church website. I can only conclude that the present House of Bishops is in full sympathy with the Dutch church elders who made this most incredulous statement:
“The ideas of Hendrikse (atheism) are theologically not new, and are in keeping with the liberal tradition that is an integral part of our church,”
Here then is the slip of the mask. We have churches run by people who support heresy and show little passion for authentic Christian faith. And note that whilst the Dutch atheist and his English counterpart remain assured of a future within their prospective churches, we who are Anglo-Catholic are being bundled out of the back door simply for upholding what the Church has always taught. The paradox is complete then- atheism is no longer a bar to holy orders within liberal Western Christendom but orthodox faith is. And they wonder why the ordinariate has some of us genuinely interested!
Unbelievable!
Tags: Church Life