One wolf who was turned away

Thew Forester has slipped under the radar until now. He is the Bishop-elect for the Episcopal Church in the Diocese of Northern  Michigan.

Christianity Today reports a summary of his views;

• Jesus was probably not the only begotten Son of God
• The Koran is the Word of God just as much as the Bible
• The crucifixion of Jesus was not the will of God
• The death of Jesus does not wash away sin
• The death of Jesus does not make you right with God (we were always right with God!)
• Mr Forester has introduced Buddhist practices into his services (and even goes by a Buddhist name)

By any  test this man is hardly an adherent to the faith 'once delivered unto the saints' and now it appears as though his application to become Bishop will be rejected.

To become Bishop, Mr Forester must receive a majority vote from the 'House of Bishops' and from the 111 diocesan governing boards. Thankfully over half have already rejected his appointment.

Do the job properly

But why, we must ask, is this man even a candidate? He was not applying to help out in the kitchen at Church functions, he was applying to be shepherd of the entire Diocese!

This man clearly does not believe any of the historical, orthodox positions of Christianity. How is it that he even remains in his job as Pastor of a Church?

And who are on the 32 boards who have actually voted in favour of Mr Forester's appointment as Bishop?

Surely it is time for the Church to wipe the slate clean and start from scratch.

Church Government

No one really likes the subject of Church Government. It sounds so unspiritual, like we prefer to read minutes of meetings instead of planning outreaches, but here is classic example of why it is critical to the health of a Church.

What procedure was followed when this man was considered for the ministry? Was there an interview? Was he required to preach anywhere? Did he have to answer any theologically specific questions, give an account of his own conversion experience or sign a Statement of Faith?

The Shepherd and his sheep

There is a very good reason why Church leaders are described in the Bible as being shepherds and the rest of the body like the flock. It is a useful metaphor because the Church will inevitably follow the shepherd and therefore reflect his thinking. He feeds the flock and they trust him to feed them nourishing food.

When the shepherd does not even acknowledge his boss, the good shepherd of John 10, how are the rest of the flock supposed to?

What happens from here?

It is difficult to gauge the exact health of the Episcopal church at the moment. This man, it looks like, will not be appointed Bishop, but he will remain in his Church. This sounds like a double standard.

32 Standing Committees actually voted in favour of Mr Forester becoming Bishop. How can this procedure be trusted to deliver healthy outcomes for the Church in future?

Will the Episcopal Church define its views by issuing an updated Statement of Faith?

Will the remaining orthodox Christians in the Episcopal Church give up and head over to the new Anglican Church of north America?

If we can learn anything from this sordid mess, it is how critical it is that the leaders of the Church hold firmly to Biblical Christianity and how important it is the structure of their respective denominations support that.

So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. (1 Peter 5:1-3)