Piety Hill Musings

The ramblings of the Rector of St. John's Church in the city of Detroit. Piety Hill refers to the old name for our neighborhood. The neighborhood has changed a great deal in the over 165 years we have been on this corner (but not our traditional biblical theology) and it is now known for the neighboring theatres, the professional baseball and football stadiums and new hockey/basketball arena.

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Location: Detroit, Michigan, United States

Friday, February 02, 2007

Play about Bishop Spong


What a strange week of praying over scripture this has been. As I have been thinking/praying about this Sunday's lessons, particularly 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 (and what follows for the following week 12-20), I have been confronted with advertising for a playing being presented here in Grosse Pointe about the apostate retired ECUSA bishop, John Shelby Spong.
St. Paul writes to the Corinthians
3For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
4And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
5And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve:
6After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.
7After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles.
8And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.
9For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
10But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
11Therefore whether it were I or they, so we preach, and so ye believed.
12Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?
13But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen:
14And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.
15Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not.
16For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised:
17And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.
And yet, Bishop Spong has published 12 Thesis for revamping Christianity.
Thesis number 6 is :The view of the cross as a sacrifice for the sins of the world is a barbarian idea based on primitive ideas about God and must be dismissed
Thesis 7 is: Resurrection is an action of God. Jesus was raised into the meaning of God. It therefore cannot be a physical resuscitation occurring inside human history.
These two , and the other 10, are direct contradiciction of Scripture (and its plain meaning), and are fine examples of the problem with the Episcopal Church - the loss of Authority of Scripture!
Pray, Pray, Pray for the Episcopal Church! Pray that God send St. Michael and the Holy Angels to bind Satan to keep him from using the play tonight and tomorrow from misleading people away from the truth of God in Jesus Christ, as he has revealed himself in Scripture.
And pray for conversion of those who believe such distortions of the truth!