TEC bishops reveal heretical theology

In a sweeping move to place themselves firmly in the heretic and non "orthodox" camp, the house of bishops has affirmed the virginity of Mary, the Mother of God. I'm not shocked; our bishops have been pagan ever since they voted for prayerbook revision back in 1892. and alowed prayers for the dead to be included in the PCB 1928.

To prove the heretical nature of the house of bishops, this shocking resolution passed unanimously.

The Rt. Rev. Wayne Smith, Bishop of Missouri, presented the resolution, noting that there had been some concerns expressed in committee hearings about the commons used for the Mother of God. There were “three ways to refer to her: Mary the God-bearer, the theotokos; Mary of Nazareth; and the Blessed Virgin Mary,” he said. Bishop Smith said using these varied terms underscores the theological diversity of views held within the Episcopal Church on the person and charism of Mary.

Bishop Michael Smith of North Dakota stood and said “I rise in defense of our Lady,” eliciting guffaws from the house. Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori noted, “I don’t think she needs it,” to more laughter from the bishops. Bishop Michael Smith then offered an amendment inserting the word “virgin” before Mary’s name where used in the new collects, stating that the church’s teaching on the virginity of the Mother of God should be underscored in the new rites.

The Rt. Rev. Otis Charles, retired Bishop of Utah, spoke in opposition, stating “the term theotokos stands by itself.” Mary the god-bearer was a term of “long tradition and honorable to Our Lady.”

Bishop Wayne Smith accepted the amendment, suggesting that Mary be styled, “the Blessed Virgin Mary, the god-bearer.” The Charles amendment was accepted by voice vote, with limited opposition.

The Bishop of Albany, the Rt. Rev. William Love, rose to support the amended resolution saying he could “imagine all the spin that would come out of this convention” if the resolution was rejected. He said the headline “Episcopal Church Denies the Virginity of Mary” was one he did not wish to read, eliciting cries of shame from the bishops present.

Bishop C. Franklin Brookhart of Montana reminded the house of the words of the Chalcedonian Creed: “Mary the Virgin, the God-bearer, the theotokos,” and urged adoption of the resolution. It passed unanimously.

In seriousness, this resolution, unanimously adopted, shows how much TEC is firmly in the traditional catholic camp of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic church. Another schismatic charge of heresy blown up in their face. In the Duncan organization, this resolution would not have been adapted - Evangelicals do not like the term "Mother of God."

It's must be sad to be a schismatic during GC09; they only way they can cry heresy is to be so deliberately obtuse and dishonest that they infer heresy into everything. Mark my work, this resolution will have a negative spin on the schismatic blogs.

In an unrelated matter, it appears that Episcopal Life will move to a quarterly publication. This is a mistake. If other denominations (mainline denominations) can produce a slick professional monthly publication, there is no reason TEC cannot do the same.