It is certainly courageous for one Church to point the finger at another for changing the story to suit the times.

DougTB
Perhaps it is not the ground but the wrong seeds being sown.

Most prefer the seeds of love, non-judgement and reason. What the world does not need ow is more divisinveness, hypocrisy and religious spin and powerplay.

the good news in all this babble is that Jesus Christ promised to build His church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. Worldwide believers in the saving power of Jesus Christ is growing rapidly even in Islamic nations. The fact that many if not all mainline denominations continue to change, water down and apologise for Jesus teachings do not nullify this fact. Some denominations along with the cults are even dumb enough to believe they are the true church. Many young people in our own nation have a strong belief in the Lord Jesus Christ. Thankfully they have experienced the life changing power of the gospel and could not care less about silly little statements made by committees of men. They know that it is only the Scriptures that really matter and hence are making a real difference on this planet.

The problem is, Pelican, that we will all face judgement, and showing true love for others means trying to show them what the result of that judgement could be.

God is a God of love, but also one of judgement. When a church forgets that it forgets its purpose for being.

Pelican

Dunno about you, but wouldn't you think that Sells would be considering that the Catholic Church is in the most Dire of Straits right now?

Sells continues his private religious ruminations and narrative in a complete vacuum from what is actually going on in the world. This fits with his ignorance of atheism as much as his displacement of reality.

This article is symptomatic of Pete's triune neurosis. It begins with a denial of the essentially political nature of the Gospel and the Church. It fails to recognise that the Christian Church, its theology, liturgy and creeds are culturally determined in their entirety. And it reveals an irrational fear of change, raising the 'fearful' spectre of theological relativism as proof that his anxieties are well-founded.

Chill out Pete! It really doesnt matter if the UCA stuffs up its 'constitution' here and there. Very few people ever read it and a large percentage of those who do are intelligent enough to recognise its intellectual limitations anyway.

BTW, Pete, you seem to set a great deal of store by the notion of the 'mainstream' churches, by which I assume you mean those who are enough like yours not to be too threatening. Its another part of that trinitarian anxiety that afflicts you so. According to the Gospels Jesus loved everyone and the early church wouldnt have even known what you meant by trinity. Given the manner in which the trinitarian formula was thrashed out (literally) it is hardly a shining example of the ideals expressed in the Gospels.

What is more important, Pete? Your particularly quirky brand of theology or national reconciliation?

I'm an Atheist myself and all religion is political. Those who criticise soem denominations for expressing progressive views are the same ones that have no problem with the conservatism of the Envalegical/Pentecostal denominations.