Page 677 - Way of Life Encyclopedia of the Bible Christianity. Based on the King James Bible

WORLD COUNCIL OF CHURCHES

“WHILE ONE GROUP PRACTICED PRINCIPLES OF vessel and that she was not supposed to make such
BUDDHIST MEDITATION, ANOTHER WAS decisions on her own. Or course “Ms.” Kaessman is from
INTRODUCED TO ASIAN SPIRITUAL EXERCISES. IN Germany, which has been on the cutting edge of
ANOTHER WORKSHOP, A GROUP OF PEOPLE WERE theological weirdness for almost two centuries.
CELEBRATING FEMININE... IMAGES OF GOD. ...
through prayer, song, mime, and dance. ... There was “Reverend” Constance Parvey of the Evangelical
no acknowledgement by the NCC that some of the Lutheran Church in America claimed that the issue of
forms of prayer and spiritual exercises, being from the ordination of women was a unity issue. Men and
non-Christian sources, might be unbiblical and women are one in the “body of Christ” and therefore
unchristian” (Christian Research Journal, Summer, should be allowed the same functions. “In the early life
1988). of the Church women were at the center but a
We could give many more examples of this, but even patriarchal reading of the Scriptures had marginalized
this is sufficient to show the frightful direction of the them. Now a separate ecclesiology for women and men
ecumenical movement—toward paganism and Rome. existed in the church.” Of course, this “patriarchal
This, of course, is exactly what we would expect from reading” could not possibly have anything to do with
Bible prophecy. “Watch, therefore: for ye know not what the fact that the Apostles plainly limited the women’s
hour your Lord doth come” (Mt. 24:42). role in the church in regard to leadership, could it? She
Children Are Their Oppressors and Women Shall Rule urged women to enter the theological arena and equip
over Them themselves as theologians.
The prophet Isaiah, in describing the apostate The children had their say at the WCC meeting as
condition of Israel, said, “As for my people, children are well. Roughly 200 youth delegates and stewards
their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my “expressed concern at the failure of member churches to
people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and send the recommended proportion of youth
destroy the way of thy paths” (Is. 3:12). delegates” (CCA News, Jan-Mar. 1991, Christian
The apostate ecumenical movement is enjoying the Conference of Asia, pp. 12, 13). The Assembly repented
fulfillment of this prophecy today. At the World Council and agreed to appoint a youth as one of the seven WCC
of Churches Seventh General Assembly in Canberra, presidents. Priyanka Mendis, 25, executive secretary of
Australia, many who stood to preach and to lead the the Committee for Justice and Peace of the NCC in Sri
business meetings were women. Angry women! One of Lanka, was later elected. (A youth is defined by the
the two keynote addresses was delivered by radical WCC as someone under 27 years old.) This didn’t satisfy
Korean feminist Chung Hyun-Kyung. “Reverend” Violet the clamoring youth, though. They held up a banner
Sampa-Bredt of Zambia told the ecumenical gang that warning the Assembly that it was committing
Junia in Romans 16 was an apostle and that anyone “ecumenical suicide” by ignoring the youth. They were
who is involved in the work of the church is an apostle. angry because only eight percent of those elected to the
She spoke of “the lie that only men can be ministers.” WCC Central Committee were youth. All of this reminds
Aruna Gnanadasan of India, director of the WCC’s Sub- me of something I read in the book Isaiah one time.
unit on Women, spoke disparagingly of the “male- Episcopal Bishops Worships in Buddhist Temple
dominated structures of the churches” and said, “It is John Spong, Episcopalian bishop of Newark, New
urgent for the whole church to be in solidarity with Jersey, worshipped in a Buddhist temple on a trip to
women.” Andrea Carmen spoke on “that most important Hong Kong and claimed that he was on holy ground.
women,” Mother Earth, and longed for the return to the Consider this amazing report in Spong’s own words:
days of the strong “matriarchy which saw clans being In the late fall of 1988, I worshiped God in a Buddhist
passed on through women.” After describing the temple. As the smell of incense filled the air, I knelt
supposed exalted status of women in ancient North before three images of the Buddha, feeling that the
American Indian culture, she complained that “Western smoke could carry my prayers heavenward. IT WAS
education and Christianity placed women on the bottom FOR ME A HOLY MOMENT FOR I WAS CERTAIN THAT
and not as a source of leadership.” I WAS KNEELING ON HOLY GROUND. ...
Margot Kaessman came up with a unique My conviction is that the true God, the divine mystery,
interpretation of Genesis 3, asking, “Is it really sin to the essence of holiness, is within and beyond all of
these ancient worship traditions. God is pointed to by
long for knowledge?” She claimed that Eve “was filled all, captured by none. So, WHEN I VISIT A BUDDHIST
with the spirit of freedom,” and said, “Eve’s sin had TEMPLE IT IS NOT FOR ME A PAGAN PLACE, and its
nothing to do with sexuality, and yet the common worship is not the worship of idols as I was taught in
interpretation is filled with hints at sexuality.” She was my early Christian upbringing. IT IS RATHER A HOLY
denying the traditional apostolic interpretation which PLACE where human beings different from me have
says that Eve was deceived because she was the weaker felt the presence of God...

Way of Life Encyclopedia of the Bible & Christianity 677