Comments on: Bishop Greg Rickel on Revitalizing the Mission of the Episcopal Church http://www.ricklord.org/archives/1994 Reflections from Rick Lord on Leadership, Transformation, and Things That Keep Human Life Distinctively Human Tue, 03 Jan 2012 19:00:28 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Debbie Gegenheimer http://www.ricklord.org/archives/1994/comment-page-1#comment-840 Debbie Gegenheimer Tue, 06 Apr 2010 17:00:09 +0000 http://www.ricklord.org/?p=1994#comment-840 Two key words here are " authentic faith." In the effort to connect to those who find traditional church daunting or not their cup of tea, we must remain true to God as God has been revealed to us and continues to be revealed to us. Especially in our era, we must guard against bending too much to the culture while trying to find our place as church within it. We must heed Colossians 2: 8, neither refusing change into which the Holy Spirit is leading to be, nor changing for the sake of being the "cool church" on the block that accepts too much and compromises its very identity. What does it mean to be Episcopal/Anglican anymore? It is important that we change according to the Holy Spirit but do not sacrifice our identity in a challenged world unless and until we are at that point in human history at which boundaries among all Christian sects are dissolved. We can be witness to a skeptical world, change and be transformed ourselves, and strive for oneness with other Christians throughout the world without losing who we are in Christ. Two key words here are ” authentic faith.” In the effort to connect to those who find traditional church daunting or not their cup of tea, we must remain true to God as God has been revealed to us and continues to be revealed to us. Especially in our era, we must guard against bending too much to the culture while trying to find our place as church within it. We must heed Colossians 2: 8, neither refusing change into which the Holy Spirit is leading to be, nor changing for the sake of being the “cool church” on the block that accepts too much and compromises its very identity.

What does it mean to be Episcopal/Anglican anymore? It is important that we change according to the Holy Spirit but do not sacrifice our identity in a challenged world unless and until we are at that point in human history at which boundaries among all Christian sects are dissolved. We can be witness to a skeptical world, change and be transformed ourselves, and strive for oneness with other Christians throughout the world without losing who we are in Christ.

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