tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14055038.post3727865930105270303..comments2023-11-05T07:21:05.146-05:00Comments on Under the Sycamore Tree: Surefire Attendance BoosterBarry Yorkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04735703368766711796noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14055038.post-44566892452965724342008-04-09T20:28:00.000-04:002008-04-09T20:28:00.000-04:00Dear Pastor York,Thank you for your concern for ap...Dear Pastor York,<BR/>Thank you for your concern for apostate churches. Pet blessings are sad, indeed; even more so, the consecration of an openly gay bishop. This shows how easy it is for people to get away from God's Word. We need more pastors to be willing to stand up for the truth.<BR/><BR/>Don and LindaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14055038.post-50040759937626879362008-04-05T11:38:00.000-04:002008-04-05T11:38:00.000-04:00Dear Anonymous,No doubt you take your church and f...Dear Anonymous,<BR/><BR/>No doubt you take your church and faith seriously. That's what concerns me. My point was that you are seriously wrong. I'm trying to help you see that.<BR/><BR/>You question my experience of the full love of Christ. On what grounds do you question my experience of Christ's love? Is that not awfully judgmental of you? Do you do so on Scriptural grounds, which is what your next sentence seems to indicate? At least I used Scripture to justify my position. How do you use Scripture to justify animal blessings or the same-sex relational blessings The Episcopal Church (TEC) is pronouncing?<BR/><BR/>You also laughed at my article's title indicating this was an attendance booster. Yet you missed the true laugh. The attendance booster to which I was referring was that of members bringing their pets to church. Counting Fido is what I meant was the sure-fire attendance booster. If you are going to treat them like people, are you not going to include them in the headcount?<BR/><BR/>Your denial that your church was not trying to gain attention through this rings a little hollow when you advertised it and invited the media to report on it. And while we are on numbers, TEC has lost 34% of its members since 1970. TEC needs to return to the orthodoxy such as that found in the 39 Articles it has abandoned rather than cutesy gimmicks to reverse that trend. TEC has become apostate because they care more about their standing in the media and popular opinion than their standing before the holy God.<BR/><BR/>Ridiculing idolatry by using animal illustrations seems to be what the prophets and even Christ Himself did. Care to refute that?Barry Yorkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04735703368766711796noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14055038.post-7447993935455064092008-04-04T23:04:00.000-04:002008-04-04T23:04:00.000-04:00Wow, I think you are obviously way off by thinking...Wow, I think you are obviously way off by thinking that because we have animals blessed once a year; that we are distracted from our Lord and Savior. We take our church and the Episcopal faith very serious. I'm sorry that you were so offended or thought that everyone was laughing at us. Maybe you should experience the full love and experience of Christ. I love the way people pick and choose biblical verses for their own interpretations. This was not a attendance booster, LOL. It was attended mainly by our parishioners and their beloved pets. God bless and may his love be with you always.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14055038.post-84981829812011787972007-05-09T10:07:00.000-04:002007-05-09T10:07:00.000-04:00lol, don't be too hard on them. You don't know wha...lol, don't be too hard on them. You don't know what kind of blessing the priest is giving so it could be a non-human blessing. lol <BR/><BR/>Personally, I think it is kind of funny, but Pastor York, God loves his creation. lolDavid Pulliamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06956491409719443335noreply@blogger.com