Written by Bishop Andrew Gentry   

Beloved friends,



Yesterday we had a wonderful celebration of Word and Sacrament on our observance of the feastday of the Confession of Peter. As we explored together the creedal statement of this Simon the Rock I was struck by the difference of such a discussion within the context of a community of faith and the discussion witnessed in the pages of Catholica. Except for one or two people the Catholica discussion was philosophical donneybrook of supposed scholarship on the irrelevance of such a statement and in fact one self appointed expert simply dismissed Peter's words as fanciful! One of the responsibilities of the office of bishop is that of teacher. Such responsibility is a weighty and humble one and one not to be taken at all lightly. Aware of the seriousness of the sacred duty that I have as a servant bishop I respectfully offer the following observation.



I was not surprised at the number of threads recently on the Confession of Peter. Evidenced by some of the responses I do wonder sometimes I must confess how prevalent is faith as a viable way of living one's life. I am not by any means dismissing the dialogue or even the debate for that matter but I am at times astounded at the dismissal some people in such a cavalier fashion have towards two thousand years of Christian witness and belief! It is as if these intellectual giants of the 21st century have suddenly "understood" what no one previously has for all those hundreds of years! It is amazing to me that such an assumption is given the dignity of the mantle of intellectuality. But I am not a theologian nor a linguistic expert on Hebrew concepts nor a scholar who can see through those crafty first century Christians who painted the mural the way they wanted to irrespective of Hebrew understanding of the messiah paradigm! I am especially astounded to find out that the Incarnation is contrary to faith of Israel made manifest in Christ Jesus again despite two thousand years of testimony and Testament! But alas once again those spin and hype first half century Christians though mostly Jewish had already put into motion their conspiracy to keep us all in the dark until academicians of the 21st century could straighten it all out! What a debt we must surely owe these people!
Little wonder that Jesus wondered what he did, little wonder indeed!

Bishop Andrew Gentry
All Saints and Sorts Church
A Congregational Catholic Church
Asheville N C USA


The Scriptures which always gives us clues into the holy mystery of our life in God through Christ Jesus and one such clue is the declaration, herein placed into modern jargon, that the Gospel is for some folly, fairytales and myth, for others religious heresy, for still others unscientific ,anti-philosophical, and unreliable even contrived changes to the historical record, but for those who have eyes to see and ears to hear, for those dismissed as unimportant and irrelevant by the world, for those who know love and relationship the Gospel is life and wisdom! Let us pray that the Holy Spirit who in language unimaginable and unparallel will teach us to listen to the whispers of God and the silent roar and gentle comfort of his Good News in our brother and companion and savior Jesus.



When great ecclesiastical bodies cannot affirm this and there are those in high places in some churches who cannot is there any need to ask why the lack of faith in 21st century culture and the appaling betrayal of the Gospel by these same bodies who have so prostituted the Message that people have a hard time hearing!? Remember the anawim and wonder not.



Bishop Andrew Gentry