Written by Bishop Andrew Gentry   

Beloved Friends,

If the cult of celebrity depended on me it would have died a merciful death a long long time ago! It is appalling to see people do, as Henry the VIII observed, follow anything that moves and today it is the egomaniacal ranting of Charlie Sheen that moves though it has no being or meaning, and millions of people are feeding at the troth where the slop of the media driven delusions are being dumped! One of the high priests of the True American Religion Donald Trump remarked that as long as Sheen was making money what he does or has done privately does not matter and sadly according to American pop culture he is right. He like the fashion designer Gallianno, like Michael Jackson, or politicians like Cheny and Rove, or hate mongers like Beck, Limbaugh and Bachmann, or any assortment of self help gurus command attention and the question remains Why?! Some of these "little Hitlers" claim the title "artist" and in a society that feeds on hype and spin like some kind of modern perverted manna they get away with that title even though it is utterly void of meaning in their cases. Others love the title of "consultant", "advisor", or even "former vice-president" and like the nakedness of the so called artists they claim an exceptionalism that is a desert place with only sound and fury. It is appalling and disgusting, though not at all surprising, that a culture that worships money and the love of money finds nothing out of balance by such idolatry.

I was a few days ago on a site called "Patheos" told by "an evangelical christian" to "stop this rant against the rich" for it was clear that "God had blessed them!" I responded by telling this poor misguided soul that what he was alluding to was not theological or Biblical or Patristic but rather heresy. It never ceases to amaze me how completely robber baron capitalism has so hijacked the Christian banner and how effectively it has prostituted its message to "justify" its evil. Jesus warns us about such and we do well to heed his warnings! Yet for so many Churches the "leadership" by whatever title and or name it has sits with the money changers in the Temple and would arrest the Saviour on a moments notice if he dared to try and stop them! Jesus also speaks of this too.

We stand at a precipice and the choice we make as a world will determine our future. We have an ever growing science that is in the service of profit and recognizes no moral authority whatsoever. Our religious institutions have lost all moral authority and cannot not teach with humble conviction and power the Truths of the Gospel nor do they observe them. Our governments the world over refuse to address the ever growing threat of starvation and economic disaster being formed in the air, and in the sea, and on the plains and mountains, and in the womb of the earth because of global warming. Our cultures more and more devalue humanity and difference. We treat the elder has a buffoon to used for marketing and humor. Our humor is in the toilet and we celebrate crassness and low class filth as something to admire. We shall either enter a new and more frightening Dark Age than ever visited upon this planet or we shall make person above profit our guiding principle and faith our foundation. The choice is ours. God grant we make the right one.

Peace
Bishop Andrew Gentry
The Church of All Saints and Sorts
A Congregational Catholic Church an Intentional Eucharistic Community