I missed this one when it was posted, but it is still informational concerning the continuing liberal direction of pecusa. ed.
Report/Analysis By Lee Penn
The Christian Challenge
September, 2008
To many eyes he might not seem the most obvious choice for the job - until one considers the somewhat different sort of "gospel" that The Episcopal Church (TEC) is interested in preaching to the unconverted these days.
So it is that the newly chosen Program Officer for Evangelism at the Episcopal Church Center in New York is the Rev. Terry L. Martin. He has some thoughtful ideas about evangelism that might be helpful across the theological spectrum. But he has also operated, under a pseudonym, a strongly anti-conservative weblog for the past five years, on which he described himself as "sometimes heretical."
Martin shut down the weblog, "Fr. Jake Stops The World," only this past July.
On July 23, during the Lambeth Conference, TEC announced its appointment of Martin to the evangelism post at "815," starting August 13. Most recently, Martin was vicar of Holy Spirit Church in Tuckerton, New Jersey; he had previously served congregations in Wisconsin, California, and South Carolina. Upon his appointment, Martin set up a weblog titled “Father T. Listens to the World”, at http://fathertlistenstotheworld.blogspot.com/, and invited all to share their stories about their journey of faith.
Martin's path to the priesthood was more turbulent than most; he was abused as a child, fled into drugs and reckless driving, and went to reform school and jail. He turned himself around by serving in the Navy for four years, working as a mechanic and shipping clerk, and then graduating with honors from the University of Wisconsin, as well as from Nashotah House seminary.
The Rev. Suzanne Watson, director of the Center for Evangelism and Congregational Life, said, "The calling committee for the position is confident that this self-described `John the Baptist' will usher in a new era of evangelism for The Episcopal Church."
Martin believes that the "turn or burn" message of past evangelism efforts is more likely to repel than draw people. Instead, believers should meet other people where they are in their spiritual life, "and avoid the temptation to drag them where we think they should be." Martin recommends listening and an exchange of stories, looking for the places where God's story touches them both. "It is only when we really hear the stories of others that we will know how to proclaim the good news in ways that can be heard," he says.
"This is not a dilution of the Gospel message, he asserts; "the message of the Gospel, the healing power of God's redemptive love made known to us through Jesus Christ, remains the same. What has changed is the packaging of that message. And the most prominent new element of that packaging is a big dose of humility. Those who study such things claim that a person hears the message of the Gospel...an average of 25 times before making any decision as to how to respond to the message. One of the biggest problems Christians face is that we all want to be that 25th person! Evangelism is not about getting another notch on our ecclesiastical belt. One plants, another waters, and God gives the growth."
But even Episcopal Life Online acknowledged that Martin had run, until this summer, the liberal “Father Jake” weblog, which does not sound like it was big on humility. (A skeleton of the blog remains online, but most of the controversial material has been sent into the cyberspace memory hole.)
Early in 2008, the now-defunct blog carried a logo with the message, "This is a Network-Free Zone," evidently referring to the conservative Anglican Communion Network. The weblog sub-title said it all: "the Musings of an Eccentric and Sometimes Heretical Episcopal Priest." "Father Jake" was often zealous in purging conservative comments from his blog, but left vitriolic comments on conservative Anglican websites, denouncing those who wished to leave TEC with their parish buildings as "thieves." In late 2007, Martin blasted the Archbishop of Canterbury for refusing to invite Bishop Gene Robinson to Lambeth, saying that the Archbishop had thereby "silenced the most qualified representative of those being persecuted in the church today." One Episcopal journalist said privately that Martin's appointment was a sign of 815's "contempt" for Evangelical Anglicans.
Sources: Father T. Listens to the World website; Father Jake Stops the World weblog; Titus One Nine weblog, Episcopal Life Online
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