[Oe List ...] more on Tom Oden and the IRD

Thu Feb 14 10:33:20 EST 2008

Just catching up pn a lot of old posts. . .

FYI, the IRD is one of the main instigators and funders of what will
probably soon be a schism in the Episcopal Church and worldwide Anglican
Communion. They are a very powerful and very scary bunch.

It's interesting to me to see how poorly the Republicans are doing this
election. I'm convinced that this is due in no small part to those
Evangelicals under 50 who are not willing to toe the line of the Religiou
Right. I think we are going to start to see a hemmoraghing of membership in
the traditional evangelical churches that are not responding to the real
global issues that concern those who care.

  - Tracy E. Longacre 
    VSO Volunteer 
    Bamenda, Cameroon 

Set your heart on doing good. Do it over and over again, and you will be
filled with joy.
The Dhammapada.

    Cameroon Blog: http://telcameroon.vox.com/ 
    Running Blog: http://revruns.blogspot.com/ 
    Flickr Photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tlongacre/ 

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From: oe-bounces at wedgeblade.net [mailto:oe-bounces at wedgeblade.net] On Behalf
Of W. J.
Sent: Wednesday, 06 February, 2008 7:03 PM
To: Order Ecumenical Community
Subject: [Oe List ...] more on Tom Oden and the IRD

Thank you, John and Janice. I'm grateful for any imput I can elicit that
will update us all on the IRD. I can sense myself getting very personal
here, 'cause it really irritates me to read vaguely uninformed postings from
colleagues who seem to be whistling Dixie while the IRD is working their
butts off to undermine everything we've ever stood for, and doing a damned
fine job of it too.

And just to think that Tom Oden calls Joe and Lyn Mathews his 'dear friends'
while he pimps for the forces of darkness and division/schism just sets me
off big time. Let's not send somebody over to make nice with him and indulge
in chirchat about Hillary, folks. Don't you think we owe it to him to do
better than that?

Marshall

John Montgomery <monkeyltd at comcast.net> wrote:

Two resources on the IRD - first the blog site Talk2Action and book by the
bloggers Steeplejacking - I don't have a copy in front of me right now, but
it traces the IRD tactics in the UCC and now in the UMC, Episcopal church
and the Presbyterians.

John C. Montgomery
monkeyltd at comcast.net
john.montgomery at acfb.org
678-468-4913 (personal)

Visit My Blog - Notes From the Balcony
www.monkeyltd.blogspot.com <http://www.monkeyltd.blogspot.com/> 

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From: oe-bounces at wedgeblade.net [mailto:oe-bounces at wedgeblade.net] On Behalf
Of Janice Ulangca
Sent: Tuesday, February 05, 2008 9:30 PM
To: Order Ecumenical Community
Subject: Re: [Oe List ...] Info on Tom Oden and the IRD

To those interested in Tom Oden and the IRD:

As Marshall said, the IRD (Institute for Religion and Democracy) is "an
extreme fringe of the Religious Right that, among other things, is trying to
cause a scism in United? Methodism. Just wait till April. 

"And it's particularly sad that Tom Oden has flip-flopped on his
understanding of TWLI and has jumped into their waiting arms. His book, The
Rebirth of Orthodoxy: Signs of New Life in Christianity..."

The book plugged below (Hard Ball on Holy Ground) is about the work of the
IRD. Because Abe was on several UM annual conference committees, we got on
the mailing list of their newsletter that's aimed at Methodists.  They are
indeed extreme - always up in arms about the UMethodists being unbiblical re
homosexuality, way too tolerant of other religions, way too political (for
peace and justice, against war and poverty) etc. The UN is not popular,
anything military is quite justified. They have very specific action
suggestions, urging UMethodists to write to Bishops or national boards to
complain, and get their local congregations to come out with statements and
withhold contributions.  The whole reason mainline churches have been losing
members, they keep pronouncing, is that they have gotten away from the real
faith, the traditional teaching.  They've also been active in trying to get
sympathetic people elected as general conference delegates.  Clever and bad
people, in my judgement.  As mentioned below, they also target Presbyterians
and Episcopalians - out of the same office.  

Bob Edgar served 12 years as a democratic congressman from PA and was
General Secretary of the National Council of Churches before moving to
Common Cause last September.  (I didn't remember all this - just checked
google.)

Janice Ulangca

----- Original Message ----- 
From: TPC  <mailto:tpceditor at maine.rr.com> Editor 
To: aulangca at stny.rr.com 
Sent: Monday, February 04, 2008 8:59 AM
Subject: A UMC Gen. Conf. Must Read!

  _____  

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