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Welcome to Free the Vatican!
It has become clear that the Vatican is under some spirit—let’s say the spirit of this world. The Church was to be the salt to the world. Instead, the world has influenced the Church. And, to its once mighty core. A worldly Church.
People like to point to Vatican 2 as the turning point, and that’s probably true. However, I noticed a rapid and accelerating trajectory during the ’80s. The Church began chasing Sheila. Whose Sheila, you ask? She participated in Robert Bellah’s “Habits of the Heart” case study in the 1980s.
Sheila became quite famous. Even today, Sheila and “Habits of the Heart” continues to be one of the most pondered revelations of modern American society. I revealed a dichotomy, or duality, between individualism and commitment—a search for a democratic community from within our diverse civic and religious traditions.
So, who was Sheila? She was a young nurse who was given the fictitious name…Sheila Larson. Her famous quote was this,
“I believe in God. I’m not a religious fanatic. I can’t remember the last time I went to church. My faith has carried me a long way. It is Sheilaism. Just my own little voice … It’s just try to love yourself and be gentle with yourself. You know, I guess, take care of each other. I think He would want us to take care of each other.”
In other words, the church of one. This opens the door for 300 million or so distinct religions in America. Get the picture! During the 1980s, I studied American Individualism extensively. And I became pretty familiar with Bellah. So did the Catholic Church, Evangelicals, and so on. People flocked to his lectures and studies.
Priests and Bishops chased Sheila; Evangelicals chased Sheila. Everybody did. How could they serve Sheila? Books were written; lots of them. Mega churches grew dedicated to serving Sheila. Seeker sensitive services filled gymnasiums and auditoriums across the nation, and the world. I know, I was a part of it.
Sheila was greeted at the door, there was a “coffee klatch” filled with lively conversation all leading to the well-choreographed service. Contemporary Christian music, a poignant, but not deep, biblical message that would contain skits and dialogue to help Sheila in her everyday life. More great music, an altar call, and more “coffee klatch.”
Everyone took notice. Sheila changed the way we did Church. She ran the place. And she still does! The church devoted itself to being more “relevant.” Modern if you will. The Catholic Church was envious. They needed to chase Sheila too. You get it? Cast off wisdom and wrap Catholic “Sheilaism” into what we call Modernism. Everyone wants to be more modern, right?
Modernism sounds great. But it is more “Tower of Babel” in its belief. We will create the God we want to serve. We will create the doctrine. We will synod. We will dialogue. We listen. We listen to the spirit. Now, not every spirit is from God. And there is not a care in the world about these spirits. No warning signs flashing. We’ve been told, “just be surprised.”
The Vatican has become emersed in sin…and in the world. Why would anyone follow it? We can church shop if we find the need. If this community has strict “codes” find a different one. We are ALL going to heaven anyhow! This is Sheila 101. And we see the one world church forming. We have this “universalism” and “modernism” that is transforming the Church and Christianity as a whole, into a “one-world-church”.
As Sheila said,
“WE believe in God. We’re not religious fanatics. Church is what we say it is. Our faith carries us a long way. It is to co-exist. Just our own little voices … It is just try to love each other because we are all going to Heaven anyhow! You know, I guess, take care of each other. I think He would want us to take care of each other.”
The Vatican HAS been infiltrated. The Church message has become confusing…and God is not the author. Conversely, fathers are always concerned about their children’s understanding and growth. They labor for clarity and peace. Rather than moral teaching, the megaphone screams…” let’s just accept another’s sin. And we are all going to heaven.
Paul taught differently. This a message for each of us…and for inside the Vatican itself:
Romans Chapter 1 “…For I am not ashamed of the gospel; it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed through faith for faith; as it is written, “The one who is righteous will live by faith.”
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and wickedness of those who by their wickedness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them because God has shown it to them. Ever since the creation of the world his eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made. So they are without excuse; for though they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their senseless minds were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools; and they exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling a mortal human being or birds or four-footed animals or reptiles.
Therefore, God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the degrading of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
For this reason, God gave them up to degrading passions. Their women exchanged natural intercourse for unnatural, and in the same way also the men, giving up natural intercourse with women, were consumed with passion for one another. Men committed shameless acts with men and received in their own persons the due penalty for their error.
And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind and to things that should not be done. They were filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, covetousness, malice. Full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, craftiness, they are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, rebellious toward parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. They know God’s decree, that those who practice such things deserve to die—yet they not only do them but even applaud others who practice them.
Where are the shepherds…the shepherds of God.
…Who will protect the children?
…the children of God
As God’s ambassador, Moses beseeched the Egyptian jailer numerous times, “Set God’s people free.” They were enslaved by a worldly ruler. Free the nation! Free the people of God.
Today we pray,
Loosen the chains that bind…
Free us from the worldly darkness of sin…
…Protect the children of God
Free the Vatican …NOW!
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