Something New In Christianity
How did the Church Of Interfaith Christians come about?
A man of vision, the Reverend Ernest Steadman first spoke of this church of the future in his book "Path Way To The Stars" which was originally published as "Sic Itur Ad Astra" in 1982. Twenty years later he founded an e-mail discussion group as a place of fellowship for those that shared his opinions and vision, this group evolving into a bona fide church in 2002, and which soon gained acknowledgment at the time as the latest denomination of Christianity.
In "Pathway" Reverend Steadman writes;
- "But we must be able to embrace Christianity as our Lord and Savior originally intended. Like a sea of souls, owing allegiance to no one except our God and government, we must somehow break the yoke of institutionalism if we are to save ourselves from Balaam and from the destruction of our government. We see how the modern church strangles the very fabric of our existence, how it dictates the ability of our government to meet the needs of its citizens by denying it a just compensation for protection and services rendered, how they cry against everything new or different from what they perceive as just or right, how they consume wealth of the land and give little to God’s work, and ultimately go the way of Balaam seeking to enslave the people and shadow the way of truth."
This modern church that Reverend Steadman speaks of is the church that many see as that which has largely grown out of the ashes of World War II, an institution that has little resemblance to the churches that existed prior to that tumultuous era. It became a commercial business, one more concerned with the bottom line of financial exploitation of the faithful, than it was with attending to the spiritual needs of the individual. One more concerned with bringing its dominion over the government so as to advance it’s (the organization) needs and agenda, an agenda that obviously is contradictory to the teachings of Christ.
Some of these same Saintly institutions evolved into little more than mind control cults using guilt and the threat of the individual being ostracized resulting in the loss of family or friends should an individual the seeker of truth, question their (the institution’s) false doctrine.
The public face of this false Christianity is what Bishop Spong was referring to when he wrote;
"The public face of Christianity in America is already something with which I do not want to be identified. So many people who call themselves Christians are aggressive, hostile, closed minded and insensitive to anyone with whom they disagree.
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This public face is indeed changing and this change is the catalyst that has spawned such as the Church Of Interfaith Christians.
For more than a generation, people have been disenchanted with what the church has become and left in search of light and truth, freedom to seek out direct communion with God through the Holy Spirit. With the founding of this church, Reverend Steadman created a spiritual home, albeit one on the Internet, but none the less a home for those seeking an alternative to the church that notables such as Spong, and a host of others speak of. A alternative that is free of doctrines of man that attempt to supersede the word of God, one that celebrates the Holy Spirit rather than to squelch it.
An Important Announcement
On 22 September 2005, Reverend Steadman announced his retirement from the leadership role of this church, appointing Reverend Crabtree as his successor. On Sunday 1 November 2009 Reverend Steadman was called from this world. Reverend Steadman was a great man, loved by many and respected by all. A man of vision dedicated to the service of God and his fellow man. Always an outspoken supporter of the downtrodden and the disenfranchised, however through his editorials and writings he never wavered in his admonitions of those who oppressed mankind through the power of their secular or sectarian office. Reverend Steadman always held the Church Of Interfaith Christians as the culmination of his ministerial work, but even upon his retirement in 2005, he privately expressed his fears to Reverend Crabtree that the church was becoming something other than what he had envisioned. A small but vocal minority within the membership was in effect making the e-mail group and the church their own private club. He also expressed his dismay at the 150 or so members that once ordained disappeared into the night. No denomination can undergo the scrutiny of the media and judicial opinion when nearly 75% of its membership is out of communication or communion with the mother church. Reverend Crabtree was unable to bring about the changes that Reverend Steadman suggested and in May of 2010, he resigned naming the Reverend Lisa Morris as his successor. The same vocal minority that Reverend Steadman spoke of, whose actions and words were representative of anything other than Christian and their hideous personal attacks led Reverend Morris to close the doors of the Church on June 2, 2010. Unfortunately it is always the actions of the few that ruin "The Garden" for the many.
The End Of An Era: But Not The Dream
It is the intentions of the Reverends Ed and Ann Crabtree to keep alive the legacy of Reverend Steadman, but to do so in a manner that incorporates the changes that Reverend Steadman suggested before his death. To rebuild the church that echoes the calling to social justice without watering down the gospels nor denying Christ in an effort to placate the sensitivities of those that walk a different path of spirituality. The Church Of Interfaith Christians was founded upon the principal of building bridges between the various positive religions of the world. Reverend Steadman privately noted that there were many in the world that were Christian but they just did not know it yet and that it was the calling of the COIC to witness to them the true message of Christ and through our good works bring the world to see that Christianity as it was originally intended was in fact the surest way to spiritual salvation and eternal life. He never wavered from his love for Christ nor his faith in God.
It is to this end that within a short period of time a new ministry will emerge, devoid of the nay Sayers and detractors that hid behind a facade of claiming to know Steadman's vision but all the while using that vision to justify their own agendas.
It is important to note that some of the membership of the COIC are attempting to keep alive the church, we pray that they are sucessful, however if you were a part of the COIC and wish to start anew, to be a part of a denomination that honors Steadman's vision but yet Christ centered, then please keep watching this site for important announcements, if you can not set aside those attitudes that forced the closure of the COIC, then please go in peace and we pray that you find a spiritual home that fills your needs.
