DEFCON 4: Dupes and Lackeys, Spies and Saboteurs

The Reformed Pastor presents an interesting subject in his post "More on the Communist Episcopalian." It all stems from this strange announcement from the Communist Party USA

"The Communist Party USA has established a new Religion Commission to strengthen its work among religious people and organizations. In its leadership are activists representing various religious traditions from around the country. Tim Yeager, a Chicago trade unionist and a member of the Episcopal Church, serves as its chair.

'We want to reach out to religious people and communities, to find ways of improving our coalition work with them, and to welcome people of faith into the party,' Yeager said. 'We invite questions and responses from people who would like to dialogue with us on matters pertaining to religion, Marxism and the struggle for more peaceful, just and secure world.'

'There is a common misconception concerning the position of the Communist Party USA about religion,' Yeager noted. Many who are unfamiliar with the party wrongly assume that all Communists are atheists, or that the party requires its members to be atheists. 'Nothing could be farther from the truth,' he said. 'Religious people are welcome to join.'"

Sounds like Episcobabble to me (translation: "All that communist fundamentalism was bad. Look what happened, Mao is dead, Lenin lays quietly pickled in the Kremlin wall, and who reads Marx literally anymore.")

The Reformed Pastor tracked down a bio on Mr. Yeager from an outfit called the Episcopal Peace Fellowship where he claims,

"Mr. Tim Yeager (Prov. 5) is a member of Grace Church in Oak Park, Illinois, where he serves as assistant organist. Tim is the Chair of the Peace & Justice Committee of the Diocese of Chicago. He is the Financial Secretary/Treasurer of the National Organization of Legal Services Workers, UAW Local Union 2320, which represents nearly 4,000 lawyers, support staff, social workers and other employees working in legal and human services agencies across the country. Tim has served one three-year term on the NEC where he has been a member of the human resources committee and an EPF representative to the Consultation. He is concerned that the Church finds and uses its prophetic voice to advocate for a more just and peaceful socioeconomic order, and feels that there has never been a greater need for all people of good will to join together in the struggle against poverty, violence and fear."

Hero of the Revolution! Saving those oppressed lawyers.

What is going on here? Is Mr. Yeager a Christian trying to change the communist party, an imperialist saboteur? Or is he a communist trying to change Christianity by infiltrating its weakest link? Perhaps he is just another misguided universalist Episcopalian hoping to change the world and is being used by the communists to take more dollars from the unsuspecting capitalists.

I also wonder what the communist party is up to in creating this "Religion Commission." It certainly can't be planning to spread the Gospel of Christ.

Take one guess who will win the inevitable showdown between the old Marxists and Leninists and these new thang God talkers at the next party congress.

I don't mind having communists at the communion rail, as long as they have been baptized, confirmed, and say their/our confession, but if they do that, are they really communists? I suspect not, and I would pray they are not doomed to be condemned to some future gulag by their puppet masters.

This story spurred me to compose,

"An Episcommist Manifesto."

We are an “inclusive Church.” We welcome the enemies of religion. We are not only “inclusive,” we are “accepting” as well. We do not want to offend anyone, especially someone who volunteers for committee work. We will not challenge them in their beliefs. We will not ask them to give up their earthly passions and follow the wandering rabbi (whose name we shall not mention in front of them). We will be ready to hear how the Spirit speaks through their voices. We shall affirm their prophetic messages.