Labels are funny things.

For example, what is a Baptist? Well, that depends on

where you are.

In Georgia, one who is a

Baptist is most likely a Southern Baptist. In New York,

however, he is probably an American Baptist. In eastern

Tennessee, he might be a Missionary Baptist, a Freewill

Baptist, an Independent Baptist, or a Primitive Baptist.

In North Carolina, there are a number of Pentecostal

Freewill Baptists.

It's the same with

Lutherans. Lutherans may be members of the Evangelical

Lutheran Church in America, or be Missouri Synod

Lutherans, or, perhaps, Wisconsin Synod Lutherans.

You can be a United

Methodist, a Free Methodist, an Independent Methodist, a

Southern Methodist, African Methodist Episcopal, African

Methodist Episcopal Zion, or Wesleyan Methodist and still

be a "Methodist." You can even be a Wesleyan

and not be a Methodist.

It's tends to get

confusing. Why, there's not even just one

"Catholic" Church! Sometimes, people ask me if

our congregation, Christ the King, is an Episcopal Church

and if I am an Episcopal priest. Again, labels are a

factor.

There are some 26

"episcopal" denominations in the United States.

There's the Evangelical Episcopal Church, the Evangelical

Anglican Church in America, the Anglican Catholic Church,

the traditional Episcopal Church, the traditional

Anglican Communion, the traditional Protestant Episcopal

Church, the Episcopal Missionary Church, the Reformed

Episcopal Church, and... well, you get the idea.

The largest of the group is

the Episcopal Church in the United States of America,

commonly called ECUSA. Even within ECUSA, there is a

large counter-church, with its own organization, leaders,

and agenda, known as the Episcopal Synod of America.

Neither I nor my church are

or ever have been affiliated with ECUSA. We are a member

congregation of the International Communion of

Charismatic Episcopal Churches which, according to

Touchstone Magazine, a publication that concerns itself

with things Anglican (Episcopal), is the second largest

of the "episcopal" bodies.

Unlike most of the other

episcopal denominations, the CEC is not a splinter group

of ECUSA, although a number of CEC priests and churches

have left ECUSA for one reason or another and have found

a home with us.

In fact, our "line of

apostolic succession," or the spiritual lineage of

clergy, authorizing them for ministry, that can be traced

directly to the Apostles, is not Anglican at all, but

Roman Catholic.

So, are we Episcopal? Yes.

Am I a member of the ordained priesthood. Yes. But we are

not ECUSA.

The Charismatic Episcopal

Church is actually far larger in Asia and Africa than it

is in the United States. The distinctives of the CEC

include: an emphasis on praise and worship, an openness

to the gifts of the Spirit, a commitment to the authority

of the Holy Scriptures and the power of the preached

word, the necessity of a personal relationship with God

through Jesus Christ, a high view of the set-apart

ministry and of the sacraments, the priesthood of all

believers, an adherence to biblical government, an

appreciation of the historic Church, a liturgically-based

worship that is directed to God alone, a vision to

evangelize the unbeliever and to plant churches, a

commitment to train and disciple people, and a positive

vision of the future.

By "charismatic,"

we mean that we believe that everything that was

experienced by the Church of the New Testament can be

experienced today. By "episcopal", we mean a

Church guided by bishops, in apostolic succession, who

are men of prayer, men of integrity, and men who are

committed to the Scriptures, the historic Creeds, and the

local church.

We are not

"protestants" in the strictest sense. We are

not anti-Catholic or anti-anyone else. We are not

pro-testing anybody. Rather, we are pro-church,

pro-family, pro-life, pro-Bible, and pro-people.

This may seem all much ado

about very little, but labels are very important to some

people, so it's important that people not be misled or

confused.

For my part, I was born of

Baptist parents (Southern, I think, though a

great-grandfather was a Primitive Baptist preacher), was

raised Methodist before it was United, and spent four

years as a lay, then licensed, United Methodist minister.

I took my undergraduate

degree at a state university majoring in social work,

received Bible training and a diploma at an Assemblies of

God school, received my best seminary training at the

Assemblies of God Theological Seminary, and was enriched

Baptist, charismatic, and Orthodox schools. I was honored

to spend 19 years in the Assemblies of God, most of that

time as an ordained minister.

My spiritual pilgrimage

continued and, in 1995, in Oklahoma City, I was ordained

into the episcopal diaconate, then into the priesthood.

In 1996, I planted a new CEC congregation in the South

Metro area of Atlanta, where I plan to minister for the

rest of my life. A friend once introduced me as a member

of the "denomination of the month club," an

inaccurate label, but one that describes the varied

influences in my life.

Recently, someone who took

issue with one of my articles (which is okay, since some

articles are designed to provoke and intelligent people

will often disagree) also warned readers that I was not

an Episcopal priest. He was wrong in that assessment,

although he was right, if he meant ECUSA.

Another reader sent me a

note saying that as a religion columnist, I should always

try to make a moral point, should keep a serious tone,

and not offend anyone.

Ah, there go the labels

again. While I am a religious leader and some of my

articles deal with religious issues, I am not a religious

columnist. I write about human interests issues,

political issues, moral issues, and everyday life issues.

Some are meant to be humorous, some are meant to provoke.

Some are intended as satire and some are deadly serious.

Generally speaking, I

believe that people take politics, church, themselves,

and their opinions way too seriously. I also believe

these same people frequently do not take the pain and

suffering of others, the needs and concerns of those

around them, and God and His Word seriously enough.

But... enough of this rambling.

Whatever label we are

forced to wear, let's get less serious about ourselves,

more serious about others, and go out there today and

make a positive impact on our world.

"World-changer" is a label I could live with.

[Father

David Epps is rector of Christ the King Charismatic

Episcopal Church. He may be contacted online at

[email protected] or at P. O. Box 2192, Peachtree City, GA

30269.

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