Recently, a bishop in the ACNA publicly, from behind the pulpit, declared that Fr. Calvin Robinson gave himself over to an unclean spirit. This was, without a doubt, the most appalling thing I’ve heard come from the mouth of a shepherd of the Lord.
Bishops are the highest appeal of authority in the Church, and that makes that what they say and preach had tremendous weight. To accuse a priest, without incredible evidence, of being influenced or taken by an unclean spirit is not just wrong, it’s a damnable offense.
To make this worse, Fr. Calvin’s only crime was having the audacity to suggest that women’s ordination is not of Christ, but is part of the disorder we see in culture today. In other words, Fr. Calvin taught the historic and orthodox position of the Church—something the ACNA acknowledges in their official statement on WO!
So not only did a bishop make an agregious accusation, he did so over a matter of orthodoxy. You know what Christ says to men who accuse him of ministering of Satan?
”And he called them to him, and said to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but is coming to an end. But no one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man; then indeed he may plunder his house. “Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they utter; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin” — for they had said, “He has an unclean spirit.”“
Mark 3:23-30 RSV-CI
Christ warns of the unforgivable sin for associating his teaching — the truth — with an unclean spirit. Is this not what the bishop has done?
May we pray for his repentance and his soul. This is a grave matter indeed.
This is the first video reflection for the Great Fast.
Welcome to the Mere Catholicity Locals Community! Here, you will find like-minded Christians with a desire to live ecumenically and pursue Christ in all things.
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Friends - as I consider the various platforms that I operate, I find Substack to the most conducive to the model of online ministry that I am aiming for. Though I still plan to post here, as many of you still support me through this platform, Substack is where I will be focusing the majority of my time. If some of you wish to move your subscription from here to Substack, you are welcome to do that. Those who continue to support here, I will continue to post here — mostly the stuff that is behind the paywall on Substack so that you are getting the exclusive content regardless of where you are subscribed.
Hope you all are doing well. Lord bless you.
- Rev. Jonah
I've been gone again for a time preparing for my ordination. I was ordained a Deacon in the Holy Catholic Church on March 8th, 2025.
It was a joy beyond words. I am now back in full swing with ministry, media, and work.
I hope you all have been doing well. More to come soon.
Good morning everyone. I wanted to quickly update you on the Mere Catholicity Podcast. I’ve been posting videos on my channel, but it has been quite sometime since my channel has had a podcast episode release.
With my new job as a classical teacher, scheduling interviews has been a challenge. However, my plan is to use my summer breaks as time to double down on planning and recording new podcasts. The idea will be to record a ton of interviews that will then slowly release throughout the school year, expiring around the time the following summer arrives. This will ultimately result in a consistent once a month interview.
All that to say, the podcast will resume here in May or June of 2025 with some excellent interviews lined up!
Blessings on your Sunday!
