ST CHRISTOPHERS EPISCOPAL PARISH
AI summary — doctrinal positions on this page are inferred by AI from this church's own public statements and may be inaccurate.
Inherited from denomination
What Roman Catholic Church teaches
Positions bound by the denomination's confessional standards. This is what the tradition teaches; whether this specific congregation publicly holds each is a separate question — see Statements below.
Confessional standard: Council of Trent (Canons) · Council of Trent (Decrees)
Affirms
- Apostolic SuccessionSTRONGHistoric episcopate — tactile line of consecration from the apostles.
- Assumption of MarySTRONGPius XII, Munificentissimus Deus (1950)
- Immaculate ConceptionSTRONGPius IX, Ineffabilis Deus (1854)
- Infant BaptismSTRONGWestminster XXVIII; Book of Concord SC IV; Council of Trent Session VII; Wesleyan Articles Art. XVII
- Marriage as one man and one womanSTRONGGenesis 2:24; Matthew 19:4–6; historic universal Christian teaching.
- Perpetual Virginity of MarySTRONGSecond Council of Constantinople (553); universal patristic reception
- Real PresenceSTRONGTrent; Book of Concord (sacramental union); Chrysostom liturgy; 39 Articles Art. XXVIII
- TheotokosSTRONGCouncil of Ephesus (431)
- TransubstantiationSTRONGCouncil of Trent, Session XIII (1551)
Denies
- Believer's BaptismstandardBaptism practiced once, infant primary (RCC Trent; Orthodox catechism)
- Homosexual practice and biblical sexual ethicsSTRONGRomans 1:26–27; 1 Corinthians 6:9–10; historic universal Christian teaching.
- Permissibility of divorce and remarriageSTRONGMarriage is indissoluble; annulment (declaration of invalidity) is the only recourse (CCC 1650).
- Women in pastoral / ordained officeSTRONG1 Timothy 2:12; 1 Corinthians 14:34; historic apostolic practice.
Wrestles with
- Pacifism vs. just-warweakDefault just-war framework — usually unwritten. Inheriting at weak confidence.
In their own words
Statements
about_us
<!doctype html> Clergy — St. Christopher's St. Christopher's About Us Calendar Thrift Shop Photos News About Us Calendar Thrift Shop Photos News St. Christopher's at the Crossroads The Rev. Fr. Ben R. Wells The Rev. Fr. Ben R. Wells Priest Ben is a native Kentuckian and attended the University of Kentucky where he received a BS in Biology and an MS in Toxicology. He spent 25 years as a forensic toxicologist in Lexington, KY, and Atlanta, GA. It was in Atlanta in 1992 that Ben met his partner Arthur while both were beginning their journey with the Episcopal Church. AfterSource ↗
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