The D.C. Quake (August 2011): An Interpretation
25 August 2011
Some might say that presidents are rolling over in their graves and shaking the capital city. Indeed, there is plenty of indignation to be had by anyone in possession of moral sensibilities. (Hint: Lawless sodomy and abortion are at the top of the list.)
The Washington National Cathedral was the most damaged of all structures in the city. The quake damaged three of the four pinnacles on the Cathedral’s towers which are the highest points in the city. So why did the National Cathedral suffer millions of dollars of damage while the rest of the city suffered only, as one reporter concluded, a “rattling of nerves more than buildings”?
Following the earthquake of 23 August, The Washington Times reported as follows on 24 August:
No deaths or serious injuries were reported as a result of the 5.8-magnitude quake that jolted much of the eastern United States.
Although many buildings in the D.C. area were closed for inspection, there was a general consensus that the aftermath could have been worse.
Several landmarks reported varying degrees of damage. At the Washington National Cathedral, repair estimates are in the millions of dollars, and officials say insurance wont cover the costs.
Three of four spires atop the buildings central tower broke off, but the cathedral remains structurally sound. The Rev. Samuel T. Lloyd III, dean of the cathedral, said Wednesday that the damage was “quite serious – but certainly could have been much worse.
“But there’s nothing in our budget that would allow us to step up and do this,” he said of the repairs, adding that the cathedral would have to turn to people across the country for help.
We, who believe that the Almighty God is not only capable of shaking the earth by His own sovereign (even emotive) will, pay attention to the weather. Indeed, the events of human history are not outside of His influence. He raises nations up to punish other nations. He brings war, famine, and disease at particular times.
Although we cannot always discover with certainty the underlying cause of a given event (that is the purview of prophets and seers), speculation can, nevertheless, serve to lead us to repentance. Proceeding with sound doctrine, we can suggest causes for an occasion of discipline.
This is not the first time that buildings of religious prominence have been struck by “the weather.” Two years ago, on August 19, a tornado struck the Lutheran Cathedral in Minneapolis at the very hour when this denomination was formally approving sodomy not just for the common parishioner but for the pastors as well. That is, whereas just a decade ago, the ELCA had permitted pastors who publicly “self-identified” as homosexually oriented to continue in their office as long as they practiced abstinence; that position in 2009, by the vote of the shepherds of the people of God, was upgraded – one might imagine to be the term du jure – to allow for those so-identified folks to practice rather than suppress and avoid their inclinations. In laymen’s terms, the pastors were now at liberty to practice the sin of sodomy because it was regarded by modern “wise” men to no longer be sin. (See John Piper’s commentary on the event (http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/the-tornado-the-lutherans-and-homosexuality). Piper could not help but interpret this event as a display of divine disapprobation of the actions of these apostates.
And what “Christian” association of churches has proceeded along the same lines and, in fact, preceded the ELCA Lutherans in this blasphemy?
Why, the Episcopalians, of course! And what a fall they have taken! They take not only themselves but a nation with them into degradation. The Episcopal Cathedral in D.C. is the National Cathedral at which all ceremonies occur which serve to display national solemnity and honor. American Anglicanism (Episcopalianism) summons our attention to the glorious religious life in which Washington, Jefferson, Madison, and Monroe were reared.
Also known as the Cathedral Church of St. Peter and St. Paul, the Washington National Cathedral has been the location of funeral and memorial services for nearly all the 21 presidents of the United States since Congress incorporated the Protestant Episcopal Cathedral Foundation in 1893. Beginning with Ronald Reagan’s second inauguration in 1985, presidential inaugural prayer services have been held at the Cathedral (except for Clinton, who opted for Metropolitan AME Church for both of his inaugural prayer services).
Episcopalianism, the most prominent expression of our national religious mind, is represented by this Cathedral. The most recent high profile act of Episcopalian apostasy was its provision of Bishop Gene Robinson, a sodomite, at the Presidential inauguration to invoke the blessings of God upon the nation.
Those who dwell in the Cathedral and represent God to this nation have failed it blasphemously.
Indeed, we easily proffer this interpretation of the D.C. Quake: It is simply that He has shaken the city, albeit quite gently. But He has shaken, specifically, the apostate spiritual leadership of this land. Where are the real churches of God who will replace the renegade Episcopalians?
Beer Wars and Real Wars The Right to Use Force to Stop Abortion
Comments are currently closed.