The New REFORMATION of CHRISTIANITY [OOC, Open]

[Zjaum]

Conferences might not solve everything. Certain sects, like the LCMS, refuse to take part in discussions and services with other denominations. Plus, information circulating doesn’t denote interaction.

It will be interesting to see how a modern council would work in this RP.

One small correction to Ryvern's post. OK, two things. 1st, the LCMS does engage in discussions with other church bodies. 2nd - the LCMS is not a sect.

Question, Zjaum. The rules say no posts over 1000 words. I never count my words on posts. Can you give me an example of how long that is? Like 3 paragraphs, 6 lines each or so?

All the words combined in the intro post are about 1000 words.

[Saint Ryvern]

It will be interesting to see how a modern council would work in this RP.

One small correction to Ryvern's post. OK, two things. 1st, the LCMS does engage in discussions with other church bodies. 2nd - the LCMS is not a sect.

Question, Zjaum. The rules say no posts over 1000 words. I never count my words on posts. Can you give me an example of how long that is? Like 3 paragraphs, 6 lines each or so?

You're right and I'm right, actually. I attend an LCMS university and I was taught in my theology class that the LCMS does not participate in ecumenical services, and I extended this to dialogues. This can be seen in the LCMS President's criticism of a Lutheran minister who participated in an inter-denominational service following the Sandy Hook shooting. However, there are guidelines established by the LCMS in 1991 (the report is called Inter-Christian Relations: An Instrument for Study, can't link because it's a PDF) for participating in ecumenical discussions. Though I doubt the LCMS would allow anyone to participate in discussions with groups they deemed heretical or that deny the truth of Christ, which may be an issue in this roleplay.

Also, to be overly semantic and split hairs because that seems to be the game you want to play, a sect is "a group of people with somewhat different religious beliefs (typically regarded as heretical) from those of a larger group to which they belong." I believe Lutherans have somewhat different religious beliefs than the larger body of Christianity, and some orthodox and Catholic individuals would condemn Lutheran views as heretical. Fun fact, the LCMS describes itself as a denomination, which holy crap is a synonym for sect. Wow.

[Zjaum]

CHRISTIAN FACTION APPLICATION
NS Name: The Frozen Forest
Faction Name: Arcierism || Arcierites
Nicknames: Traditionalists (?) (Might need suggestions for this)
City of HQ: Detroit, Michigan
Leader: Prophet Francesco Arcieri
Population: 76
Parent Denomination: Methodism
Deviations (if applicable): (Curious, what is this supposed to encompass)
Background/Beliefs: Arcierities believe that the souls of people are either light and dark. The soul itself of a person is either light or dark based on that persons sinful or virtuous behavior and thoughts. They believe that a persons soul from birth is a greyish neutral and will grow lighter or darker by accumulating the energy offset by those around them. As a person grows older they will continue to gather more negative or positive, light or dark energy within their soul, solidifying their thoughts and feelings and reinforcing them. Arcierites believe that good actions and thoughts as well as being near other positive Arcierites will allow for them to remain with positive souls will be allowed to enter heaven. Those with negative souls, who commit horrible sins will be confined to Hell until their souls have been purged of all negative energy. It is believed that those who are nearer to neutrality and the light will escape with most of their soul intact. Those who's souls were so dark they are irredeemable will have their soul destroyed in hell.

Arcierities believe that Jesus had an absolute neutral soul from birth until his death and resurrection. As the sun of god his soul is tied closely to God, who himself has a neutral soul as the creator of the world and everything. They believe that people such as Osama Bin Laden or Stalin were consumed by absolute negativity up until their deaths, and that their souls were destroyed immediately as they were irredeemable. Figures such as the Buddha and Mohammed had souls of extreme light but were misguided. They believe that it is the job of any Arcierite is to be a positive energy on others, especially those who are close to having a positive soul. Arcierites have a strong emphasis on the family and believe fervently that couples should have as many children as possible.

The religion was founded by a Methodist, Italian-American pastorby the name of Francesco Arcieri. He is said to have received visions from god while hiking high in the Appalachian Mountains. He spent a year following the visions to study the personalities of individuals within history. He concluded that much of the Christian world had been misguided and would need to revert to past values while sharing the True Faith with those around them. He wrote the First and Second books of Arcierism, The Book of Souls and the Book of Salvation the following year and began to preach from a small Church outside Detroit. His message spread somewhat around the community, especially among the families of those damaged by the gang conflicts of the city.

(I can expand on this, i'm unsure of how much is an appropriate amount of information.)
(Embolden the idea(s) your denomination supports;
embolden both for a neutral stance)
Predestination/Free Will
Tradition/Adaptation
Baptism: Necessary/Optional
Individualism/Community

All right, time to handle this one. I can easily see this one getting a lot of flak from major Christian establishments, seeing as you portray Jesus's character as a balance rather than perfectly good.


As for your questions: I can think of a few nicknames, but none of them are good. "Detroiters," "Black'n'Whiters," and "Christian Hippies" come to mind. A nickname is an optional trait, like how there aren't any common nicknames for Jehovah's Witnesses but the Latter Day Saints have the nickname "Mormons."

Essentially, deviations are a way to say "They're like this denomination, except with X." For example, if I was to make an application for the Anglican church I would put "Parent Denomination: Roman Catholic", and, in the Deviations part, I would put down, "Deviations: abandonment of hierarchy, emphasis on symbolism in Communion, priests can marry." For cases like yours which are so far separated from the original Methodist faith, Deviations can be left blank. If there were specific practices that were found in one sub-denomination but not in another, it would be put there.

You don't need to expand on the preferences between the two. They're just very standard modern Christian debates, and they will inevitably come up in the IC. You can refer back to your application for reference and consistency.


All that said, your talk about spiritual energies and vastly different doctrine resemble more of a Christian-based cult than a denomination. Still, it should bring about interesting discussion.

ACCEPTED.

[Talchyon]

I'm trying to decide what faction I should do. The denomination I am most familiar with, or one I would have to read up on some.

Maybe given my time constraints, I should do the one I know the most...

-Talc

[Bruke]

CHRISTIAN FACTION APPLICATION
NS Name: Bruke
Faction Name: United Evangelical Church in Ethiopia
Nicknames: Pentays
City of HQ: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Leader: Dessalegne Mebrete
Population: 15,000,000 (including all denominations, with members in the United States, Canada, Kenya, Eritrea, Germany, and Britain)
Parent Denomination: Pentecostalism mostly, along with Lutheranism, Mennonite, and many others, such as Baptists, Methodists, and Presbyterians
Deviations (if applicable):
Background/Beliefs: Claims to be the reformation of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church, and the restoration of it to its true form. They claim that the Orthodox Church became paganized during the Ethiopian Dark Ages (the 960s, when ancient liturgy etc. was destroyed), and thus claim the pre-960 history as their own. They also claim members had exposure to European Evangelical movements dating back to the 16th/17th centuries. In the early 20th century, God finally brought this work to completion when foreign missionaries came to Ethiopia and introduced the beliefs of the respective denominations. Stresses unity in diversity, like the Methodist Church. Banded together and formed in the face of persecution from Orthodox Christians and Muslims, especially in rural areas. Gudina Tumsa and Emmanuel Abraham, of the Lutheran church, developed its theology. The theology is holistic, focusing on this world and the next, the physical and the otherworldly. It stresses both self-reliance and interdependence. The theology stresses an ethical model based on first-hand experience and reflection on that experience. That ethical model is considered to be an alternative to the separation of church and state. It believes Western theology lacks ethics and a connection to the other world. The Church considers itself as duty-bound to spread this theology and ethical model not only to Ethiopia, but to Africa and the whole world.
(Embolden the idea(s) your denomination supports;
embolden both for a neutral stance)
Predestination/Free Will
Tradition/Adaptation
Baptism: Necessary/Optional
Individualism/Community

[Zjaum]

CHRISTIAN FACTION APPLICATION
NS Name: Bruke
Faction Name: United Evangelical Church in Ethiopia
Nicknames: Pentays
City of HQ: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Leader: Dessalegne Mebrete
Population: 15,000,000 (including all denominations, with members in the United States, Canada, Kenya, Eritrea, Germany, and Britain)
Parent Denomination: Pentecostalism mostly, along with Lutheranism, Mennonite, and many others, such as Baptists, Methodists, and Presbyterians
Deviations (if applicable):
Background/Beliefs: Claims to be the reformation of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church, and the restoration of it to its true form. They claim that the Orthodox Church became paganized during the Ethiopian Dark Ages (the 960s, when ancient liturgy etc. was destroyed), and thus claim the pre-960 history as their own. They also claim members had exposure to European Evangelical movements dating back to the 16th/17th centuries. In the early 20th century, God finally brought this work to completion when foreign missionaries came to Ethiopia and introduced the beliefs of the respective denominations. Stresses unity in diversity, like the Methodist Church. Banded together and formed in the face of persecution from Orthodox Christians and Muslims, especially in rural areas. Gudina Tumsa and Emmanuel Abraham, of the Lutheran church, developed its theology. The theology is holistic, focusing on this world and the next, the physical and the otherworldly. It stresses both self-reliance and interdependence. The theology stresses an ethical model based on first-hand experience and reflection on that experience. That ethical model is considered to be an alternative to the separation of church and state. It believes Western theology lacks ethics and a connection to the other world. The Church considers itself as duty-bound to spread this theology and ethical model not only to Ethiopia, but to Africa and the whole world.
(Embolden the idea(s) your denomination supports;
embolden both for a neutral stance)
Predestination/Free Will
Tradition/Adaptation
Baptism: Necessary/Optional
Individualism/Community

As discussed previously elsewhere, accepted. Welcome aboard.

As for the rest of you, the IC should begin tomorrow. Look forward to it, and hopefully it gives you all ideas for your applications.

[Talchyon]

Ok. Here goes. Instead of going for the whole church, I'm going for some of the more local ones.

CHRISTIAN FACTION APPLICATION
NS Name: Talchyon
Faction Name: C.L.C.S. (California Lutherans for Confessional Study)
Nicknames: "Ringnecks;" "Maintenance Ministry Guys;" "Troublers of Israel"
City of HQ: It's not a headquarters, exactly, but this group gets together in person once a month at St. Paul Lutheran Church, Modesto, CA

Leader: Rev. Martin Tiedrick, pastor, St. Paul Lutheran Church, Modesto, CA; also an ordained member of the Synod's Commission on Constitutional Matters
Population: There are 45 regular attendees of the study group, mostly pastors but there are a few laymen who come.
Parent Denomination: LCMS
Deviations (if applicable): These guys are more of the outspoken die-hard conservative Confessionals, even if outnumbered in their district and by their district leadership by moderate-liberals.
Background/Beliefs: Confessional Lutheran. Liturgical. Some are interested in the high church rites of the Medieval church, but most are content to stick with synodically approved hymnals and service books. Decidedly anti-contemporary worship. Very conservative as to Biblical exegesis, and are hostile to those who practice historical criticism of the Bible and question its historicity. Very sacramental.

(Embolden the idea(s) your denomination supports;
embolden both for a neutral stance)

Predestination/Free Will - ? - This is a little tricky. The Lutheran Confessions, and the CLCS who holds to it, teach kind of a mix of both predestination and free will. Predestination is Biblical, but being condemned from eternity is not (double-predestination). No one can know the hidden mind of God that has not been revealed in His Word. But for matters of conversion, this does not happen by man's free will (a la the historical theologian Jacob Arminius). Man only has free will in matters that are "beneath" him (like what to have for breakfast), but not in matters that are "above" him (like being redeemed from sin or coming to saving faith). For more background information, read this. Or the Epitome of the Formula of Concord, art. XI, which is shorter.

Tradition/Adaptation - But there is some adaptation, such as with using technology and social media. Some of the members of the CLCS are quite tech-savvy.

Baptism: Necessary/Optional - Baptism, the washing of water with the Word, is necessary, but not as a law or a rule. It's rather the ordinary means God uses to bring people into His kingdom. Babies are baptized, as well as children and adults. The C.L.C.S., like the Lutheran Confessions, does not see a separation between "water baptism" and the giving of the Holy Spirit.

Individualism/Community - ? - Again, a little tricky. Both the C.L.C.S. as well as the Lutheran Confessions which they hold to teaches a balance of both individualism and community.

[Greater Liverpool]

taggy tag tag

[Zjaum]

Ok. Here goes. Instead of going for the whole church, I'm going for some of the more local ones.

CHRISTIAN FACTION APPLICATION
NS Name: Talchyon
Faction Name: C.L.C.S. (California Lutherans for Confessional Study)
Nicknames: "Ringnecks;" "Maintenance Ministry Guys;" "Troublers of Israel"
City of HQ: It's not a headquarters, exactly, but this group gets together in person once a month at St. Paul Lutheran Church, Modesto, CA

Leader: Rev. Martin Tiedrick, pastor, St. Paul Lutheran Church, Modesto, CA
Population: There are 45 regular attendees of the study group, mostly pastors but there are a few laymen who come.
Parent Denomination: LCMS
Deviations (if applicable): These guys are more of the outspoken die-hard conservative Confessionals, even if outnumbered in their district and by their district leadership by moderate-liberals.
Background/Beliefs: Confessional Lutheran. Liturgical. Some are interested in the high church rites of the Medieval church, but most are content to stick with synodically approved hymnals and service books. Decidedly anti-contemporary worship. Very conservative as to Biblical exegesis, and are hostile to those who practice historical criticism of the Bible and question its historicity. Very sacramental.

(Embolden the idea(s) your denomination supports;
embolden both for a neutral stance)

Predestination/Free Will - ? - This is a little tricky. The Lutheran Confessions, and the CLCS who holds to it, teach kind of a mix of both predestination and free will. Predestination is Biblical, but being condemned from eternity is not (double-predestination). No one can know the hidden mind of God that has not been revealed in His Word. But for matters of conversion, this does not happen by man's free will (a la the historical theologian Jacob Arminius). Man only has free will in matters that are "beneath" him (like what to have for breakfast), but not in matters that are "above" him (like being redeemed from sin or coming to saving faith). For more background information, read this. Or the Epitome of the Formula of Concord, art. XI, which is shorter.

Tradition/Adaptation - But there is some adaptation, such as with using technology and social media. Some of the members of the CLCS are quite tech-savvy.

Baptism: Necessary/Optional - Baptism, the washing of water with the Word, is necessary, but not as a law or a rule. It's rather the ordinary means God uses to bring people into His kingdom. Babies are baptized, as well as children and adults. The C.L.C.S., like the Lutheran Confessions, does not see a separation between "water baptism" and the giving of the Holy Spirit.

Individualism/Community - ? - Again, a little tricky. Both the C.L.C.S. as well as the Lutheran Confessions which they hold to teaches a balance of both individualism and community.

I'll assume a neutral stance on the two parts in question; very few stances in religion are completely partisan to one side or the other. Looks very well fleshed out, to the point where I can feel secure in giving your faction full autonomy. Accepted.

Again, for everyone else, the IC will begin in less than six hours. I have a good portion of my introductory post, but it will have to wait for my 3-hour-long course in Technology Management...

[Talchyon]

Ok. Here goes. Instead of going for the whole church, I'm going for some of the more local ones.

CHRISTIAN FACTION APPLICATION
NS Name: Talchyon
Faction Name: C.L.C.S. (California Lutherans for Confessional Study)
Nicknames: "Ringnecks;" "Maintenance Ministry Guys;" "Troublers of Israel"
City of HQ: It's not a headquarters, exactly, but this group gets together in person once a month at St. Paul Lutheran Church, Modesto, CA

Leader: Rev. Martin Tiedrick, pastor, St. Paul Lutheran Church, Modesto, CA
Population: There are 45 regular attendees of the study group, mostly pastors but there are a few laymen who come.
Parent Denomination: LCMS
Deviations (if applicable): These guys are more of the outspoken die-hard conservative Confessionals, even if outnumbered in their district and by their district leadership by moderate-liberals.
Background/Beliefs: Confessional Lutheran. Liturgical. Some are interested in the high church rites of the Medieval church, but most are content to stick with synodically approved hymnals and service books. Decidedly anti-contemporary worship. Very conservative as to Biblical exegesis, and are hostile to those who practice historical criticism of the Bible and question its historicity. Very sacramental.

(Embolden the idea(s) your denomination supports;
embolden both for a neutral stance)

Predestination/Free Will - ? - This is a little tricky. The Lutheran Confessions, and the CLCS who holds to it, teach kind of a mix of both predestination and free will. Predestination is Biblical, but being condemned from eternity is not (double-predestination). No one can know the hidden mind of God that has not been revealed in His Word. But for matters of conversion, this does not happen by man's free will (a la the historical theologian Jacob Arminius). Man only has free will in matters that are "beneath" him (like what to have for breakfast), but not in matters that are "above" him (like being redeemed from sin or coming to saving faith). For more background information, read this. Or the Epitome of the Formula of Concord, art. XI, which is shorter.

Tradition/Adaptation - But there is some adaptation, such as with using technology and social media. Some of the members of the CLCS are quite tech-savvy.

Baptism: Necessary/Optional - Baptism, the washing of water with the Word, is necessary, but not as a law or a rule. It's rather the ordinary means God uses to bring people into His kingdom. Babies are baptized, as well as children and adults. The C.L.C.S., like the Lutheran Confessions, does not see a separation between "water baptism" and the giving of the Holy Spirit.

Individualism/Community - ? - Again, a little tricky. Both the C.L.C.S. as well as the Lutheran Confessions which they hold to teaches a balance of both individualism and community.

I'll assume a neutral stance on the two parts in question; very few stances in religion are completely partisan to one side or the other. Looks very well fleshed out, to the point where I can feel secure in giving your faction full autonomy. Accepted.

Again, for everyone else, the IC will begin in less than six hours. I have a good portion of my introductory post, but it will have to wait for my 3-hour-long course in Technology Management...

Excellent!

Rev. Tiedrick (pronounced TEE-drick) is going to be an interesting kind of pastor, to say the least.

[Bruke]

Perhaps he and the United Evangelical Church could be allies.....

[Talchyon]

Perhaps he and the United Evangelical Church could be allies.....

It's going to be interesting to see how these church bodies from very different parts of the world would be able to interact. That's one of the things I'm curious about for this RP. I suppose there's always email.

As for allies - we'll just have to see. I have the impression that Rev. Tiedrich is going to be pretty outspoken about whatever he thinks is right. But he'll also try to be pretty wise about how and when he says it.

[Bruke]

Perhaps he and the United Evangelical Church could be allies.....

It's going to be interesting to see how these church bodies from very different parts of the world would be able to interact. That's one of the things I'm curious about for this RP. I suppose there's always email.

As for allies - we'll just have to see. I have the impression that Rev. Tiedrich is going to be pretty outspoken about whatever he thinks is right. But he'll also try to be pretty wise about how and when he says it.

Dont you mean using the TGs and pretending that is email?

[Zjaum]

IC IS UP!

[Talchyon]

IC IS UP!

Uhh, Zjaum? The link takes you to a comic strip and not an IC page...

-Talc

[Zjaum]

IC IS UP!

Uhh, Zjaum? The link takes you to a comic strip and not an IC page...

-Talc

The IC link is on the intro post.

[Walrusvylon]

This is an absolute genius RP idea! I shall apply shortly.

I think I am going to make a denomination with very conservative and very evangelical confessional Lutheran beliefs that practices the traditional Old Order Amish lifestyle.

[Zjaum]

This is an absolute genius RP idea! I shall apply shortly.

I think I am going to make a denomination with very conservative and very evangelical confessional Lutheran beliefs that practices the traditional Old Order Amish lifestyle.

All right. Know that we already have a Lutheran establishment faction, so you two will probably be in close proximity to one another, in almost every sense of the word.

[Walrusvylon]

This is an absolute genius RP idea! I shall apply shortly.

I think I am going to make a denomination with very conservative and very evangelical confessional Lutheran beliefs that practices the traditional Old Order Amish lifestyle.

All right. Know that we already have a Lutheran establishment faction, so you two will probably be in close proximity to one another, in almost every sense of the word.

Do we have Baptists yet? I could be Baptist. Amish hillbillies would amazing.
Nevermind that, actually.

[Zjaum]

All right. Know that we already have a Lutheran establishment faction, so you two will probably be in close proximity to one another, in almost every sense of the word.

Do we have Baptists yet? I could be Baptist. Amish hillbillies would amazing.

A Baptist group is fine, but I think you might enjoy a Lutheran faction better. Considering that Talchyon's Lutheran faction supports the status quo, your dissident Lutheran faction will have a lot more encounters. Whatever you choose is perfectly fine, though.

[Walrusvylon]

Application incoming! I also decided to be more like New Order Amish instead, who are less stingy about machinery than the Old Order.

CHRISTIAN FACTION APPLICATION
NS Name: Walrusvylon
Faction Name: Simple Living Lutheran Synond
Nicknames: SLLS
City of HQ: Jones County, South Dakota
Leader: Founded by Pastor Scott Oelhafen (the Oel sounds like ale).
Population: 40,000
Parent Denomination: Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synond
Deviations (if applicable):
Our doctrine is exactly the same as WELS; the only difference is that we live like the Amish.
Background/Beliefs:
Predestination/Free Will
Tradition/Adaptation
Baptism: Necessary/Optional
Individualism/Community

We are theologically and socially conservative, and, unlike the Amish, we are evangelical. Our lifestyle is the same as the Amish, except for when our beliefs contradict theirs. The main difference is that we practice infant baptism. To distinguish ourselves from the Amish, we call ourselves simple-livers.

Our mission strategy involves inviting people (especially those who are poor or homeless) to come work on our farms or businesses, and in return they will live with the family for whom they work. This is very effective because it is a better deal for the poor and homeless than what they currently have. This is also attractive to city dwellers who want a less hectic life, as well as people who already live rurally. When the local pastor deems them to be ready (usually after a period of about a month), they are baptised into the congregation. They may then get married, just like the Amish do. Contrary to popular belief, the Amish do not practice arranged marriage, and nor do we. Once they are married, the community will purchase a plot of land for them to start their own farm or business and raise their own family. For this reason, we do not suffer from inbreeding problems like the Amish do.

Also interesting is that the Amish are actually the fastest growing population group in the US due to not using contraceptives and each family having on average 7 kids, so we could grow really quickly, since unlike the Amish, we are evangelical. We also plan to spread to other countries. Math for population growth will be coming soon.

[Walrusvylon]

Welcome, both of you! Yeah, I'm Dutch Reformed myself. Our church has been going over the history of Christianity, and it got me thinking. I've been doing a lot of soul searching myself, and I felt like this was appropriate.

Thanks! I think I might try to go for a group who's wish is to get the church to start acknowledging some of the modern scientific theories that clash with traditional catholic beliefs.

Catholics actually believe in evolution, just so you know.

[Camelone]

CHRISTIAN FACTION APPLICATION
NS Name: Camelone
Faction Name: Synod of True Anglicans
Nicknames:
City of HQ: Charleston, WV
Leader: Primate Sinclair Kenton
Population: Roughly 7000
Parent Denomination: The Episcopal Church of the Anglo-Catholic variant
Deviations (if applicable): Monastic priesthood (there are married deacons and simplex priests though who can not hear confessions and deacons can not oversee Holy Communion), Clerical poverty while retaining a respectable outward appearance, and a strictly conservative and traditional theology and teachings
Background/Beliefs: An attempt to bring to reality the St. Benedict option making it not just a religious movement but also a social movement to forge a traditional Christian society within the secular world taking a lot of inspiration from the Amish. Are attempting to form lay religious communities in West Virginia that are relatively self-sufficient. Practice high church rites and have an odd way of invoking saint where they request any saint in Heaven that knows their predicament to pray for them. Most of the priests travel around to preach during the week returning to their parishes every Sunday, they leave the Daily Offices in the hands of the simplex priests and deacons.
(Embolden the idea(s) your denomination supports;
embolden both for a neutral stance)
Predestination/Free Will - While God knows all things that have happened, are happening, and will happen He is beyond time and space so even though He knows all this humanity still utilizes their free will.
Tradition/Adaptation - Tradition is the only true way to fully grasp the faith as it was taught by Christ and the Apostles, the only adaptation is how to spread the Gospel and explaining the faith to the faithful.
Baptism: Necessary/Optional - Baptism is an incredibly important and necessary sacrament for salvation.
Individualism/Community - The Church is the body of the Christ and thus it is of great importance to all members, the religious hermit though is given a special place of reverence.

[Talchyon]

Zjaum - I had a few questions about the IC post. First, the debate / discussion between the two NPCs was being recorded, but for how big of a broadcast? Just local, or internet, or what?

Second, I wanted to make sure I understood what the theological positions of the two sides were. If you could clarify here, that would help. Still trying to think how to begin. (I don't normally play factions).

-Talc

[Zjaum]

CHRISTIAN FACTION APPLICATION
NS Name: Camelone
Faction Name: Synod of True Anglicans
Nicknames:
City of HQ: Charleston, WV
Leader: Primate Sinclair Kenton
Population: Roughly 7000
Parent Denomination: The Episcopal Church of the Anglo-Catholic variant
Deviations (if applicable): Monastic priesthood (there are married deacons and simplex priests though who can not hear confessions and deacons can not oversee Holy Communion), Clerical poverty while retaining a respectable outward appearance, and a strictly conservative and traditional theology and teachings
Background/Beliefs: An attempt to bring to reality the St. Benedict option making it not just a religious movement but also a social movement to forge a traditional Christian society within the secular world taking a lot of inspiration from the Amish. Are attempting to form lay religious communities in West Virginia that are relatively self-sufficient. Practice high church rites and have an odd way of invoking saint where they request any saint in Heaven that knows their predicament to pray for them. Most of the priests travel around to preach during the week returning to their parishes every Sunday, they leave the Daily Offices in the hands of the simplex priests and deacons.
(Embolden the idea(s) your denomination supports;
embolden both for a neutral stance)
Predestination/Free Will - While God knows all things that have happened, are happening, and will happen He is beyond time and space so even though He knows all this humanity still utilizes their free will.
Tradition/Adaptation - Tradition is the only true way to fully grasp the faith as it was taught by Christ and the Apostles, the only adaptation is how to spread the Gospel and explaining the faith to the faithful.
Baptism: Necessary/Optional - Baptism is an incredibly important and necessary sacrament for salvation.
Individualism/Community - The Church is the body of the Christ and thus it is of great importance to all members, the religious hermit though is given a special place of reverence.

Looks incredibly detailed. Accepted.

I apologize for falling off radar. I wanted to be on multiple times per day, instead of only once. As a result, I give Talchyon full permissions to accept applications. His experience commanding successful RPs is more than enough credit.

As for you, Talchyon, this was a cable interview that was posted online, gaining much more traction through that medium. As for ideologies, I’ll explain tomorrow. Egilson is the head of my faction (See Examples), with Williams representing the establishment of the Reformed faction. If that helps at all, great. Otherwise, I’ll try to explain more tomorrow.