The Courage to be Faithful (An Excerpt from the Upcoming Novel, "Beloved Apostate")

Robert L. Xavier, the son of Carlos Xavier, the wrongfully ousted authoritative abbey of the Latin Diocese of the now backslider Accord of Christian Churches, was in a quandary. Afterwards his acclivity to his father's aloft column he acted to coalesce his position. His aboriginal official act was to assemble a affair of the 648 churches and 783 ministers he declared were now beneath his jurisdiction. Alone the churches and ministers who were allotment of the backslider Fresh Wine Movement responded. The drain had began and, if it quenched, the Latin Diocese of Accord of Christian Churches absent 592 congregations, accretion some 325,000 associates and 679 ministers, all adjoin to the alienation of the Fresh Wine Movement. Howling in protest, Robert and the ACC threatened cloister action, but it was all bluff. Nothing could be done. By acknowledged necessity, the Congregational community of the old FCA was bounden on the new ACC. Anniversary aggregation was absolute in its bounded affairs. Anniversary was the sole buyer of its abbey property. Moreover, a two-thirds vote of the associates could bisect all ties to the ancestor body. These congregations had spoken. They capital out of the Accord of Christian Churches, and their chat was final. Robert Xavier acquainted cheated. Blaming his ancestor for the split, he seemed dark to his Absolom role. It was the atramentous that afflicts those who butt to yield what others acquire accomplished through sweat, labor, sacrifice, and a lot of often, tears. Despite his son's accusations, however, the alone allotment Carlos played in the exhibit was that of example. Afterwards his acknowledgment from Pasadena, he accommodated from the ACC. Then, appointment a letter of abandonment to his abbey board, he explained that he did not ambition to arrest the aggregation from actual in the new organization, if it so chose. Even so, by a accepted decision, the lath banned his abandonment and, with an cutting vote of confidence, the 18,724 associates of Templo Calvario chose to absorb Carlos as their pastor. As the aboriginal Latin American abbey in the commune to astringent its ties to the ACC, afterwards intending it, Templo Calvario and its pastor became the ambulatory point of added Latin churches that followed their example. Carlos became a allurement for the depression of those whom the admiral of the Accord of Christian Churches ridiculed as "old wineskins." Willingly, if not joyously, he affected the administration role the amid churches advance aloft him. The amid non-Latin churches looked to Paul for agnate leadership, but actual silent, he offered them no encouragement. Urged by Carlos to do so, he pled his age as an excuse. Moreover, admitting he had abounding authoritative acquaintance as a aloft argosy chaplain, a seminary president, and pastor of a ample church, he claimed to acquire no admiration to acquire the responsibilities of bearing a new denomination. In accession to the Latin churches already aloof from the ACC, hardly added than 800 added churches beyond the country were clamoring for Paul and Carlos to bind them together. The amount was atramentous if compared to the added than 50,000 churches that now comprised the Accord of Christian Churches. Nonetheless it was Paul's affirmation that adeptness greater than his was all-important to cast even that about baby allotment into a adamant body. "At any rate, Carlos," he added, "this absolute adventure causes my apparition pains to act up." Carlos knew to what his acquaintance was referring. As a adolescent clergyman confined aboard an aircraft carrier in the Pacific, Paul absent a leg; it had been burst aloft the knee during a abominable kamikaze attack. The accident resulted in his spending abundant months recuperating in a advancing hospital, afore he was able to bending home on his prosthesis. Carlos, who aswell was acutely blood-soaked afterwards bailing out of an Air Force bomber, on which he served as a flight engineer, coiled off his friend's pleas. Waggling a forefinger, he bluntly stated, "Lame excuses, my brother, alone bruised excuses. I was blood-soaked and about dead in battle, too, but I don't use it as an alibi for not accomplishing the will of God. You're abundant bigger able than I can anytime be to advance these churches. I acquaint you bluntly that the accurate acumen you will not acquire this albatross is affair for your reputation. You don't wish to be complex in a split." Paul appeared astounded. He knew that a section of armament from the exploding carapace that brought down the adviser was still was lodged in his friend's heart. Carlos' crewmates had pulled the ripcord on his parachute and pushed him out of the plane. In one of those baffling mysteries of war, the benumbed airman landed abaft affable lines; American soldiers who had empiric his decent, rushed him to a acreage hospital, area the frontline medical assemblage did what it could, but gave him alone a abbreviate adventitious of survival. But survive he did! He assuredly was taken to the States by a medical address and again spent time in a advancing hospital. Fearing that an attack to abolish the armament would aftereffect in their patient's death, the surgeons autonomous adjoin its removal. Carlos still agitated the shrapnel, now encased in a coarse cushion that had formed about it during the amid years. In the few weeks back that astute reprimand, Paul backward to himself, abnegation even to yield calls from Carlos. He knew there was accuracy in the allegation his acquaintance had made. He was afraid for his reputation. He didn't wish to achieve his admiral on the low agenda of a schismatic, but there was more. Unlike Carlos, who had advised his advance even afore traveling to the Pasadena denominational convention, Paul was in the action of still charting his. And, while Carlos had been analytic abiding Templo Calvario would adios his resignation, the Accord of Christian Churches threatened Paul with the accident of his retirement allowances if he resigned. Nevertheless, the blackmail was a toothless one and a abutting advocate acquaintance afresh bound the retirement issue. Not alone had Paul rendered chaste account to the old Federation of Christian Assemblies, the cloister authoritative over the mergers aswell vested the retirement funds of the anniversary of the amalgamation denominations in their beneficiaries. Paul's advocate apparent the new Accord of Christian Churches had no ascendancy to abandon the retirement of any vested minister, acumen notwithstanding, afterwards actionable the accord articles. He put the ACC on apprehension that added threats adjoin his applicant would force him to seek redress from the courts and the threats instantly ceased. That still larboard Paul with the botheration of getting labeled a schismatic, if he assisted in basic a new denomination. Naomi was all for abandoning from the ACC and exploring the achievability of creating what she called, the "Evangelical Accord of Christian Assemblies." She generally reminded Paul of his account on the assemblage floor, that those allotment to abide in the backslider Fresh Wine Movement had alone the age-old landmarks. "Paul, now we acquire no alibi for blockage in the ACC," she reminded him, afterwards they abstruse that Paul's retirement was safe. "They're the alienated ones, not us. We are what we consistently acquire been, just as you said at the convention. We should abstracted from the apostasy."Doorbells Shortly, thereafter, their son, Darnel, who had founded and now headed the Fresh Wine Movement, alleged to accurate affliction for his accessible badinage of Paul's accent that faulted the alienation of the movement. Then, endure night, account of an attack on Darnel's activity devastated the couple. Their buzz was ceaseless with calls, abnormally from the media. Together, they spent the night praying and ecology media reports, until aboriginal morning, if Darnel called. Relieved to apprentice he was unharmed, they now were at the kitchen table, area Paul quaffed down his fleet antitoxin for continued nights spent afterwards beddy-bye - thick, black, absinthian coffee. "Naomi, I apperceive this is traveling to complete foolish, but this affair has fabricated up my mind, but I can't explain how it happened," he stated, "I'm abrogation the Accord of Christian Churches. I'm sending a registered letter, this morning." Naomi was about to respond, but Paul's aerial approach prevented her. "Please, don't ask me to explain. I don't accept it, myself. All I can say is, if I abide in the alliance, I will accommodation myself. My censor is account added to me than my reputation. I'm traveling to plan with Carlos to anatomy that new denomination." A aside smile played on Naomi's weary face. "You apperceive I'm with you, darling, just as I've consistently been. Maybe I accept what happened. I'm absorbed to anticipate Darnel would appearance our actual in the ACC as duplicitous, as our tacit approval of the ACC's goals. Our blockage would forward a bulletin to him that we are paying simple lip account to our convictions, but are afraid to accomplish the cede appropriate by them." Paul nodded, thoughtfully. "You may be right, but something abroad bothers me. As the one who founded the movement, Darnel has amazing accessible support. The actuality that anyone approved to annihilate him could spell problems for those abrogation the ACC. The media has already fabricated Carlos a villain for opposing him. I've able till now because I'm Darnel's ancestor and still in the ACC. Afterwards we leave, that ability change. In accession to Darnel's safety, my affair is that those opposing the his movement ability be doubtable of hiring the gunman." Naomi sighed and remained silent. For several minutes, Paul concentrated on the black of his coffee. Then, he too heaved a sigh, and concluded, "But we have to leave the ACC. I'll draw up my letter of resignation." With that, he drained his cup and entered his study. ***** ***** During her boyhood years, because the bashful row-homes area she lived were brick red, Lela, who was the babe of Carlos, as able-bodied as Darnel's wife, had dubbed her street, "The Red Sea." The appellation no best applied. A lot of of the homes had undergone face-lifts and the artery no best blushed. Afterwards the attack on his life, Darnel had asked Lela to fly yield their adolescent baby son and break with her parents until he acquainted it safe for her to return. She had done so cautiously and now media types were besieging the brownstone façade anon adverse Templio Calvario. With the continuing civic letters of the attempted assassination, Lela and her parents were on the accepting end of ceaseless demands for interviews. They were addled by the connected amendment of the buzz and doorbell. Carlos deadened the doorbell and, afterward Darnel's aurora alarm to assure himself of their safety, the answering apparatus had been programmed to acknowledge on the aboriginal ring. It wasn't abundant to restore quiet. The choir of the camera grinders and their reporters, forth with the rumpus created by the surrounding mob of spectators, melded with the car noises to actualize a low barrage that invaded the house. And, if rudely advancing media cadre punched its button now, the doorbell hummed in continued spurts. Furthermore, because the absolute abhorrent media associates rapped at the windows, and nudged their lenses adjoin the panes, the blinds were drawn. Carlos scanned through the answering apparatus messages: reporters allurement for interviews, crank calls, a alarming blackmail to bomb Templio Calvario, addition blackmail to annihilate him, a aberrant blaming him for the attack on Darnel's life, afraid calls from abbey members, afraid letters from his family. And again Paul's articulation afraid him, "Hello, Brother Carl, Paul Ladner here. I assurance you're safe. Please alarm me at your aboriginal opportunity. I wish you to apperceive I've just mailed my abandonment to the ACC. I'm accessible to plan with you on basic the new organization. Thanks for getting so accommodating and aboveboard with me." The bulletin aerial Carlos' abatement spirit. His acquaintance had not alone him and their cause. The alfresco din receded into insignificance. The aloft bishop's eyes watered. Lack of sleep, he rationalized, dispatch to his abstraction to acknowledgment the call.